If you have been following this series of posts, you know the problems that I have been having with my Epson 7900. This post serves as a finale (well, pretty much) to these issues and how they have been resolved.
First of all, the issue regarding what I described as 'black scuffing', but which has perhaps been more appropriately called 'zebra striping' by someone else with a similar problem, seems to have been resolved. That problem was solved by a fellow that goes by the pseudonym 'pivozone' on The Luminous Landscape forums. He had a similar problem which was solved by simply utilizing only the standard platen gap, not the wide or wider ones. I thought that I had tried every setting there was trying to get this issue sorted out...but apparently I hadn't. Since I use a wide platen gap with all my fine art papers on my 7600, I had assumed that the same would hold true with the 7900. I must have simply started with the wide platen gap and adjusted everything else, because, as pivozone suggested, setting the platen gap back to standard made the 'zebra striping' totally resolve! Problem fixed. Why it was occuring with the platen gap set to wide, which was also intermittently giving me 'ghost images', is unclear to me as well as to the Epson tech.
Second, in regards to the head clogs and frequent automatic cleanings, the autop nozzle check and cleaning is now turned to off and I will print nozzle checks intermittently myself from the front panel of the printer. The auto checks do seem 'quirky', to say the least, but my machine diagnostics checked out OK. I am still having problems with frequent nozzle clogs in the green color despite multiple cleanings. It does not appear to be a printhead issue as the affected nozzles tends to change. More likely than not it is related to some small air bubbles in the line which will resolve. The tech thought a power clean would likely remove them and I made a call to Epson HQ and they are being kind enough, given the problems with clogs I was having, to send me a set of ink carts at no charge which will more than allow me to do the power clean.
I consider the major problem (black scuffing or zebra striping) solved! I do have to say that the prints are really stunning and I can now print in black and white as well.
My next post will have nothing to do with the Epson 7900!
Apr 30, 2009
Epson 7900 Experience - The Finale
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Congrats Howard. That's really great that guy on LL came through with the solution. Disappointing still to read about clogs.
I'm so glad the printer is now okay, more or less. I had visions of you getting this one back down the stairs and new one back up.
Billie, I am not sure that I could have survived that!
thanks for posting this series, it has been helpful. I'd like to add that in the last 2 or 3 months we've seen a 30% failure rate in new ink cartridges for the 7900 and 9900. In the last go-round Epson sent us 11 350ml cartridges, 3 off which the printer rejected with the message "Ink cartridge error, replace cartridge".
Epson told us this is a known problem asked us to send them all the defective cartridges (call for incident# first though) which they in turn are sending to Japan for analysis.
Although it has taken about a dozen hours spread over several weeks to go through all the trouble shooting steps and phone calls with Epson tech support I must say it has been a relatively good experience. I've not had to wait on hold very long (calling the direct line, not the 1.800#) and all of the shipping thus far has been on their dime. This is a vast improvement over 3 or 4 years ago when I last had Epson troubles.
I just sent back my first cart that didn't work...same problem as you mention in that the printer doesn't recognize it. They sent a new one which I actually received before I sent the bad one back.
Post a Comment