What exactly is the "printer duty" of a printer mentioned by Epson?

I found this brochure for a 1400, if you look at the end it states:
printer duty: 25000 pages - letter

http://www.epson.ca/c2c_cmc_upload/0/000/081/043/SP1400_A3Brochure.pdf

Does anyone know what they mean by that? Is that the number of pages after which the printhead may fail, or is it some sort of suggested maximum monthly/yearly print-load?

A quick Google Search yielded one of MANY a possible answer!

"Printers can only print copies on a continuous basis for so long before they begin to overheat, or experience wear and tear due to excessive continuous usage. Even when a printer is capable of printing dozens of copies per minute, after a while, the printer components need a rest period. Duty cycle is a manufacturer recommended number of copies per month that a printer should handle to avoid overuse and overheating"

jtoolman said:

"Printers can only print copies on a continuous basis for so long before they begin to overheat, or experience wear and tear due to excessive continuous usage. Even when a printer is capable of printing dozens of copies per minute, after a while, the printer components need a rest period. Duty cycle is a manufacturer recommended number of copies per month that a printer should handle to avoid overuse and overheating"

Click to expand...

That's what they call the "monthly duty cycle", they usually give one for the large volume machines they produce (workforce series).

This one is probably something different, they only rate as 25000 pages per month capable their top-end multifunction machines, I doubt they'd rate a slow entry level photo inkjet that high...

costadinos said:

That's what they call the "monthly duty cycle", they usually give one for the large volume machines they produce (workforce series).

This one is probably something different, they only rate as 25000 pages per month capable their top-end multifunction machines, I doubt they'd rate a slow entry level photo inkjet that high...

Click to expand...

I reckon what they mean is dont expect to get any more than 25000 Letter Pages out of it,
even with a Service agreement or Warranty..

Yes. If it's the 1400 it's probably the max number pages before it dies. Though it's very like that the waste pads would have filled up and turned off the printer before reaching that number of pages. We, of course would know what to do about the Waste Counter but many other consumers would not even know that that waste ink counter even is.

Joe

Printer duty is the duty you owe to your printer to buy enough ink from the manufacturer to print 25000 pages.

I think they mean if you want to print more than 25000 page per month then buy more than one of this printer or buy a different printer that is rated with more pages per month.

There is indeed a limit of lifespan of piezo based print heads. The stress by the mechanical flexing of the piezo crystal eventually will break it off. People likely will continue to waste expensive ink through it by endless cleaning cycles until realizing it's not clogging but end of service life of the printer.

Thermo-bubblejet based print heads, on the other hand, are not worn by repeated heating and cooling like piezo heads by repeated mechanical flexing. However, overheating and consequent impact or destruction of ink may quickly clog and destroy them rather quickly. This seems to be the common cause of death of many Canon print heads. Canon printers appear to be short lived by a large margin.

Epson printers seem to have a more predictable service life. Canon printers appear more random, unpredictable and often much short lived. The truth to me is they actually can last longer than Epsons. But it largely relys on if quality inks are used with proper refilling with OEM ink cartridges.

Doing frequent servicing on your printing device will extend its life and make sure it is in appropriate condition when you need it.

some tips to maintain it:
1.Use your printer at least two times a day which will keep the print head of your printer clear which will reduce the chances of drying out of ink.
2.Prevent those locations where the heat range generally varies quite significantly. Reliability of the heat range is important for the proper performing of the printing device.

It probably affects your warranty. If your printer breaks and you have surpassed the quota the manufacturer can charge you for service and parts.