I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)? Thanks.

On 03/02/2016 09:45 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)? Thanks.



I do a lot of computer repair work, and unlike politics, this is
something I actually know about.



The cartridges should be fine if the seal wasn't broken.

It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


My wife and I for the past 15 years have used Epson printers exclusively
for our photography and we generally order a large quantity of ink. Not
too long ago I discovered some ink that was a few years old that we had
over looked, but there was nothing wrong with it.

It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


and I have rewarded HP for that by not buying another HP printer.
M

On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 10:45:43 -0500, "Kurt V. Ullman"
wrote:

I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)? Thanks.

My experience is that ink that comes with the printer (new) are only
partially filled. Won't last very long. Give the printer a whirl but
you will need new cartridges eventually / soon.

On 3/2/16 11:41 AM, Oren wrote:
On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 10:45:43 -0500, "Kurt V. Ullman"
wrote:

I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)? Thanks.

My experience is that ink that comes with the printer (new) are only
partially filled. Won't last very long. Give the printer a whirl but
you will need new cartridges eventually / soon.

That was another concern. I would prefer to go to Office Max on the
weekend for convenience sake. Looks like that is an option.

On 3/2/2016 8:45 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The box
hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in the shrink
wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be using the
printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the package still be
okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)? Thanks.

If the cartridges ("tanks" in the case of Epson) have not been installed
and ink has never flowed through the printhead, you should have no problem.

I just discarded an R1600 with dozens of "tank sets" that *did* have
expiration dates; but my reason for discarding it was just to get
rid of yet another piece of equipment; not due to "old ink".

On 3/2/2016 9:30 AM, philo wrote:
It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable unused
but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never done anything
like that.

The "chips" were designed to watch how much ink has been used.
I.e., each nozzle that is commanded to fire ejects a relatively fixed
volume of ink. Count the number of "dots" that you've been asked to
produce and you can gauge how much ink has been consumed -- or,
conversely, how much SHOULD remain. So, you can report when you
think you are empty without actually having to detect your contents!

Lexar made toner cartridges that would similarly stop working.
Nothing in the cartridge that "broke" but, rather, the marking engine
would refuse to print if the cartridge was expired/spent (or claimed
to be).

I know of at least one medical diagnostic equipment manufacturer
that sells DISTILLED WATER in *little* cartridges "chipped" like this!
(and you wonder why healthcare is so expensive in the US??)

My wife and I for the past 15 years have used Epson printers exclusively for
our photography and we generally order a large quantity of ink. Not too long
ago I discovered some ink that was a few years old that we had over looked, but
there was nothing wrong with it.

On 3/2/2016 7:45 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)? Thanks.

You are one stoopid ****.

On 3/2/2016 9:39 AM, wrote:


It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.

and I have rewarded HP for that by not buying another HP printer.

Epson puts the money in the marking engine -- designing a more robust
printhead and "ink detection" capabilities IN the marking engine. So,
Epson can just sell "ink tanks" -- no smarts involved, just ink in a
specially shaped bottle.

HP, OTOH, puts the printhead in the "cartridge". This ensures that
you get a fresh, new printhead with each batch of ink. It also
means they don't have to make the printhead durable -- it only
has to work long enough to consume the ink in the cartridge!

Leave an Epson sit for too long, and you'll discover the "advantage"
of being able to DISCARD the printhead just by replacing the "ink".

On 03/02/2016 10:39 AM, wrote:


It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


and I have rewarded HP for that by not buying another HP printer.
M




Good to hear. After what happened to my friend who worked there and got
the axe, I will never buy anything HP.

I am very much pro-Epson.

Our previous printer gave ten full years of flawless performance.

It then gave a warning that the parts were at the end of their life...so
even when it did finally wear out...it was not in the middle of a job.

On 03/02/2016 10:55 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 3/2/2016 9:39 AM, wrote:


It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.

and I have rewarded HP for that by not buying another HP printer.

Epson puts the money in the marking engine -- designing a more robust
printhead and "ink detection" capabilities IN the marking engine. So,
Epson can just sell "ink tanks" -- no smarts involved, just ink in a
specially shaped bottle.

HP, OTOH, puts the printhead in the "cartridge". This ensures that
you get a fresh, new printhead with each batch of ink. It also
means they don't have to make the printhead durable -- it only
has to work long enough to consume the ink in the cartridge!

Leave an Epson sit for too long, and you'll discover the "advantage"
of being able to DISCARD the printhead just by replacing the "ink".



You made a good point, but I think the Epson would have to sit for one
hell of a long time. We have certainly never had a problem letting ours
sit for months at a time unused.

On 03/02/2016 10:43 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
On 3/2/16 11:41 AM, Oren wrote:
On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 10:45:43 -0500, "Kurt V. Ullman"
wrote:

I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)?
Thanks.

My experience is that ink that comes with the printer (new) are only
partially filled. Won't last very long. Give the printer a whirl but
you will need new cartridges eventually / soon.

That was another concern. I would prefer to go to Office Max on the
weekend for convenience sake. Looks like that is an option.




BTW are they of the T054 series? I have a few new-in-the box left overs
if you want them.

On 3/2/2016 11:30 AM, philo wrote:
On 03/02/2016 09:45 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)?
Thanks.



I do a lot of computer repair work, and unlike politics, this is
something I actually know about.



The cartridges should be fine if the seal wasn't broken.

It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


My wife and I for the past 15 years have used Epson printers exclusively
for our photography and we generally order a large quantity of ink. Not
too long ago I discovered some ink that was a few years old that we had
over looked, but there was nothing wrong with it.

HP won't even allow their refilled cartridges to work. Older HP
printers allowed you to fill the cartridge yourself, then they made them
practically impossible to refill yourself and now they will only work
with cartridges that they freshly manufacture.

For OP, cartridges and printer should be OK. Foil seals prevent
evaporation and drying. If like HP they won't last long. First refill
of an HP with long lasting cartridges will sometimes cost more than the
price of the printer.

On 3/2/2016 10:02 AM, philo wrote:
On 03/02/2016 10:55 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 3/2/2016 9:39 AM, wrote:


It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.

and I have rewarded HP for that by not buying another HP printer.

Epson puts the money in the marking engine -- designing a more robust
printhead and "ink detection" capabilities IN the marking engine. So,
Epson can just sell "ink tanks" -- no smarts involved, just ink in a
specially shaped bottle.

HP, OTOH, puts the printhead in the "cartridge". This ensures that
you get a fresh, new printhead with each batch of ink. It also
means they don't have to make the printhead durable -- it only
has to work long enough to consume the ink in the cartridge!

You made a good point, but I think the Epson would have to sit for one hell of
a long time. We have certainly never had a problem letting ours sit for months
at a time unused.

The point is that not every decision has to be one of nefarious goals;
HP could have planned their usage model for folks doing less print
volume, wanting to "invest" less in a marking engine, etc.

I was involved in the design of a color printer many years ago.
It was amusing to see what each of our individual preconceptions
regarding the proposed printer's capabilities: photographs?
illustrations? office presentations? technical documents? etc.

The needs placed on the marking engine are very different for each
of these targeted applications (neglecting volume, cost, etc.).
I.e., do you want photorealistic output? *True* color matching
(e.g., Rudolph's nose should be Pantone 485C)?

For illustrations, you might tolerate some range of reds (as long as
they are "red" and not "orange").

For office presentations, *a* red -- to differentiate it from *a*
blue and *a* green in that pie chart -- is probably OK.

For technical documents, you may just want "some SMALL number
of discernible colors" -- cuz there's a legend printed as part
of the document!

We ended up targeting the office presentation market as a SUPERSET
of the technical documents market.

I *rarely* print photos -- and, if I do, use a little Sony "postcard"
photo printer. I can exchange a photo via email far easier than
printing it and hand delivering!

Using an inkjet to print 50 page documents that happen to contain
photographs and illustrations is just wasteful of ink. And, trying
to piece together some pages (without photos) from a laser printer
intermixed with pages (WITH photos) from an inkjet is a lot of
effort -- for dubious results.

So, I'd opt for color laser printing for "working" copies. And, use
the Phaser for "proofs" (color calibrated).

The color laser recently got binned (along with the spare fusers, imaging
unit and a couple of SETS of toner cartridges) to free up some space
in the office (and supply closet). I can walk to a commercial print
shop in ~15 minutes if I need color printing -- quicker than taking a
drive, waiting for traffic lights, parking, etc.

[End of the Year is always equipment upgrade time -- lately, the
emphasis being on moving capabilities OUT of here in favor of
spending a few dollars more and NOT having to maintain as much
stuff!]

On 3/2/16 12:26 PM, philo wrote:
On 03/02/2016 10:43 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
On 3/2/16 11:41 AM, Oren wrote:
On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 10:45:43 -0500, "Kurt V. Ullman"
wrote:

I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I
shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)?
Thanks.

My experience is that ink that comes with the printer (new) are only
partially filled. Won't last very long. Give the printer a whirl but
you will need new cartridges eventually / soon.

That was another concern. I would prefer to go to Office Max on the
weekend for convenience sake. Looks like that is an option.




BTW are they of the T054 series? I have a few new-in-the box left overs
if you want them.
The are T125s but thanks anyway.
K

On 03/02/2016 11:54 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
ekend for convenience sake. Looks like that is an option.




BTW are they of the T054 series? I have a few new-in-the box left overs
if you want them.
The are T125s but thanks anyway.
K


OK

On 03/02/2016 11:53 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 3/2/2016 10:02 AM, philo wrote:
On 03/02/2016 10:55 AM, Don Y wrote:


So, I'd opt for color laser printing for "working" copies. And, use
the Phaser for "proofs" (color calibrated).

The color laser recently got binned (along with the spare fusers, imaging
unit and a couple of SETS of toner cartridges) to free up some space
in the office (and supply closet). I can walk to a commercial print
shop in ~15 minutes if I need color printing -- quicker than taking a
drive, waiting for traffic lights, parking, etc.

[End of the Year is always equipment upgrade time -- lately, the
emphasis being on moving capabilities OUT of here in favor of
spending a few dollars more and NOT having to maintain as much
stuff!]



Yep.

We use a cheap laser jet to do most of our printing.



The Epson is only used for producing photographs that will be framed and
displayed .

On Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 10:30:11 AM UTC-6, philo wrote:
On 03/02/2016 09:45 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)? Thanks.



I do a lot of computer repair work, and unlike politics, this is
something I actually know about.



The cartridges should be fine if the seal wasn't broken.

It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


My wife and I for the past 15 years have used Epson printers exclusively
for our photography and we generally order a large quantity of ink. Not
too long ago I discovered some ink that was a few years old that we had
over looked, but there was nothing wrong with it.

My last 3 printers have been Epson (I used to rebuild their dot-matrix heads and POS printers). My latest is a Workforce 635. Epson has been using chipped carts for many years...my original Epson needed resetting to re-fill the tank.

As for 6 year old carts...I would not use them! Buy fresh, new high-capacity carts.

On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 10:45:43 -0500, "Kurt V. Ullman"
wrote:

I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)? Thanks.
Should work just fine.

On Wed, 02 Mar 2016 09:55:16 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 3/2/2016 9:39 AM, wrote:


It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.

and I have rewarded HP for that by not buying another HP printer.

Epson puts the money in the marking engine -- designing a more robust
printhead and "ink detection" capabilities IN the marking engine. So,
Epson can just sell "ink tanks" -- no smarts involved, just ink in a
specially shaped bottle.

HP, OTOH, puts the printhead in the "cartridge". This ensures that
you get a fresh, new printhead with each batch of ink. It also
means they don't have to make the printhead durable -- it only
has to work long enough to consume the ink in the cartridge!

Leave an Epson sit for too long, and you'll discover the "advantage"
of being able to DISCARD the printhead just by replacing the "ink".
The last several generations of HP printers I have used use "tanks"
and "replaceable print heads" that don't need tools to change. Some
epson printers use (or at least have in the past) integrated pring
engines as well - ink and printhead in one piece. Can't remember the
model but I just threw out a cartrigge I had sitting around for the
last couple of years - with no printer.

On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 11:02:45 -0600, philo wrote:

On 03/02/2016 10:55 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 3/2/2016 9:39 AM, wrote:


It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.

and I have rewarded HP for that by not buying another HP printer.

Epson puts the money in the marking engine -- designing a more robust
printhead and "ink detection" capabilities IN the marking engine. So,
Epson can just sell "ink tanks" -- no smarts involved, just ink in a
specially shaped bottle.

HP, OTOH, puts the printhead in the "cartridge". This ensures that
you get a fresh, new printhead with each batch of ink. It also
means they don't have to make the printhead durable -- it only
has to work long enough to consume the ink in the cartridge!

Leave an Epson sit for too long, and you'll discover the "advantage"
of being able to DISCARD the printhead just by replacing the "ink".



You made a good point, but I think the Epson would have to sit for one
hell of a long time. We have certainly never had a problem letting ours
sit for months at a time unused.
They have gotten better over the last few years - I had an epson , a
brother, and a Xerox that would block up the printheads in less than 3
monts of sitting - in the case of the Xerox less than a month. That's
going back over 15 years. It had replaceable tanks and so-called
replaceable print heads that cost as much as the printer and took 2
hours to change with the right tools.

On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 12:34:09 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

On 3/2/2016 11:30 AM, philo wrote:
On 03/02/2016 09:45 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)?
Thanks.



I do a lot of computer repair work, and unlike politics, this is
something I actually know about.



The cartridges should be fine if the seal wasn't broken.

It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


My wife and I for the past 15 years have used Epson printers exclusively
for our photography and we generally order a large quantity of ink. Not
too long ago I discovered some ink that was a few years old that we had
over looked, but there was nothing wrong with it.

HP won't even allow their refilled cartridges to work. Older HP
printers allowed you to fill the cartridge yourself, then they made them
practically impossible to refill yourself and now they will only work
with cartridges that they freshly manufacture.

I'll call BS on that. I run something like 30 HP OfficeJet 8000
printers and I refill the ink tanks (940) about once a month or mabee
2. They have an expiry date on them - and I can refill and re-use them
untill the expiry date or until they start to leak - whichever comes
first. Generally they are still leak-proof when they expire. Expiry
date is 1 - 2 years from purchase date, depending how long they have
been in inventory (2 years from date of manufacture) They have a chip
with the date in it. Sometimes the contacts on the chip need to be
cleaned.

For OP, cartridges and printer should be OK. Foil seals prevent
evaporation and drying. If like HP they won't last long. First refill
of an HP with long lasting cartridges will sometimes cost more than the
price of the printer.
Same with epson, brother, and virtually all the rest. They come with
a "starter cartridge" You can by "regular" or "extended life"
replacements which are identical except for the amount of ink. I've
refilled the regulars with more ink than comes in the "extendeds"

On 3/2/2016 1:46 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 12:34:09 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

On 3/2/2016 11:30 AM, philo wrote:
On 03/02/2016 09:45 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)?
Thanks.



I do a lot of computer repair work, and unlike politics, this is
something I actually know about.



The cartridges should be fine if the seal wasn't broken.

It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


My wife and I for the past 15 years have used Epson printers exclusively
for our photography and we generally order a large quantity of ink. Not
too long ago I discovered some ink that was a few years old that we had
over looked, but there was nothing wrong with it.

HP won't even allow their refilled cartridges to work. Older HP
printers allowed you to fill the cartridge yourself, then they made them
practically impossible to refill yourself and now they will only work
with cartridges that they freshly manufacture.

I'll call BS on that. I run something like 30 HP OfficeJet 8000
printers and I refill the ink tanks (940) about once a month or mabee
2. They have an expiry date on them - and I can refill and re-use them
untill the expiry date or until they start to leak - whichever comes
first. Generally they are still leak-proof when they expire. Expiry
date is 1 - 2 years from purchase date, depending how long they have
been in inventory (2 years from date of manufacture) They have a chip
with the date in it. Sometimes the contacts on the chip need to be
cleaned.

I've heard some (inkjet) cartridges are touchy about how well
you reseal them after refilling.

On 2016-03-02, philo wrote:

On 03/02/2016 10:55 AM, Don Y wrote:

Leave an Epson sit for too long, and you'll discover the "advantage"
of being able to DISCARD the printhead just by replacing the "ink".

You made a good point, but I think the Epson would have to sit for one
hell of a long time. We have certainly never had a problem letting ours
sit for months at a time unused.

Lucky you!

I changed from color ink-jets to b/w laser printers cuz of my Epson
color inkjet printer was ALWAYS clogging up (weekly!). This is due to
inkjets having ink that dries almost instantly. They have this fast
drying ink so there will be no ink running n' dripping when used on
glass-smooth photo print paper. It's good to see Epson is now
replacing the print head (the part that becomes clogged) when
replacing the ink (which is still entirely too often!).

It's my understanding that commercial grade Epson inkjets are less
prone to this problem. My buddy --a graphic artist-- went from Epson
to Canon fer his color inkjet requirements. Regardless, I tossed my
Epson fer a Brother b/w laser printer. Brother is good fer Linux
users cuz Brother supplies the drivers.

nb

On Wed, 02 Mar 2016 13:51:24 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 3/2/2016 1:46 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 12:34:09 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

On 3/2/2016 11:30 AM, philo wrote:
On 03/02/2016 09:45 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)?
Thanks.



I do a lot of computer repair work, and unlike politics, this is
something I actually know about.



The cartridges should be fine if the seal wasn't broken.

It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


My wife and I for the past 15 years have used Epson printers exclusively
for our photography and we generally order a large quantity of ink. Not
too long ago I discovered some ink that was a few years old that we had
over looked, but there was nothing wrong with it.

HP won't even allow their refilled cartridges to work. Older HP
printers allowed you to fill the cartridge yourself, then they made them
practically impossible to refill yourself and now they will only work
with cartridges that they freshly manufacture.

I'll call BS on that. I run something like 30 HP OfficeJet 8000
printers and I refill the ink tanks (940) about once a month or mabee
2. They have an expiry date on them - and I can refill and re-use them
untill the expiry date or until they start to leak - whichever comes
first. Generally they are still leak-proof when they expire. Expiry
date is 1 - 2 years from purchase date, depending how long they have
been in inventory (2 years from date of manufacture) They have a chip
with the date in it. Sometimes the contacts on the chip need to be
cleaned.

I've heard some (inkjet) cartridges are touchy about how well
you reseal them after refilling.
Some are terrible. The 940 is great in that it uses a rubber BB to
plug the hole from the factory - I replace it with an 8-32 panhead
screw.

On 03/02/2016 02:52 PM, notbob wrote:
On 2016-03-02, philo wrote:

On 03/02/2016 10:55 AM, Don Y wrote:

Leave an Epson sit for too long, and you'll discover the "advantage"
of being able to DISCARD the printhead just by replacing the "ink".

You made a good point, but I think the Epson would have to sit for one
hell of a long time. We have certainly never had a problem letting ours
sit for months at a time unused.

Lucky you!

I changed from color ink-jets to b/w laser printers cuz of my Epson
color inkjet printer was ALWAYS clogging up (weekly!). This is due to
inkjets having ink that dries almost instantly. They have this fast
drying ink so there will be no ink running n' dripping when used on
glass-smooth photo print paper. It's good to see Epson is now
replacing the print head (the part that becomes clogged) when
replacing the ink (which is still entirely too often!).

It's my understanding that commercial grade Epson inkjets are less
prone to this problem. My buddy --a graphic artist-- went from Epson
to Canon fer his color inkjet requirements. Regardless, I tossed my
Epson fer a Brother b/w laser printer. Brother is good fer Linux
users cuz Brother supplies the drivers.

nb






My Epson can produce 13" x 19" prints

or 13" panoramas 12 feet long

so it's not one a typical home user would likely have.


The fact that our previous Epson got ten full years of hard use without
any problems was a good reason for me to just get another Epson.


Since it will not even start a print unless it has sufficient ink, the
wasted paper was next to nothing.

On 2016-03-02, philo wrote:

My Epson can produce 13" x 19" prints

or 13" panoramas 12 feet long

so it's not one a typical home user would likely have.

Yep. Sounds like my buddy's commercial grade Epson.

He eventually changed to Canon, but I think it was more cuz of the
fact he's a Canon camera lifer. Heck, he's even on Canon's favored
customer/testor list, so he probably got "a deal".

nb

On 3/2/2016 3:46 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 12:34:09 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

On 3/2/2016 11:30 AM, philo wrote:
On 03/02/2016 09:45 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)?
Thanks.



I do a lot of computer repair work, and unlike politics, this is
something I actually know about.



The cartridges should be fine if the seal wasn't broken.

It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


My wife and I for the past 15 years have used Epson printers exclusively
for our photography and we generally order a large quantity of ink. Not
too long ago I discovered some ink that was a few years old that we had
over looked, but there was nothing wrong with it.

HP won't even allow their refilled cartridges to work. Older HP
printers allowed you to fill the cartridge yourself, then they made them
practically impossible to refill yourself and now they will only work
with cartridges that they freshly manufacture.

I'll call BS on that. I run something like 30 HP OfficeJet 8000
printers and I refill the ink tanks (940) about once a month or mabee
2. They have an expiry date on them - and I can refill and re-use them
untill the expiry date or until they start to leak - whichever comes
first. Generally they are still leak-proof when they expire. Expiry
date is 1 - 2 years from purchase date, depending how long they have
been in inventory (2 years from date of manufacture) They have a chip
with the date in it. Sometimes the contacts on the chip need to be
cleaned.

For OP, cartridges and printer should be OK. Foil seals prevent
evaporation and drying. If like HP they won't last long. First refill
of an HP with long lasting cartridges will sometimes cost more than the
price of the printer.
Same with epson, brother, and virtually all the rest. They come with
a "starter cartridge" You can by "regular" or "extended life"
replacements which are identical except for the amount of ink. I've
refilled the regulars with more ink than comes in the "extendeds"


I'm sure all companies have short life first cartridges.

Based my HP comments on my recent experience with an OfficeJet 4500 and
DeskJet 6940. They only work right with OEM cartridges.

On 03/02/2016 05:24 PM, notbob wrote:
On 2016-03-02, philo wrote:

My Epson can produce 13" x 19" prints

or 13" panoramas 12 feet long

so it's not one a typical home user would likely have.

Yep. Sounds like my buddy's commercial grade Epson.

He eventually changed to Canon, but I think it was more cuz of the
fact he's a Canon camera lifer. Heck, he's even on Canon's favored
customer/testor list, so he probably got "a deal".

nb




I have used Canon cameras for over 15 years and really like them.
My first photo printer was a Canon and it worked well, but all of my
friends who do this professionally suggested Epson.

Now the tides are turning and the guy who does my large prints

(I consider 13" x 19" small) has switched to Canon. Hopefully it will be
another ten years before I have to make the decision again.

On 3/2/2016 4:05 PM, wrote:

I've heard some (inkjet) cartridges are touchy about how well
you reseal them after refilling.

Some are terrible. The 940 is great in that it uses a rubber BB to
plug the hole from the factory - I replace it with an 8-32 panhead
screw.

Ha! What's the problem with a "bad seal" after a refill? Does it cause
the ink to *run* out of the printhead (atmospheric pressure)?

On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 18:25:22 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

On 3/2/2016 3:46 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 12:34:09 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

On 3/2/2016 11:30 AM, philo wrote:
On 03/02/2016 09:45 AM, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
I have an in-the-box Epson printer that is apparently 6 years old. The
box hasn't been opened until just now and the cartridges are still in
the shrink wrap (sealed) condition. Any particular reason I shouldn't be
using the printer? Should I get new cartridges or would those in the
package still be okay (I couldn't find an expiration date on them)?
Thanks.



I do a lot of computer repair work, and unlike politics, this is
something I actually know about.



The cartridges should be fine if the seal wasn't broken.

It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


My wife and I for the past 15 years have used Epson printers exclusively
for our photography and we generally order a large quantity of ink. Not
too long ago I discovered some ink that was a few years old that we had
over looked, but there was nothing wrong with it.

HP won't even allow their refilled cartridges to work. Older HP
printers allowed you to fill the cartridge yourself, then they made them
practically impossible to refill yourself and now they will only work
with cartridges that they freshly manufacture.

I'll call BS on that. I run something like 30 HP OfficeJet 8000
printers and I refill the ink tanks (940) about once a month or mabee
2. They have an expiry date on them - and I can refill and re-use them
untill the expiry date or until they start to leak - whichever comes
first. Generally they are still leak-proof when they expire. Expiry
date is 1 - 2 years from purchase date, depending how long they have
been in inventory (2 years from date of manufacture) They have a chip
with the date in it. Sometimes the contacts on the chip need to be
cleaned.

For OP, cartridges and printer should be OK. Foil seals prevent
evaporation and drying. If like HP they won't last long. First refill
of an HP with long lasting cartridges will sometimes cost more than the
price of the printer.
Same with epson, brother, and virtually all the rest. They come with
a "starter cartridge" You can by "regular" or "extended life"
replacements which are identical except for the amount of ink. I've
refilled the regulars with more ink than comes in the "extendeds"


I'm sure all companies have short life first cartridges.

Based my HP comments on my recent experience with an OfficeJet 4500 and
DeskJet 6940. They only work right with OEM cartridges.
Don't ever try aftermarket cartridges in a Canon Maxify MB2020. Canon
doesn't even know how to get the bad cartridge out when it locks up.
(I figured it out and salvaged the printer)

On Wed, 02 Mar 2016 17:24:02 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 3/2/2016 4:05 PM, wrote:

I've heard some (inkjet) cartridges are touchy about how well
you reseal them after refilling.

Some are terrible. The 940 is great in that it uses a rubber BB to
plug the hole from the factory - I replace it with an 8-32 panhead
screw.

Ha! What's the problem with a "bad seal" after a refill? Does it cause
the ink to *run* out of the printhead (atmospheric pressure)?
Yup. That and they leak all over the place before you get them into
the printer. If you get air into the bag, and the air gets into the
printhead, it's bad Jiu-Jiu too. There is a tool to "bleed" the
printheads, but it's messy and wastes a lot of ink.

Filling the "tank" I take out the BB or screw, inflate the bag with a
modified "canned air" duster, then inject the ink with a syringe. When
full I re-install the screw, then draw any air and a bit of ink out
through the ink outlet. I've put well over 25 liters of ink through
those Pro 8000 printers over the last 5? years - and that's not
counting the 70? new cartridges we've put through (along with a fair
number of print heads)

On 03/02/2016 10:02 AM, philo wrote:

You made a good point, but I think the Epson would have to sit for one
hell of a long time. We have certainly never had a problem letting ours
sit for months at a time unused.

I had an Epson that was $25 out the door at CostCo after rebates and so
forth. I used it rarely and every time I did it was a session with
ammonia and q-tips to get it going again. I **** canned it and bought a
Samsung laser. When I turn it on every sixth months it might smell a
little bad as it heats up and fries the dust but it works.

On 3/2/2016 6:24 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 02 Mar 2016 17:24:02 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 3/2/2016 4:05 PM, wrote:

I've heard some (inkjet) cartridges are touchy about how well
you reseal them after refilling.

Some are terrible. The 940 is great in that it uses a rubber BB to
plug the hole from the factory - I replace it with an 8-32 panhead
screw.

Ha! What's the problem with a "bad seal" after a refill? Does it cause
the ink to *run* out of the printhead (atmospheric pressure)?
Yup. That and they leak all over the place before you get them into
the printer. If you get air into the bag, and the air gets into the

"Bag"? I guess that means there's a "bladder" inside the cartridge?
I.e., it's not just a "plastic box full of ink"?

printhead, it's bad Jiu-Jiu too. There is a tool to "bleed" the
printheads, but it's messy and wastes a lot of ink.

Filling the "tank" I take out the BB or screw, inflate the bag with a
modified "canned air" duster, then inject the ink with a syringe. When
full I re-install the screw, then draw any air and a bit of ink out
through the ink outlet.

?? "Outlet"? Meaning nozzles? How do you coax the air out -- turn it
upside down? (nozzle side up)

I've put well over 25 liters of ink through
those Pro 8000 printers over the last 5? years - and that's not
counting the 70? new cartridges we've put through (along with a fair
number of print heads)

I dunno. Sure seems easier to just print with lasers...

On Wed, 02 Mar 2016 20:34:46 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 3/2/2016 6:24 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 02 Mar 2016 17:24:02 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 3/2/2016 4:05 PM, wrote:

I've heard some (inkjet) cartridges are touchy about how well
you reseal them after refilling.

Some are terrible. The 940 is great in that it uses a rubber BB to
plug the hole from the factory - I replace it with an 8-32 panhead
screw.

Ha! What's the problem with a "bad seal" after a refill? Does it cause
the ink to *run* out of the printhead (atmospheric pressure)?
Yup. That and they leak all over the place before you get them into
the printer. If you get air into the bag, and the air gets into the

"Bag"? I guess that means there's a "bladder" inside the cartridge?
I.e., it's not just a "plastic box full of ink"?

On the 940 you have a sealed bladder

printhead, it's bad Jiu-Jiu too. There is a tool to "bleed" the
printheads, but it's messy and wastes a lot of ink.

Filling the "tank" I take out the BB or screw, inflate the bag with a
modified "canned air" duster, then inject the ink with a syringe. When
full I re-install the screw, then draw any air and a bit of ink out
through the ink outlet.

?? "Outlet"? Meaning nozzles? How do you coax the air out -- turn it
upside down? (nozzle side up)

Not nozzles - the "tank" has a "quick connect" fitting on it that
connects to a flexible nylon? line that feeds the ink, via another
"quick connect" to the printhead. The tank just sits at the corner of
the printer while the printheads fly back and forth - - -
I've put well over 25 liters of ink through
those Pro 8000 printers over the last 5? years - and that's not
counting the 70? new cartridges we've put through (along with a fair
number of print heads)

I dunno. Sure seems easier to just print with lasers...
Not when you need colour. Yes, we also have 2 big colour lasers in the
office, but printing insurance liability slips on the laser isn't a
really viable alternative - and draft mode on the inkjet is a lot
cheaper than using the laser - both in ink and power consumption. We
also have payment notices/renewals emailed in that get printed off
overnight for processing. We did use an Oki LED printer for that for a
while, but went back to the officejet because of the power used
heating up the fuser every 20 minutes or sa as the emails came in.

At $4 to $8 per ounce for the ink, it is actually cheaper than toner
for the laser too.

On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 08:39:28 -0800 (PST), wrote:



It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.


and I have rewarded HP for that by not buying another HP printer.
M

I just get the ink carts refilled at Costco.

On Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 8:53:00 PM UTC-6, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 08:39:28 -0800 (PST), wrote:

It was HP that put "smart chips" in their cartridges that could disable
unused but "expired" ink.To the best of my knowledge, Epson has never
done anything like that.

and I have rewarded HP for that by not buying another HP printer.
M

I just get the ink carts refilled at Costco.

My stubborn housemate spent $100.00 trying to get a printer cartridge refilled by taking it to numerous places that had the refill machines. The problem was that the employees were not that skilled in using the new refill machines. I ordered the extra capacity remanufactured cartridge from "clickinks.com" for him at a price of @19.95. All the cartridges I've received from them have worked well. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Ink Monster