Epson 4900: cartridges need shaking?

[Tom Montgomery]

My 4900 is almost a year and a half old, and since I installed the humidifier I've had no problems with it whatsoever. I print much more B&W than colour, so half of the ink cartridges are the originals that came with the printer. They are still several months away from their expiry dates.

I've read elsewhere that they should be taken out and shaken every six months or so, but I hesitate to do this, fearing that air would get in the tubes.

Am I being overly cautious? Should the cartridges be shaken from time to time? I can't say I've noticed any shift in the printed colours.

[Mark D Segal]

I've never experienced issues removing and replacing ink cartridges in my 4900.

[digitaldog]

Can't hurt.

[Ken Doo]

You actually can pick up the 4900 (left side only and then repeat right side) and gently move the printer to agitate the inks without removing the cartridges.  I do this for my 4800.  Not for the 79/99** series!  I'm usually printing enough so don't have to worry about it, but I guess you could unlock the casters and gently rock each side back and forth.   

[Sal Baker]

I have a few original 3 year old carts in my 3880 that have no problems whatsoever.  I never take them out or shake anything.  Since I've had no clogs in the same 3 year period I'm sticking to the plan.  I do cover the printer when not in use.

Sal

[Tom Montgomery]

I've never experienced issues removing and replacing ink cartridges in my 4900.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.  Mark, do you agitate the cartridges, or are you talking about replacing them when they become empty?  It seems logical that pigment might settle to the bottom over a period of months, but I've not seen any definitive advice about the need to shake the cartridges.

[Mark D Segal]

Not only replacement when empty - sometimes when a cleaning is needed and there remains insufficient ink in a cartridge to allow the cleaning to proceed, it is necessary to remove the near-empty cartridge, install a full(er) one, do the cleaning and then switch back to exhaust the previous cartridge. I've never agitated the cartridges except on first installing new ones, as recommended on page 23 of  the manual. On page 129 Epson recommends not removing the cartridges any more than necessary to avoid risk of damaging the needle valve seal. Nothing in the manual recommends agitating the cartridges other than on first install. I follow instructions and I see no evidence of poor print quality from disintegrating ink.

[Tom Montgomery]

Thanks Mark - I did see that recommendation on page 129; that's what made me hesitate. (I'm an instruction follower too!)
I'll continue to leave the ink cartridges in peace.