>How do I flush the system of the old ink, once I can
>get my hands on some of this specified ink?
I bought one of those "cleaning kits", supposedly the same stuff the
Epson techs use to clean clogged heads. Didn't work, the old industrial
term is "NFG", don't waste your time. Some time after I trashed the
printer, an Epson Stylus Color 600 that I had really liked, I read that
the common spray cleaner "Fantastik" will dissolve the ink. Too late for
me and my 600, now I have a C42UX that's just cheap junk (text is ok, but
I used to get great color glossy photos out of the 600 and this new one
just won't do it)
You need some method to deliver the cleaner through the heads, like
a syringe that fits the spike that goes into the ink cart, or maybe an
eyedropper and a little piece of soft plastic tube that fits snugly on
the spike. You'll also need paper in the printer to soak up what comes
through. Seems to me the instructions that came with the "kit" had you
pulling the power cord at some point to get paper stopped in the middle
and the carriage out where you could get to it.
For those without "Fantastik" in their local stores, if you can get
some ink onto some paper and let it dry well, try whatever else you've
got - spray cleaners, isopropyl alcohol, whatever - and see what will
make the ink run best. Don't forget that some things might also dissolve
important parts of the printer. If it'll dissolve the ink but not the
printer, try it and let us all know what ∗really∗ works.
-Gary