Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:58:04 -0000, JDT2Q wrote:

When I want to print photos or colour it almost always needs head
cleaning and I can go through 2 new ink cartridges just to accomplish
that ( not to mention the time & frustration it takes ).

Tip, go throught the nozzle check/clean/nozzle check sequence once then
leave it 5 mins before doing it again. I find the "soak" means that the
next sequence nearly always produces a proper output.

Slight aside, but a few months ago I came to use my old Epson inkjet and
found all the LEDs on the front flashing, and the printer totally out of
action. Every permutation of powering down and pressing buttons I tried
had no effect.

According to Epson's support site:
"When all the lights flash, that indicates a maintenance request. If
your printer is under warranty contact the EPSON Connection Technical
Support or an authorized Epson servicer for assistance."
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&infoType=FAQ&oid= 14413&prodoid=8296&foid=36770

Bugger, I thought - it's a pretty old printer and there's no way it's
worth paying anyone to repair; so into the bin it was going.

However, I kept googling for a bit longer, and came up with the link
below. I described an incredibly convuluted procedure for pressing
buttins, switching on/off etc, which I tried. It did the trick and the
printer works as well as it did before.

Apparently the lock-up is a feature built in by Epson: they reckon that
by the time the printer has processed X number of pages or Y number of
ink carts or is Z months old, it needs servicing. So kindly they lock it
down for you until you acquiesce and take it to an Epson dealer.
http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/forums/inkjet/12744#1

*******s! I *cannot* believe they can get away with that. Certainly the
last Epson I'm ever buying...

David