[Marta Brody Participant Posts: 23]

Epson Printers

on: November 8, 2020 at 12:44 pm

I have been experiencing missing spaces in the yellow channel nozzle checks since the printer  arrived less than 3 weeks ago.  After repeated head cleanings of the yellow/grey channel and one heavy cleaning, I decided to call Epson Pro Support. I told him that  missing the nozzle will clear after head cleanings and sometimes after printing, but the missing spaces in the nozzle returns the next day.  I was told that this should not be happening and that a technician would come out and switch out the printhead if needed. The technician who arrived was convinced that the missing nozzle was due to air in the lines, so he did another initial purge of all the inks and did not replace the printhead which had been sent to my house.  This required 3 visits because he didn’t have the replacement ink during his first visit, and didn’t have a replacement maintenance tank on the second visit. On the third visit he did a second initial purge of all the inks. Following this purge the nozzle check was clear.  I was hopeful, but unfortunately  the next day and the day after the missing in the yellow channel returned during the nozzle check. I called the Epson Pro Support line again and requested a print head replacement, but was told they were on backorder.  The second technician came out to see how he could help, although he didn’t have the replacement parts needed.  He was extremely helpful and spent several hours checking the printer with his laptop program, doing a unidirectional head alignment, and printing test prints.  Everything else looked good and he too was convinced that the problem was air in the lines. He assured me that it sometimes takes a month for the printer to clear all the air in the lines.  The nozzle check was good for a couple of days but has returned again.  Although there are less missing lines in the yellow channel, one line continues to show missing spaces.  It is always the same line in the nozzle check.  My question is this: Does it make sense that the air is always in the same nozzle, or is this a problem with the printhead?  Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.  The technician will be returning to pick up the parts that were shipped to my house this coming week and I would like to resolve this issue.

Marta Brody

[Mark D Segal Silver Member Posts: 951]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #1 on: November 8, 2020 at 2:03 pm

Marta, several aspects of this account raise questions. Firstly, it would be good to understand why air would get into the lines so soon after the printer arrived. My understanding is that there should be no air in the lines from the factory onward. Secondly, my understanding is that a channel pair can be purged without purging all the channels (I’ve seen this done on an Epson 4900), so it’s not clear why the technician purged all the channels. Seems wasteful. Thirdly, if a printhead had already been delivered to your house, why did the question of a back-order even arise? Fourthly, I don’t understand this story about needing a month to clear all the air from the lines. It is the first I hear of this and I haven’t heard of a brand-new Epson professional printer needing ANY such time. As I said, I don’t believe there is supposed to be air in the lines period. Fifthly, if it is always the same line in the nozzle check as you say, I don’t understand why the technicians haven’t concluded there is a head problem. Usually, as far as I have been made to understand, if missing nozzles remain in the same place time after time, it indicates the likelihood of a head malfunction. Before a technician arrives at your house to take back anything, I recommend that you have a further discussion with a senior tech support person in Epson ProGraphics telling that person very precisely what is going on, and asking that the technician be instructed to do the needful, as successive purging and cleaning have not resolved it.

[Jeremy Roussak Gold Member Posts: 1047]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #2 on: November 8, 2020 at 2:11 pm

Sounds not dissimilar from the problem I had with my first 7500. On delivery, only PK and MK worked at all. An Epson engineer spent a day doing various things but not changing the printhead, after which the test page was fine. It stayed fine for a week or two but I then began to get various combinations of blocked nozzles. The head was duly changed but the engineer couldn’t get the new head to prime well at all. I rejected the printer, giving the dealer the option of refund or replace: he chose refund. I bought another from a different dealer and it’s worked very well from the outset.

Jeremy

[Marta Brody Participant Posts: 23]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #3 on: November 8, 2020 at 2:38 pm

Mark, thank you for your reply.  I will call Epson Pro tomorrow morning as they are not available during the weekend.  The printhead was returned by the first technician because he decided that the problem was solved.  When I called back to report that the same problem had returned, the printhead was on backorder.  They sent other parts that might need to be replaced.

Jeremy, thank you for your reply.  I’m horrified to hear about your experience with the 7500.  I hope that I do not have the same problem you had with the printhead replacement.

 

 

Marta Brody

[Mark D Segal Silver Member Posts: 951]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #4 on: November 8, 2020 at 2:44 pm

Good luck with it, and please do keep us informed how this gets resolved.

[Marta Brody Participant Posts: 23]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #5 on: November 8, 2020 at 2:59 pm

Thank you Mark!  I will let you know how this is gets resolved.

Marta Brody

[Marta Brody Participant Posts: 23]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #6 on: December 30, 2020 at 5:04 pm

The problem has not been resolved.  Since I last wrote, parts were ordered and replaced including the printhead and the CR duct unit (ONC assembly).  The parts were on back order and took weeks to arrive.  The parts including a new printhead were replaced by the technician on 12/17/20 and it appeared to be working fine no missing nozzles.  However the next day the problem returned in the yellow channel   The technician assured me that it was just air in the line and not to be concerned if it cleared with a light cleaning.  It does clear, but the missing nozzles in the yellow have returned every few days. Today almost a whole line of yellow nozzles was missing.   I called the technician and he told me to call Epson and request a service call and to have parts ordered.  The Epson Pro Support person said that it was a clogged nozzle and that they would order parts and be in touch within 24 hours.   I told him that the technician said that it was air in the line, and not a clogged nozzle because it clears.  It has been very frustrating.

Marta Brody

[Mark D Segal Silver Member Posts: 951]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #7 on: December 30, 2020 at 5:08 pm

If the problem is air, which it could be, I’d recommend that you print a good dozen letter-sized pages or more with nothing but yellow ink. Then let the printer sit for 12 hours and do a nozzle check. See if it’s cleared. If not, repeat the same recipe several days in a row. It may clear.

[Marta Brody Participant Posts: 23]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #8 on: December 30, 2020 at 5:49 pm

Mark, thank you for your suggestion. I would like to try it but I don’t know how I would know if it is cleared.  I did a light cleaning of the yellow channel today and it cleared. Sometimes the problem returns the next day, but sometimes it doesn’t come back for a few days.  Should I do it anyway?

 

 

Marta Brody

[Mark D Segal]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #9 on: December 30, 2020 at 5:58 pm

Ya, I think you should. It’s only a bit of ink and time. It could take a few days  to know for sure whether the problem is sustainably resolved. As a matter of best practice anyhow one should to a nozzle check before every printing session, so you’ see right away whether you are in the clear. For this purging exercise, you would do the yellow pages, let it sit overnight, then next morning run a nozzle check, see if it’s clear. Even if clear the first time, I would repeat this a couple of cycles more just to be sure. With each cycle run a nozzle check. I’d suggest 10 or 12 letter size pages the first cycle, and if the nozzle check comes out clear, reduce it to 5 or 6 for the next two rounds. If nozzle checks are clear for all, you’ve probably excised all the air (if that was the problem). But if the problem comes back in that channel with more than several missing nozzles soon after, time to call back Epson.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by Mark D Segal.

[Marta Brody Participant Posts: 23]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #10 on: December 30, 2020 at 6:02 pm

Thanks Mark, I will follow your instructions.  I always do a nozzle check before I print, that is why I am aware of how often this problem occurs.

Marta Brody

[Marta Brody Participant Posts: 23]

Re: Epson SC P 7570 nozzle check missing spaces

Reply #11 on: December 30, 2020 at 6:50 pm

Mark, I have one more question.  Wouldn’t you think that if there was air in the yellow channel that it would have been cleared by now.  The printer has had the lines flushed 2x.  The second time was when the technician replaced the head.  I will follow your instructions, but I am wondering if there isn’t a continuous leak of air into the yellow channel that may be causing the problem.

Marta Brody

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