Tech Support

Epson 3000 - Switching inksets

There are a number of inksets available for the Epson 3000 from various ink manufacturers. These inks vary in composition and formula. There is a known problem of ink line "gumming" or "clogging" that occurs when inksets are mixed. There isn't a known solution for clearing gummed inklines other than a return to Epson which is not covered under warranty. Therefore it is important that one brand of ink is flushed prior to the introduction of another brand of ink into an Epson printer.

Procedure:

Step 1 - Purge remaining ink from lines
Turn on printer. Remove the 4 ink cartridges in the order from left to right (yellow, magenta, cyan and black). The ink out lights will illuminate for each of the inks. Turn off the printer to start the ink line puge cycle. The printer will make noises for approximately 1-2 minutes before it actually powers down. Note: if the printer does not purge - the reason is that you did not pull the cartridges in the order written.

Step 2 - Flush the ink lines and printing heads
Turn on the printer. The ink out lights should be illuminated. Insert the 4 cleaning cartridges in this order: yellow, magenta, cyan and black. This sequence of inserting cartridges should trigger the ink charging cycle. The printer's charging cycle can take as long as 7-10 minutes, during which you should not interrupt it. Occasionally the ink charging cycle will not initiate. In this case repeat 1- 2.

Print 1 or 2 test sheets which have large areas of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The sheets should print clear, although some minor residual dye will be present.

Step 3 - Purge the cleaning fluid from lines
With the printer on, remove the 4 cleaning cartridges in the order from left to right (yellow, magenta, cyan and black). The ink out lights will illuminate for each of the inks. Turn off the printer to start the ink line puge cycle. The printer will make noises for approximately 1-2 minutes before it actually powers down. Note: if the printer does not purge - the reason is that you did not pull the cartridges in the order written.

Step 4 - Install new inks
Turn on the printer. The ink out lights should be illuminated. Insert the 4 new cartridges in this order: yellow, magenta, cyan and black. This sequence of inserting cartridges should trigger the ink charging cycle. The printer's charging cycle can take as long as 7-10 minutes, during which you should not interrupt it. Occasionally the ink charging cycle will not initiate. In this case repeat 3 (removing the new ink cartridges) and 4.

Print 1 or 2 test sheets which have large areas of cyan, magenta, yellow and black

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