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Epson Ecotank ET-2600 Printer Not Printing Color 😕 #128

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nelsonic opened this issue Jun 26, 2020 · 9 comments
Closed

Epson Ecotank ET-2600 Printer Not Printing Color 😕 #128

nelsonic opened this issue Jun 26, 2020 · 9 comments
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bug Something isn't working chore help wanted Extra attention is needed please-test technical

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@nelsonic
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Yesterday when I tried to print a design to show a craftsperson our requirement #127 (comment)
I noticed that the Epson ET-2600 printer is not doing it's job. 😕

The image on the screen has shades of grey and green:
inkscape-shower-layout

But the printout has just black, no grey shades and zero green:
braga-west-shower-dimensions-printed

Through a bit of research it appears that the printer heads are blocked.
There are a few products on Amazon with varying reviews:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Printhead+Cleaning+Kit+epson
image

Unfortunately, because it contains a liquid, Amazon won't ship it to PT. 🤦
There are a few sellers on eBay that will ship to PT for around £8.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?&_nkw=Printhead+Cleaning+Kit+epson
image

I'm going to check at Staples (IRL) and MediaMarkt to see if they have a cleaning kit.
If I don't find anything, I might try and create my own solution using Isopropyl Alcohol

image

But I would still need a way of targeting the cleaning solution (liquid) to the heads
Something like a pipette or syringe ...

Maybe I'm better off just buying the kit for £12.50 + £8 postage ... it has pretty decent reviews
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Epson-Print-Head-Cleaning-Kit-Unblocks-Printer-Nozzles-100ml-Cleaner/124203398086
image

This is the cheapest option:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Printer-nozzle-unblocker-Epson-Printhead-print-head-cleaner/303113801909
image
The seller specialises in ink cartridges and has decent feedback.
Crucially the delivery cost is much lower. £8 for 100ml vs 99p for 30ml
From reading forums, only need around 10ml to do the clean ... so I think the cheaper kit might work.

I'm probably going to spend more than £20.50 in time trying to hunt down the pieces and DIY this ... 💭
Watched a couple of videos on how to use the cleaning kit and it looks pretty straightforward.
Looks like it will probably take at least T1h to complete ... ⏳ (still better than burning a fortune on ink cartridges!!)

@iteles thoughts?
Have you previously researched this while frustrated with the print quality of the Epson ET-2600?
(I could not find an open issue for it ... hence this new one)

@nelsonic nelsonic added bug Something isn't working help wanted Extra attention is needed chore technical labels Jun 26, 2020
@nelsonic nelsonic self-assigned this Jun 26, 2020
@iteles
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iteles commented Jun 26, 2020

The only problems I’ve had with that printer have been resolved with nozzle clearance from the Utilities menu and topping up the ink in the ecotanks.

@nelsonic
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@iteles in which case, next time you @home please try and print a Nozzle check (test print page) and confirm.
If it's just my computer that had the issue I don't mind reprioritising this issue.
But I remember when I tried to print off the models for the Garden Sunroom they were "streaky" ...
I would expect a $200+ printer to have decent results not this 💩

@iteles
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iteles commented Jun 26, 2020

Leave it with me and I’ll test this ASAP 👍🏻

@iteles iteles assigned iteles and unassigned nelsonic Jun 29, 2020
@iteles
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iteles commented Jun 29, 2020

Started with a nozzle check by going to Printers & Scanners on Mac and selecting the ET-2600.
Screenshot 2020-06-29 at 13 42 25

After choosing Options & Supplies, select Print Test Page from the Utility menu:
Screenshot 2020-06-29 at 13 43 05

The test page gave me this:
IMG_1608

The colour print heads clearly need cleaning.

Looked up the manual: https://files.support.epson.com/docid/cpd5/cpd52446/index.html

I prefer to do these things with the machine buttons usually as it's more reliable, so I followed the instructions here:
image

I did two print head cleaning cycles in a row, they take about 3-4 minutes each.

@iteles
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iteles commented Jun 29, 2020

Printed another test page, looking better:

IMG_1609

Another print head cleaning session coming up.

@iteles
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iteles commented Jun 29, 2020

IMG_1610

One more for good measure.

@iteles
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iteles commented Jun 29, 2020

Well, this is fascinating.

We've solved the colour print head issue and created a black print head issue 🤦‍♀️

IMG_1611

Checking ink levels just in case...

@iteles
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iteles commented Jun 29, 2020

There's definitely ink.

I ran one final print head cleaning and it thankfully seemed to do the trick:
IMG_1612

@nelsonic Can we close this issue and I'll get on printing #129 (comment) ?

@iteles iteles removed their assignment Jun 29, 2020
@nelsonic
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@iteles yes, please. Glad you got it fixed. 🎉 You're a ⭐

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