Get a good UPS and turn the printer on and off as little as humanly possible! That is my A Number One, take it to the bank tip, for keeping Epson printers happy and healthy. I live in the lighting capital of the world, Florida, so it’s absolutely imperative!
Just like most computers or other sensitive electronics, on and off all the time isn’t a good thing in and of itself, much less getting hit with spikes and sags and constant short dropouts, at least in my book, Epson printers seem to be the same.
Now a “Good UPS” means a commercial level UPS, in APC speak this means a "Smart UPS" or better, they switch faster and have much cleaner power output, i.e. true sign wave as opposed to square or stepper wave power output of the cheaper consumer grade units. At my day job, we have a large number of computers and other VERY sensitive electronic equipment that have been on essentially 24/7 for ten years with no “electronic type” failures, all of them are commercial/enterprise grade UPS backed of course.
Back in the beginning, i.e. my early Pro 4000 days, I constantly had all manner of error codes and even outright lockups, I burned up a main board or two and I was on a first name basis with the Epson service people in my area. Once I wised up and started using UPS power and leaving the units on 24/7, all of this nonsense just went away. Case in point I just picked up a new, to me, Epson 9880 printer. Brought it home and set it up and it promptly started handing out error codes. It is a very low use unit and I paid so little for the thing I though oh sh1t I may have bought someone else’s problem child printer. But as soon as I set it up with a good UPS problem solved. Haven’t had an error code from it in the six months since, it’s been happy as a clam.
Your mileage of course could very, but a “good” UPS in front of any Epson wide format ink jet printer is absolutely the very first thing that should be done to keep it healthy and happy, in my mind anyway.
Later Larry
