My new printer: Epson Photo R3000 A3+ printer !!!

[pharmacist]

If you can afford it: go for the Epson Pro 3880. However: the print quality of the Epson R3000 is much better. I compared the Super Photo 2880 dpi on my Epson Pro 3800 versus the high quality 1440 dpi on the R3000. The R3000 with the "lower" quality 1440 dpi is much better. This is due to the almost twice as smaller droplet size: 3.5 pl for the Pro 3800 versus 2 pl for the R3000.

I am going to use the Epson R3000 for A6 to A3+ and the Epson Pro 3800 for A4 to A2. My main purpose is to analyze this printer how to refill it and how to redirect the internal waste ink tubing outside the printer and if you can reset the waste ink pad counter. Consider this as a another guinea pig experiment, where I am going to sacrifice myself for the benefit of others, hahaha.... So help me please if you can so others can benefit from the experiments.

Martin0reg: I often visit the german website www.druckerchannel.de, but I might write a english article on that website. The problem is: I can read and understand german quite well, but writing is so so. I am not sure they will appreciate it there. Maybe you can comment on this ?

 

[martin0reg]

I would like to read your english article on druckerchannel and they already have published english articles there (and to ME your english is good enough, better than mine)
- but I really don't know about the feedback there, as it is much more a printer website for office users than for photographers...

...the print quality of the Epson R3000 is much better..

Is it really "much" better? If you have the time you could post a real life comparison, like this:
http://www.photo-i.co.uk/reviews-2/printers/epson-r3000-review/2/
http://www.photo-i.co.uk/reviews-2/printers/epson-r3000-review/7/

 

[ntux]

Hi All,

I've lurked for refillable cartridges for my R3000 for a long time, was visiting this post and the other one in the CISS section, and created an account to let you guys know, I've just bought the carts that have just appeared on ebay, and a set of IRK4-nano 100mL ink (the vivid for 3880 version). It seems it's the same kind of carts that were on Alibaba, we'll see how this turns out...

I have a (few) question though. It seems the sticker on side of the cart is wrong (from the ebay picture), regarding the ink and air plugs position. Do you know how to differenciate them ? is the colored plug the air port, and the clear plug the ink plug, or the other way around ? does it matter ? Also, should I have them both unpluged during refill, then plug them back in to only unplug the air port when installed in the printer ?

Also, in the ebay listing, it says that one should not have these carts mixed with other ARC carts. Does that include the OEM epson carts ? Should I replace all the epson carts with these carts in one time, or could I replace the epson carts as they go empty ?

Finally, since the droplet size is only of 2pL vs 3.5pL for the 2880/3880, can the existing 3rd party ink have a problem with that ? (regarding clogging especially ?) Or that does not matter much ? (since Epson is using the same k3 vivid for all of them)

I understand I'm a bit on the early adopting side, so you may not be able to answer me, but anyhow, any info is appreciated.

Regards

 

[jtoolman]

Just saw this on EBAY. Seems to be the first ad for Refillable carts for the R3000
The chips are reset by "Jumping" two little terminals on top of the chip.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/R3000-refil...pt=BI_Toner&hash=item2c5f8e4f95#ht_1331wt_952

I would wait and see if this is the set that all others that kept saying "Coming Soon" will be selling.

 

[pharmacist]

Today I managed to have a look how the waste ink tubing is located in my printer and it was quite easy to reach it.

First you have to remove the back panel by unscrewing it (3 screws), see first and second picture

The waste ink tubing (2 tubes) are located on the right side, where the printhead is parked and this is how it looks like:

I now have to find the necessary tubing to redirect the waste ink tubes into an external bottle and I am not sure how to get it elegantly through some hole in the back panel.

 

[The Hat]

Hi pharmacist

I now have to find the necessary tubing to redirect the waste ink tubes into an external bottle
and I am not sure how to get it elegantly through some hole in the back panel.

Just looking at the waste tubes, could you not just add a straight joiner to the existing tubes right where the spring clips are
and then feed the new tubes straight through the back panel and place your external tank there out of sight..

 

[websnail]

@Pharmacist...

If you can take some more pictures of the right* side panel (*when look at front of printer) and around towards the back so I can get a clearer idea of the whole layout I can provide an appropriate solution...

I suspect you're going to have to do a little drilling though...

 

[mikling]

Time for a clear panel with some LED chaser lights! Attach sensor for lights to purge unit so that each time the pump works you get a light chasing effect towards the waste ink tank. .....Sweet.

Judging by the R3000 cartridges I received yesterday, some users are going to need that waste ink tank if they don't prime the carts properly. The design build upon the first generation tanks from the R2880 but are extended in width and better thought out. The damper reservoir is pretty large thus the requirement for a good prime.

 

[jtoolman]

That's outstanding! It appears to be almost identical to how the R1900 tubes are situated. Accessing is also the same. I drilled two small holes on the side panel and ran two lengths of model airplane fuel line to a 4 oz empty ink bottle. Now on retrospect I should have run it out the back somehow. But it works perfectly and it should work on the R3000 as well. One last hurdle solved.
Where are those refillable carts????? "Coming Soon"

 

[websnail]

Time for a clear panel with some LED chaser lights! Attach sensor for lights to purge unit so that each time the pump works you get a light chasing effect towards the waste ink tank. .....Sweet.

LOL... I'll get the team (Oh wait that would be me!) working on it... 50 for a waste tank?!! Yes but it's got pretty lights... Yeah that'll work...