What to do with IPF6300

[mburke]

I've been talking with Canon for about 2 weeks regarding my IPF6300. Short story is I've replaced 3 print heads and used about 5 cart. of ink trying to get it to print correctly. The nozzle check prints will print all of the blocks ok except the last black. It will only print 1 of the 2 blocks. Canon said they would send a tech out for $1,000. That would include any parts needed. I've invested over 1,000 already. The status report I sent them said both print heads are ok.

I guess my question is does anyone have any ideas or should I just junk the whole thing. I don't print as much as I used to so I was thinking of an Epson 3880, or possibly waiting to see if Epson comes out with a new model later this year. If I need any large prints, bigger than 16x36, I can order them out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

[crwoo]

seems like you are leaning towards Epson, so to me that answers your questions. if you like Epson better for what you plan on printing then go for it.

as far as your Canon, you should have involved Canon before you wasted all that money on supplies. their support is very good. and $1000 repair bill on a machine like that including the parts 'happens'.

with the rebates these days i would just get a new one.

[mburke]

Canon's service was just fine. They were very helpful. I talked with them about 5 times. They sent one head no charge. I live in northern Wisconsin, not an area with a lot of printers, so I don't really know what to do with the old printer. Seems a waste to take it to the dump. I'm not a fan of Ebay or Craig's List. The freight would be to big of an issue.

I'm not completely sold on Epson. There are a few too many complaints of head clogs, paper feed issues, etc. I've had Canon and Epson printers in the past. The Epson 2200 was ok but not very well made. Some people have loved the 3880. I've heard rumors of a new model this year. I guess I'm not sure what to do.

Mike

[dhodson60]

I've got the 3880 and I like it for what it does but it's not 24" and it doesn't have the flexibility of roll feed (I went with Epson because I wanted to do Piezography).  Adorama has the replacement IPF6400 at $1890 with free shipping so, as the previous poster indicated, you might want to consider just buying a new one.  There's not likely any service advantage in moving to Epson given your remoteness.

I had initially thought you might benefit from being able to share parts but it seems the cartridges, ink tanks and print heads have different part numbers - bummer.  I could be wrong though and it might be worth checking.
Anyway, sorry to hear about your problems.  I had a similar experience with my HP B9180 and ended up with Epson.  In my case, Hp made the decision easy - tech support was non-existent and they essentially abandoned the fine art printing market.  Too bad because I really enjoyed that printer.

Good luck
Dave

[picman]

Is it affecting the printing? Does the printer compensate for the missing block?
I realize it's not right, but if it prints ok, just keep it until it something else happens or you run it out of ink.

[mburke]

Blacks come out dark green. I can return a few ink carts. and the 3880 has a $300 rebate right now, so the 3880 would be around $500. I just know the way this is going they will come out with a new model the day after I buy the 3880. I really don't print as much as I used to so the 24" and going 48 to 60 long isn't as important as it was. If I need large I can always order prints. There doesn't seem to much of a market for used printers.

Mike