Why are Epson print heads outrageously expensive and unreliable?

[artinkprint]

Since having two catastrophic print head failures (Epson 9890 and P9000) I have delved into understanding why a print head for one of these printers is over $2000 CAN (alone) and why the internet seams to be scrubbed for videos or manuals for replacing the heads.

A recent conversation with a number of Epson specialists, suggests there is a high number of companies buying Epson printers to get the print heads to use in there own printers. While this might be the case, it leaves honest epson users with outrageously high prices and inaccessibly for the print heads.

I tried to get a local epson repair service to come and do a repair, but was turned down. I was told that I had to go through Epson for them to service my machines. If my printer was under warranty, I could totally understand, but they are both out of warranty. Now Epson has the right to decide whether they will allow me to access a service tech? I live on a large populated island with no epson service techs, and need to pay $400 just to walk in my door.

I also understand that replacing a print head is not a task to take lightly, but, it is not rocket science. The service program is needed to initialize and tune a replacement head, something which cannot be found easily.

Having a $6000 printer that after 15 months of light use had a head failure, pretty much renders it a boat anchor, as the basic service to replace the head is $4200.

Perhaps I’m missing something, but Epson sure is not treating its customers well with this attitude. Each and every time I see a clogged nozzle, I get a knot in my stomach, having to deal with Epson with a clear lack of compassion and access to expertise to their pro users.

Get an extended warranty if you need to operate them, and at the first sign of trouble call them for service and don’t let them off the hook until it meets spec.

[digitaldog]

I've owned dozen of Epson printers dating back to the 1200. I've never had a head failure. YMMV of course.
Who were the so called Epson specialists?

[Peter McLennan]

All part of their business model, IMO.  Same as their egregious ink usage for "maintenance".

I suffered the same fate with my 9800.  I had to transport my printer out of the country in order to enable Epson to fleece me of $2000 to replace the head. It failed again a year later.  I'm a hobby user, not a professional lab.  In other words, extremely low volume.

I'm done with Epson.  I went HP, where a head is user-replaceable in under a minute for about $100.  Good thing, too. I've already replaced one head twice. 

[Lewando_Images]

Do your self a favor like many of us have done. Tell Epson to shove it and move on ! There are other very good printers on the market that don't have Epson's problems. They all have their problems, but Epson's the only ones that fleece you like they do and don't seem to care. The big guy on the block theory I guess. Move on like I have and don't look back.....there are better printers and much better ink sets out there ......check it out. The older Epson large format printers were amazing, best print at the time and ran forever. That's where they got their reputation and the smaller ones 17 inch and down are still very reliable. If you don't run them constantly (even then they are very problematic) move on ! there are better out there.

[deanwork]

It’s a con game that we have discussed infinitely for about 15 years now. They get away with it because people put up with it. Anyone telling you that a desktop unit like a 3800, 3880 or P800 is the same situation as a big one are comparing apples and oranges and they know better.  Fact is each new large format model is advertised as having new anti-clog improvements, and it is the exact opposite, they are getting worse and worse.
I only still have two of them left  for use with monochrome inks and I’m at the end of the line for even that.

They could have made them with replaceable heads easily, like Roland that used Epson heads. That was a planned decision not to. Ask yourself why. It’s not complicated.

The old 9800s and 9880s were much much better made and better performing machines, but needed speed improvements and auto Pk to MK switching, even then I’d rather have one now.

I had hoped that the new P10k and P 20k and the recent 9750 with the bigger heads was going to be the era when things change, but that’s not panning out. Do some google searches....

Ask yourself how many service calls are done globally in a year and how much ink is bought to do head cleanings and you have your answer.

Do your self a favor like many of us have done. Tell Epson to shove it and move on ! There are other very good printers on the market that don't have Epson's problems. They all have their problems, but Epson's the only ones that fleece you like they do and don't seem to care. The big guy on the block theory I guess. Move on like I have and don't look back.....there are better printers and much better ink sets out there ......check it out. The older Epson large format printers were amazing, best print at the time and ran forever. That's where they got their reputation and the smaller ones 17 inch and down are still very reliable. If you don't run them constantly (even then they are very problematic) move on ! there are better out there.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Since having two catastrophic print head failures (Epson 9890 and P9000) I have delved into understanding why a print head for one of these printers is over $2000 CAN (alone) and why the internet seams to be scrubbed for videos or manuals for replacing the heads.

A recent conversation with a number of Epson specialists, suggests there is a high number of companies buying Epson printers to get the print heads to use in there own printers. While this might be the case, it leaves honest epson users with outrageously high prices and inaccessibly for the print heads.

I tried to get a local epson repair service to come and do a repair, but was turned down. I was told that I had to go through Epson for them to service my machines. If my printer was under warranty, I could totally understand, but they are both out of warranty. Now Epson has the right to decide whether they will allow me to access a service tech? I live on a large populated island with no epson service techs, and need to pay $400 just to walk in my door.

I also understand that replacing a print head is not a task to take lightly, but, it is not rocket science. The service program is needed to initialize and tune a replacement head, something which cannot be found easily.

Having a $6000 printer that after 15 months of light use had a head failure, pretty much renders it a boat anchor, as the basic service to replace the head is $4200.

Perhaps I’m missing something, but Epson sure is not treating its customers well with this attitude. Each and every time I see a clogged nozzle, I get a knot in my stomach, having to deal with Epson with a clear lack of compassion and access to expertise to their pro users.

Get an extended warranty if you need to operate them, and at the first sign of trouble call them for service and don’t let them off the hook until it meets spec.

MEMS manufacturing of thermal heads is probably less expensive as the more complex piëzo heads MEMS manufacturing. Epson goes for integration of all ink channels in one head which makes the total even more complex and expensive. There might be a philosophy at Epson that users should not be confronted with delicate tasks like replacing heads and alignment of the ink output. HP for example did automate these routines very well. If you check the marketing approaches then the sale of even a wide format printer does not add much to the total, a rough division in this market is 1/3 for the machine 1/3 for the consumables 1/3 for service. Different brands, different approaches. In the consumer desktop market almost all revenue should come from ink sales. HP moved the heads more into the consumables distribution channel. I recall that in the past service companies that were allowed to service Epson printers were squeezed on their revenue by Epson, several went belly up. Since then Epson parts became more difficult to buy for users and service manuals got a link to service man identities or something like that. It is a business model.

BTW, Philips seems to be more openly active in MEMS print head manufacturing again. They were active at the beginning of piëzo head manufacturing but out of the picture for some decades.
https://www.innovationservices.philips.com/looking-expertise/mems-micro-devices/mems-applications/inkjet-printheads/

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst Dinkla

        T
SOLI  AIR
        D

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." H. L. Mencken

[ssgphoto]

Epson has plenty of things they can improve, but so do all of the manufacturers. It just a choice of what important to you. Better longevity with inks? Or a cheaper machine? Would you rather buy a warranty or purchase user replaceable printheads every so often? I had an 11880 for 8 years with zero issues, and my 3880 for 7 years, plus few others I never kept more than 4-5 years. For the P20000 I did have the head replaced under warranty, but to be honest, it was only missing one nozzle out of its massive array, which would be barely detectable. With a 2 minute call, Epson did not hesitate to replace it,  shipping every imaginable part overnight. The Tech left me with some extra ink. Few machines will ever see the quantity I produce on that machine in just a year. Its speed is unmatched ( other than the 9570 now) and that is super valuable. The machine can endure head-strikes like a tank. These will inevitably happen time to time if you use a variety of media. Lack of use is the major culprit in clogging Epsons.
Most folks buy a warranty if they get a new dishwasher so it seems pretty reasonable to me to add that to a printer as well.