Epson P6000 LK clog

[BrianWoolf]

My Epson P6000 has worked great for almost two years, maybe one clog. It has been taking care of itself with occasional cleanings and I have been getting perfect nozzles check printouts after the cleanings.

That has changed as it developed a clog in the LK part of the head. So far no amount of regular cleanings or heavy cleanings have done anything. I went from a few missing lines in the middle of the head to more and more lines missing, to now having almost all of the lines missing except for a few at the top and bottom of the head. I am rather disappointed that the second time in my printers life, I have not been able to effect any positive head cleaning progress. I have also tried the old fashion way of cleaning clogged heads, by using ammonia soaked on a paper towel and parking the printhead over the paper towel over night. That did nothing, it did not restore even one line.

The odd part of this is that I can still print my 'test' prints on Enhanced Matte Epson paper as it only rarely uses the LK head (it is a problem with 50% grays and very out of focus areas). I can't print on my archival paper - Epson Cold Press Natural.
It seems that I will need an Epson tech to pay a visit and replace the head which will cost me a lot.

If anyone has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated. I have tried looking on the internet for any clog information on the Epson P series printers and can't find anything, all I get is the older printers
Brian

[Mark D Segal]

It's a really bad idea to put ammonia on an Epson print head. It can destroy the laminates. Because all your cleaning efforts have failed the only efficient option is to call Epson tech support. It may not be necessary to replace the head. All you know is that ink isn't flowing through it, but you don't know the cause. They need to determine the cause, see whether it is repairable, and if not then you may be looking at head replacement, but that's the last resort.

[BrianWoolf]

Thank you, Mark, for your reply and the heads up against using amnonia to clean the print head. Soon I will get a Epson Tech to come by and check my printer, just need to save some money for the repair.
Brian

[biswas_arup]

My Epson P6000 has worked great for almost two years, maybe one clog. It has been taking care of itself with occasional cleanings and I have been getting perfect nozzles check printouts after the cleanings.

That has changed as it developed a clog in the LK part of the head. So far no amount of regular cleanings or heavy cleanings have done anything. I went from a few missing lines in the middle of the head to more and more lines missing, to now having almost all of the lines missing except for a few at the top and bottom of the head. I am rather disappointed that the second time in my printers life, I have not been able to effect any positive head cleaning progress. I have also tried the old fashion way of cleaning clogged heads, by using ammonia soaked on a paper towel and parking the printhead over the paper towel over night. That did nothing, it did not restore even one line.

The odd part of this is that I can still print my 'test' prints on Enhanced Matte Epson paper as it only rarely uses the LK head (it is a problem with 50% grays and very out of focus areas). I can't print on my archival paper - Epson Cold Press Natural.
It seems that I will need an Epson tech to pay a visit and replace the head which will cost me a lot.

If anyone has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated. I have tried looking on the internet for any clog information on the Epson P series printers and can't find anything, all I get is the older printers
Brian

I have gone through the same experience you had with my Epson SC P-7000 printer. My PK channel showed the same symptoms you had, when my printer was 16 months old. Epson authorized technician gave me an estimate of $2850 to replace the head and other parts, which was the market price of the new printer. I finally bit the bullet and bought a Canon PRO-2000 printer instead. It's a much better printer in my opinion, with user replacable printhead, sophistication, precision, ethical design and customer support. I severed my 15 years of relationships with three generations of  Epson large format printers and is very happy with my Canon printer now. I know, in couple of years the Canon printhead will likely clog, but I will be able to replace it with a new printhead for ~$600.

[pikeys]

Brian,
I have just gone through a similar problem with my canon pro-1 PBK channel.
Have you or,can you,do a System clean...it cleared up my problem immediately.
My nozzle checks are coming out clean,and my prints look perfect.

MikeS

[deanwork]

I was seriously considering buying an Epson 8000 when my 8 year old Canon needs replacing. I thought they were improved. But if I find out they are charging that kind of cash for head and damper replacement in my area  you just made my decision for me. On single nozzle goes out and the whole machine is worthless. It’s just a bad rip off system . That’s just insane. And Epson has the most expensive warranties in the business and they are short warranties. I honestly think they make more cash on service contracts than than the printers. I’d rather keep replacing parts in my old printers than have to deal with that.

Brian,
I have just gone through a similar problem with my canon pro-1 PBK channel.
Have you or,can you,do a System clean...it cleared up my problem immediately.
My nozzle checks are coming out clean,and my prints look perfect.

MikeS

[Matthew63]

My new p6000 is in transit, and for under 150$ I am buying a 3 year on sight warranty, in no small part due to this thread.... the warranty only covers my purchase price, so although a help, it will not cover a $2500 repair...
so, I do not doubt my choice for Epson over canon, but I am a little less stressed 

I am sorry to the OP and others who have had printer issues... hopefully the newer replacements serve you well...
and

thank you for your comments all, we as a community need to hear both pos and neg info and experiences !