# workforce 1100 and ciss problems



## hharley3059 (Jan 27, 2012)

I have been using the workforce 1100 for a year now with CISS bulk system 
The other day My computer went down so I had to reload windows and Printer drivers.

Epson did an update on my firmware without promting me.

I got a error screen unconpatabe ink Cartridges.
I did many resets (same screen)

I changed computers (same screen)

Then I hooked up another 1100 and soon as it printed 1 page got same error .

Anyone have any idea what to do ? I think Epson updated firmware to reject CISS.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

Contact your ink vendor.


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## hharley3059 (Jan 27, 2012)

Update I called and screamed at Epson . The replaced my 2 1100s free of charge but guess what? Same thing Same error ....I even bought neww Ciss systems I made sure computer was not on line for an update ....Now im angry


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## uncletee (Feb 25, 2007)

we have been using refillable carts from the start in our 1100's, as never had luck with ciss systems. have you tried different setting in the print set up, never know stranger things have happened. good luck uncletee.


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## jemmyell (Jan 26, 2010)

Hi,

Try uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers.

-James


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## hharley3059 (Jan 27, 2012)

did that and changed computers


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## jemmyell (Jan 26, 2010)

What CIS? I am concerned about this. I am using a Cobra CIS. Have you asked your ink / CIS vendor to help?

How could you tell the firmware was updated?

-James


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

uncletee said:


> we have been using refillable carts from the start in our 1100's, as never had luck with ciss systems. have you tried different setting in the print set up, never know stranger things have happened. good luck uncletee.


I am with Uncle - many CIS systems will waste more then used in printing. Refillables are bullet proof.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

hharley3059 said:


> I have been using the workforce 1100 for a year now with CISS bulk system
> The other day My computer went down so I had to reload windows and Printer drivers.
> 
> Epson did an update on my firmware without promting me.
> ...


I have had that printer since it was first introduced and no firmware updates, also, the current printer driver on the Epson website is dated 2009.

You either have a chip problem or don't understand your reset procedure. You can replace and substitute as many WF1100's as you want but the CIS cart chips if defective or not reset _properly_ will still make your replacement printer not work.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

uncletee said:


> we have been using refillable carts from the start in our 1100's, as never had luck with ciss systems. have you tried different setting in the print set up, never know stranger things have happened. good luck uncletee.


I use refillable carts as well, agree they are less problematic, however, irregardless of the OP using CIS or refillable carts based on the problem description this problem could equally happen on CIS or refillable carts. Both have chipped carts that can go bad, be initially defective, or not be understood how to reset properly.

CIS issues that are _unique_ to CISS are related to the ink delivery from the long feed lines and poor design of the overall fluid transport system, not the the chips that fool Epson ... the OP could easily have had refillable carts with the same issue. Having refillable cart won't mean not ever seeing that specific problem.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

hharley3059 said:


> I have been using the workforce 1100 for a year now with CISS bulk system
> The other day My computer went down so I had to reload windows and Printer drivers.
> 
> Epson did an update on my firmware without promting me.
> ...


Another point I forgot, what you are describing as the "incompatible message" could be a nag warning that when you click OK can be safely ignored. 

Usually the message is "non Genuine Epson Cart detected" and that is normal for 3rd party chips. If the message is "not recognized cart" then you either need to reset properly of you have a defective chip(s).

On mine I only get the "nag" message when I have just installed a "non-genuine cart" or reset one. After that I don't see the message, unless the printer is ever unplugged.

So a few questions.

1. What is the exact message you are seeing?

2. Have you ever done a reset successfully on this specific CIS before?

3. What is your reset procedure?

4. Did this problem happen after a power outage, a storm, or did you have the printer unplugged?


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## hharley3059 (Jan 27, 2012)

Problem solved for right now, Bought a new cis system put it in after a few tries , Its printing. This is the 3rd one I have tried in it , carts are empty but printer reading full , as I want it ...did a few fake prints , 2 cleanings , and a few other things , removed and repaced carts and its working for now. Thank You for all your suggestions


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## WickedDesignz (Dec 1, 2011)

What CIS system did you get?


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

hharley3059 said:


> Problem solved for right now, Bought a new cis system put it in after a few tries , Its printing. This is the 3rd one I have tried in it , carts are empty but printer reading full , as I want it ...did a few fake prints , 2 cleanings , and a few other things , removed and repaced carts and its working for now. Thank You for all your suggestions


Contact ciss sounds like a reset problem. As for ciss those who have problems must have bought junk or bad luck I have every single ciss I ever bought some of them 7+ years old and never 1 issue. The refillable cartridges I had leaked ink my printer but those were the only ones I bought. I have 6 printers with CISS and all but 2 are over 4 years old. I have seen people setting the ciss above and below we're the printers sitting and that will cause problem. Either I have incredible luck ( not usually ) or got good quality.


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## NBDandProducts (Apr 1, 2012)

I'm having a similar issue with my Epson WF1100. The cartridges won't read. We have cartridges that are filled from a previous Epson that was supposedly Manufacturer Refurbished and apparently wasn't because it had a clogged print head... This was only using it 10x including 6 printed t-shirts and then the printer blew and wouldn't turn on anymore. So we had to buy a new Epson WF1100 and the pre-filled sublimation cartridges wont read. We ended up buying an empty CISS and now those won't read either. We've tried more than 4-5x with each of the pre-filled cartridges and the empty CISS. We're going nuts! Any ideas?


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## NBDandProducts (Apr 1, 2012)

By the way the error message reads unknown cartridge. What does this mean?


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

It's you chips on the ciss. If you can try factory carts and they work its the ciss. Yes it appears epson has updated there chips on some models. I have a artisan810 and a 837. Both take the same cartridges. The factory carts work in both printers but the older factory carts don't work in the 837 but work fine in the 837. My older ciss doesn't work on the 837 and I had to order a new one and the supplier said I needed updated chips for it to work. So maybe this is happening with the refurbished WF1100 their sending out


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## NBDandProducts (Apr 1, 2012)

No, it's a new printer and a new CISS. Still having problems reading them.


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

Where are you getting these CISS. Check out hotzone360 or Cobra and email them. If it part of the last run of WF1100's it will have the update. I am not 100% sure on the 1100 but I know other models that have been updated. Cheap CISS systems are a pain


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## NBDandProducts (Apr 1, 2012)

The CISS is from CIS ink in South El Monte


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

Sounds like to me they don't have updated chips on their CISS systems.


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## NBDandProducts (Apr 1, 2012)

Well ty for the info...


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## NBDandProducts (Apr 1, 2012)

Has anyone bought the CISS system from Hotzone360 on Amazon? And know if the CISS system he uses has updated chips that work for the Epson Workforce 1100


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

Yes I have 7 different ciss from hotzone360. They also sell on eBay as user aaadealalways. Mickel has always taken care of me. Email or message him on eBay and tell him you have a brand new 1100 and ask him if there has been an update on that model. He does guarantee all his products.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

I also use Hotzone360. Their CISS' for WF1100 have worked great. However I bought one for an HP, and it killed my Heads. 

Luckily, the heads are only $25 a piece on ebay.


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## uncletee (Feb 25, 2007)

refillable carts, lot less hassle unless your printing 24/7. could just be a bad printer too. goodluck uncletee.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

Why are refillable carts less of a hassle? Are they OEM? The only difference I know of is that CISS sits on the outside of the printer. They have tubes that run from the Reservoir to Cartridges. They have (at least mine do) a reset button that sits on the back of the cartridges. The ink also cost less for that quantity. 

I'm all for less of a hassle. Do the refillable carts have a reset or do you just refill them when they're empty?


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

selanac said:


> Why are refillable carts less of a hassle? Are they OEM? The only difference I know of is that CISS sits on the outside of the printer. They have tubes that run from the Reservoir to Cartridges. They have (at least mine do) a reset button that sits on the back of the cartridges. The ink also cost less for that quantity.
> 
> I'm all for less of a hassle. Do the refillable carts have a reset or do you just refill them when they're empty?


No OEM carts sold in the US are designed refillable for Epson desktop printers. The refillable carts being discussed here are 3rd party and designed to be refilled. There is a 4 color Epson desktop sold in India where the OEM carts are larger and refillable.

_Inks for CIS do not cost less for the quantity, they cost the same, the refillable carts can be filled with the same bulk ink in bottles as used to fill the CIS._ 

You should open your eyes outside the Sawgrass universe of CIS bags and_ prefilled_ carts. _Refillable_ carts are not in the Sawgrass universe, I suspect you are confusing prefilled _but not refillable_ Sawgrass carts with what some of us are using (refillable carts). We don't source those carts from Sawgrass, they don't offer that option.

Refillable carts (and prefilled carts) are less problamatic because those feed tubes in a CIS can get air bubbles in and cause poor vacuum. Refillable carts do not have feed tubes.

Also, the fill of the ink in a CIS can also effect the pressure required to transport the inks up into the CIS carts from the ink tanks or from a CIS bag. Less inks in the tanks (or bags), less pressure to push the inks uphill. 

Refillable carts (and prefilled carts) are less complicated than CIS, therefore more reliable. Reliability in any system is a function of complexity. 

For the reset all Epson refillable carts have a reset mechanism, either manual, semi-automatic, automatic, or have "always full" chips. Otherwise refilling them would be pointless. Older Epsons that were not "chipped" did not require resetting if you used refillable carts, but those days are far gone.

CIS could be considered less "hassle" in respect to the intended operation, having the advantage that you can go a lot longer printing without ink refill CIS vs. refillable carts.

So for the context of "hassle" I think the OP means "less things to go wrong".

I'm not against a _well designed_ CIS, just stating the differences.


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

cheap CISS is a problem I have had CISS for many of years never an air bubble and never a problem. Most problems with CISS is either the person bought the cheapest system they could find or incorrect installtion. I dont think there is much of a diffrence between refillable and CISS besides refillables hold between 10-15ml of ink and CISS hold 100ml of ink. with refillables it is possible to reset the cartridge and run it out of ink and could cause head damage since there is no visable refrence one thing is after you have setup a CISS should never fall below 1/3 of ink left and should always be set at the same height of the printer. Correct if you dont do much printing then refillables may be the way to go. I acually sell the CISS installed on printers locally and give the option for the client to have me fill them. I draw a black line on the system and tell them call me when it get here. every client has been happy with their system but they all have come from repitable suppliers


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

sben763 said:


> cheap CISS is a problem I have had CISS for many of years never an air bubble and never a problem. Most problems with CISS is either the person bought the cheapest system they could find or incorrect installtion. I dont think there is much of a diffrence between refillable and CISS besides refillables hold between 10-15ml of ink and CISS hold 100ml of ink. with refillables it is possible to reset the cartridge and run it out of ink and could cause head damage since there is no visable refrence one thing is after you have setup a CISS should never fall below 1/3 of ink left and should always be set at the same height of the printer. Correct if you dont do much printing then refillables may be the way to go. I acually sell the CISS installed on printers locally and give the option for the client to have me fill them. I draw a black line on the system and tell them call me when it get here. every client has been happy with their system but they all have come from repitable suppliers


You have it mostly right for the refillable. The issue of allowing the cart to go dry depends on the firmware of the chip.

For manual reset carts that require a chip resetter those mimic Epsons OEM carts, you get a warning at a certain low (but not empty) level and the printer will cease printing once it gets to the _really_ low warning. Those I have never witnessed any that were dry before the warning, same as Epson carts. If one resets and doesn't refill and continues to print much ... they are just being stupid. Moral of the story, top off your carts and reset when the low ink light comes on.

Semi automatic carts typically work the same way, except no external resetter is required, you reset by dislodging the carts and reseating them, or by dislodging the carts, disconnecting the printer power, then reinstalling after power on. Same thing happens if you don't intervene by resetting (after you refill) the printer will not allow you to continue printing after a certain point. Just like Epson OEM carts that will occur before they are really empty.

Automatic carts and "always full" chips you have to be careful, however, refillables are in clear carts so you can physically see the ink levels if you pull them out. But for those you are correct, a completely empty cart could still be printed from and damage the print heads, but _only_ for those types unless you are just lazy (or stupid) with the other types.

On my 4880 I don't have to pull out the carts to see the ink levels since the carts stick out the printer front and I can see thru them.


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

yes on the 4880 your right but I was refering to the topic which is the WF1100 and you can not see the ink level and yes if one sees the warning no matter what chip set is on the cartridge then should always refill. The 4880 if I remember right has 25ml of ink and if I owned that printer then I probably would use Cartridges instead of a CISS. but my arsonal of printer ranges from the c88,wf1100 3 1400 artisan810 and 837 all with ciss


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

sben763 said:


> yes on the 4880 your right but I was refering to the topic which is the WF1100 and you can not see the ink level and yes if one sees the warning no matter what chip set is on the cartridge then should always refill. The 4880 if I remember right has 25ml of ink and if I owned that printer then I probably would use Cartridges instead of a CISS. but my arsonal of printer ranges from the c88,wf1100 3 1400 artisan810 and 837 all with ciss


On the WF1100 refillables yes you can see thru the cart for the fill level as the carts are see thru, if you have to pull out to reset then you can see the ink levels, because _you already have the cart in your hand_. Shame on you (not you personally) if you ignore the ink levels (which you can see while the cart is pulled out for reset) and then reset without refilling.  So you are not "blind" to the cart really unless you refuse to look at the cart before you reset it.

I'm not aware of any CIS for the 4880, but in theory it could be done, The OEM carts are 125 and 250 mL of ink ... _huge .._ not 25mL. My refillables are 300 mL capacity, others are available in 125 and 250 mL. Makes a CIS un-necessary.

For my WF1100 I keep an additional cart set full and swap those out when the set in use is needing reset and refilled. I refill the original carts again before the other set I swapped out is depleted. This allows me to keep printing if I need to, it also allows me a backup in case a chip goes bad or something.


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

Yes I missed the. 1. Was supose to read 125ml. My point was on the wf 1100 without pulling the cartridge you can not see the ink level or tell we're its at. I don't have any refillable cartridges anymore. Threw them all away.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

sben763 said:


> Yes I missed the. 1. Was supose to read 125ml. *My point was on the wf 1100 without pulling the cartridge you can not see the ink level or tell we're its at.* *NOT TRUE!!*I don't have any refillable cartridges anymore. Threw them all away.


You missed my point. 

For the vast majority of chips used in refillables _you have to pull the cart out to reset in the first place._ Auto and "always full" chips are mostly for CIS carts and then they come with a warning about using them in refillable carts only.

With the usual refillable cart with manual and semi automatic chips the heads will not be damaged since the printer stops printing before the carts go dry. If you don't reset the printer will stop printing. 

If you have to pull the cart to reset _you just look at the cart that you have out_ ... you can see the ink levels. 

You can see the ink levels before you reset since they have to be pulled _in order to do the reset_, so how can one be really "blind" to the ink levels?

If you can't reset unless you pull them out then you_ don't care_ about the "blind" ink levels since the printing will cease anyway unless you intervene.  

If you didn't pull them out then you didn't reset the printer and it cannot be damaged since it will eventually stop printing before the ink runs out, it was never reset in the first place!

And the ink status monitor in my WF1100 is still working the same as with Epson carts. You can always know the inks levels, either by looking at the ink cart physically or by the Epson ink status monitor.


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## crazydaisy (Aug 11, 2011)

i have both epson workforce 11oo dye sublimation and pigment printers with ciss. unfortunately due to some family issues i had to abandon my hobby/business and was unable to do frequent test runs to keep ink flowing for 3 years  so **** is likely clogged and maybe dry. but i refuse to discard my printers. i purchased new feed lines from the old pvc and was instructed to empty tanks and cartridges? im very nervous about this and ive been looking on youtube for instructions on how to do this. this info is not available on the support page of the manufacturer (cobra inks) can i remove head entirely and clean it? anyone done this before? please somebody respond thank you so much


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## PedalJustPedal (Nov 26, 2019)

3 years? It would be a miracle times 10 to save them. Every dime spent trying such is wasted.


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