Epson R3000: how many prints after low ink warning?

[Petrus]

As I understand it the printer will give a low ink warning at around 5-10% ink left, am I correct? Approximately how many A3+ prints does that mean on the average? I have now printed 3 A3+ portraits after the warning came on on yellow cartridge, all fine. I know there is no exact answer as it depends on the picture and the cartridge (yellow and black seem to run out fastest), but maybe you good people have some more experience on this?

[Conner999]

The low ink warning tends to be conservative as you note. The number really depends on too many variables (print made, size, cleaning cycles, test prints, accuracy of sensor, component variances, etc.,) to give an accurate number. I use an old version of the software (3800), and while the printer utility will give you an estimate, but I wouldn't depend on it.

Just have a replacement handy and print until the print cycle physically stops due to low ink, replace the cart and resume printing.

[Petrus]

Just have a replacement handy and print until the print cycle physically stops due to low ink, replace the cart and resume printing.

So it is possible to keep printing as long as there is any ink left, and the printer is able to continue printing from the same point without any markings after new cartridge is installed? That would be good news. In my old pedestrian printer the print quality suffered badly when ink went out, printer did not care.

[hanzo]

So it is possible to keep printing as long as there is any ink left, and the printer is able to continue printing from the same point without any markings after new cartridge is installed? That would be good news. In my old pedestrian printer the print quality suffered badly when ink went out, printer did not care.

I only experience outage in between prints. but I think I've read somewhere that that should be the case

[Randy Carone]

Yes, you can wait until the printer stops, change a cart and the print will continue with no evidence of the change. I once had a customer who let his Epson printer beep all weekend while he waited for a yellow. Monday morning he replace the cart and the print finished, three days later. He was impressed.

[PhotoEcosse]

Can't answer the OP's question as there are too many variables.

But can confirm that, to avoid wasting ink, you should not change a cartridge until printing physically stops. It does not matter if that is in the middle of a print - once you replace the empty cartridge, printing will resume with no visible sign that it was interrupted. The only potential problem might be if you were using non-Epson inks and replaced mid-print with a different brand of ink.