# Where can I get a new print head for an epson 4800????



## elhines33 (Jan 28, 2011)

I just got off the phone with Epson support people who told me I need a new print head for an Epson Stylus Pro 4800 sublimation printer, however their closest service office is almost 300 miles away... where can I get a new print head and how complex is it to change, as in would it be possible for me to do it myself?


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

elhines33 said:


> I just got off the phone with Epson support people who told me I need a new print head for an Epson Stylus Pro 4800 sublimation printer, however their closest service office is almost 300 miles away... where can I get a new print head and how complex is it to change, as in would it be possible for me to do it myself?


 
you can google and DL an Epson 4800 service manual and see for your self what is involved. It is not a simple replacement and you need to be careful as it probably has dampners, etc that should be changed as well. The advantage of having a Epson or Epson Authorized person come on site is you only get charged for the parts needed. In AZ the company that comes on site is Decsion One and the guy is awesome. it is $150 for the call plus $175 an hour. The interesting thing is the $150 call charge is whether you are 5 minutes or 5 hours away. I would get the cost estimate to have the head and damprners replaced and weigh that into looking at a low usage 7 series printer.


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## elhines33 (Jan 28, 2011)

Do you know if the hourly $175 would include travel time? I'm looking at 5-6 hours one way for them to get here from NJ. (I'm in northern New York)


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

elhines33 said:


> Do you know if the hourly $175 would include travel time? I'm looking at 5-6 hours one way for them to get here from NJ. (I'm in northern New York)


You would wnat to confirm with the company doing the service work but in the case of Decision One you get charged at $150 flat fee service call plus $175 meaning no matter where you are located you get chraged $150 then once they get on-site they charge $175 per hour. That is a big plus for someone like you.


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## elhines33 (Jan 28, 2011)

Thank you so much for your help


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## conde tech (Nov 15, 2007)

What problems are you g=having w/ the printer?


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## elhines33 (Jan 28, 2011)

4 of the inks are not printing. I ran a nozzle check and there were just faint outlines of the pattern with nothing printed inside them. I did the cleaning three times with no change. Then ran power cleaning and the next nozzle check was even slightly worse than before. So I went online and found some tips and tricks and tried them still with no change. If you have any ideas I would love to here them! I feel it is now my mission to save this printer!


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## MickeyT's (Jan 3, 2010)

Are you running the nozzle check from the printer console or from the Epson Printer Utility on the desktop? Is it Artanium ink?
I've found that running the nozzle check from the printer console works much better. It uses more ink, but I like it better. Sometimes, when I have the problem you described, I might run 3 or 4 nozzle checks before the pattern is correct. I've also found that I can usually proceed with my prints even if the the nozzle check is unsuccessful, but this is with most of the color patterns being full or just missing a few squares. After printing my images I can do another nozzle check and it will be OK. I guess it clears itself through useage (I don't know). I always soak my pads with Simple Green and a water solution at least once a week. I've been down for more than a week and still got successful prints, but not until I do several nozzle checks first. It's a fine line we walk using Artanium ink, but that's the way it is these days.


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## SublimatorToo (Jan 15, 2009)

elhines33 said:


> 4 of the inks are not printing. I ran a nozzle check and there were just faint outlines of the pattern with nothing printed inside them. I did the cleaning three times with no change. Then ran power cleaning and the next nozzle check was even slightly worse than before. So I went online and found some tips and tricks and tried them still with no change. If you have any ideas I would love to here them! I feel it is now my mission to save this printer!


Welcome to the Epson/Sawgrass No End Of Problems Club! 

Running an Epson 4800 for some 4 years now with those inks, I'd say that there is a lot to learn to keep your printer happy.

I've gone through a head too. Everyone just washed there hands of it and offered no real insight when the problems began.

IMO, repeated head cleanings and that totally useless power clean are just a waste of time and money. Neither Epson nor Sawgrass tells you what to do to keep that printer running happily. The closest I came was when Epson said to disable the useless power clean function.

There are two Epson service manuals for this printer. Each one is some 400 pages long. Sawgrass has them as PDF files. It shows how to remove the print head, which is very complicated and needs special tools as described in the manual. However, that is not required. If you do not remove the carriage in which it runs, you need remove only about 10 bolts and out she comes, without upsetting things.

The really big deal is regular maintenance and proper humidity. Without those two things, you'll go down the failed printer road constantly.

Simple Green is not a good cleaner, It can etch metal. Want to know how I know? Learned that many years ago when it first came out. So it can in fact destroy some things. They'll be clean, for certain and also wrecked. Aluminum is a case in point.

DTG Inks has an excellent head declogger which works great on the Sawgrass inks. It's also critical to remove and thoroughly clean the flushing station. Warm water will do that part for you. You may even need to replace it if it's worn out. It will be obvious when you look at it if that's the case. Holes develop over its surface.

You must also clean the capping pads. Again, the DTG Inks' solvent will do that.

Once you get it all cleaned up and running again, it is imperative that you use the machine. Once in service, you must keep using it or you will get recurring problems.

In my case, maintenance calls for running ink through all the heads at least twice a day - a nozzle check morning and evening, along with the primary color print out, WITHOUT FAIL. This is followed by a weekly cleaning of the flushing station and capping station pads.

Once they are thoroughly cleaned, I have found that distilled water is all it takes to keep them that way for a long time. It's also much less expensive than the head cleanign solvent.

And don't forget to maintain humidity. The real Epson manual says that you need somewhere around 40% to 50% humidity as a minnimum, as I recall. When not in use, I monitor the level inside the machine and always keep it covered, so that it is in an enclosed space where I can easily adjust the humidity level.

Keep up your simple maintenance, maintain the humidity and it will hum right along.

If you do change your head, I would recommend that you change the dampers as well. My Espon service tech -formerly worked in house for Epson - agreed with me that expected print head life is about 1 1/2 to 2 years. Same for dampers.

I've also been advised by people that use real commercial inkjet printers that they keep a supply of dampers on hand since they need to be changed on occasion. Of course, Epson never tells you this or how to change them out, let alone mention them or the needed routine maintenance to keep the thing running. Better for them to have you break down every year and bring it in for a stiff, otherwise unneccessary service bill. Good for Sawgrass too as you flush gallons of expensive inks into your waste tank.

Adn don't forget to learn how to reset the chip on the waste tank or simly pick up a chip resetter. You get those for almost nothing form DTG Inks too.

Dampers and heads are available aftermarket. Don't forget. You can pay more for them through Epson. However, Epson does not manufacture these things. You pay more as they go through a supply chain with more stops and mark-up points along the route.


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## elhines33 (Jan 28, 2011)

Igor, Thank You Thank You Thank You!!


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## Tprint (Aug 11, 2008)

Thank You Igor. Good topick. Please , can you tell where can i get a new cheap printing head? I have the same problem.


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## apollo_mrqz (Aug 9, 2010)

SublimatorToo said:


> Welcome to the Epson/Sawgrass No End Of Problems Club!
> 
> Running an Epson 4800 for some 4 years now with those inks, I'd say that there is a lot to learn to keep your printer happy.
> 
> ...


 


where is a good place of getting new heads and well basically any thing to keep this printer going?


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## elhines33 (Jan 28, 2011)

I don't want to sound discouraging, but the 4800 I started this thread about got packed up and shipped several hundred miles away to an Epson service center. I have no idea if they can even fix it, let alone how much it is going to cost if it can be fixed... I hope everyone else in this situation finds a better solution than I did!!


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## Scooooter (Mar 17, 2007)

How did this turn out for you? I am having problems with my 4800 right now where it has blocks of white where color should be when I do a nozzle clean. I can't get it to get any better.


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