Epson printers - advantages/disadvantages, and cleaning the print head

We got an Epson printer with our first computer back in '98. It was an Epson Colour Stylus 600, to be exact.

10 years on, I'm still using it.

Why? Because it still works, and ink is dirt cheap - I'm talking roughly 80 pence (that's right) per cartridge, and they last a long time, too.

Don't get me wrong, we've another Epson and a new Lexmark in the house (my dad uses them), but it's far too economical to NOT use it!

So, happily it sits in my room, and I would like to think it's glad, and proud that I still use it. Awk - wee printer.

I have a parallel-to-USB adaptor, which plugs into a USB print server, which connects to my router, which effectively makes it a wireless printer! Not bad for a 10 year old machine!

It's not been an easy journey though. So here, I'm going to outline the advantages and disadvantages I've come across for my printer (and Epsons similar to it)

Advantages
1) Cheap ink - Epson ink cartridges don't contain the print head on them. The inks slot into the print head assembly, meaning cheaper original inks, and dirt-cheap high-quality compatibles. I've used compatibles for years with no problems (not re-manufactured - stay away from them)!

2) Good build quality - In my printer's case, four years constant use, four years of storage in my attic, and then two years of use again results in two thumbs up from me!

*Edit - 10th August 09*
3) Epson cleaning cartridges can be bought for as little as 99p from most sites that sell compatible Epson cartridges. I recently put a colour cleaning cartridge in, did a couple of cleans, and did a nozzle check (the cleaner has a little bit of ink in it so that you can still see the results - which were perfect, by the way). I then inserted my colour cartridge, did a couple of cleans to prime it, and hey presto. So take it from me - they work! On top of that, put a bit of tape over the cleaning cartridge and they can be re-used again and again!
*End Edit*


Disadvantages
1) Permanent print head - This results in the advantage of cheaper ink, but... if the ink dries on that print head, it's a nightmare to clean. With other makes of printer, it's a matter of wiping the print-head on the cartridge, and re-insterting it. With Epson, it's a bit more complicated.
As printers with higher-resolutions come out, there is more chance the nozzles will get clogged... great.
*From above edit*
If doing a couple of cleans doesn't fix your problem, get a cheap cleaning cartridge to do the job for you!
*end edit*


Hmm. That seems to be all I can think of at the moment. Can you think of any?

If you do have an Epson, prevention is better than the cure. Turn your printer off when not using it, and when you're at your PC, turn it on to enable a quick clean-cycle. This wipes off any ink that may be close to drying and blocking the print-head.

If that doesn't work, perform a clean cycle through your printer's properties in the Control Panel, but never do more than three cycles in a row!

If that still doesn't work, look here for some more info - http://www.inkmagic.com/epson_clogged_printhead.htm

It's a very informative and useful page to bookmark if you have an Epson printer. As it says , there will come a day when for whatever reason, your Epson just doesn't print.

Digiman Out.