Digital BW, The Print

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Nelson" <peter@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2003 7:08 AM
Subject: [Digital BW] Re: Ink-jet better than wet prints (was Digital stuff)


>
> >Do B&W inks cause any problem with clogging?
>
> It would certainly seem that way.   Hardly a day goes by on this
> forum where someone doesn't post about a clog.
>
> I've had an Epson 870, with the stock inks, since 2000 and I had one
> clog on it, which was a result of leaving it with the heads unparked
> for a MONTH.  It took 5 cleaning cycles to clear and I have never
> had a clog since then.
>
> I've had an Epson 2200 with the stock inks since January and I've
> never had a clog.
>
> The impression I get from people here is that clogs and frequent
> head cleanings, windexing, head removal for cleaning, etc, are par
> for the course with 3rd-party inks.   I've never received a straight
> answer here when I've asked why the 3rd-party ink makers can't get
> their stuff as clog-free as the Epson inks.
>
Peter,

You have the wrong impression. No thing is perfect but the major clogging
issues were resolved with the latest generation of carbon pigment inks. At
the moment I have three 1280's. One with MIS inks, one with Piezotone inks
and one with Epson dye inks. The worst clogging one of the lot is the one
with the Epson inks. For some reason the black ink nozzle in this printer
clogs up about once every of weeks. I have had to switch in new cartridges
to get it going again. My wife's 1270 also has some clogging problems with
Epson inks from time to time.

In general people don't post, "This worked perfectly and I love it." They
tend to come to the list with their questions and their problems. People
starting out today should have a good experience with the B&W dedicated
systems. In the past, say 2+ years ago, this was not the case and the rate
of problems was extremely high. I certainly make no claim that any of the
systems are 100% perfect but the odds of failure are low.

Bottom line inkjet technology is prone to clogging. Epson didn't include
nozzle checks and cleaning utilities because they expected clog free
operation.

Martin