Where do you buy your Epson printer parts from?

[Kodak Express Albany]

Hi we are looking for a source to buy a new printer head for our Epson 9900. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[colinm]

Epson banned sales of print heads to end users a while back, so the only way to get one yourself is to find an  authorized repair center willing to risk their contract.

[Peter McLennan]

What possible reason would Epson have for denying parts to users?

[Kodak Express Albany]

We are in New Zealand. Our issue here is that there is only one agency in the country who service the machines. Our Epson 9900 is only 18 months old, and the service agents (Aarque Graphics) have told us we need to replace the printer head at a cost of $2000 NZD + 15% service tax. There is no where we can get a second opinion as AArque have the monopoly on the epson parts and maintenance.

[dtsiapas]

In my opinion is best to have the printer head replaced from an Epson technician.
When i had my printer head replaced on my Epson 7900 the technician first replaced the printer head and then uploaded some kind of firmware which was specific for the replaced printer head. He told me that every printer head has some specific "voltages" that have to be updated in the printer head when it is installed. These values come from the manufacturer and they are a kind of calibration values  for the printer head (nothing to do with color management).
I hope this helps.