Tip: When buying second hand printers

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Just thought I'd share this little tip as yet another printer has been received today where assumption nearly resulted in a printer part dispersal (smashed printer).

When purchasing a second hand printer (or dispatching one to a buyer), always get the seller to check the BOTTOM of the box to ensure that it has sufficient tape to hold it and stop the printer falling out.

Most OEMs only seem to use a single strip of tape and what with the box being slid around on warehouse floors, delivery van floors, etc... it tends to get pretty worn, very quickly. Net result is often a few inches of tenuous tape remaining to hold the thing together.

Don't need to tell you what happens when that remnant finally lets go... It ain't pretty!

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

Tip: When buying new printers

Just thought I'd share this. The Canon Pro-9000 comes with the printhead tucked neatly into the side foam packaging, where it's well protected. Of course, when you lift the foam to get at the printer, you discover that there's no side on the foam, so the head comes tumbling out. Underneath (where else?) you find a warning not to drop the print head. Fortunately, I can attest that it bounces.

 

[The Hat]

Is that where that saying comes from Heads will roll..

 

[Lucas28]

It's a good thing to buy printers on ebay. Here's another tip
Install WIC reset on your laptop and view the waste ink counters. It gives an insight on how much the printer is used. It's like the mileage of a car.
Of course a printer can print way beyond 100% of the waste ink counter, but we prefer to buy printers with a low mileage, don't we?

It appears that most printer for use at home are below 20% so they are almost new. Big A3 printers are used more often so they can measure against 100% or resetted to zero.

This is how it looks:

 

[Martijn]

How does WIC work? And, does it work for every printer?

 

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How does WIC work? And, does it work for every printer?

It resets a couple of values in the printer memory. The counters work in tandem with a preset limit where the printer will demand a service (pad change) once reached. So, by resetting you stop the error. Of course you still need to resolve the pad contents somehow. More on the whole issue is on http://www.octoinkjet.co.uk/waste

As for compatibility, no it's not universally able to reset all Epson printer waste counters but the tool itself can be installed and compatibility checked without needing any keys/cost.