An idle printer - is that a problem?

[steverap]

Like many photographers, I tend to print heavily for a while and then do not print for weeks or even months. In his recent article on On Printing and Paper - Part III, Dan Wells writes that "if you leave [an Epson printer] idle for a significant time in between jobs, that is dangerous for the head." Should I leave the printer on all the time; should I print something, say once a week or month?

[mearussi]

Depends on which model you have. The older ones like the x800, x880 and x990 series have heads that plug up really fast if not used daily. The older x600 and newer P800, P5000 and 7000 and 9000 are more forgiving but still don't like to be idle for more than one or two weeks.

If you want a printer you don't have to worry about being idle for months at a time then you need to switch to a dye printer. Unfortunately, the largest size is 13".

[John Hollenberg]

If you want a printer you don't have to worry about being idle for months at a time then you need to switch to a dye printer. Unfortunately, the largest size is 13".

No, you need to buy a Canon or HP printer with pigment inks.

[digitaldog]

"if you leave [an Epson printer] idle for a significant time in between jobs, that is dangerous for the head."

Nope. Depends too on the Epson. My old 4900 clogged if not used nearly every day. My P800 and nearly 10 year old 3880 go months and month's without being used, don't clog and work. Like I said, 10 years of use (on and largely off), no issues.
Consider how long Epson's sit in the factories after manufacturer or on a boat getting here without any use. Dangerous?
"All generalizations are false, including this one." -Mark Twain

[Garnick]

My first wide format Epson printer was the SP7600 in 2004.  A couple of years later I bought a used 7600 that had already been set up with the MK ink.  Which meant I didn't have to do the dreaded "K" switch on the first Epson.  The 7600s did have their issues with clogging etc., but after the first year I had discovered how to clean it manually and that made quite a difference.  In 2010 I bought the Epson SP9900, which became an absolute nightmare as far as cleaning and trashing prints due to nozzle issues half way through an image.  Within the first warranty year the 9900 had seen two head replacements as well as other parts.  Needless to say, I eventually extended the warranty to the max 3 year period.  Although the 9900 story doesn't end there, I will however not bore you with the rest, except to say that I sold the 9900 in Jan. 2017 and it was working very well.

After moving my business to my home location I ordered the SC-P7000 and have been very pleased with it.  As usual I immeditely shut OFF all auto preferences, but of course that didn't prevent the startup cleaning cyles occasionally, but more occasionally than I would like.  For the past year I have been using a procedure that seems to be working very well.  Since the printer was sitting idle for a few days a week, I decided to leave it turned on, although I didn't really like that approach.  I now turn the printer on everyday, run a nozzle check and if that's good I print a small file consisting of ten colour blocks, one for each channel.  I then leave the printer on for 6-8 hours before shutting down.  That procedure has seemd to overcome the printer's appetite for a startup clean cycle for a much longer period, and I very seldom see any channel issues, such as dropped nozzles etc.

Hope this helps Steve. 

[Jim Kasson]

Nope. Depends too on the Epson. My old 4900 clogged if not used nearly every day. My P800 and nearly 10 year old 3880 go months and month's without being used, don't clog and work. Like I said, 10 years of use (on and largely off), no issues.
Consider how long Epson's sit in the factories after manufacturer or on a boat getting here without any use. Dangerous?

My experiences mirror Andrew's. My 4900 clogged if you looked at it crosseyed, and my P800 and decade-old 9800 hardly ever clog.

New Epson printers are shipped with no ink in them, which is why they don't clog on the shelf. Refurb Epson printers are shipped with ink, and can arrive clogged.

https://www.kasson.com/bleeding_edge/?s=4900

Jim

[Eric Brody]

I agree with Andrew Rodney and Jim Kasson. I have a 3880 that has been chugging along for seven years. There appears to be a striking amount of anti-Epson venom here and on other boards. How much is genuine personal experience and how much is just piling on is hard to know. I print when I choose; the 3880 is often idle for 3-4 weeks when I travel. I do nothing special regarding local humidity though years ago someone suggested putting 30-40ml of water in the maintenance tank monthly. I stopped that some time ago and all seems well. It all seems to be related to humidity. I live in northwest Oregon, where in the winter it's moist, in the summer it can be pretty dry, eg no rain for 60-80 days. I suspect if one lives in the desert of Arizona or high in the Colorado mountains, humidity might be more of an issue. Even the Epson folks recommend regular utilization. Do Canon and HP printers NEVER clog? They certainly have a better reputation than the Epson's.

[digitaldog]

The question that should be asked is, who specifically at Epson stated: if you leave [an Epson printer] idle for a significant time in between jobs, that is dangerous for the head.

[steverap]

Thanks to all for these helpful comments. One other question. I have an Epson P800 and because I do not print often, my ink cartridges are a few years old. Is that a problem; do ink cartridges become unusable at some point?

[deanwork]

I have a 3880 that is never plugged in and rarely used. The nozzles are always clear. I have a client who has the updated version, the P 800 and it rarely gets used and always has a perfect nozzle check. His 4880 was infrequently used and it was unusable after a period of not using it even though it was totally new. He gave it away. My 9890 whether plugged in or not has wasted a lot of ink trying to clear clogs after the first year. My 7890 which has a one year old new head has given me a lot of trouble already with one channel. My two Hps and one canon have never needed cleaning until it’s time to replace the heads. My experience, which is not unusual.

I don’t think with the Epsons plugging in makes much of a difference. What does make a difference is the big ones need to be used pretty much all the time.

John

The question that should be asked is, who specifically at Epson stated: if you leave [an Epson printer] idle for a significant time in between jobs, that is dangerous for the head.

[Ferp]

I have a 3880 that has been chugging along for seven years. There appears to be a striking amount of anti-Epson venom here and on other boards. How much is genuine personal experience and how much is just piling on is hard to know.

A large part of the answer is that some Epson models have been highly reliable and some not.  The 3880, while not perfect, seems to have been the most reliable printer Epson has made, which is why I have one. The P800 seems to be as reliable, as far as I can tell. The same cannot be said for some other models, esp LF printers like the x900 series. If you've got a reliable printer like a 3880 or P800 then yes, it's hard to understand the piling-on.  But if you've had a head fail repeatedly on a 9900 ....