3880 - fitness instructions

[berserk]

How many times shall I switch to matte black and how many sheets off matte black in A4 shall I print to keep the printer in fitness - not having those problems I read about here in the Epson thread.

That is - mostly I think - how to renew ink in the matte black line to keep it fit for fight?
OK - I know - that is in reality how often should I give the printer a matte black exercise as changing to matte black empties the only black line there is?

 

[The Hat]

@berserk, It’s very simple, if you don’t need to print using the Matte black then don’t worry about it, you can easily fill the Matte black cart with the @pharmacist solution and forget about the black for good, job done.
The formula is as follows:

-3 ml propylene glycol (or 2 % glycerol)
-20 ml isopropyl alcohol
-distilled water up to 100 ml

 

[berserk]

OK!
That sounds right - however almost a year ago I bought this from Germany on the net - so I'll use that.
Had almost forgotten:
http://www.octopus-office.de/shop/d...druckkopf-frischhalte-konservierungs-loesung/

That is some sort off print head conserving thing.

I'll empty the the MK - cart fill it and for the first time use the resetter on that very cart - then for the first time change change to MK some times - however do I dare? ???
One must fill the MK-line down to the print head that is....

 

[The Hat]

The octopus solution will work just as good, BUT don’t for heaven sake switch your printer over to Matte black usage, just carry on the way you normally prints with the PK black, otherwise you’ll lose a huge amount of ink from all of your other cartridges when you change back.

Just remove the matte cart and fill it with the new solution and don’t do anything else, there's no need to reset the cart because you won’t be using it..

 

[berserk]

I want to cut the electrical connection to switch to MK - I'm almost every time scared that software or I by mistake on a "hurrying" day is doing wrong.

How to?
You "printer diggers" might tell me the most easy way to do that?

 

[Roy Sletcher]

What I have found on the 3880 is that once the software initiates the switch black ink activity, there is no way the user can cancel the procedure.

Once started the user does not gain control of the printer until the switch is complete. It would be nice to have a checkbox with Yes or No before the procedure starts in case the switch was triggered in error.

On more than one occasion I have inadvertently triggered a black switch because I had the incorrect media setting by accident. Taking into account the switch back it gives a final loss approx 10-14ml of ink in the waste cart.

rs

 

[martin0reg]

I need both MK and PK, for glossy PK is important to get decent gloss, for matte MK to get decent blacks.
As most users I try to change my paper as rarely as possible, so the question remains:

How many times shall I switch to matte black and how many sheets off matte black in A4 shall I print to keep the printer in fitness - not having those problems I read about here in the Epson thread....

If the printer is printing with only one of the two for months, furthermore standing idle for some weeks in between, a sort of "fitness training" to keep the other black ink flowing might be a good idea, isn't it?
Any opinions or experience from 3880 users, who are printing no huge amounts but want to keep both blacks ready to print? For the health of the switching valve: one switch every 1-2 months .. or weeks ... or as rare as possible?

 

[The Hat]

@martin0reg, if you’re only using the PK black month in month out, then there should be no need to worry about the Mk black at all, because there is no MK black in your system to clog up.

If you still wish to take precautionary measures then remove the Matte black cart from time to time and give it a good shake and then return it to the printer, or.

Replace the MK black cart with one that has some of @pharmacist solution in it and that will keep the ink inlet nicely moistened till your ready to print with Mk black again, just replace this cart with one that has fresh MK black ink in it and away you go.

A lot of Epson print owners who don’t print to often forget to give their cartridges a good shake for time to time to keep the ink in the cartridges ready for use..

 

[berserk]

What I decided and did.

I took out the matte black. The MK is the most dense ink and has for sure the most most amount of pigments in it.

I soaked out all the inks in that cart and cleaned it with water - made one of Mr refiller "Jotoolman" trick and filled that cart with the print head conserving fluid.

But studying here and on other places on the net old threads I came to the conclusion to two times switch to MK and did some A4 printing in black.

Why?

There are nine lines going down to the printhead of one is MK - - going to the switch selector.
All lines are semi-permeable (google) and in the long run not using MK - that ink is going denser and thickens - the wet ink-carrier itself slowly evaporates. Also the switch mechanism has to sides - one PK and one MK. You don not want ink to thicken there either.

When switching over to MK for the first time in over a year with the newly filled cart - I hold my nervous thumbs - but I felt lucky when it worked.

Now my 3880 has no trace whatsoever of MK.

I'm sure now that if I need MK in the future I just throw in a MK cart and switch over to that one - ending the MK-session by putting in my special-cart and and fill that line with it by changing ->PK then ->MK ending with PK. Over 95% I do in PK.

OK - to the cost of some ink - but I will sleep better that way.

You know - I love my 3880 and want to take full care of it!
Also - I use Printfab software - and make panoramas now and then in the hight of A3 - but that is another story.

Now it's summer and I'm out photographing - serious printing will wait until sept-oktober.

Also thanks to all the guys teaching me to learn Argyll and my Colormunki - that lifted my prints.

(This isn't a cheap hobby - all those cameras , lenses , printer and supply for all that stuff - I try not to look back - all the time!)