Epson 7900 clog on one stubborn colour - HELP!!

[highway0691]

Hi, new to here. I've had my printer for 3 yrs and hardly a problem except for the odd clog which had resolved itself.

But the latest issue is doing my head in. See attached image, hope it is visible. The MK or PK channel wont budge despite power cleans and paper towel with windex under the head trick. From reading a bit on the net some people with other models have done this overnight on many occasions to resolve the issue. Any suggestions pls.

I live 2000 kilometres from the nearest technician so I am left to my own devices. I'm about to give up on this printer, even considering buying a new one as I'm worried about costs of repair on a well used printer.

The nozzle printout is consistent and hasn't budged all day. Seems strange to have this gap right in the middle, does this signify anything?

Any suggestions on what to do next would be greatly appreciated

[highway0691]

I've just had a brainwave and have considered after the clogging nightmare to buy a Canon IPF6300. I've used Epson for over 10 years and the thought of changing is a bit unnerving.

Has anyone else who does a fair amount of printing changed from Epson to Canon? If so would love to know how it went.

[iladi]

I was in the same situation. now I have a Canon and a Epson side by side.

Epson''s print quality is better than Canon's at normal print quality (720x720 vs 600x600 dpi) and still a little better at high quality, but not by much. At least when I print from Wasatch RIP and I never tried to print using the standard drivers, maybe is ok , maybe not.

As far as clogs, Canon has zero after 91 days and  720 m2 of prints.

[Ken Doo]

After your cleanings/nozzle checks----have you tried just simply printing an image anyway??  The thinking here is to keep pushing ink through the heads, and address the possibility of air in the line/nozzle.

ken

[Paul2660]

A couple of suggestions, you may have already tried.

1.  Bring the printer up in Service Mode, and run a CL4 pairs cleaning on the PK/LK channel.   This is much efficient that running a pairs cleaning from the computer.

2.  Replace the wiper,  the actual part is easy to replace and costs very little.  If you go back the long thread started by Eric G on his 7900, he has a video on how to replace the wiper.  
     If you are in the U.S. go to www.compassmicro.com they should have the part in stock.  

3.  Swap between PK and MK or vise versa, in normal mode that brings on a cleaning also and helps purge the air in the line.

4.  In Eric's same post, there is link to the fluid that Epson uses to clean the print head, as I recall the link showed where you can buy it.  I would not use Windex on this printer.  Head technology is much more advanced than the older 988x and 980x, you can see this by reading into Eric's
post as he shows a very detailed view of the head.  

To be honest, if this doesn't clear it up, based on the clog you have i.e. middle of the pattern, you may have to replace the head.   This type of clog does not look like a damper issue as they tend to block either the entire pattern or half of it.   If you decided to replace the head, again go back
to Eric's post.  The actual process of replacement does not look to bad, it's the software needed to re-align the head.  As I recall, Eric was able to purchase the head from Epson, but they would not sell the software, he did get it from somewhere however.

The only thing I can add to your Canon Question, by design, Canon's should not clog as they use a sparing nozzle design, i.e. when a clog develops the head remaps to a new unused nozzle.  Eventually this causes you to have to replace the head, but Canon in their design allows a end user to do this and it's much easier than the Epson process.  Prints viewed side by side, I can't tell much difference but if you dig into it enough there may be some visible things.  

Here is a link to Eric's post it's in this forum.   http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=61585.0
Paul Caldwell

[highway0691]

After your cleanings/nozzle checks----have you tried just simply printing an image anyway??  The thinking here is to keep pushing ink through the heads, and address the possibility of air in the line/nozzle.

ken

Yes, several times, but no improvement.

Thanks for the suggestions Paul, have cleaned the wiper blade but not replaced it and yes have changed to pk ink and then back again. Will try the other suggestions as soon as I can.

[highway0691]

  If you decided to replace the head, again go back to Eric's post.  The actual process of replacement does not look to bad, it's the software needed to re-align the head.  As I recall, Eric was able to purchase the head from Epson, but they would not sell the software, he did get it from somewhere however.

Thanks Paul, have taken your advice and followed Eric's example. The software you're referring to is known as servprog.exe and I'm having issues finding it. Does anyone know where I can get this from?

[papahipon]

hi Any body knows where to get the servprog.exe? bought new heads online and hoping somebody can point out where to get the software. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[dgberg]

Have you asked Eric?

[dgoldfarb1957]

Did you ever get ahold of the servpro.exe program,  I am now trying to locate this software since I will inevitably replace my print head.

David

[Garnick]

Did you ever get ahold of the servpro.exe program,  I am now trying to locate this software since I will inevitably replace my print head.

David

As has been pointed out on several occasions by Mark Segal and others, the app you are trying to find is indeed proprietary software, owned by Epson.  For that reason alone I would be very careful if you do actually obtain the software, since it will inevitably be a pirated version, therefore possibly subject to viruses etc.  Also, as I did a bit of research into this software a few years ago, as far as I know it is only available in PC form, not Mac.  Not necessarily a problem, since you could probably get your hands on a PC laptop if necessary, and of course PCs are more susceptible to viruses than Mac.  Therefore, aside from the obvious fringing of copywrite, there may very well be other complications.  Use at your own risk!

Gary         

[dgoldfarb1957]

Thank you for your reply,  I just need to install the software on my xp laptop.  I downloaded a legal version on my macbook. 
In the meanwhile I intend to first install a new selector unit, a.k.a damper assembly to see if than improves my nozzle test.  It could very well be that my print head needs replacement.  I have been looking for sources to buy the print head and I am noticing sites out of Indonesia  that are selling the print head at low prices. I just need to make sure that these are legitimate business that are indeed selling O.E.M. printheads.  I do not know if there is a counterfeit market.

[dgoldfarb1957]

Hello, I am sorry to say that I can't offer you any help.  I am in the same situation. I bought a 7900 knowing that it had to clogs.  I tried the windex method and went on to attempting several cleanings and nothing has improved. Most knowledge acquired is from Eric who has is own website myx900.com and has posted extensively in the discussion forum at this website. I gather from reading the posts that the nozzles that tend to clog the most are the yellow and the light light black.   I purchased a new wiper blade and removed my print head to attempt to clean it following the same method attempted by Eric in setting the print head over a solution of head cleaning fluid.  I also took a syringe and and forced fluid through the two clogged channels. (this is not advised by many people since it may damage the electronics etc..of the printhead.)  I re-installed the printhead and was surprised that nothing changed on the nozzle spray pattern. I still have no idea what is the problem but my conclusion is that since I was able to gently force cleaning fluid through the portion of the print head for the two clogged channels and the print pattern remains the same, that either the print head is damaged electronically or I possibly have a bad selector assembly.  The selector assembly is also referred to as the damper assembly that attaches to the print head. This is the next part I will change as the dampers are recommended to be changed in any event. If nothing improves after that, I will buy a new print head if I am able to find one at a low price.

[datro]

Based on my experience with my 7900, I would recommend you go ahead and replace both the damper and the head at the same time, unless your particular nozzle pattern is showing the entire channel missing and no cleaning seems to fix it (in this case maybe changing damper only is worth trying).  If you are missing only a block of nozzles within a channel (and no cleaning will fix it) it is probably the head, not the damper.  In any case if the damper has never been changed it is a good idea to do it anyway if you are going to the trouble of replacing the head.

Get the Ink Selector assembly from Compass Micro and get the head directly from Epson.  All you have to do is call them and provide your serial number.  You will get the correct head and you won't have to worry about dealing with any "shady" suppliers.

Dave

[dgoldfarb1957]

Thank you for this advice Dave.  If money was no object, I would have just bought a new Epson 7900 with a 1 year warranty.  If I have to spend more than $1,500 for a new head, I should just abandon this project now since I will have spent more than half the price for a new printer.  I am still researching finding an o.e.m. head for a lower cost.  I did order from compass micro the wiper blade and this is certainly a good supplier of o.e.m. printer parts.  I will post further information on getting a replacement printhead.  If the price is too good to be true it probably is not O.E.M. or it is a bogus website. 

Unfortunately I did not take a picture of the nozzle pattern to post.  I may get around to it later.  On the test pattern for the yellow as well as the black there are large areas that are completely blank so I assume that you are correct that the head needs replacement especially since no change in nozzle check occurred after I attempted to clean the head by removing it and also injecting with a syringe through the print head a cleaning solution.   I have already ordered the damper assembly since I am certain that this unit has not been changed in years.

Although you are right to suggest that the head and damper be changed at the same time, I am still curious to run a nozzle check after I change only the damper assembly to see if there is any difference. I still think the printhead is bad.

[BobDavid]

Try printing 6" X 6" black squares on photo paper (instead of plain paper). Inspect each print for banding. Repeat until bands disappear. Sometimes it takes three or four attempts. Then run  a nozzle check to see if the problem is clearing up. I find that at least half of the time the nozzle isn't clogged, but rather air in the line is the cause. Head cleaning is a destructive process. I only do that as a last result. If the problem persists, I would try replacing the "wipers" first. Then maybe the dampers. Beyond that, I would put the printer up on eBay--and keep the ink carts.

[davisstew]

Based on my experience with my 7900, I would recommend you go ahead and replace both the damper and the head at the same time, unless your particular nozzle pattern is showing the entire channel missing and no cleaning seems to fix it (in this case maybe changing damper only is worth trying).  If you are missing only a block of nozzles within a channel (and no cleaning will fix it) it is probably the head, not the damper.  In any case if the damper has never been changed it is a good idea to do it anyway if you are going to the trouble of replacing the head.

Get the Ink Selector assembly from Compass Micro and get the head directly from Epson.  All you have to do is call them and provide your serial number.  You will get the correct head and you won't have to worry about dealing with any "shady" suppliers.

Dave

Dave- I am in the same boat. I have a 7900 and have tried everything. My last option is to replace the head. I called Epson and they told me they will not sell a print head and that I needed to call a technician to come fix it. Have you had luck ordering a head from them?

Thank you for this advice Dave.  If money was no object, I would have just bought a new Epson 7900 with a 1 year warranty.  If I have to spend more than $1,500 for a new head, I should just abandon this project now since I will have spent more than half the price for a new printer.  I am still researching finding an o.e.m. head for a lower cost.  I did order from compass micro the wiper blade and this is certainly a good supplier of o.e.m. printer parts.  I will post further information on getting a replacement printhead.  If the price is too good to be true it probably is not O.E.M. or it is a bogus website. 

Unfortunately I did not take a picture of the nozzle pattern to post.  I may get around to it later.  On the test pattern for the yellow as well as the black there are large areas that are completely blank so I assume that you are correct that the head needs replacement especially since no change in nozzle check occurred after I attempted to clean the head by removing it and also injecting with a syringe through the print head a cleaning solution.   I have already ordered the damper assembly since I am certain that this unit has not been changed in years.

Although you are right to suggest that the head and damper be changed at the same time, I am still curious to run a nozzle check after I change only the damper assembly to see if there is any difference. I still think the printhead is bad.

David- Did you ever find an OEM replacement head for a decent price? I have been looking and cant find anything.



Thanks, Davis