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Author Topic: Ordered my 9900!  (Read 16319 times)

Mike Guilbault

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Ordered my 9900!
« on: January 09, 2013, 10:26:40 pm »

It'll take a week or so to get here, but wanted to find out, is there anything I should be aware of for the setup?  Something that may not be in the instructions. I also need to make room for it.  I know what the physical dimensions are, but how much extra room do I need behind (to the wall) and to each side?  Do I need to access the back of the printer for loading roll paper or can it all be done from the front?
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Mike Guilbault

Ray Cox

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2013, 11:36:57 pm »

You are going to love that thing! I have had one now for 27 months. Was as easy to set up as a small desktop printer.
I have never done a software update, switch between paper and canvas, photo black and matte black regularly. It just works.

Cleanings are a rarity. The only time it has been necessary is during the switch of black inks. Switch the inks, do a nozzle test, and you will not get a good pattern. I then power down the unit, wait a couple of minutes, restart and retest. On only two occasions I actually had to do a pairs cleaning.

I am not too sure about all of this talk about the humidity being an issue. My studio is an old stone building built in 1874. The temp has been 62-65 in the print room and humidity is 34% ( it's winter and the heat is on believe it or not)  2 1/2 foot thick walls, no insulation. Usually run a small heater in there to get the nip off of my nose.

By the way, bill t. is right, that  30x80 is a good sweet spot. Have fun and Chill!    Play a little Bob Marley and relax
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langier

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2013, 12:01:02 am »

Make sure you have several strong backs to lift the printer onto the stand! It took four of us to take mine down the stairs down to my studio.

I seldom need to get behind my 9900 except to get to my UPS to reset in a rare while. As to width, leave a little room on the sides to change out the waste ink tanks.

Compared to my old 7600, it's at least 4 times faster and compared to the 9800, it's probably twice as fast.

Since I run a lot on canvas i do have to run regular cleaning cycles but fewer on luster. If you do need to run a cleaning cycle, if its just a color or two, simply clean the pairs. When you get to perhaps 30-40 percent left on the ink, it's time to get another cart since once you get to maybe 10-15%, you won't be able to run a cleaning cycle.

When you do switch to MK from PK, do a nozzle check and that will probably show you need to clean the black pair.

Don't worry about the cutter, even with canvas since its made to cut through heavy material.

I've had my second hand printer now for two years and couldn't be happier for its print quality and speed!
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bill t.

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2013, 02:04:32 am »

Awright Mike!  Yer runnin' with the big dogs now!

Just wait'll you heft that first big roll of honkin' 44" media.  It's a thrill you'll never forget. 

Let's see now...figure out where you're gonna put all those damned rolls, they take up some serious room, and they really like to fall over if you stack them against the wall on-end.  And your work table is probably too small.  And figure out how you're gonna hang up all those big prints to dry, I usually tape them up on the 5, 51 x 97 pieces of 6mm Coroplast I use for coating, even if I'm not going to coat that particular media.  I have a whole wall reserved for nothing but leaning up those panels.  And be sure to get some velcro straps for tying up partially used rolls.  I buy 20 foot rolls of 1" velcro straps at the electronic supply store, then cut them up.  Red works especially well, but will be out of gamut in pictures of your shop.
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Wayne Fox

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2013, 02:09:52 am »

You'll prob need a LK ink long before any of the others because of the way the printer charges (it has to charge the LK ink line twice because it shares a channel with the PK/MK nozzles) so prob want to get one of those pretty quickly.  It's rare you need to get behind the printer other than plugging in the cables, and it's on wheels so easy to put up against the wall and roll out when necessary.  You really don't need any room on the sides either.

It's heavy and it's designed to be lifted by 4 people at once (there are handles indicating safe places to lift).

I had a 7900 and an 11880, sold them and switched to a 9900.  The humidity thing isn't fiction, and while some luck out with little trouble, a few seem cursed with clogs no matter what, if there is any way to keep the humidity at around 45% your paper and the printer will benefit.  I have a self filling humidifier attached to a R/O water filter that is on a valve, turns on for 5 min each day to refill it. (did this because I've had two floods where the small 1/4" tubing to supply a fridge busted.  This way if it busts I only get 5 minutes of water intead of hours. Has pretty much eliminated my clogs, although it wasn't terrible before that.
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Mike Guilbault

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2013, 06:46:07 am »

Geesh Bill... sounds like I need to get a larger studio! lol  I know the printer will fit, but everything else is going to take up more room!  I had already thought of a larger work table... working on that one.

Is it better to hang the prints or lay them flat to dry?

Good point about the LK Wayne. I'll order one right away.  Fortunately, I have a great computer store right across the street from my studio that can get me my ink (and paper for the most part) next day (and they pay for the shipping!). I'm in an old building, but it was completely renovated two years ago so the temp and humidity are pretty consistent.  I've not had any problems with my 4900, even after sitting idle for two weeks over the Christmas holidays.
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Mike Guilbault

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2013, 11:09:50 am »

Based on the "other thread", you might want to plan on having a wiper on hand and change it every 6 months or so to lower the chance of head clogs. It's like changing your oil and filter in your car...preventive maintenance  and probably should be done on a regular basis.

They found that one of the possible causes of head clogs is the wiper smearing old ink back onto the head.

When my 9900 had a stroke with a completely clogged green channel, I wish I had known about this. It might have saved my machine. It really IS a great printer except for that little head clogging thing.
I now have an 11880 and so far it is doing nicely. Actually printed a piece 64x66 inches just before Xmas. My first massive print job that justified buying the larger printer.
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John Caldwell

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2013, 07:01:39 pm »

When you get to perhaps 30-40 percent left on the ink, it's time to get another cart since once you get to maybe 10-15%, you won't be able to run a cleaning cycle.

Langler, Are you suggesting that the ink volume consumed by a cleaning cycle is 10-15% of the cart volume, which would be a least 15 to 20cc, based upon using the smallest 150cc ink cartridges?

Congratulations, Mike! I too am hoping to compliment my 4900 with a 9900. We would be twins.

John
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Mike Guilbault

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2013, 09:41:52 pm »

Based on the "other thread", you might want to plan on having a wiper on hand and change it every 6 months or so to lower the chance of head clogs. It's like changing your oil and filter in your car...preventive maintenance  and probably should be done on a regular basis.

What's a 'wiper'?

Thanks Sharon & John.. I am excited and can't wait to get started.  Just hope by the time I have it set up that I can afford some extra ink and a roll of 44" media!  I have a couple of 24" rolls (Lustre and CPN) but still deciding which canvas I want to use.  That'll probably be the 44" roll.
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Mike Guilbault

dgberg

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2013, 08:40:39 am »

You bought a 9900 and you did not read our longest thread. :(
Watch the video about changing the wiper,its buried in the middle somewhere.


PS. Ken Doo
Thanks for digging out the link for Eric's video.
« Last Edit: January 11, 2013, 01:19:13 pm by Dan Berg »
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framah

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2013, 10:53:47 am »

The wiper  is a tiny rubbery "wiper" thingy that the machine runs over the heads to wipe off any excess ink. As time goes on, it slowly gets gunked up with ink that didn't run off into the drain to the maint. tanks.

Eventually, the theory has it, it will begin to wipe old, peanut buttery ink ONTO the heads causing more clogs than it helps avoid.

I have 2 left on hand that i bought after my 9900 had a green stroke. I was planning to rebuild it myself, but came to my senses when someone offered me $500 for it as is. I gave him one of the wipers and now have the 2 left.

I'd like to know if it is the same wiper for my 11880. Anyone??
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Ken Doo

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2013, 11:16:11 am »

Actually, I'd suggest doing an occasional inspection and cleaning of the wiper (e.g, every few weeks/months) with a moistened, lint free swab-it.  Sometimes you never know when that gunk is gonna build up because of a media dust, a special print job etc.  It's certainly easy enough---and costs nothing but a few minutes of time.  I would replace the wiper as recommended annually; earlier replacement won't break the bank either.

If I can find the time, I'll try to put together a short list of printer tips and basic maintenance on the Epson printers, gleaned from both my personal experience and the adventures of Eric the Magnificient as he delves deep in the depths of the working Epson printer body...   summarized in one document.

In the meantime, this is the link to Eric's video on wiper replacement:  http://gotagteam.com/epson/Epson_7900-Wiperblade_change.html

I believe you can still make donations to help further his endeavors at the site.

ken

Justan

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #12 on: January 11, 2013, 12:00:29 pm »

Congratulations, Mike! I look forward to seeing your comments on the new printer.

The comments here have been very educational. Would someone please elaborate or provide a link to earlier comments about the influence of humidity for this printer? I’m in an area where high humidity is the norm. F’instance, at the moment the humidity level outside is 93% and it seldom gets below about 50%.

TIA

SK Photo

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #13 on: January 11, 2013, 12:20:55 pm »

Congratulations! - You are going to love it!

I'm brand new to the forums, and had I known you were in the market for one, I would have turned you on to the one I have for sale. It comes with a freshly installed set of genuine Epson 700ml inks.

As far the the 9900 you have coming, it is a dream to print with. Loads paper like a breeze, you can create custom paper setups quite easily, and it prints very fast compared to past models (9800, 9600...) - The color gamut is nothing short of amazing! I'd suggest creating custom paper profiles for every paper you use.

The canned profiles for most papers, supplied by most paper manufacturers are pretty decent, but my experience has been that nothing beats a custom profile. Prints from the 9900 on custom profiled paper are nothing short of stunning! - The 9900 prints the best black and whites of any Epson inkjet printer I have owned, and I have owned most of them. The black and whites are "almost" indistinguishable from a conventional black and white, and in most cases I prefer the feel of the 9900 B&W to conventional B&W's. The 9900 seems to reproduce nuances that conventional prints simply do not.

Again, congratulations on your purchase... You made a great choice in a printer.

If or or anyone else reading this is interested, I'm going to be posting a great deal on a bunch of Moab Entrada paper for sale in the "For Sale" section very shortly...

Enjoy!

SK
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Ken Doo

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #14 on: January 11, 2013, 02:27:49 pm »

Congratulations, Mike! I look forward to seeing your comments on the new printer.

The comments here have been very educational. Would someone please elaborate or provide a link to earlier comments about the influence of humidity for this printer? I’m in an area where high humidity is the norm. F’instance, at the moment the humidity level outside is 93% and it seldom gets below about 50%.

TIA



Hi Justan,

The target comfort zone for your Epson printer is 40-60% +/- for humidity.  My studio is along the CA central coast, so normal humidity stays relatively good.  It's rare that I would ever need to run a humidifier!  It is worthwhile to purchase a hygrometer to monitor humidity levels near your printer.  The use of the house furnace, heaters, and air conditioning can drastically effect humidity---and your printer's comfort zone.  Imho, keeping humidity levels within that targeted comfort zone is extremely important in keeping a happy Epson printer.  (Knock on wood) I've had none of the complaints nor any clogging with my 9900 or 9890 while monitoring humidity, and doing the normal preventative maintenance.

ken

Justan

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #15 on: January 12, 2013, 10:13:59 am »

^Thank you for the comments. I have a hygrometer in the basement, about 20’ from a dehumidifier. The circumstances of that area requires that the dehumidifier runs about 6 or so hours a day. I’ll have to move the hygrometer to other locations and see what the typical humidity is.

I’m considering the 9900 as a candidate for a 44” printer, but high to extremely high humidity is fairly typical around here.

mlondon

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #16 on: January 12, 2013, 11:31:06 pm »

I'm in the market for a 44" printer but still chugging along with my old 3800 for now. I know that the time to buy technology is when you need it, but I can hold off for awhile and continue using a friends printer when I need wider than 17".

I've been keeping my eye out for news of inevitable new printers from Epson, but not even a rumor. From those of who who may be more plugged into the product cycle of the wide format printers, when do you think there will be an new version up from the 9900?

To be clear, I don't see anything wrong with the current model, just prefer making investments like this towards the beginning of a product cycle rather than towards the end.

Thank you !
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darlingm

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #17 on: January 13, 2013, 02:00:46 am »

Turn off auto cleaning, do nozzle checks yourself.  Use the cheapest 8.5x11 paper you can find for these.  (Note that you can re-use a sheet by loading it as a single sheet, changing it to think it's a roll by hitting the left arrow, and advancing the paper down somewhat by hitting the down arrow.  You can fit 5 nozzle checks per side, 10 total, this way.  Down arrow on single sheet mode advances the paper all the way for it to be unloaded.)

Pay or con others to be those people lifting the printer.  I had no part in lifting mine.  :)  I learned from my HP 5500PS 60".

When it says a cartridge is down to 1%, there's really a LOT more in there.  But as langier mentioned, when the percentage gets low it asks for a new one when cleaning.  You have to decide if you throw out a lot of ink or play the swap cartridges game.

Update firmware.  Yours might have it already, but there was a bug where some ink cartridges were improperly rejected.

Others will disagree, but I recommend not using the cutter for canvas.  It cuts just fine, but at least for me it created a ton of debris in the printer that would fall on the canvas, preventing ink from hitting it in a few spots.  Otherwise, vacuum the inside out often.

They aren't that expensive, but you can find maintenance tank refill sponges a lot cheaper.  It's just a sponge - I don't mind using third party here.

Most (all, in my experience actually) ink goes into the right maintenance tank.  If one completely fills, it won't print anymore.  When your right tank gets to 10%, switch them.  I, then, have left that initial one at 10% on the left, and it never fills up more.  I believe (but don't know) that the only time the left one is used is when borderless printing is used, which I don't do.

Some day the head carriage will bounce from side to side, possibly for quite a while - up to 15-30min?  It's auto adjusting something, and it isn't kind enough to tell you that.  It's not broken.  It just doesn't want you to meet your deadline.

Don't know if it could hurt something forcing it, but I sometimes have to force the roll to rewind by grabbing the roll end caps and twisting them.  Sometimes my media loads with a foot or so advanced, and it thinks it's all the way up, so the rewind button (up arrow) won't go farther.
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Mike • Westland Printworks
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darlingm

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #18 on: January 13, 2013, 02:02:58 am »

. . .I've been keeping my eye out for news of inevitable new printers from Epson, but not even a rumor. From those of who who may be more plugged into the product cycle of the wide format printers, when do you think there will be an new version up from the 9900?. . .

No idea, but Epson employees have said that without some huge new breakthrough, there's not going to be large advancements in things like gamut, so I wouldn't worry about it much.  Except, SOMEDAY they're going to have to release a 60" with orange and green, right?
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Mike Guilbault

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Re: Ordered my 9900!
« Reply #19 on: January 13, 2013, 06:56:35 pm »

Great tips... Thanks!
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Mike Guilbault
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