Artisan 800 (PX800FW) - New waste pad approach

[websnail]

Thought I'd share this one as it was quite a revelation to discover that Epson had built the waste pads in a very different way for the higher end Artisan 800 and (I think) 700 series.

http://www.wasteink.co.uk/waste-ink-mods/epson-artisan-800-mod/
.. for anyone interested.

Oh and for completeness, the UK/European model is PX800FW while Australia has the TX800FW.

 

[clearchannel]

I will be installing a waste ink container just as soon as I can place an order.

Do you have a specific recommendation for a supplier?

 

[websnail]

I will be installing a waste ink container just as soon as I can place an order.

Do you have a specific recommendation for a supplier?

LOL... I may be a teensy bit biased but there's this guy, looks a lot like me, who runs this store called OctoInkjet.. happens to share the same name, space in time, place, etc...

There are other options out there and some day I'll do an honest comparison but what probably says it best is that the kits I sell cost me around 3 times more in parts, let alone labour, compared to other kits that usually consist of a bottle or tupperware container with a tube stuck in a hole.

By all means, check around though as obviously I am biased..

 

[clearchannel]

Thanks for your response, but now I have another question.

Let's say I'm going to use a CIS with this printer, considering I will hopefully never change a cartridge again but rather refill the CIS tanks, the printer should never have to recharge changed cartridges, thus no need for a waste ink container.

I will add I have had a epson r360 and rx595 and used refillable carts in both of those printers so I had to charge the cartridge every time I refilled them, and the waste ink container would fill quickly.

If I were paying full price for oem carts, I'd be as discouraged as those complaining about the cost of replacing ink knowing how much I was wasting.

 

[websnail]

Thanks for your response, but now I have another question.

Let's say I'm going to use a CIS with this printer, considering I will hopefully never change a cartridge again but rather refill the CIS tanks, the printer should never have to recharge changed cartridges, thus no need for a waste ink container.

I will add I have had a epson r360 and rx595 and used refillable carts in both of those printers so I had to charge the cartridge every time I refilled them, and the waste ink container would fill quickly.

Ok... Unfortunately your interpretation of how the printer works is flawed so here's a not so quick primer on the way waste ink is generated.

1. As you surmised, whenever cartridges are changed the printer runs through a priming routine. This usually is quite a heavy waste process and does use a fair amount of ink. Also, just to clarify, it primes ALL the cartridges, not just the ones changed.

2. The printer has an internal clock/counter of sorts that forces the printer to do a smaller scale cleaning cycle every X hours/days that also wastes ink

3. Powering off/on of the printer also has this small scale check/clean/go process

... so in a nutshell, the printer will always be wasting a certain amount of ink. Point 2 and 3 are prevalent because time and environmental conditions will affect the printhead nozzles and ink contained within them so you will get some drying and clogging taking place during periods of non-use. The printer is therefore programmed to reduce the impact by regularly spring cleaning so's to speak.


Oh and also worth noting that Epson recently made it considerably harder for Auto reset chips to work without the printer thinking that a cartridge had been removed and replaced. This behaviour was first noted in the R285 and I'd be very surprised if this is not present in other new printers. Even though the CIS designs now available work around this with a small button to fool the printer into thinking you've removed the cartridges the net effect is the same. It goes through a priming routine.

However, also worth noting that with a CIS you can reset all the chips at once (and I'd recommend you did) whereas regular cartridges you'd be swapping cartridges in and out in an irregular pattern (you wouldn't swap all the cartridges when one was empty). It's hard to explain but because priming wastes so much ink you can empty other cartridges by swapping individually instead of say all 25% and under in one go. Either way, yes use of ARC's does reduce waste quite a bit.

If I were paying full price for oem carts, I'd be as discouraged as those complaining about the cost of replacing ink knowing how much I was wasting.

Yeah... which when I played with an R1900 was very obvious...



Hopefully the stuff above helps update understanding of waste ink and how Epson printers use/abuse it. In short, waste ink is still an issue...

 

[clearchannel]

My knowledge is far less flawed as you might think. Had I have know you would take it as flawed, I would have included a greater deal of mundane information to clarify my statement, I normally try to take into account that a statement can be read and understood for what it means brushing over the detail.

One should also always turn the printer off using the printer's power off button rather then a switch from a power block or even unplugging the unit, unless of course there is a reason you do NOT want to park the print head for one reason or another. My reference to a waste ink container and changing cartridges pertained to exactly the act of changing cartridges and not mundane ordinary maintenance a printer is going to go through regardless of what type of ink system ie, oem, refillable, or a cis.

I have the Artisan 800 I am also using the fax feature so I will not be turning off the printer, but rather using the sleep mode that automatically kicks on when the printer has not been used for 15 +/- minutes, so the ink being wasted each time I power the unit on or off would be non-existant.

Thank you

 

[websnail]

On re-reading your posts and my own I'm pretty sure I've covered all of your questions and points so hopefully the information you needed is there. If it appears I've not taken on board your questions or brushed over your points that was certainly not my intention as I've tried to provide a full picture of the issues, rather than pick on distinct bits.

I would definitely recommend re-reading the part about the change in approach that Epson incorporated into their recent printers. The need to fool the printer into thinking the cartridge has been removed and replaced is bound to have implications for priming routines.

Best of luck...

 

[siusiuenen]

anyone know that Artisan 800 original cartridge can refill with this kit from r-jettek: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxNtivYScvo&feature=related

 

[websnail]

anyone know that Artisan 800 original cartridge can refill with this kit from r-jettek: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxNtivYScvo&feature=related

Can't tell you if refilling is possible but you will want to find a chip resetter and always reset the chip before the cartridge reaches 25% full. If the chip registers low ink or empty the chip will be impossible to reset.

 

[siusiuenen]

Thanks for advise, websnail