How to unclog an Epson Inkjet printer

August 10, 2004 12:43 PM

My crappy Epson inkjet printer crapped out. What's the best way to unclog it? [MI]

It's a Stylus C80. One day it gradually stopped printing black, and the next day color. Running the head-cleaning program only made the print quality deteriorate faster. Changing cartridges didn't help either. Now it prints very, very faintly.

Am I right in guessing there's some kind of clog, and if so, what's the best way to clean/unclog it?

Also, I've been using cheap non-Epson ink because the Epson ink is so expensive. Epson claims that using non-Epson ink may damage the printer. I don't believe them. Maybe I should.

posted by swift to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Swift, I may be wrong but I believe that on Epsons the print head is in the unit and not the ink cartridge and that if it's clogged, you're fucked. This is one of the reasons I always recommend HP printers to people--the print head is on the cartridge and if it becomes clogged, you just replace the cart.

I think the HP carts cost more to begin with but I just do the refill thing that you do (the ink well on the HP holds much more than the Epson as well) and it all works out the same in the end. "Cheap" ink never screwed me over.

There's a store here in Toronto and all they do is refill cartridges. While I was waiting one day, I shot the shit with the proprietor and he told the above. He was insistent that Canon and Epson were screwing people because the ink wells are so shallow and they don't even fill them up (in fact, he said, when you buy one of their printers the well is only 25% full in your "includes starter ink cartridge!").
posted by dobbs at 12:56 PM on August 10, 2004

I put my Stylus out at the street after ruining it with an unbranded ink cartridge. I tried swabbing alcohol in the jets etc. and nothing got it working. Given that a new printer doesn't cost much more than a pair of ink cartridges, you might as well replace it. I am with dobbs on HP printers.
posted by caddis at 2:03 PM on August 10, 2004

This may not be of much help, but more and more I'm convinced that a cheap black and white laser is the way to go. I own and am pleased with my Brother 5140 and just bought a Konica Minolta 1350w from Staples - they're offering an $80 rebate off of an initial $180 cost. I don't work for or with them in any capacity, but I'm very impressed so far, and from what I read, the consumables are relatively cheap, so I figured it was worth passing on the tip. After burning through four Epson Styli (c62, c80, c82, c82) in three years, I'm happy to have made the switch. I was never happy with inkjet color anyway... I don't miss it.
posted by Sinner at 2:42 PM on August 10, 2004

Response by poster: Thanks all.

I'd love a cheap b&w laser, but my girlfriend sometimes prints her art, which means it's gotta be color.

Maybe the answer is to have two printers - one for general use and another for art.

I'm going to try to swab the C80 with alcohol, and if it doesn't work I'll take it out to a field a la Office Space.
posted by swift at 3:28 PM on August 10, 2004

Alcohol is what you need. Try to let it drain through the jets. If you're nuts, fill some old empty cartridges with it so it forces its way through the mechanism when you print.
posted by shepd at 6:00 PM on August 10, 2004

if alcohol doesn't do it, try acetone. might fubar the plastic though.
posted by andrew cooke at 6:52 AM on August 11, 2004

I'll just second the problem here and the anecdotal evidence provided against Epson.

I also had a C80 that totally crapped out and was unfixable with any cleaning procedures. I read on a help site somewhere the same information about the clog mess and that the only remedy is prevention (by printing something almost every day).

It now spends its final days alone in my basement while I think of a suitable punishment.
posted by themadjuggler at 8:12 PM on August 11, 2004