Hello Jose,...I was having similar problems with my Epson R2000 following lack of use during the long COVID timeperiod,...I extensively followed your video cleaning routine anyway without luck,....so I thought I'd modify your using the syringe delicately pumping windex via connection into the overflow tube to the potty bottle,...but I first preheated the windex in a stainless steel dish sitting in boiled water,...like a double boiler of sorts,..upon pumping in the hot windex,..everything began unclogging, several applications solved all my problems and I'm back printing wonderful 13x19 prints AOK,...am now sure to print several prints every couple of days so as not to repeat such a severe clogging issue,...you're my hero when it comes to resolving issues,...cannot thank you enough sir,....thank you, thank you.
Hi Jose,I've recently started following your youtube channel as I contemplate a replacement strategy for my 3880. My black ink switching valve stopped working a few years back and I've only been able to print with matte since. I've worked with it since then and now find myself wanting to print on some gloss/lustre papers.Just as I decided to replace the printer and started learning from your reviews of P900, Pro-1000 etc. I was offered a 3880 that has not been in use for 5 years (apparently it had the opposite black channel issue). The owner gave up on it, removed and sold the carts at the time and was now disposing of it so I picked it up with an idea to try and recondition it before I relegate it to parts donor to keep my original 3880 going as long as possible.I know it's a long shot but I want to give it a go. Before I load up with new ink carts and find it doesn't work, I'm prepared to disassemble and clean the complete ink delivery system or as much as one can. I haven't seen anything this comprehensive in your videos or a collection of them, though some elements are covered. Do you have any experience to share diving into something like this? I'm also interested if you know where I can get a copy of the Epson Service manual for the 3880 and the adjustment software. I figured you were the best resource to ask. Thanks in advance, Doug
@Jose Rodriguez Photo Printing Techie need you help. My wiper keep sticking so wont go all the way forward . can I video it and send it to you y issue with it thanks. there is no-one around to support these machines anymore, so glad I found you
have you came across a 3880 print cartridges' in the window flashing install cartridge's? I have tried multiple times to reset the printer , but couldn't get it out of the flashing message.
HI there. 2022 here. Can you please show the pump unit and all the elements. I think my pump unit has come out of the end side pit. Im not sure if it has to have the black pit at the side under the white bit. I am also having problems show any two colours , please helppp even if you do a video of taking the cover off and showing all the parts, please please please
hi jose, re 3880. a couple of my refillable ink cartridges are not recognized by the printer and i am getting a message "replace ink cartridge". i suspect that perhaps the mother board contacts for the csic need to be cleaned. do you have any tutorials on how to do this. don't think the csic are damaged, although i looked on line and could not find a part replacement. if i cannot get the 3880 back on its feet again i am considering a p900...has anyone come up with refillable cartridges for this? thanks jeff
My R3000 has recently started giving "Load Paper" error even though there is paper in the tray. It picks up and feeds a sheet into the printer but continues to eject the page and then gives the load paper message. It is doing this 9 times out of 10 attempts now. Very annoying. Any suggestions?
Hello Jose, I just powered on my 3880 after a 2 year shutdown. After power on, the printer asked for a new cartridge as one of of the black cartridges was running low, I had planned ahead and ordered from Epson a replacement, so after replacement of the low cartridge now the printer reports that there are NO CARTRIDGES INSTALLED, and all the cartridge slots are reporting Empty?? I have checked Epsons website, and several other websites, tried the "reset" procedure that is prevalent (removing the maintenance cartridge and all the ink cartridges) but I cannot get the printer to recognize any ink cartridges. I have never used any ink except official Epson cartridges. Kind of at my wits end.... Suggestions?
Hi Jose, I like your videos. Well done. I heard you say to use Windex to clean your print heads. NEVER use Windex or any commercial product. I have 24 epson printers, and print about 25,000 to 50,000 pages a year for in house work. Back in 2009, I worked with a chemist (my dad) to formulate a clear ink, or ink with zero pigment. This is called epson cleaning solution. Epson ink is manufactured in Germany. It has no alcohol, ammonia, soap or acetone in it. Windex that you buy uses tap water and not distilled water when they make it. Normal tap water has particulate matter in it, and this stuff is big enough to clog your print heads. Your q-tip can also leave behind particles that can clog nozzles. If your windex has ammonia in it, the ammonia will disintegrate (melt/eat) the plastics. Never use anything with ammonia, soap or acetone. Acetone will melt the plastic right before your eyes. Epson ink is soluble in water -- no need for more. Epson ink with no pigment is made of distilled water and DEG which is Diethylene Glycol Reagent (D49-1). It must be reagent quality since it has to be free of particulates. You can buy DEG from a chemical company for about $110 for a liter. Your cleaning solution is 10% DEG and 90% distilled water. Go buy a few gallons of distilled water for $0.88 per gallon, and buy a case of 4 oz water, probably 48 bottles. Empty all the water and rinse each twice with distilled water to remove any particulates. If you have a zero-water filter that tests at 0 particles, you can use that for rinsing. Knowing 1 oz = 28.57 mL, you know each 4 ounce bottle has 118 milliliters capacity. Use your larger syringe and put 12 ml of DEG in each bottle, then fill with distilled water. Your one liter of D49-1 Diethylene Glycol (DEG) will make 83 four ounce containers of Pure Epson Cleaning Solution. Be sure to label the bottles with a cool photo paper (water proof) label. Just fill your 48 bottles and store the remaining DEG for future use. Or, make a few super cleaning bottles with 20% DEG and 80% water. Remember in chemistry, more is not always better. Store the remaining back in its box in a cool place. DEG can also be found in our foods and household sundries, but do not use liquids containing DEG since they are full of little particles. Also, FYI never rub anything on the bottom of a print head, as it will damage it. As Gary Vaynerchuk says: "Patience is grossly under estimated." So be patient and let is stay wet and dissolve. To keep your heads clear, simply print a color test each day or so at 100% (highest quality) so as to push ink through 100% of the nozzles. Hope this helps.
Thanks and I respectfully agree with about 90% with what you are saying. But we ( the printing community ) have been doing these practices for over 30 years with out one single report of a print head actually being harmed by something like Windex of Piezoflush or Magic Bullit and other products designed for Inkjet print head cleaning. Having said that I do agree with the simple solution you you are using as it basically is INK base liquid but without the pigment, dyes, or biocides and other components that are added and because of this it is about as mild and non invasive as one can get. You did not mention what Epson models you are using but if I had to compare EPSON vs CANON Thermal Print heads I would classify EPSON heads as bullet proof. Sure you can easily delaminate them internally if you attempt to force anything through the ink spigot such as found on lower end print head carriages. I know you will disagree 100% but the process of soaking the print head over windex wetted strips of paper towels is again have has been done thousands of times with 100% success and as far as one can tell no visible damage. I will though, take your information under great consideration and have placed and order for reagent grade Diethylene Glycol. I am very familiar with this as it is used in the field I worked for 24 years, Histotechnology. By the way we use that in solution with distilled water and 5% of isopropanol as a CANON Cartridge Internal sponge rejuvinating solution used after flushing. It is then allowed to dry and only the DEG traces are left behind which CANON 3rd party inks "LOVE"! Thanks again for your comments. By the way if you do not mind I will pass this info on in video form where I will neither agree nor dissagee. I offer it as another option which is less invasive. People will choose whatever is best in their minds.
Hi Jose Rodriguez . Buy a Zero Water filter (or find someone with one) and use the meter to test for particulates in Windex. I just tested a quart bottle of the Windex in my cabinet with my zero water meter and it scored 149; Retest was 156. That is a lot of particulates. My tap water in Lakewood CO is 29. Arrow brand bottled water from Costco scores a 25. Distilled water is 0 (zero). Second, the fact that you've been doing it for years does not make it good science. Windex does have the solvent of ink which is water, but introducing small particles from the water used to make windex is wrong, as the nozzles can get clogged from it. Fourth, I have 12,000 hours working on Epson dye based printers (R200, RX 595, R260, R280, Artisan 50, 1400, 1430 come to mind, and now the Epson pro 3800). I have converted pigment based Epson printers (WP-4020) from pigment to dye based -- with many consultations with L2 Epson repair staff. I have printed over 275,000 pages and counting. I print 25-50K pages a year in house with ink jet printers. Fifth, my research suggests you should never allow any liquids to be sucked up into the print head nozzles from below. It can introduce air with the liquid, and can suck up particles in the liquid that's coming from the wet towel. Particles coming from below get stuck in a different way and are dard to flush out from above. Flushing should always come from the ink intake ports. Sixth, neither epson nor canon printers have any alcohol in their formulations so why are you introducing it --- these inks are soluble in water. Epson printers spray/deposit the ink on the paper. In the case of #20 copy paper, it just sits on top. When printing on photo paper there is a chemical reaction between the ink and the paper. And then the photos is water proof. Distilled water at 110 degrees F is better than Windex. Seventh, I have printed with canon pixma 6000 and the equivalent wide 11 x 17. These printers used clear (14mL) cartridges with no chips. I invented my own refilling system before refillable cartridges existed. Canon, like HP use a thermal drop-on-demand process, which means there is heat in the print heads when ink is expressed. This means HP and Canon printers will eventually wear out due to heat. Epson printers (and Brother) use a piezoelectric drop-on-demand method, and no heat so the print heads do not suffer heat wear. In an epson printer, the electric pulses change the shape of the ink in a sense, and force droplets through the nozzles onto the paper. No heat means less wear. I just retired an Epson R280 with 44,000 pages printed with nearly six million "total print passes." The heads did not wear out, and I believe the printer developed some cold solder joints. That printer was born in 2007. So 12 years of use is impressive. Most printers experience an EOS (end of service) error at around 12,000 pages. And for some printers, the internal counters and waste ink tank consumption can be reset. All the printers listed above can be reset. Eighth, I was hoping to learn from your video how to modify the 3800 to have an external waste ink tank. I always modify my printers to use an external waste ink tank. This is simply identifying where the waste ink tube is and drilling a hole through the side of the printer, then carefully removing the silicon waste tube from the tank to a container on the side of the printer. The tube is in the same horizontal position and works perfectly. When you do a head cleaning you can watch 10% off all your 14mL cartridges be pushed to waste. In the case of a CISS, the actual amount is 4-5 mL, which is a lot of ink (one teaspoon = 5 mL). I have filmed this many times and it’s a “wow” to see how much is wasted, especially if you are using cartriges. (i.e., six cartridges = 6 x 14 mL = 84 mL so wasting 4.5 mL with each head cleaning is crazy). Ninth, when you have joy in securing clear nozzles, you really don’t know why, since youcan’t see where the clog is…. You just get it wet and then gravity and more moisture eventually free to clogged particles and they pass. Ninth, putting distilled water or pure cleaning solution in the waste pads where the printer heads park can be useful, but the printer is going to pump that into the internal waste pads and okay if you have an external waste tank. If they are OEM and internal or in a maintenance tray, then it accelerates those needing to be replaced. Hey, I hope this helps. We should do a zoom meetup and have an interview. Cheers, Docp
@@cheo1949 There is more than one kind of windex...in fact several. Some may be okay and others not. Be more specific. I'm sure the ones with Ammonia are probably NOT okay. Others have vinegar. It's a wide range.
User only distilled water and Diethylene Glycol? You must be crazy or joking right? Water can't penetrate nozzles, Diethylene Glycol is very high viscosity, add it to water and you get preserving agent not a cleaning one. This your recipe can't clean anything.
Hello Jose. interesting, but very frustrating problem. Very little used R3000 now put back into service. Moved to another country and started printing. the well travelled machine ( Canon also ) worked perfectly several A3+ full size prints. Inks began to run out. So I replaced all with top quality replacement cartridges. Except yellow and I replaced that with a genuine new Epson cartridge which was left over from my stock. Since then nothing works properly. It would only print yellow and black ! seems to take ages and purges before every print using lots of ink Cleaned heads with correct cleaning fluid and pads overnight ( a lot of ink soaked in from all colours ) but still would not work. so replaced the yellow with another cartridge from the new stock. Now the LK black on the LCD panel says ready, but the computer will not print because it says " ink Cartridges can not be changed " The black cartridge is more than half full . Any ideas I have serious problems in a new country where ( Portugal ) there is no set here and even ink and paper has to be posted from UK. I have work to complete .any ideas really welcome. Thank you in advance.
Hi friend Rodrigues, I really like your videos. Could you find out where to buy a head for the epson pro 3800 as it's hard to find around here. Mauritius
Hi Jose! - strange - all comments here seem to have disappeared… Anyway, you kindly wrote: "I still have to ask you, how does the nozzle check look? Are there any missing lines in it? Is so have you tried an Auto Nozzle check? You will use more ink but it might clear any stubborn missing nozzles that are the cause of your lines. If that clears it, run a head alignment also in auto mode. Lastly, are you using OEM carts? Or are younusing refillable carts?" I just tried another Nozzle Check - the one where it prints an almost full A4 page of coloured squares. Like the last few times, it is perfect except there is one square missing in Light Magenta area. This doesn't change after I run Head Alignment. I'm using regular Epson carts (not refillable).
did you put any kind of cleaning solution on the tip of the long cottonswab when you cleaned the periphery of the gasket on the purge pad or just used a plain clean dry cottonswab tip untreated?
hello Jose! it's always a pleasure to watch your videos! I had a fully clogged head on my r3000 and now , following your tips I cleaned as new the expensive part . A suggestion: my printer has start giving me a 52h fatal error.. I checked all inside but nothing is in the gears.. do you have some ideas before I throw it from the window? :) Have a good day!!!
Yes, I found that; now I have a full set of ink and a perfect working head but a mechanical problem I'm not able to fix ( rotating a gear on the right side makes starting the printer until a cleaning process was almost done, to finish with the same error...). One side gives me the idea to BIN everything, the other to spend 40, 50 to buy another used one to use my ink/head on it... What do you advice?
HI Josee I found at page 252 in the service manual the followings: The end of the life is reached when any one of the following conditions is met. • Duration of service: 5 years • Print pages: 12,000 pages (with A2-sized plain paper in the Quality mode) • Carriage movements: 1,600,000 cycles So with over 15000 prints you exceeded already the lifespan of this printer.
+Luc Poi Yes! Lucky I guess as I think I am at over 16k prints. Hopefully it will continue to print great prints. However, the one that died prematurely only had 637 prints. Who would have known!
Many epson models can be reset to allow your printer to go to 40,000 pages plus, and six million "total print passes" that you called carriage movements. I believe all consumer grade printers can be reset for $5-$10 as a DIY
hello jose I have refillable cartridges for Epson 3800 and 3 of the cartridge the ink leaked out all I did is turn it on. on the 3 cartridges were it shoots out doesn't have the circle rubber part is this the reason why all the ink leaked out and if so were can I order this rubber part for the cartridges
Hi Jose, Thanks for your reply. I ran the Nozzle check at least twice, and the Head Align. I get a good test printout except one square in the Light Magenta is missing. I'm using OEM carts.
+morganfisherart ZERO??? As in no Light Magenta at all? The light versions of Cyan and Magenta are 100% needed in printing. So that is a problem. Try this out. If you have a gram scale, weigh the Light Magenta cart. Run a Cleaning Cycle and re weigh it. It should weigh a few grams less. If not then Light Magenta is not flowing at all. That would not be good.Joe
+Jose Rodriguez -- no no no - I mean one tiny 2mm slanting line, or one tiny 1mm x 2mm tile (depending on the type of Nozzle Check test print) is missing in the middle of the Light Magenta block. In terms of percentages this would mean less than 1% of the Light Magenta area is missing, while all other colours appear 100%. Hope this makes sense.
+morganfisherart That should not cause any extremental effects. One of my 3800 has had 3 magenta nozzles missing for about a year. I think they are simply damaged so CE the PRI her has do e over 15k prints. But even so, you do not see any negative effects even printing at a lower rez. So something else has to be going on here.
Hi Jose, I have a pro 3880 that hasn't been used consistently in about two years. I keep getting the "paper error" message every time I try to print. After looking at some youtube videos it looks like the sensor thing that is supposed to move back and forth and check for alignment is not moving. Any ideas for me?
My R3000 after resetting and of service ink pads, I started experiencing black ink spilling on my prints during printing. Any solution to this problem.
Who did the servicing? The Service Center? Ink smudges on prints are usually caused either by the print head physically touching the paper due to curling OR... the purge pad is not training waste ink as it should so when the print head rests over it it is picking up excess ink and then dropping it on to the paper. The service Center should have also serviced that.
Need help with my 3880. Was working fine but suddenly all of the colors started printing pale. Cleaned heads several times, reinstalled drivers, etc but no improvement with problem. Any suggestions?
OEM inks? You did a cleaning cycle? But did you run a nozzle check? Driver reinstall would do nothing. Are you positive nothing else has been changed??? Sudden changes in out out are almost 99.9% due to changes in workflow, or ink flow.
Forgive me if I missed this in the video, but I didn't see how/where the purge unit is to try to clean and repair. I purchased a used ET-3830 and it's doind exactly what you mentioned in this video. It is printing black but never lining up properly and Cyan appears to be completely blocked even after cleaning, and TONs of maintenance. I would love to check my purge unit, but I am new to Epson and don't know what that is
Hello, I have a 3800 but the front feeder is broken/misaligned. Otherwise, it prints well. Any recommendations? Spoke to a company but they said it would be expensive to fix and may not even work afterward.
My 3800 does not have an exit tray. No problem. If you mean the actual feeder...there are sensors involved and yes that could cause problems. Being that it is a very old printer it might cost way too much to properly fix. Parts may not even exist for it.
Hello Jose, I'm so glad I discovered your videos! You are a wealth of information, thanks! I've recently acquired an R3000 that has been sitting idle for quite a while (think 6+ months) and prior had very little use so is essential a new machine. I initially did a head cleaning and nozzle check that was not very successful. I then realized I probably needed a more thorough cleaning/flushing. I ran "magic bullet" through the lines and believe I've flushed out most of the old or dried ink. Now, however, after loading new cartridges, I'm not getting any ink to flow. I ran a number of nozzle checks and test print pages (20+) but no ink made it to the paper. I can see the tubes are still full of air and the ink isn't flowing through. Any suggestions on what I should do or how to get the ink through the tubes? Thanks very much for any suggestions or ideas!
Well you need to reinitiate the printer. Meaning load the inklines and dampers with real ink to push the Magic Bullet an the air you introduced. I know the R3000 ford not have a Power Clean Option. Sot the only way to accomplish this is to acquire the R3000 Adjustment Program. Normally only available to tech support folk and run the initiation. Adjustment Programs can be BERY dangerous if you do not know how to operate them Also they only tend to run on XP and sometimes up to WIN 7. Email me at tooljoe1949@yahoo.com and I will provide you with my link.
Hi Jose, just wanted to say thanks for your input on this issue. Interestingly, I was able to download an Adjustment Program from "continuousinksupplysystem.com.au" that works on a Mac! They sell it as a waste ink resetter, but it has other features as well. You need to buy it if you want to reset your waste ink counter, but if you want to use the other features, like ink charge, which I used, it is free! So I was able to run the ink charge, and now my R3000 is printing perfectly in all channels! So excited and thanks for your guidance again!
I have a 3880 and yesterday all the Black text and boxes in a document (not Images) print gray. I ran several cleaning and the nozzle check shows they are printing perfect yet Black text is still Gray. Any idea why?
My Epson R3000 won't get out of cleaning mode at start-up. I have to unplug the printer to get it to stop, and it is eating up a lot of ink. I cleaned the dried ink out as you described using windex and paper towels but it still gets stuck in cleaning mode. Epson tech support says they think the problem is fixable but I am reluctant to keep spending money on ink. Do you have any idea what might be the cause of the problem? Many thanks for your helpful videos
When did it begin to do that? Did you manually initiate a cleaning cycle? So what you saying is that before you print anything, the printer first performs a cleaning cycle every single time? Or does it simply clean clean clean without stopping until you pull the plug?
You are so kind to respond so quickly! It started about a week ago and had been working fine until then. When I turn the printer on the graphics appear on the printer's monitor indicating it is cycling through the inks. I can't get it to stop without pulling the plug. Results are the same whether I use the usb cable or wifi. It is quickly depleting the inks. I replaced the Light Vivid magenta and now it is telling me the yellow is out and the Epson Utility is showing I am low in a couple of other colors. I am reluctant to keep buying ink if this is not a problem that can be easily fixed. I tried to find a printer repair shop locally to work on it (nearest Epson authorized repair is 2 hrs away) but was told it would be cheaper to buy a new printer. So wasteful! I did clean out the printer head, wiper blade and platen, following your instructions and letting it soak overnight. Cleaned out a lot of dried ink. Thanks again for your help.
I took my print head out and dampers as i was getting issues with my white ink coming though i cleaned everything with cleaner but now i have lost every colour when i run a power clean i can see all the inks are going through the waste tank pad and being sucked into the waste cartridge but the are not going on to the paper any ideas before i throw it out thanks
Are you printing direct to film or to garment? You did something I would never have. Somehow your channels are now not printing. Electronic problem maybe. If a cleaning cycles is able to draw ink out but when you are printing no ink is deposited that means severed communication to the printhead. Cleaning cycles is purely a mechanical process and does need to communicate with printhead. White ink ( Titanium White ) " Literally eats " printheads.
My Epson 3800 is approaching 10 years old. My understanding is that the internal lithium battery lasts 5-10 years. So I guess I should replace it. How do I do this? I hope it's easy to do.
It's located on the Mother Board and that is accessed by unscrewing the back panel and the mother board itself so you can slide it out and access the battery which is just a simple on you can buy anywhere.
Jose, I am attempting to revive an Epson 3800 that has been stored for 4 years. While making progress with the clogs I attempted cleaning the wiper blade with a q-tip and and cleaning fluid. The next time I powered the printer on I got an 1127 error and all progress is stalled. I have enjoyed and used your videos and am hopeful of finding an answer as this printer has had very little use and I am too old and poor to replace it.;-)
Unfortunately the 1127 error pertains to an intrernal print head error. Many brand new 3800s arrived DOA and displayed the exact error even out of the box. Immediate replacement was provided. So is occurred only after your attempt to clean the wiper blade? How did you proceed? Did you move the print head in any way other than the power on and then pulling off the p!ug? Try unpluging the printer at the outlet for 5 minutes, replug and try again. Unplugging erases the EEPRON history. Good luck but if it persists, I am afraid it is dead.
Hi, I just bought another Epson Pro 3800. It has not been turned on for 5 years. But there is ink in all cartridges (so I was told). We have been told by Epson that turning off the printer by pulling the plug can cause big-time errors. Jose, have you experienced this.
Jose...I guess what I'm asking is: If it's just the PK that's fouling up, is it likely I need that (expensive) fix that I had done a couple of years ago, where the two blacks don't switch over normally? Or is there something that can be done to restore it short of that?
Well, wha d'ya know! I just finished a couple of cleaning cycles, and the problem is resolved!!! (Keeping my fingers crossed, just in case). Got a print sale today, and it's one that I don't have in my stock inventory...so printing that one is going to be Priority #1! Thanks again for weighing in and offering your help..I gotta use this guy more regularly, as you suggest.
Hi José, I get the same problem with my epson pro 3800 coupe of years ago and try all possibilities without success. So, I decide disassemble the printer and clear the printhead by flushing direct with syringe and clear. After that, no more big problem with the clusters. I start to use InkOwl K3 and after Inktec Powerchrome K3 without any problem. I want to come back with InkOwl HD. That set ink fit well on R3800 magentas? What do you think? Thanks a lot MASTER!!! PS: I have the video that learn how disassemble the print until the printhead. I get from company that printing in fibre. I lost the link but I still have the video. If interesting for you, let me know or email me.
How big a file is it? Any way I obtain it? tooljoe1949@yahoo.com The HD inks use yet a different version of Vivid Magentas so the only way to use on 3800s is to profile it. Still would not be correct due to the different print engines.
Mr. Josè, I follow from Italy and I'm very interested in the magnificent videos you transmit, maybe it's not the right place for my question, but I have a problem on my Epson Pro 3880 and I'm desperate, printing with PK the sheet fills with large ink stains, instead printing with MK everything returns smoothly. Where can I find a tutorial on google to solve the problem? Thanks for the reply, greetings from Italy Sergio
Your black ink switch valve is failing that is the reason it always causes smears when using photo black. That is the first sign of valve failure so you are basically locked to only using matte black ink at this time. The only way to solve this is to have the ink delivery system replaced or to have someone service the actual valve itself. Clean it and get it operating again as long as it's not physically damaged.
thanks for the quick reply, are you talking about the dumper? I have done private maintenance on R1800 and R800, do you think it is very difficult to get to the dumper to clean it? I have to clean all or just the PK, still take advantage of his experience, the print head of the 3880 is equal to that of the 3800, apart from the two ink. thank you and excuse the trouble. Greetings from Italy, Sergio@@cheo1949
I wanted to know if the leaky ink valve is difficult to disassemble and if the printhead of the 3880 is equal to that of the 3800, greetings from Italy sergio
Hi Jose!!! have you ever experienced an error with the r3000 that says to turn printer on and off whenever the cartridges are installed? After following those steps it continues with the same error and to see manual???
No I hanven't. I've only had the R3000 for a short while. Do you use Original Carts or 3rd party refillables? Does it display an Error Number? If so then you need to google is as EPSON R3000 Error xxxx
Well we have a modified spectra 3000 purchased through spectradtg.com and I do believe these are 3rd party refillables as they connect to ink bags. It also does not display an error number :(
Yes I do but not on this particular printer. we bought this printer from the NJ spectra company but we are not able to complete the training in NJ, so we are basically stuck figuring out this setup process on our own.
I'm having error code 1223 can't seem to figure it out it makes a couple noises on start up then comes up with error. Epson 3800 any ideas what it could be?
The oem inks you salvaged for your 3800 is that the same oem ink found in all of the following epson printers? 4000, 4800, 4880, 7600, 7800, 7880, 9600, 9800, 9880,10600, I believe these all use ultra chrome k3 inks....?
Then your black channel is leaking. Remember that the PK and MK is shared. That occurs just behind the print head at the so gle black damper that shares the two black. A valve controls which of the black inks comes into use. If that valve is beginning to fail, which eventually they all do, resulting in black ink leaks. Are you using original carts or refillables?
Hi Jose. We have a 3800 that has stopped over-printing black. It will print 100% black (matte or photo), but when it is added to another color, it won't print. We have had a repair tech come out, but he said he hadn't seen this before. Any ideas?
Does the nozzle check show all three black shades? So you are saying that if your print a black square image the printer prints it and its deep black? My theory is that it is might be printing black using the two grays and compositing with the other colors. I think it might not be using black at all and so it will show up readily when printing regular images. This is just a guess as I am not there win you. How you can sort this out soon
The nozzle check did not show the darkest black. I sent it in to an Epson repair shop and they replaced the ink supply carrier - $375. It works like new now. I figured it was worth the $ because replacing the printer would have been a great deal more.
Hi Jose, Your videos are awesome! I have an intermittent 1601 error that comes up on my Epson 3880 printer; it comes up sometimes and blocks me from doing anything. Is there any combination of buttons that I can press, or something that I can do to bypass the error message?
+Dean Robinson Google shows one video but it is in portuguese! It appears to be relate to the paper feed sensor. No button pushing combination will fix it. You do only common printing? Or are you printing through the rear slot?
+Jose Rodriguez Thank you Jose! I just do common printing on 11x17 mat paper, and 8.5x11 paper; and only ever use the top feeder. No special settings; I use it for printing really good contact sheets for my film projects. I love your videos, and any help solving this 1601 problem would be immensely appreciated!
+Dean Robinson I don't know what else to contribute. This is a very vague error and only is described as a paper sensor error. Not much to be found in Google. You might want to call Epson on this one and see what say or post this question in the LuminousLandscape Printing forum as they have some real knowledgeable folks there.
Hi Jose, I have a 3880 that is about 5-6 years old and the number of prints on it you can probably count with two hands. I tried to print a 5x7" simple print on high gloss paper, and not only was the print very "non-contrasty", the black hair of my friend's wife came out totally silvery white. If you have any email address, I'd be happy to scan the print and sent it to you. I have tried a few cleaning cycles, but no change in the print look. I am desperate. Can you take a look and please suggest a remedy? Thanks so much Jose!!
Your black channel is blocked. No surprise. Run a nozzle check in the driver's maintenance tab. You should have 8 complete sets of nozzle lines. One set per color. If many lines are missing then you have a blocked print head. Run a cleaning followed by another nozzle check and compare the two for possible improvements. Repeat up to 3 times but no more and let the printer rest over night. Run another nozzle check and get back to me. I really don't need to see your print. It's obvious what the problem is.
Jose - thank you SO MUCH!!! I will try it and let you know. I cannot tell you how much i appreciate what you suggested. Will let you know what transpires.
Jose, I also have a 3880, have had many issues with the black channel, About two weeks ago I googled how to clean the head with the paper towel and cleaner, went through that twice, ran a nozzle check and there were no channels showing, let it sit for a few days and just ran one today and all channels except the black are back, not sure what to do from here. I have under 600 counts on this printer and lots of ink cartridges left. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
+Zachary Durbin It is on the far right side. To see it you need manually move the print head to the left. Plesse watch my 3800 maintenance video to see the complete process.
Can anyone help me? I have a P600 (same as r3000) I had to unblock the MK channel print head using a special solution similar to Windex because the cleaning cycle could fix it. It works well and I've done it several times. The next time I had to do it, I noticed there was no resistance anymore from pushing the solution through the syringe. I’m worried I’ve blown something somewhere because now my black ink cartridge will drain to empty just sitting in the printer overnight. Anyone with experience can tell me if I’ve stuffed the print head or could it be something repairable such as the ink dampers?
Jose Rodriguez it still prints photos perfectly and all channels are working on print head test, I don’t think it would do that if it’s delaminated. MK ink just disappears within hours.
Hello Jose, I am at the point of trowing away, my Epson 3880 stylus pro, the MK IS NOT PRINTING I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING CLEANING THE HEADS, RUNNING THE POWER CLEANING, SOAKING THE HEAD OVERNIGHT WITH WINDEX, CLEANING THE WIPER BLADE, DOING BLACK AND WHITE PRINTS BUT THE NOZZLE CHECK IS STILLING MISSING THE MK INK, PLEASE HELP...
Then that means either the whole channel is block which is highly unlikely or the most likely cause is bad black ink switch valve! That will require the ink delivery system to be exchanged. And that's about $500. It could still be the black channel itself on the print head but you should be showing at least half of the black channel nozzles printing.
Sure. It's out of guarantee so they don't care. They will gladly sell you a new one though but it will develop the same problem down the road. If it is a totally black cked channel, you will need a new print head. Better to buy a new printer. If it needs a new ink de!ivery system you are still better off considering a new printer. Sorry.
Tienes que buscar el error en GOOGLE. Tanpoco me indicastes el modelo. Si no es para fotos no puedo ayudarte porque solamente uso ese tipo de impresora.
Hi Jose, I've heard that " wagon wheels " show up on the Epson P800 on certain papers. Have you heard of this and if so, and if so, how well can you see them? Thanks.
It happens with ALL Epson printers that utilize the start or Pizza wheel paper transport. It will show up on dark areas when using delicate fine art papers a d even some regular resin coated glossy and luster papers. You increase the platen gap and it will reduce the effect but with not eliminate it on those fragile delicate surface papers.
The PRO-3880/3800 and P800. Seems to be a problem with the 17" capacity models. What happens is the coating will swell as high densities of inks are laid down and the now swollen paper coating is literally pierced by the star wheels as the paper is being advanced. RC papers seem to survive it better!
Hi Jose, I'm really appreciating your videos and hope I can fix the banding trouble I'm having on my Pro-3800 (actually called a PX-5800 here in Japan). In this video you talk about cleaning around the purge gasket but don't actually show how to do that. I am not sure where I should clean. Is there another video where you do show that? Also, is there any way to PM you if I need more help, rather than cluttering up the comments here? Many thanks in advance!
+morganfisherart I show injecting Windex or any Ammonia based window cleaner directly onto the purge pad. It immediately gets absorbed and dumped into the Maintenance Cart. You then get some cotton tipped applicators ( We call them Q-Tips here in the USA ) wetted with the Windex or equivalent and we wipe the periphery of the purge pad or sponge sealing gasket. But banding is not caused by that. Banding is usually due to either blocked nozzles or a head that needs alignment. Both processes can be carried out from the maintenance tab in the driver or the LCD screen on the printer. Joe
+Jose Rodriguez Thanks for your quick answer, Jose! I already tried several cleaning processes via the driver and the LCD screen. It helped. but not completely. The banding looked like pinstripes - regular thin pale lines a bit less than 1mm apart. After cleaning a few times it now looks finer, more like grooves on a 78rpm record, but still noticeable in dark areas. Am trying to print some 70-year-old B&W negs for a photo show and it's important I get it as good as I can. On regular Epson glossy photo paper it's not visible but on Hahnemuhle FineArt Baryta it's more of a problem. Any further tips much appreciated! My home can get rather dusty so maybe the nozzles need more drastic treatment…?
+morganfisherart I still have to ask you, how does the nozzle check look? Are there any missing lines in it? Is so have you tried an Auto Nozzle check? You will use more ink but it might clear any stubborn missing nozzles that are the cause of your lines. If that clears it, run a head alignment also in auto mode. Lastly, are you using OEM carts? Or are younusing refillable carts?
Hi Jose...long time since I've contacted you. We conversed about paper curl some time ago. So, I have been printing perfectly (my greeting cards on Red River stock) for ages, and now this evening all of a sudden PK has failed...I put a new cart in, but I same issue. Anyway, regarding your video...I wish you had opened the printer top and shown me/us where this device is located...any help with a picture or diagram would be helpful.
If you mean the purge pad...is on the far right. It is where the print head parks itself. What printer are you using? Are you getting any photo black at all? Is your black ink switch valve operating correctly?
@@cheo1949 I spent $400 a few years ago to fix that "black switching glitch" on my 3880, and have been having no issues since that time. Then a couple of days ago when I printed I got serious loss of black again, like last time...I think it's PK, as that seemed to be the focal point before. When I do a nozzle check, it's the black on the far left (PK?) that shows almost no continuity. The last time this happened I didn't use the printer for a while, and when I next used it it was like there had never been a problem! Hopefully that will be the outcome again this time...I believe the unit had been powered down for the duration. If no success this time, what do you recommend? Power cleaning...other approaches you've used that have worked? Thanks in advance for the response!
@@cheo1949 Not sure how to determine that! That's the problem that led me to a $400 repair bill before...how do I determine if the black ink switch is working correctly?
It's on the far right side of every printer. It is rectangular and it;s where the print head rests after printing. Besides I already showed that in a PRO-2000 and PRO 3800 maintenance video.
But I don’t know about your other video and you don’t mention it in this one either. There’s nothing shown in this video. Best thing about CZcams is seeing how things are done.
Good afternoon, Jose, I got back a perfect nozzle check, after soaking the pad overnight, and a power cleaning, got a perfect print, but now the black in is running on the print, and there is lines on the print. I am trying to fix it so I would not buy it. thank you for all your advise. Best Regards, Amo
What do you mean the black is running on the print? Are you getting non image drips or is it the black areas are too heavy? What are Lines Are you getting non image streaks or is it banding?
Hi Jose - Very interesting video, and particularly one comment you make about "dead" nozzles.I'm on my second 3880, using Marrutt refillable cartridges, and have the seemingly stupid situation that I can make perfect prints, with no horizontal "lines" yet manual nozzle check ALWAYS shows the same two Magenta channel nozzles missing. I've done all the cleaning with Q-tips, about 10 overnight soaks with cleaning cloth under the heads, cleaned the vacuum seal and wiper blade, yet nothing will get those two channels back, although it has reduced it from 3 to 2 faulty nozzles (the printer is just under 2 years old and has had very little use). Power Clean seems to finish very quickly and doesn't seems to consume sufficient ink from the cartridges.You say you've experienced the same, but do you have any idea if the nozzles are actually faulty, or if the nozzle check is just not pre-charging enough pressure?
+Colin Dyckes Don't waste the ink! This problem is due toe two physically damaged nozzles as in my case. Nothing other than a new print head will rectify that! Your prints will still appear flawless.
+Jose Rodriguez - Thanks for the quick response. I was just trying to figure out why I could get perfect prints with two dead magenta nozzles - doesn't make sense as I'm printing at highest quality and resolution. I know that running multiple successive head-cleans can cause an issue with test prints, so just wondered if there was something there that has affected both my printer and yours. I'll take your advice and just continue printing while it works. Pity it's been discontinued! Thanks.
+Jose Rodriguez - Sadly the 3880 is no longer available in the UK at least. It's been replaced by the " Epson SureColor SC-P800 A2 Colour Photo Inkjet Printer" at a slightly cheaper price. Not sure if quality alternative bulk inks are available yet (uses same colours but not ink or cartridges as the 3880).
+Colin Dyckes OH wow! That's crazy! We actually still have some floating around here being sold by Photography equipment sites and even EPOSN as refurbished units. But they will disappear extremely quick.
@@cheo1949 Hi yes, want to put refillable ink, and dtf as well, I buy my carts of ink from comp and save, but they dont have all colors( and their light magenta, and magenta carts dont fit, so looking for refill alternative.
Hi Jose I love your videos they are very informative. I wanted to share with you my experience with mine The capping station and the wiper blade should be clean every few weeks according to inkjetmall video czcams.com/video/ocoX1WJbJPM/video.html at time = 0,30 min, and they provide at time=4:00 min the procedure for cleaning using their wiper pads. I do that every month using Qtips and recently using their wiper pads to avoid gunk to build up, and as you mentionned assuring a perfect sealing of the printer heads whenever its parked, helping to keep all the time the bottom of the head moist, and providing suction at cleaning time. At time=10:00 they say theses parts should be replaced every few years because they wear out. Maybe I was lucky because I never replaced them.After owning that 3880 for over 3 years, I only had to do two power cleans. I always manage to get all the channels clear with one or two nozzle check. An extra precaution I take is to have a plastic cover over the printer all the time its not running keeping the printer pristine clean all of the time. regards Luc
Perfectly good advice. Unfortunately people who chose to purchase a higher end dedicated photo printer either are not made aware of these requirements or simply to ignore them and hope for the best. Most specific recommendations about the replacement of certain printer components as a matter of scheduled maintenance. His info is usually only found in the official service manual for particular models. These are usually not made readily available to printer owners. That's where sites such as inkjetmall and hopefully this channel are of some help to printer owners.
Jose Just a few weeks after my purchase and reading on inkjetmall all the problems quite a few had, I contacted Epson to know if any preventive maintenance was required on my printer, and their answer was none. I suppose Epson wants to sell a replacement printer as often as they can sell you one. InkjetMall and yourself are a great help to prevent us from a premature failure on theses expensive printers.
Hello Jose,...I was having similar problems with my Epson R2000 following lack of use during the long COVID timeperiod,...I extensively followed your video cleaning routine anyway without luck,....so I thought I'd modify your using the syringe delicately pumping windex via connection into the overflow tube to the potty bottle,...but I first preheated the windex in a stainless steel dish sitting in boiled water,...like a double boiler of sorts,..upon pumping in the hot windex,..everything began unclogging, several applications solved all my problems and I'm back printing wonderful 13x19 prints AOK,...am now sure to print several prints every couple of days so as not to repeat such a severe clogging issue,...you're my hero when it comes to resolving issues,...cannot thank you enough sir,....thank you, thank you.
Thank you. Will have to talk to the service personal about this. Since we do not have an Epson service center in Ghana.
Hi Jose,I've recently started following your youtube channel as I contemplate a replacement strategy for my 3880. My black ink switching valve stopped working a few years back and I've only been able to print with matte since. I've worked with it since then and now find myself wanting to print on some gloss/lustre papers.Just as I decided to replace the printer and started learning from your reviews of P900, Pro-1000 etc. I was offered a 3880 that has not been in use for 5 years (apparently it had the opposite black channel issue). The owner gave up on it, removed and sold the carts at the time and was now disposing of it so I picked it up with an idea to try and recondition it before I relegate it to parts donor to keep my original 3880 going as long as possible.I know it's a long shot but I want to give it a go. Before I load up with new ink carts and find it doesn't work, I'm prepared to disassemble and clean the complete ink delivery system or as much as one can. I haven't seen anything this comprehensive in your videos or a collection of them, though some elements are covered. Do you have any experience to share diving into something like this?
I'm also interested if you know where I can get a copy of the Epson Service manual for the 3880 and the adjustment software.
I figured you were the best resource to ask.
Thanks in advance, Doug
@Jose Rodriguez Photo Printing Techie need you help. My wiper keep sticking so wont go all the way forward . can I video it and send it to you y issue with it thanks. there is no-one around to support these machines anymore, so glad I found you
great info....would have been nice to see the area you cleaned up ( part II ?)
Maybe this coming year.
have you came across a 3880 print cartridges' in the window flashing install cartridge's? I have tried multiple times to reset the printer , but couldn't get it out of the flashing message.
HI there. 2022 here. Can you please show the pump unit and all the elements. I think my pump unit has come out of the end side pit. Im not sure if it has to have the black pit at the side under the white bit. I am also having problems show any two colours , please helppp even if you do a video of taking the cover off and showing all the parts, please please please
hi jose, re 3880. a couple of my refillable ink cartridges are not recognized by the printer and i am getting a message "replace ink cartridge". i suspect that perhaps the mother board contacts for the csic need to be cleaned. do you have any tutorials on how to do this. don't think the csic are damaged, although i looked on line and could not find a part replacement. if i cannot get the 3880 back on its feet again i am considering a p900...has anyone come up with refillable cartridges for this? thanks jeff
My R3000 has recently started giving "Load Paper" error even though there is paper in the tray. It picks up and feeds a sheet into the printer but continues to eject the page and then gives the load paper message. It is doing this 9 times out of 10 attempts now. Very annoying. Any suggestions?
Hello Jose, I just powered on my 3880 after a 2 year shutdown. After power on, the printer asked for a new cartridge as one of of the black cartridges was running low, I had planned ahead and ordered from Epson a replacement, so after replacement of the low cartridge now the printer reports that there are NO CARTRIDGES INSTALLED, and all the cartridge slots are reporting Empty?? I have checked Epsons website, and several other websites, tried the "reset" procedure that is prevalent (removing the maintenance cartridge and all the ink cartridges) but I cannot get the printer to recognize any ink cartridges. I have never used any ink except official Epson cartridges. Kind of at my wits end.... Suggestions?
Hi Jose, I like your videos. Well done. I heard you say to use Windex to clean your print heads. NEVER use Windex or any commercial product. I have 24 epson printers, and print about 25,000 to 50,000 pages a year for in house work. Back in 2009, I worked with a chemist (my dad) to formulate a clear ink, or ink with zero pigment. This is called epson cleaning solution. Epson ink is manufactured in Germany. It has no alcohol, ammonia, soap or acetone in it. Windex that you buy uses tap water and not distilled water when they make it. Normal tap water has particulate matter in it, and this stuff is big enough to clog your print heads. Your q-tip can also leave behind particles that can clog nozzles. If your windex has ammonia in it, the ammonia will disintegrate (melt/eat) the plastics. Never use anything with ammonia, soap or acetone. Acetone will melt the plastic right before your eyes. Epson ink is soluble in water -- no need for more. Epson ink with no pigment is made of distilled water and DEG which is Diethylene Glycol Reagent (D49-1). It must be reagent quality since it has to be free of particulates. You can buy DEG from a chemical company for about $110 for a liter. Your cleaning solution is 10% DEG and 90% distilled water. Go buy a few gallons of distilled water for $0.88 per gallon, and buy a case of 4 oz water, probably 48 bottles. Empty all the water and rinse each twice with distilled water to remove any particulates. If you have a zero-water filter that tests at 0 particles, you can use that for rinsing. Knowing 1 oz = 28.57 mL, you know each 4 ounce bottle has 118 milliliters capacity. Use your larger syringe and put 12 ml of DEG in each bottle, then fill with distilled water. Your one liter of D49-1 Diethylene Glycol (DEG) will make 83 four ounce containers of Pure Epson Cleaning Solution. Be sure to label the bottles with a cool photo paper (water proof) label. Just fill your 48 bottles and store the remaining DEG for future use. Or, make a few super cleaning bottles with 20% DEG and 80% water. Remember in chemistry, more is not always better. Store the remaining back in its box in a cool place. DEG can also be found in our foods and household sundries, but do not use liquids containing DEG since they are full of little particles. Also, FYI never rub anything on the bottom of a print head, as it will damage it. As Gary Vaynerchuk says: "Patience is grossly under estimated." So be patient and let is stay wet and dissolve. To keep your heads clear, simply print a color test each day or so at 100% (highest quality) so as to push ink through 100% of the nozzles. Hope this helps.
Thanks and I respectfully agree with about 90% with what you are saying. But we ( the printing community ) have been doing these practices for over 30 years with out one single report of a print head actually being harmed by something like Windex of Piezoflush or Magic Bullit and other products designed for Inkjet print head cleaning.
Having said that I do agree with the simple solution you you are using as it basically is INK base liquid but without the pigment, dyes, or biocides and other components that are added and because of this it is about as mild and non invasive as one can get.
You did not mention what Epson models you are using but if I had to compare EPSON vs CANON Thermal Print heads I would classify EPSON heads as bullet proof. Sure you can easily delaminate them internally if you attempt to force anything through the ink spigot such as found on lower end print head carriages.
I know you will disagree 100% but the process of soaking the print head over windex wetted strips of paper towels is again have has been done thousands of times with 100% success and as far as one can tell no visible damage.
I will though, take your information under great consideration and have placed and order for reagent grade Diethylene Glycol. I am very familiar with this as it is used in the field I worked for 24 years, Histotechnology.
By the way we use that in solution with distilled water and 5% of isopropanol as a CANON Cartridge Internal sponge rejuvinating solution used after flushing. It is then allowed to dry and only the DEG traces are left behind which CANON 3rd party inks "LOVE"!
Thanks again for your comments.
By the way if you do not mind I will pass this info on in video form where I will neither agree nor dissagee. I offer it as another option which is less invasive.
People will choose whatever is best in their minds.
Hi Jose Rodriguez . Buy a Zero Water filter (or find someone with one) and use the meter to test for particulates in Windex. I just tested a quart bottle of the Windex in my cabinet with my zero water meter and it scored 149; Retest was 156. That is a lot of particulates. My tap water in Lakewood CO is 29. Arrow brand bottled water from Costco scores a 25. Distilled water is 0 (zero). Second, the fact that you've been doing it for years does not make it good science. Windex does have the solvent of ink which is water, but introducing small particles from the water used to make windex is wrong, as the nozzles can get clogged from it. Fourth, I have 12,000 hours working on Epson dye based printers (R200, RX 595, R260, R280, Artisan 50, 1400, 1430 come to mind, and now the Epson pro 3800). I have converted pigment based Epson printers (WP-4020) from pigment to dye based -- with many consultations with L2 Epson repair staff. I have printed over 275,000 pages and counting. I print 25-50K pages a year in house with ink jet printers. Fifth, my research suggests you should never allow any liquids to be sucked up into the print head nozzles from below. It can introduce air with the liquid, and can suck up particles in the liquid that's coming from the wet towel. Particles coming from below get stuck in a different way and are dard to flush out from above. Flushing should always come from the ink intake ports. Sixth, neither epson nor canon printers have any alcohol in their formulations so why are you introducing it --- these inks are soluble in water. Epson printers spray/deposit the ink on the paper. In the case of #20 copy paper, it just sits on top. When printing on photo paper there is a chemical reaction between the ink and the paper. And then the photos is water proof. Distilled water at 110 degrees F is better than Windex. Seventh, I have printed with canon pixma 6000 and the equivalent wide 11 x 17. These printers used clear (14mL) cartridges with no chips. I invented my own refilling system before refillable cartridges existed. Canon, like HP use a thermal drop-on-demand process, which means there is heat in the print heads when ink is expressed. This means HP and Canon printers will eventually wear out due to heat. Epson printers (and Brother) use a piezoelectric drop-on-demand method, and no heat so the print heads do not suffer heat wear. In an epson printer, the electric pulses change the shape of the ink in a sense, and force droplets through the nozzles onto the paper. No heat means less wear. I just retired an Epson R280 with 44,000 pages printed with nearly six million "total print passes." The heads did not wear out, and I believe the printer developed some cold solder joints. That printer was born in 2007. So 12 years of use is impressive. Most printers experience an EOS (end of service) error at around 12,000 pages. And for some printers, the internal counters and waste ink tank consumption can be reset. All the printers listed above can be reset. Eighth, I was hoping to learn from your video how to modify the 3800 to have an external waste ink tank. I always modify my printers to use an external waste ink tank. This is simply identifying where the waste ink tube is and drilling a hole through the side of the printer, then carefully removing the silicon waste tube from the tank to a container on the side of the printer. The tube is in the same horizontal position and works perfectly. When you do a head cleaning you can watch 10% off all your 14mL cartridges be pushed to waste. In the case of a CISS, the actual amount is 4-5 mL, which is a lot of ink (one teaspoon = 5 mL). I have filmed this many times and it’s a “wow” to see how much is wasted, especially if you are using cartriges. (i.e., six cartridges = 6 x 14 mL = 84 mL so wasting 4.5 mL with each head cleaning is crazy). Ninth, when you have joy in securing clear nozzles, you really don’t know why, since youcan’t see where the clog is…. You just get it wet and then gravity and more moisture eventually free to clogged particles and they pass. Ninth, putting distilled water or pure cleaning solution in the waste pads where the printer heads park can be useful, but the printer is going to pump that into the internal waste pads and okay if you have an external waste tank. If they are OEM and internal or in a maintenance tray, then it accelerates those needing to be replaced. Hey, I hope this helps. We should do a zoom meetup and have an interview. Cheers, Docp
@@cheo1949 There is more than one kind of windex...in fact several. Some may be okay and others not. Be more specific. I'm sure the ones with Ammonia are probably NOT okay. Others have vinegar. It's a wide range.
User only distilled water and Diethylene Glycol? You must be crazy or joking right? Water can't penetrate nozzles, Diethylene Glycol is very high viscosity, add it to water and you get preserving agent not a cleaning one.
This your recipe can't clean anything.
Hello Jose. interesting, but very frustrating problem. Very little used R3000 now put back into service. Moved to another country and started printing. the well travelled machine ( Canon also ) worked perfectly several A3+ full size prints. Inks began to run out. So I replaced all with top quality replacement cartridges. Except yellow and I replaced that with a genuine new Epson cartridge which was left over from my stock. Since then nothing works properly. It would only print yellow and black ! seems to take ages and purges before every print using lots of ink Cleaned heads with correct cleaning fluid and pads overnight ( a lot of ink soaked in from all colours ) but still would not work. so replaced the yellow with another cartridge from the new stock. Now the LK black on the LCD panel says ready, but the computer will not print because it says " ink Cartridges can not be changed " The black cartridge is more than half full . Any ideas I have serious problems in a new country where ( Portugal ) there is no set here and even ink and paper has to be posted from UK. I have work to complete .any ideas really welcome. Thank you in advance.
How can I find the date of manufacture of my Epson Stylus Pro 3800? Thanks in advance.
Hi friend Rodrigues, I really like your videos. Could you find out where to buy a head for the epson pro 3800 as it's hard to find around here. Mauritius
Hi Jose! - strange - all comments here seem to have disappeared…
Anyway, you kindly wrote:
"I still have to ask you, how does the nozzle check look? Are there any missing lines in it? Is so have you tried an Auto Nozzle check? You will use more ink but it might clear any stubborn missing nozzles that are the cause of your lines. If that clears it, run a head alignment also in auto mode.
Lastly, are you using OEM carts? Or are younusing refillable carts?"
I just tried another Nozzle Check - the one where it prints an almost full A4 page of coloured squares. Like the last few times, it is perfect except there is one square missing in Light Magenta area. This doesn't change after I run Head Alignment.
I'm using regular Epson carts (not refillable).
Thanks.
Thank you
Epson 3880 , refillable cartridges, do you have any idea why it will move like it's printing, but the page is completely blank
did you put any kind of cleaning solution on the tip of the long cottonswab when you cleaned the periphery of the gasket on the purge pad or just used a plain clean dry cottonswab tip untreated?
Yes.Windex with Ammonia D.
Well, this may have been my salvation to free up a yellow ink clog after trying everything else. Thank you!
hello Jose! it's always a pleasure to watch your videos!
I had a fully clogged head on my r3000 and now , following your tips I cleaned as new the expensive part .
A suggestion: my printer has start giving me a 52h fatal error.. I checked all inside but nothing is in the gears.. do you have some ideas before I throw it from the window? :)
Have a good day!!!
Did you Google.that error code? It sounds like a serious mechanical problem.
Yes, I found that; now I have a full set of ink and a perfect working head but a mechanical problem I'm not able to fix ( rotating a gear on the right side makes starting the printer until a cleaning process was almost done, to finish with the same error...).
One side gives me the idea to BIN everything, the other to spend 40, 50 to buy another used one to use my ink/head on it...
What do you advice?
HI Josee
I found at page 252 in the service manual the followings:
The end of the life is reached when any one of the
following conditions is met.
• Duration of service: 5 years
• Print pages: 12,000 pages
(with A2-sized plain paper in the Quality mode)
• Carriage movements: 1,600,000 cycles
So with over 15000 prints you exceeded already the lifespan of this printer.
+Luc Poi Yes! Lucky I guess as I think I am at over 16k prints.
Hopefully it will continue to print great prints. However, the one that died prematurely only had 637 prints. Who would have known!
Many epson models can be reset to allow your printer to go to 40,000 pages plus, and six million "total print passes" that you called carriage movements. I believe all consumer grade printers can be reset for $5-$10 as a DIY
hello jose I have refillable cartridges for Epson 3800 and 3 of the cartridge the ink leaked out all I did is turn it on. on the 3 cartridges were it shoots out doesn't have the circle rubber part is this the reason why all the ink leaked out and if so were can I order this rubber part for the cartridges
Take a picture of the cart's exit ports, and send it to me at tooljoe1949@yahoo.com
No you can not just buy that part.
You will need new carts.
Hi Jose,
Thanks for your reply.
I ran the Nozzle check at least twice, and the Head Align. I get a good test printout except one square in the Light Magenta is missing. I'm using OEM carts.
+morganfisherart That would cause some of your lines. When you run the normal nozzle check, is it missing a magenta line?
+Jose Rodriguez - No, just one gap in the Light Magenta. No gap in the Magenta.
+morganfisherart ZERO??? As in no Light Magenta at all? The light versions of Cyan and Magenta are 100% needed in printing. So that is a problem. Try this out. If you have a gram scale, weigh the Light Magenta cart. Run a Cleaning Cycle and re weigh it. It should weigh a few grams less. If not then Light Magenta is not flowing at all. That would not be good.Joe
+Jose Rodriguez -- no no no - I mean one tiny 2mm slanting line, or one tiny 1mm x 2mm tile (depending on the type of Nozzle Check test print) is missing in the middle of the Light Magenta block. In terms of percentages this would mean less than 1% of the Light Magenta area is missing, while all other colours appear 100%. Hope this makes sense.
+morganfisherart That should not cause any extremental effects. One of my 3800 has had 3 magenta nozzles missing for about a year. I think they are simply damaged so CE the PRI her has do e over 15k prints. But even so, you do not see any negative effects even printing at a lower rez. So something else has to be going on here.
Hi Jose,
I have a pro 3880 that hasn't been used consistently in about two years. I keep getting the "paper error" message every time I try to print. After looking at some youtube videos it looks like the sensor thing that is supposed to move back and forth and check for alignment is not moving. Any ideas for me?
That sounds about right. It checks leading and lateral edges! Either something is blocking it or it needs replacement.
My R3000 after resetting and of service ink pads, I started experiencing black ink spilling on my prints during printing. Any solution to this problem.
Who did the servicing? The Service Center? Ink smudges on prints are usually caused either by the print head physically touching the paper due to curling OR... the purge pad is not training waste ink as it should so when the print head rests over it it is picking up excess ink and then dropping it on to the paper. The service Center should have also serviced that.
Need help with my 3880. Was working fine but suddenly all of the colors started printing pale. Cleaned heads several times, reinstalled drivers, etc but no improvement with problem. Any suggestions?
OEM inks? You did a cleaning cycle?
But did you run a nozzle check? Driver reinstall would do nothing.
Are you positive nothing else has been changed??? Sudden changes in out out are almost 99.9% due to changes in workflow, or ink flow.
THANK YOU.. :)
You're welcome!
Forgive me if I missed this in the video, but I didn't see how/where the purge unit is to try to clean and repair. I purchased a used ET-3830 and it's doind exactly what you mentioned in this video. It is printing black but never lining up properly and Cyan appears to be completely blocked even after cleaning, and TONs of maintenance. I would love to check my purge unit, but I am new to Epson and don't know what that is
I show the whole process in a separate video
czcams.com/video/wRZU1_XD7xE/video.html
Hello,
I have a 3800 but the front feeder is broken/misaligned. Otherwise, it prints well. Any recommendations? Spoke to a company but they said it would be expensive to fix and may not even work afterward.
My 3800 does not have an exit tray. No problem. If you mean the actual feeder...there are sensors involved and yes that could cause problems. Being that it is a very old printer it might cost way too much to properly fix. Parts may not even exist for it.
Hello Jose, I'm so glad I discovered your videos! You are a wealth of information, thanks! I've recently acquired an R3000 that has been sitting idle for quite a while (think 6+ months) and prior had very little use so is essential a new machine. I initially did a head cleaning and nozzle check that was not very successful. I then realized I probably needed a more thorough cleaning/flushing. I ran "magic bullet" through the lines and believe I've flushed out most of the old or dried ink. Now, however, after loading new cartridges, I'm not getting any ink to flow. I ran a number of nozzle checks and test print pages (20+) but no ink made it to the paper. I can see the tubes are still full of air and the ink isn't flowing through. Any suggestions on what I should do or how to get the ink through the tubes? Thanks very much for any suggestions or ideas!
Well you need to reinitiate the printer. Meaning load the inklines and dampers with real ink to push the Magic Bullet an the air you introduced. I know the R3000 ford not have a Power Clean Option. Sot the only way to accomplish this is to acquire the R3000 Adjustment Program. Normally only available to tech support folk and run the initiation. Adjustment Programs can be BERY dangerous if you do not know how to operate them Also they only tend to run on XP and sometimes up to WIN 7. Email me at tooljoe1949@yahoo.com and I will provide you with my link.
Hi Jose, just wanted to say thanks for your input on this issue. Interestingly, I was able to download an Adjustment Program from "continuousinksupplysystem.com.au" that works on a Mac! They sell it as a waste ink resetter, but it has other features as well. You need to buy it if you want to reset your waste ink counter, but if you want to use the other features, like ink charge, which I used, it is free! So I was able to run the ink charge, and now my R3000 is printing perfectly in all channels! So excited and thanks for your guidance again!
I have a 3880 and yesterday all the Black text and boxes in a document (not Images) print gray. I ran several cleaning and the nozzle check shows they are printing perfect yet Black text is still Gray. Any idea why?
You see 8 FULL boxes of lines on the nozzle check? Remember you have two grays and one full black!
My Epson R3000 won't get out of cleaning mode at start-up. I have to unplug the printer to get it to stop, and it is eating up a lot of ink. I cleaned the dried ink out as you described using windex and paper towels but it still gets stuck in cleaning mode. Epson tech support says they think the problem is fixable but I am reluctant to keep spending money on ink. Do you have any idea what might be the cause of the problem? Many thanks for your helpful videos
When did it begin to do that? Did you manually initiate a cleaning cycle? So what you saying is that before you print anything, the printer first performs a cleaning cycle every single time? Or does it simply clean clean clean without stopping until you pull the plug?
You are so kind to respond so quickly! It started about a week ago and had been working fine until then. When I turn the printer on the graphics appear on the printer's monitor indicating it is cycling through the inks. I can't get it to stop without pulling the plug. Results are the same whether I use the usb cable or wifi.
It is quickly depleting the inks. I replaced the Light Vivid magenta and now it is telling me the yellow is out and the Epson Utility is showing I am low in a couple of other colors. I am reluctant to keep buying ink if this is not a problem that can be easily fixed. I tried to find a printer repair shop locally to work on it (nearest Epson authorized repair is 2 hrs away) but was told it would be cheaper to buy a new printer. So wasteful!
I did clean out the printer head, wiper blade and platen, following your instructions and letting it soak overnight. Cleaned out a lot of dried ink.
Thanks again for your help.
I took my print head out and dampers as i was getting issues with my white ink coming though i cleaned everything with cleaner but now i have lost every colour
when i run a power clean i can see all the inks are going through the waste tank pad and being sucked into the waste cartridge but the are not going on to the paper any ideas before i throw it out thanks
Are you printing direct to film or to garment? You did something I would never have. Somehow your channels are now not printing. Electronic problem maybe. If a cleaning cycles is able to draw ink out but when you are printing no ink is deposited that means severed communication to the printhead. Cleaning cycles is purely a mechanical process and does need to communicate with printhead. White ink ( Titanium White ) " Literally eats " printheads.
My Epson 3800 is approaching 10 years old. My understanding is that the internal lithium battery lasts 5-10 years. So I guess I should replace it. How do I do this? I hope it's easy to do.
It's located on the Mother Board and that is accessed by unscrewing the back panel and the mother board itself so you can slide it out and access the battery which is just a simple on you can buy anywhere.
Jose, I am attempting to revive an Epson 3800 that has been stored for 4 years. While making progress with the clogs I attempted cleaning the wiper blade with a q-tip and and cleaning fluid. The next time I powered the printer on I got an 1127 error and all progress is stalled. I have enjoyed and used your videos and am hopeful of finding an answer as this printer has had very little use and I am too old and poor to replace it.;-)
Unfortunately the 1127 error pertains to an intrernal print head error. Many brand new 3800s arrived DOA and displayed the exact error even out of the box. Immediate replacement was provided. So is occurred only after your attempt to clean the wiper blade? How did you proceed? Did you move the print head in any way other than the power on and then pulling off the p!ug? Try unpluging the printer at the outlet for 5 minutes, replug and try again. Unplugging erases the EEPRON history. Good luck but if it persists, I am afraid it is dead.
Hi, I just bought another Epson Pro 3800. It has not been turned on for 5 years. But there is ink in all cartridges (so I was told). We have been told by Epson that turning off the printer by pulling the plug can cause big-time errors. Jose, have you experienced this.
Jose...I guess what I'm asking is: If it's just the PK that's fouling up, is it likely I need that (expensive) fix that I had done a couple of years ago, where the two blacks don't switch over normally? Or is there something that can be done to restore it short of that?
Well, wha d'ya know! I just finished a couple of cleaning cycles, and the problem is resolved!!! (Keeping my fingers crossed, just in case). Got a print sale today, and it's one that I don't have in my stock inventory...so printing that one is going to be Priority #1! Thanks again for weighing in and offering your help..I gotta use this guy more regularly, as you suggest.
Glad to hear it is resolved.
Hi José, I get the same problem with my epson pro 3800 coupe of years ago and try all possibilities without success. So, I decide disassemble the printer and clear the printhead by flushing direct with syringe and clear. After that, no more big problem with the clusters. I start to use InkOwl K3 and after Inktec Powerchrome K3 without any problem. I want to come back with InkOwl HD. That set ink fit well on R3800 magentas? What do you think? Thanks a lot MASTER!!!
PS: I have the video that learn how disassemble the print until the printhead. I get from company that printing in fibre. I lost the link but I still have the video. If interesting for you, let me know or email me.
How big a file is it? Any way I obtain it? tooljoe1949@yahoo.com
The HD inks use yet a different version of Vivid Magentas so the only way to use on 3800s is to profile it. Still would not be correct due to the different print engines.
Thank You Flavio!
What do I need to download to run a cleaning cycle from my computer.
Nothing. It's an included function in all Photo Printer drivers.
Mr. Josè, I follow from Italy and I'm very interested in the magnificent videos you transmit, maybe it's not the right place for my question, but I have a problem on my Epson Pro 3880 and I'm desperate, printing with PK the sheet fills with large ink stains, instead printing with MK everything returns smoothly.
Where can I find a tutorial on google to solve the problem? Thanks for the reply, greetings from Italy Sergio
Your black ink switch valve is failing that is the reason it always causes smears when using photo black. That is the first sign of valve failure so you are basically locked to only using matte black ink at this time. The only way to solve this is to have the ink delivery system replaced or to have someone service the actual valve itself. Clean it and get it operating again as long as it's not physically damaged.
thanks for the quick reply, are you talking about the dumper? I have done private maintenance on R1800 and R800, do you think it is very difficult to get to the dumper to clean it? I have to clean all or just the PK, still take advantage of his experience, the print head of the 3880 is equal to that of the 3800, apart from the two ink. thank you and excuse the trouble. Greetings from Italy, Sergio@@cheo1949
I wanted to know if the leaky ink valve is difficult to disassemble and if the printhead of the 3880 is equal to that of the 3800, greetings from Italy sergio
Hi Jose!!! have you ever experienced an error with the r3000 that says to turn printer on and off whenever the cartridges are installed? After following those steps it continues with the same error and to see manual???
No I hanven't. I've only had the R3000 for a short while. Do you use Original Carts or 3rd party refillables? Does it display an Error Number? If so then you need to google is as EPSON R3000 Error xxxx
Well we have a modified spectra 3000 purchased through spectradtg.com and I do believe these are 3rd party refillables as they connect to ink bags. It also does not display an error number :(
So you do direct to garment printing? As in T-Shirts?
Yes I do but not on this particular printer. we bought this printer from the NJ spectra company but we are not able to complete the training in NJ, so we are basically stuck figuring out this setup process on our own.
I'm having error code 1223 can't seem to figure it out it makes a couple noises on start up then comes up with error. Epson 3800 any ideas what it could be?
Noises usually mean mechanical. And that means a visit to the shop.
The oem inks you salvaged for your 3800 is that the same oem ink found in all of the following epson printers? 4000, 4800, 4880, 7600, 7800, 7880, 9600, 9800, 9880,10600, I believe these all use ultra chrome k3 inks....?
No the models with xx80 those use Vivid Magenta which is not compatible with the 3800.
Good afternoon, during printing the black ink drips on the print, running I would say, the image is perfect but the ink smudges the print.
Then your black channel is leaking. Remember that the PK and MK is shared. That occurs just behind the print head at the so gle black damper that shares the two black. A valve controls which of the black inks comes into use. If that valve is beginning to fail, which eventually they all do, resulting in black ink leaks. Are you using original carts or refillables?
original inks from Epson, which is like $60.00 for each.
OK. Then it has to be your Black ink valve and damper.
Hi Jose. We have a 3800 that has stopped over-printing black. It will print 100% black (matte or photo), but when it is added to another color, it won't print. We have had a repair tech come out, but he said he hadn't seen this before. Any ideas?
Does the nozzle check show all three black shades? So you are saying that if your print a black square image the printer prints it and its deep black? My theory is that it is might be printing black using the two grays and compositing with the other colors. I think it might not be using black at all and so it will show up readily when printing regular images. This is just a guess as I am not there win you. How you can sort this out soon
The nozzle check did not show the darkest black. I sent it in to an Epson repair shop and they replaced the ink supply carrier - $375. It works like new now. I figured it was worth the $ because replacing the printer would have been a great deal more.
hello Jose. Can I use plain sheet of paper for test page in epson 3880? thanks
Yes you can!
@@cheo1949 thanks. Nice of You
Hi Jose,
Your videos are awesome!
I have an intermittent 1601 error that comes up on my Epson 3880 printer; it comes up sometimes and blocks me from doing anything. Is there any combination of buttons that I can press, or something that I can do to bypass the error message?
+Dean Robinson Google shows one video but it is in portuguese! It appears to be relate to the paper feed sensor. No button pushing combination will fix it. You do only common printing? Or are you printing through the rear slot?
+Jose Rodriguez
Thank you Jose!
I just do common printing on 11x17 mat paper, and 8.5x11 paper; and only ever use the top feeder. No special settings; I use it for printing really good contact sheets for my film projects.
I love your videos, and any help solving this 1601 problem would be immensely appreciated!
+Dean Robinson I don't know what else to contribute. This is a very vague error and only is described as a paper sensor error. Not much to be found in Google. You might want to call Epson on this one and see what say or post this question in the LuminousLandscape Printing forum as they have some real knowledgeable folks there.
+Jose Rodriguez
Thank you Jose!
I really appreciate your help; and your videos!
Thanks again!
+Dean Robinson Not a problem.
Hello folks . I have a n Epson 3800 with a "bad" chip cartridge for the T5808, does anyone know where I can find a replacement chip.
Are you using refillable carts? Most if not all OEM chips you can find will be empty or at very low condition.
@@cheo1949 I'm trying to set up to use refillable cartridges I need a T5805 chipset.
Hi Jose, I have a 3880 that is about 5-6 years old and the number of prints on it you can probably count with two hands. I tried to print a 5x7" simple print on high gloss paper, and not only was the print very "non-contrasty", the black hair of my friend's wife came out totally silvery white. If you have any email address, I'd be happy to scan the print and sent it to you. I have tried a few cleaning cycles, but no change in the print look. I am desperate. Can you take a look and please suggest a remedy? Thanks so much Jose!!
Your black channel is blocked. No surprise. Run a nozzle check in the driver's maintenance tab. You should have 8 complete sets of nozzle lines. One set per color. If many lines are missing then you have a blocked print head. Run a cleaning followed by another nozzle check and compare the two for possible improvements. Repeat up to 3 times but no more and let the printer rest over night. Run another nozzle check and get back to me. I really don't need to see your print. It's obvious what the problem is.
Jose - thank you SO MUCH!!! I will try it and let you know. I cannot tell you how much i appreciate what you suggested. Will let you know what transpires.
Jose, I also have a 3880, have had many issues with the black channel, About two weeks ago I googled how to clean the head with the paper towel and cleaner, went through that twice, ran a nozzle check and there were no channels showing, let it sit for a few days and just ran one today and all channels except the black are back, not sure what to do from here. I have under 600 counts on this printer and lots of ink cartridges left. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
could this happen to an epson 2200?
Absolutely! Any printer with a purge pad will eventually suffer from this.
I'm having a similar problem. But where is the gasket located?
+Zachary Durbin It is on the far right side. To see it you need manually move the print head to the left. Plesse watch my 3800 maintenance video to see the complete process.
hi, we are an ink manufacturer, you can contact us. we provide solutions helping printshops saving money without quality compromise.
Can anyone help me? I have a P600 (same as r3000) I had to unblock the MK channel print head using a special solution similar to Windex because the cleaning cycle could fix it. It works well and I've done it several times. The next time I had to do it, I noticed there was no resistance anymore from pushing the solution through the syringe. I’m worried I’ve blown something somewhere because now my black ink cartridge will drain to empty just sitting in the printer overnight. Anyone with experience can tell me if I’ve stuffed the print head or could it be something repairable such as the ink dampers?
Yes you did! You either de-laminated the print head or broke the Black ink Switch valve.
Jose Rodriguez it still prints photos perfectly and all channels are working on print head test, I don’t think it would do that if it’s delaminated. MK ink just disappears within hours.
Then it is definitely the Black ink switch valve! Total ink PK or MK leak is the clue of that problem!
Jose Rodriguez I've discovered that it's something that has burst inside the ink bay. The ink pads are soaked in MK ink.
Hello Jose, I am at the point of trowing away, my Epson 3880 stylus pro, the MK IS NOT PRINTING I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING CLEANING THE HEADS, RUNNING THE POWER CLEANING, SOAKING THE HEAD OVERNIGHT WITH WINDEX, CLEANING THE WIPER BLADE, DOING BLACK AND WHITE PRINTS BUT THE NOZZLE CHECK IS STILLING MISSING THE MK INK, PLEASE HELP...
Are you set for mk??? Only one or the other will print. So I assume you are only getting 7 groups or channels of nozzles printing on the nozzle check?
yes, only 7 groups of nozzles when printing the nozzle check.
Then that means either the whole channel is block which is highly unlikely or the most likely cause is bad black ink switch valve! That will require the ink delivery system to be exchanged. And that's about $500. It could still be the black channel itself on the print head but you should be showing at least half of the black channel nozzles printing.
no it's not printing at all. so I don't know what to do....I called espon and they cannot help you believe this. lol
Sure. It's out of guarantee so they don't care. They will gladly sell you a new one though but it will develop the same problem down the road. If it is a totally black cked channel, you will need a new print head. Better to buy a new printer. If it needs a new ink de!ivery system you are still better off considering a new printer. Sorry.
Hello Jose tengo un error en mi epson dice 1404 error me puedes ayudar ? gracias mi nombre es Jose Vargas
Tienes que buscar el error en GOOGLE. Tanpoco me indicastes el modelo. Si no es para fotos no puedo ayudarte porque solamente uso ese tipo de impresora.
+Jose Rodriguez 3880 epson stylus
Hi Jose, I've heard that " wagon wheels " show up on the Epson P800 on certain papers. Have you heard of this and if so, and if so, how well can you see them? Thanks.
It happens with ALL Epson printers that utilize the start or Pizza wheel paper transport. It will show up on dark areas when using delicate fine art papers a d even some regular resin coated glossy and luster papers. You increase the platen gap and it will reduce the effect but with not eliminate it on those fragile delicate surface papers.
Thanks Jose for the quick respounce. It's the Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta I'm most concerned about.
I have not seen it on my epson R300.
R3000
The PRO-3880/3800 and P800. Seems to be a problem with the 17" capacity models.
What happens is the coating will swell as high densities of inks are laid down and the now swollen paper coating is literally pierced by the star wheels as the paper is being advanced. RC papers seem to survive it better!
Hi Jose, I'm really appreciating your videos and hope I can fix the banding trouble I'm having on my Pro-3800 (actually called a PX-5800 here in Japan). In this video you talk about cleaning around the purge gasket but don't actually show how to do that. I am not sure where I should clean. Is there another video where you do show that? Also, is there any way to PM you if I need more help, rather than cluttering up the comments here?
Many thanks in advance!
+morganfisherart I show injecting Windex or any Ammonia based window cleaner directly onto the purge pad. It immediately gets absorbed and dumped into the Maintenance Cart. You then get some cotton tipped applicators ( We call them Q-Tips here in the USA ) wetted with the Windex or equivalent and we wipe the periphery of the purge pad or sponge sealing gasket. But banding is not caused by that. Banding is usually due to either blocked nozzles or a head that needs alignment. Both processes can be carried out from the maintenance tab in the driver or the LCD screen on the printer. Joe
+Jose Rodriguez Thanks for your quick answer, Jose! I already tried several cleaning processes via the driver and the LCD screen. It helped. but not completely. The banding looked like pinstripes - regular thin pale lines a bit less than 1mm apart. After cleaning a few times it now looks finer, more like grooves on a 78rpm record, but still noticeable in dark areas. Am trying to print some 70-year-old B&W negs for a photo show and it's important I get it as good as I can. On regular Epson glossy photo paper it's not visible but on Hahnemuhle FineArt Baryta it's more of a problem.
Any further tips much appreciated! My home can get rather dusty so maybe the nozzles need more drastic treatment…?
+morganfisherart I still have to ask you, how does the nozzle check look? Are there any missing lines in it? Is so have you tried an Auto Nozzle check? You will use more ink but it might clear any stubborn missing nozzles that are the cause of your lines. If that clears it, run a head alignment also in auto mode.
Lastly, are you using OEM carts? Or are younusing refillable carts?
Hi Jose...long time since I've contacted you. We conversed about paper curl some time ago. So, I have been printing perfectly (my greeting cards on Red River stock) for ages, and now this evening all of a sudden PK has failed...I put a new cart in, but I same issue. Anyway, regarding your video...I wish you had opened the printer top and shown me/us where this device is located...any help with a picture or diagram would be helpful.
If you mean the purge pad...is on the far right. It is where the print head parks itself. What printer are you using? Are you getting any photo black at all? Is your black ink switch valve operating correctly?
@@cheo1949 I spent $400 a few years ago to fix that "black switching glitch" on my 3880, and have been having no issues since that time. Then a couple of days ago when I printed I got serious loss of black again, like last time...I think it's PK, as that seemed to be the focal point before. When I do a nozzle check, it's the black on the far left (PK?) that shows almost no continuity. The last time this happened I didn't use the printer for a while, and when I next used it it was like there had never been a problem! Hopefully that will be the outcome again this time...I believe the unit had been powered down for the duration. If no success this time, what do you recommend? Power cleaning...other approaches you've used that have worked? Thanks in advance for the response!
@@cheo1949 Not sure how to determine that! That's the problem that led me to a $400 repair bill before...how do I determine if the black ink switch is working correctly?
...and can I remedy it myself if it isn't, or are we talking shop time+$$$?
...again...it's JUST PK that's fouling up!...all other nozzles are completely fine!
Showing the purge unit, where it is, etc. would have helped.
It's on the far right side of every printer. It is rectangular and it;s where the print head rests after printing. Besides I already showed that in a PRO-2000 and PRO 3800 maintenance video.
But I don’t know about your other video and you don’t mention it in this one either. There’s nothing shown in this video. Best thing about CZcams is seeing how things are done.
Good afternoon, Jose, I got back a perfect nozzle check, after soaking the pad overnight, and a power cleaning, got a perfect print, but now the black in is running on the print, and there is lines on the print. I am trying to fix it so I would not buy it.
thank you for all your advise.
Best Regards,
Amo
What do you mean the black is running on the print? Are you getting non image drips or is it the black areas are too heavy? What are Lines Are you getting non image streaks or is it banding?
hello jose I send the picture of the cartridges to your email the ones that don't have the rubber part
Did not get it. tooljoe1949@yahoo.com
Hi Jose - Very interesting video, and particularly one comment you make about "dead" nozzles.I'm on my second 3880, using Marrutt refillable cartridges, and have the seemingly stupid situation that I can make perfect prints, with no horizontal "lines" yet manual nozzle check ALWAYS shows the same two Magenta channel nozzles missing. I've done all the cleaning with Q-tips, about 10 overnight soaks with cleaning cloth under the heads, cleaned the vacuum seal and wiper blade, yet nothing will get those two channels back, although it has reduced it from 3 to 2 faulty nozzles (the printer is just under 2 years old and has had very little use). Power Clean seems to finish very quickly and doesn't seems to consume sufficient ink from the cartridges.You say you've experienced the same, but do you have any idea if the nozzles are actually faulty, or if the nozzle check is just not pre-charging enough pressure?
+Colin Dyckes Don't waste the ink! This problem is due toe two physically damaged nozzles as in my case. Nothing other than a new print head will rectify that! Your prints will still appear flawless.
+Jose Rodriguez - Thanks for the quick response. I was just trying to figure out why I could get perfect prints with two dead magenta nozzles - doesn't make sense as I'm printing at highest quality and resolution. I know that running multiple successive head-cleans can cause an issue with test prints, so just wondered if there was something there that has affected both my printer and yours. I'll take your advice and just continue printing while it works. Pity it's been discontinued! Thanks.
+Colin Dyckes What's being discontinued?
+Jose Rodriguez - Sadly the 3880 is no longer available in the UK at least. It's been replaced by the " Epson SureColor SC-P800 A2 Colour Photo Inkjet Printer" at a slightly cheaper price. Not sure if quality alternative bulk inks are available yet (uses same colours but not ink or cartridges as the 3880).
+Colin Dyckes OH wow! That's crazy! We actually still have some floating around here being sold by Photography equipment sites and even EPOSN as refurbished units. But they will disappear extremely quick.
I have a Pro 3800 i want to see $450.00 it has a lot of ink in it worth that much.
For sale?
Hi do you have any 3880 chips for sale?
Just saw your response, asking for what use?
Right. What do you need them for? Are you using refillables and need OEM chips for them or what?
@@cheo1949 H
@@cheo1949 Hi yes, want to put refillable ink, and dtf as well, I buy my carts of ink from comp and save, but they dont have all colors( and their light magenta, and magenta carts dont fit, so looking for refill alternative.
Hello, printer error 1226. What's the problem
No clue. Did you try to google it using the Printer model which you did not provide?
I have a Epson stylus pro 3880, that has been lightly used, if someone out there is interested, give me your best offer
Do you still have it?
Hi Jose
I love your videos they are very informative. I wanted to share with you my experience with mine
The capping station and the wiper blade should be clean every few weeks according to inkjetmall video czcams.com/video/ocoX1WJbJPM/video.html at time = 0,30 min, and they provide at time=4:00 min the procedure for cleaning using their wiper pads. I do that every month using Qtips and recently using their wiper pads to avoid gunk to build up, and as you mentionned assuring a perfect sealing of the printer heads whenever its parked, helping to keep all the time the bottom of the head moist, and providing suction at cleaning time. At time=10:00 they say theses parts should be replaced every few years because they wear out. Maybe I was lucky because I never replaced them.After owning that 3880 for over 3 years, I only had to do two power cleans. I always manage to get all the channels clear with one or two nozzle check. An extra precaution I take is to have a plastic cover over the printer all the time its not running keeping the printer pristine clean all of the time.
regards
Luc
Perfectly good advice. Unfortunately people who chose to purchase a higher end dedicated photo printer either are not made aware of these requirements or simply to ignore them and hope for the best. Most specific recommendations about the replacement of certain printer components as a matter of scheduled maintenance. His info is usually only found in the official service manual for particular models. These are usually not made readily available to printer owners. That's where sites such as inkjetmall and hopefully this channel are of some help to printer owners.
Jose
Just a few weeks after my purchase and reading on inkjetmall all the problems quite a few had, I contacted Epson to know if any preventive maintenance was required on my printer, and their answer was none. I suppose Epson wants to sell a replacement printer as often as they can sell you one. InkjetMall and yourself are a great help to prevent us from a premature failure on theses expensive printers.
I bought a P900 it is great. Anyone want a Pro 3800? cartridges are full of ink Make an offer, asking $200.00
If I didn't already have one I would take you up on that.
Grammarly is rubbish, its not even English
Ok?
@@cheo1949 Just saw this. Sorry it was an error. Not supposed to be on there.