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#11
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Epson 3800 - URGENT
John Smith wrote:
On Feb 19, 2008, I bought a new Epson 3800 from Samys Camera of Los Angeles. I set it up, made a single gorgeous 8x10 test print, and everything seemed fine - for a while. I left the country and didn't use the printer again for nearly 5 weeks. That's when the trouble started. I returned from my trip about 6 weeks after I bought it, tried to print again, and all it would print was clean white pages, You left it on? Supposedly the newer Epsons are better but the long time problem was the heads drying out from dis-use. I only turn on my R1800 when I need it and have not had a problem. The sound of draining ink cartridges is painful when I turn it on but oh well. |
#12
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Epson 3800 - URGENT
In article ,
"John Smith" wrote: Sensitive, like being next to too much heat from the light coming in from a window? Or like being next to a draft? Unless the manual states that the printer requires climate control machinery, one would expect it to operate well in an average room under average conditions. That might include some filtered sunlight, a draft of clean air, a tiny bit of dust, humidity between 10 and 70 percent, and storage temperatures between 50F and 95F. We're talking about home and office equipment, not factory equipment. It's hard to recommend a printer brand that might not work based on common environmental factors that aren't stated in the printer's specifications. While the Epsons may generally work very well, too many people find that they work poorly or not at all. Other brands offer more predictable performance. "Kevin McMurtrie" wrote in message et... In article , "John Smith" wrote: Urgent: I need feedback ASAP from other Epson 3800 owners. On Feb 19, 2008, I bought a new Epson 3800 from Samys Camera of Los Angeles. I set it up, made a single gorgeous 8x10 test print, and everything seemed fine - for a while. I left the country and didn't use the printer again for nearly 5 weeks. That's when the trouble started. I returned from my trip about 6 weeks after I bought it, tried to print again, and all it would print was clean white pages, not a single drop of ink came out. Of course, the brand new Epson inkjet cartridges were still in the printer for the past 6 weeks. I powered it off, rebooted my PC, made sure all of the techie stuff was OK (I have 30 years of hands on IT experience, so I know I covered those techie bases right.) Then all of the sudden the 3800 stopped even feeding blank pages though when trying to print, and started displaying a message on the LCD panel something like "Serious error - call Epson technical support". So I did, and Epson determined the printer was defective, and agreed to send me a NEW 3800 to replace it. I insisted on a new unit, not a refurbished unit - which is their standard policy if it's more than 30 days from the date of purchase. About 5 days later I received a box from Epson with 3800 Number 2 in it, and yes, they screwed up and sent me a refurbished unit. Back on the phone with Epson and they agreed to replace it again. Two days ago, I receive 3800 Number 3, and I check it very carefully. Yes, it IS a brand new printer with all of the manuals, inkjet cartridges, and software CD inside that come with a new printer. Today I hooked it up, and bingo, 3800 Number 3 fails immediately. Once again, it will not print ANYTHING in spite of the print heads going back and forth and it's SOUNDING like its printing but nothing comes out other than a completely blank piece of paper. (Before anyone suggests their might be something wrong with my PC's basic ability to print, I print fine all the time to a HP LaserJet sitting right next to the 3800.) So I called Epson again; they have offered to replace it a 4th time or give me a full refund. Samys Camera (what a WONDERFUL store to deal with!) offered to do the same. HERE'S MY QUESTION: Are these 3800s fundamentally problematic? Should I replace it and upgrade to a 4800? Or go back down to a 2400 which I owned before the 3800? I'd GREATLY appreciate any feedback that any experienced Epson 3800 users may have. Other flamers need not reply. TIA ---- You'll probably see the largest number of "works for me" and "never works for me" comments about the Epsons. There's something about their print mechanisms that is sensitive to environmental factors. I fall into the case of "never works for me" for a 2200 that I had. After a few months of working well enough, a film of ink kept forming over the print head. The printing would fade out then drops of ink would smear all over the paper. I'd be lucky to get a 13x19 print completed before it went bad. -- Block Google's spam and enjoy Usenet again. Reply with Google and I won't hear from you. -- Block Google's spam and enjoy Usenet again. Reply with Google and I won't hear from you. |
#13
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Epson 3800 - URGENT
Paul Furman wrote:
John Smith wrote: On Feb 19, 2008, I bought a new Epson 3800 from Samys Camera of Los Angeles. I set it up, made a single gorgeous 8x10 test print, and everything seemed fine - for a while. I left the country and didn't use the printer again for nearly 5 weeks. That's when the trouble started. I returned from my trip about 6 weeks after I bought it, tried to print again, and all it would print was clean white pages, You left it on? Supposedly the newer Epsons are better but the long time problem was the heads drying out from dis-use. I only turn on my R1800 when I need it and have not had a problem. The sound of draining ink cartridges is painful when I turn it on but oh well. I leave my R1800 on (it's been on 24/7 for three years now - apart from occasions when I've been away for more than a few days). I've never needed to run a cleaning cycle, and it's never missed a beat. A tip with all of these Epson printers is to check occasionally to make sure there's no ink build-up, paper shards, or dust on the seal in the print head parking station. The reason that we've had the same (or similar) experience is that the head is parked in exactly the same position whether the printer is on and idle, or off. I suspect that the myths originate from unfortunates, who have pulled the mains plug on Epson printers when they are not idle - perhaps just getting forty winks while in the midst of doing something. That's bad - guaranteed to cause major problems. Anyway, I think leaving it on uses (wastes) less ink. It seems to decide to do a self-maintenance cycle when it's powered on, but only at intervals when it's left on - at the start of a print job about once a week. The volume of ink used/wasted in the cleaning cycle is a fixed quantity - IIRC about 1ml. Repeated manual cleaning cycles ramp up from that, something like 3ml for level 2, and 7ml for level 3. There's a 7 minute stand down between cleaning cycles, so the cleaning level only ramps up if doing repeated clean cycled within a 7 minute period. If you want it, I've got the exact figures (from Epson R1800/2400 service manual) somewhere. |
#14
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Epson 3800 - URGENT
John Smith wrote:
HERE'S MY QUESTION: Are these 3800s fundamentally problematic? Should I replace it and upgrade to a 4800? Or go back down to a 2400 which I owned before the 3800? I'd GREATLY appreciate any feedback that any experienced Epson 3800 users may have. Other flamers need not reply. I use a 3800 but I'm Mac based and therefore any of the issues concerning the byzantine workings of Windows install/registry/deinstall issues mean little to me. My own 3800 is networked and runs off my Wireless router/hub, and is therefore available to all machines on our network, including PC. It appears to run perfectly. I have encountered one problem with blobs of ink, Epson knew the problem and talked me through a reset and head clean process which solved it. I often do not print for 1-2 months and every time the first print is perfect, unlike other Epsons I have owned. The 3800 is used by several hundred readers of Master Photographer. It's probably the industry standard printer for portrait studios. The new Gemini IV system from Epson is based on two 3800s. I've never heard of a single case like yours, and there are no technical issues about the 3800 to be found in the forum for the professional group involved. I think you have perhaps been giving Epson a lot of hassle for a problem which is not related to their printer, but to your system. Have you tried the simplest of procedures - the machine's own test print pattern? If it will print this, and communicate with the Epson Printer Utility properly, you can begin to investigate driver setup and connectivity. David -- Icon Publications Ltd, Maxwell Place, Maxwell Lane, Kelso TD5 7BB Company Registered in England No 2122711. Registered Office 12 Exchange St, Retford, Notts DN22 6BL VAT Reg No GB458101463 Trading as Icon Publications Ltd, Photoworld Club and Troubadour.uk.com www.iconpublications.com - www.troubadour.uk.com - www.f2photo.co.uk - www.photoclubalpha.com - www.minoltaclub.co.uk Tel +44 1573 226032 |
#15
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Epson 3800 - URGENT
Paul Furman wrote:
John Smith wrote: On Feb 19, 2008, I bought a new Epson 3800 from Samys Camera of Los Angeles. I set it up, made a single gorgeous 8x10 test print, and everything seemed fine - for a while. I left the country and didn't use the printer again for nearly 5 weeks. That's when the trouble started. I returned from my trip about 6 weeks after I bought it, tried to print again, and all it would print was clean white pages, You left it on? Supposedly the newer Epsons are better but the long time problem was the heads drying out from dis-use. I only turn on my R1800 when I need it and have not had a problem. The sound of draining ink cartridges is painful when I turn it on but oh well. The 3800 doesn't suffer from this problem. It can be left switched on, or off, and had a very low power consumption (the printer itself has won a couple of eco-energy sort of awards - it is Epson's greenest printer). David |
#16
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Epson 3800 - URGENT
David Kilpatrick wrote:
I use a 3800 but I'm Mac based and therefore any of the issues concerning the byzantine workings of Windows install/registry/deinstall issues mean little to me. My own 3800 is networked and runs off my Wireless router/hub, and is therefore available to all machines on our network, including PC. It appears to run perfectly. I have encountered one problem with blobs of ink, Epson knew the problem and talked me through a reset and head clean process which solved it. I often do not print for 1-2 months and every time the first print is perfect, unlike other Epsons I have owned. The 3800 is used by several hundred readers of Master Photographer. It's probably the industry standard printer for portrait studios. The new Gemini IV system from Epson is based on two 3800s. I've never heard of a single case like yours, and there are no technical issues about the 3800 to be found in the forum for the professional group involved. I am relieved to hear that. Currently I use two 2400 printers, one of which is well worn and needs replacing. I plan to replace it with a 3800. So thanks, David, for the vote of confidence. |
#17
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Epson 3800 - URGENT
"Tony Polson" wrote in message ... David Kilpatrick wrote: I use a 3800 but I'm Mac based and therefore any of the issues concerning the byzantine workings of Windows install/registry/deinstall issues mean little to me. My own 3800 is networked and runs off my Wireless router/hub, and is therefore available to all machines on our network, including PC. It appears to run perfectly. I have encountered one problem with blobs of ink, Epson knew the problem and talked me through a reset and head clean process which solved it. I often do not print for 1-2 months and every time the first print is perfect, unlike other Epsons I have owned. The 3800 is used by several hundred readers of Master Photographer. It's probably the industry standard printer for portrait studios. The new Gemini IV system from Epson is based on two 3800s. I've never heard of a single case like yours, and there are no technical issues about the 3800 to be found in the forum for the professional group involved. I am relieved to hear that. Currently I use two 2400 printers, one of which is well worn and needs replacing. I plan to replace it with a 3800. So thanks, David, for the vote of confidence. Try connecting to another machine - notebook, maybe? This way you'd highlight/eliminate any issues with your setup (including the printer). |
#18
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Epson 3800 - URGENT
"Roger Moss" wrote:
Try connecting to another machine - notebook, maybe? This way you'd highlight/eliminate any issues with your setup (including the printer). Try replying to the correct person. I have absolutely no problems with my printing set-up. |
#19
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Epson 3800 - URGENT
Alienjones wrote:
~From your long winded explanation I would say in all honesty, You should take the refund. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with these printers. That's not true. There is a problem with all Epson inkjet printers. I know, I own one. The problem is ink drying out. Basically, of you don't print at least one small print every day unless the humidity is 100%, soon the heads will dry out and it will cost you a bundle of ink to get them working again. If you live in Vancouver you may never notice this. But if there are dry seasons where you live, you will. However, my $100 printer is otherwise reliable and generates beautiful prints up to 8 1/2 x 44 inches. Doug McDonald |
#20
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Epson 3800 - URGENT
wrote in message
... Alienjones wrote: ~From your long winded explanation I would say in all honesty, You should take the refund. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with these printers. That's not true. There is a problem with all Epson inkjet printers. I know, I own one. I hope that you can see the fallacy of your own statement at this point. The problem is ink drying out. Basically, of you don't print at least one small print every day unless the humidity is 100%, soon the heads will dry out and it will cost you a bundle of ink to get them working again. If you live in Vancouver you may never notice this. But if there are dry seasons where you live, you will. However, my $100 printer is otherwise reliable and generates beautiful prints up to 8 1/2 x 44 inches. Doug McDonald I have, currently, two Epsons, a sub $100 R200 that I use mainly for CD's and a $2,000+ 4800 Pro. They are not the same and are hardly even comparable to one another other than that they are both inkjets. I've had to clean the R200 4-5 times in the last 2 years, the 4800 at least monthly. The R200 can sit for a month and be fine the 4800 needs to be used at least weekly. To the OP: You've gotten some good tips, unfortunately if you've been trying to print with a dry printhead then the printhead is probably fried. Jim |
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