- Joined
- Oct 27, 2005
- Messages
- 3,661
- Reaction score
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- Points
- 337
- Location
- South Yorks, UK
- Printer Model
- Epson, Canon, HP... A "few"
We get asked a lot about how much waste ink gets generated for printers and the trouble is that it depends on so many variables that it's like asking "How long is a piece of string".
What undoubtedly causes the most waste is head cleans and with that, poor diagnostic skills as well as understanding of what's causing missing nozzles.
A common scenario we hear of a PX/TX/Artisan series printer where someone has installed a poorly primed cartridge (or CIS system) and then air has gotten into the printers internal CIS system. What follows is 6 head cleans that waste a massive amount of ink and do nothing to resolve the actual clog because the cleaning cycle doesn't pull enough ink through consistently to shift the ink. (Just as a note: use the ink charge function in WICReset or the AdjProg).
There's also a one-solution fits all approach to head cleans. So if a printer has sat unused for a year and someone goes to print then run multiple cleans when a single clean, wait a few hours and then print a nozzle check might actually solve the issue. Failing that a passive head clean to soften the dried ink at the nozzle outlets works and allow a clean to work.
For end-users who understand their printers quirks and a bit more about maintenance, it seems waste ink is pretty minimal.Ultimately it seems regular use with reliable ink products is the most effective approach yet.
What undoubtedly causes the most waste is head cleans and with that, poor diagnostic skills as well as understanding of what's causing missing nozzles.
A common scenario we hear of a PX/TX/Artisan series printer where someone has installed a poorly primed cartridge (or CIS system) and then air has gotten into the printers internal CIS system. What follows is 6 head cleans that waste a massive amount of ink and do nothing to resolve the actual clog because the cleaning cycle doesn't pull enough ink through consistently to shift the ink. (Just as a note: use the ink charge function in WICReset or the AdjProg).
There's also a one-solution fits all approach to head cleans. So if a printer has sat unused for a year and someone goes to print then run multiple cleans when a single clean, wait a few hours and then print a nozzle check might actually solve the issue. Failing that a passive head clean to soften the dried ink at the nozzle outlets works and allow a clean to work.
For end-users who understand their printers quirks and a bit more about maintenance, it seems waste ink is pretty minimal.Ultimately it seems regular use with reliable ink products is the most effective approach yet.
