printers again

letsbehonest

I often read on this forum request for printer advice to buy advice or problems, I have often offered advice based on my own experience. I have now just spent most of the morning trying to sort out my Epson 312 Xpression 2 years old now only used for the odd photo having bought a laser mono.
Anyway no luck with my Epson it has decided to ignore the cartridges it has been using for a while and will not print which is a shame because it has not had that much use. My conclusion, like other brands this one too has proved to be a dog and will be off to land fill some time soon. Epson you are crap.

Robisere

Having looked up the printer on Epson's website, it appears that the catridges are fitted with a printhead. Have you been using compatible cart's? Some compat's have printheads taken from recycled genuine cartridges, sold to the compat makers in penny numbers by companies that collect recycled cart's. These printheads may have been damaged and may cause problems.

I have a family member who has worked in a compatible cartridge company and that is where this information comes from. I am told that, even if employees notice damage, they are advised to carry on with refitting and refurbishing.

If you have only used genuine cart's, then I have to agree with your estimation of Epson as crap, especially as I once had an Epson myself and came to the same conclusion. However, my son and gson both use cheap Epson printers: 4 and 6 years old respectively. They both have used compat's since day one and have never had problems with either printer.

I use a HP Photosmart C5380, now 7 years old and still going strong, always using genuine HP ink. It was a little more expensive than others at purchase, but as a 5-cart printer with dedicated Photo inks, it continues to produce fine photos to this day. All the photos I printed have never faded, even the oldest still look as new. In other words, if you want a dedicated photo printer to make lasting photos, you have to pay a little more. Alternatively, you can take your camera or photos on an SD card or USB stick, to a High Street photo shop.

System

Buying the wrong tool for the job then blaming the tool. Inkjet print heads get clogged up if you don't use them regularly regardless of what brand it is or how much you pay because the ink is just powder mixed with water or solvent so when it dries the residue blocks the microscopic holes. If you're only going to print once in a blue moon it needs to be a laser printer because they don't suffer the same problem.

My wife used to work as a sign maker, their printer cost £15000 new and it suffered from that if you left it long which is why they had to perform a flush to clear all the inks out of the supply tubes and print heads when they shut down for holidays/Xmas fortnight.

letsbehonest

tarambor.
been there seen it done it, well aware of regular usage. but a good comment In my case the printer isn't trying to print it just refuses to print even after careful nurturing and cleaning and the carts do not have print heads built in.

Farway

letsbehonest wrote: »

tarambor.
been there seen it done it, well aware of regular usage. but a good comment In my case the printer isn't trying to print it just refuses to print even after careful nurturing and cleaning and the carts do not have print heads built in.

Are the carts look alike Epson copies?

I ask because there were threads a bit back about Epson doing auto updates that actually altered the firmware in the printer, so they would only work on real Epson cats and not compatibles

System

letsbehonest wrote: »

tarambor.
been there seen it done it, well aware of regular usage. but a good comment In my case the printer isn't trying to print it just refuses to print even after careful nurturing and cleaning and the carts do not have print heads built in.

Had that at work with a couple of Canons that had been left in a cupboard and I was given the task of rectifying and they came up with an error code which related to ink not getting to the print heads.

Undervalued

letsbehonest wrote: »

I often read on this forum request for printer advice to buy advice or problems, I have often offered advice based on my own experience. I have now just spent most of the morning trying to sort out my Epson 312 Xpression 2 years old now only used for the odd photo having bought a laser mono.
Anyway no luck with my Epson it has decided to ignore the cartridges it has been using for a while and will not print which is a shame because it has not had that much use. My conclusion, like other brands this one too has proved to be a dog and will be off to land fill some time soon. Epson you are crap.

Have you tried cleaning the electrical contacts on the cartridges and the spring loaded pins they connect to in the carriage?

I think it is simplistic to say that one maker is "crap" and therefore, presumably, by extension another is not. Ultimately they are a very complex piece of kit (unnecessarily so in many ways) made to sell very cheaply as a consumer product in order to force you to buy their ink!

letsbehonest

It may be simplistic to say that one manufacturer is crap but this Epson is my latest printer, all my others ,Canon, brother, HP. over the years have all exhibited the same sort of problem. We the public buy their products and they just don't last. when you try to contact their tech services all you get is B..S..they don't really care as they've already got your money. Buy an expensive printer at your peril. The best printer I ever owned was about 12 years ago a little Canon cost about £30 and went for at least 4 years before I got the wants and changed it for a more expensive Epson,, not as good lasted about a year. Mono laser owner now and happier.

interstellaflyer

Robisere wrote: »

Having looked up the printer on Epson's website, it appears that the catridges are fitted with a printhead. Have you been using compatible cart's? Some compat's have printheads taken from recycled genuine cartridges, sold to the compat makers in penny numbers by companies that collect recycled cart's. These printheads may have been damaged and may cause problems.

Wrong, the cartridges for that machine are purely ink tanks, the printhead is part of the machine also, the compatibles for Epson Daisy series cartridges are very reliable. As someone who works within the industry, I don't know of any manufacturer that removes the printheads from original cartridges to use on compats, on some very cheap compats (mainly older Canon ink tanks) you had to remove the chip from the orignal empty cartridge and put it on the compat or remanufactured cartridge and some remanufacturers put new electronic foils on HP and Canon Cartridges that have built in print heads.