# replacement for epson 1280



## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

i love my epson 1280! except for one thing..clogs! clogs! clogs! and now it seems ive gotten the clog from hell. i was finishing up a job two weeks ago and with two transfers left to print i noticed the colors changing. i ran the nozzle test print and could see that the light magenta stopped printing completely.

for the last week ive used every method that i know of to clean the nozzle..but just could not get rid of the clog. i tried the folded napkin soaked in windex under the nozzle method..then the hot water in the sponge method...then the alcohol directly into the nozzle..and so on...but nothing seems to work this time. 

the funny thing is that i just replaced my ciss last night..and when i printed a nozzle test (to prime the lines) i actually got something on the magenta area. they were broken lines..but still it was enough to get me to try and clean it again. after using all the methods again i printed another nozzle test..again the light magenta would not print.

i figured it was time to replace the heads..but after giving it some thought..i dont think i really want to deal with clogs anymore. plus the heads are pretty expensive. so im thinking i may need to just replace the whole printer. 

so what i would like to know is if there is a printer that can print out great quality sublimation transfers like the epson..but without the clog issue. and of course i need it to be capable of 13" wide prints like the 1280.

any suggestions, info or ideas are greatly appreciated. 

Miguel


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

Sawgrass inks 'appear' to clog very easily. Reading the posts on here, it seems to be a common problem with both the sublimation and Chromablast inks.

Since I moved over to large format sublimation printers and the availability of other makes of sublimation ink, clogging has never been an issue. I can leave my printers for days, with no problems.

The Epson 1400 seems to be the preferred replacement for the 1200 series Epsons. It generally has very good reviews.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

ive only used artainium inks so i have no idea what else might be out there. maybe you can give me the names of other brands. do they give the same quality prints as artainium inks? as for the epson 1400 printer..are clogs less common on that printer?


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

I use the 1400 with artainium inks...in US there are only two legit inks...sublijet and artainium...both from sawgrass


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

@ charles95405...does the 1400 use the piezo technology like the 1280 (whick seems to be the reason for the frequent clogs)? do you get clogs at all on the 1400?


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## conde tech (Nov 15, 2007)

Have you installled the regular Epson carts to see if printer will print? If the printer prints with the Epson carts..then there is nothing wrong with the printer...you will then need to concentrate on your ink system.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

i actually replaced my ciss couple of days ago. all others colors print well on the nozzle test pattern. only light magenta is completely missing. not even a small line shows up on the paper. 

like i mentioned before though...when i first intalled the new ciss and ran the nozzle test...i did get a few scattered lines from light magenta. but after that it stopped printing again even after numerous cleaning attempts. so i know the ink system isnt the problem.


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## sodrisc (Apr 6, 2006)

a very last ditch method that can work is to get a shallow small plate, put some cleaning fluid on it, turn the printer off while the head is in the middle, get another person to hold the plate upto the printhead, then get a syringe without the needle over the magenta ink channel inside the carriage assembly and pull cleaning fluid UP through the head (im assuming you have tried a syringe full of cleaning fluid and gently pushed down on that channel already? if not do that first) its a risky method as you can lose the head entirely but if its broke anyway then nothing to lose right? its worked for me in the past clearing out dtg ink.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

there is not enough room to put a plate of any size under the head nozzles. i barely had enough space to put a folded paper napkin under the heads. i did try pushing cleaning fluid through the top of the clogged channel (as you mentioned)..even used alcohol...but that didnt work. 

so does anyone know whether or not the 1400 has the same clogging issues as the 1280? 

my other option would be to replace the heads ($100). im just scared they will clog up once more and need replacing again.


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## sodrisc (Apr 6, 2006)

chonkymonky said:


> there is not enough room to put a plate of any size under the head nozzles. i barely had enough space to put a folded paper napkin under the heads. i did try pushing cleaning fluid through the top of the clogged channel (as you mentioned)..even used alcohol...but that didnt work.
> 
> so does anyone know whether or not the 1400 has the same clogging issues as the 1280?
> 
> my other option would be to replace the heads ($100). im just scared they will clog up once more and need replacing again.


yeah of course you dont have room to do that! i someimes forget not everybodys printers have been modified to do dtg, sorry!


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

OK Two things you need to try out. Ensure that the contacts to the print heads are completely clean, even inadvertently touching with your finger during installation is enough to disrupt the signal. If there is even a suggestion of contamination of the contacts, clean with a tissue soaked in spirit.

Your most likely candidate though is blocked nozzles. The ones on my old Epson 3000 used to be a real nightmare. Move the heads from their home positon and using a straw put isopropyl alcohol onto the sponge pads below them and then move the heads back to their home position. Leave for at least 20 minutes. If they are really badly blocked leave for at least three hours. You may need to top up the isopropyl as it evaporates. Print out a couple of heavy graphics to get the colours running through again. If this doesn't clear you blocked nozzles, then nothing ever will.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

hehehe..yes sodrisc..not everybody has been lucky enough to have one of those diy dtg printers..yet. its on my list of things to try though. so one day..)

dreamglass..which contacts do you mean? the alcohol in the pad method was one that i tried..but it didnt work. something i just thought about. im thinking that maybe the nozzle is probably damaged and not clogged like i originally suspected. the reason is that the nozzle stopped printing while i was using it...and dont most clogs usually happen when the printer sits unused for a while? or could a clog form while the heads are spraying?


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

The gold plated contacts on the edge of the cartridges. Grease off your finger, or dust is sufficient to interrupt the data signal.

The print heads have a matrix of nozzles so it's highly unlikely they would clog simultaneously. Most clogs are partial reduction in the nozzle matrix output. If the cartridge is losing its signal, the magenta will never fire up.

You need to ensure that the ink is actually getting to the prinhead first though.

If all else fails, then its sometimes cheaper to buy new, than to repair.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

update...i got rid of the clog finally! i put alcohol into the sponge tray (instead of hot water) and let it sit for a few hours. when i tried the nozzle pattern check the light magenta finally showed. only a few broken lines at firts..but after a few runs of the nozzle cleaning and now its printing excellent. 

unfortuanately now im having issues with the black ink. i think it may have something to do with the dpi settings or something. ill post another thread to get help with that one though. thanks again for all your help. i don know what i would do without this place. 

Miguel.


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

DREAMGLASS said:


> Your most likely candidate though is blocked nozzles. The ones on my old Epson 3000 used to be a real nightmare. Move the heads from their home positon and using a straw put isopropyl alcohol onto the sponge pads below them and then move the heads back to their home position. Leave for at least 20 minutes. If they are really badly blocked leave for at least three hours. You may need to top up the isopropyl as it evaporates. Print out a couple of heavy graphics to get the colours running through again. If this doesn't clear you blocked nozzles, then nothing ever will.


 If it freed a 3000 it will free anything.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

yes thank you so much Will. i had just about given up on the clog. id used alcohol before by squirting it directly into the nozzle..but hadnt thought about using it in the pad until i read your suggestion. just out of curiosity..would it be a good idea to place a drop of alcohol into the pad every time the printer is not going to be used? i figure this would keep clogs from forming at all right? thanks again for your help.


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

Hi. A printer should ideally be ok for a few days without clogging. Alcohol evaporates pretty quickly, so it's best just to use it if you encounter clogs. 

If you print out a nozzle check every week, there's enough ink goes through to keep the nozzles clean with virtually no expense in ink.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

your right..i didnt think about how quickly alcohol evaporates. from now on im gonna run a quick nozzle check at least every two days. plus keep a bottle of alcojol near by..just in case..hehe.


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## ScreenMeister (Jun 5, 2007)

Well, I've enjoyed reading the above posts and will print them out for my artist. Today, we also ran in to a problem with our Epson 1280. One of those silly little jobs that ends up costing me way more time and money than ever intended. (I know...if it were easy, everybody would do it!...enough already.) Our 1280 was printing fine, then we installed a new T009 Epson cartridge. We're just printing Epson inks on some transfer papers. After installing the new cartridge it wouldn't print. Tried resetting the Waste Ink Counter, and didn't really do that successfully either. BAM! What to do? The client was going to show up in less than an hour, and I only needed to finish up 16 pieces! Jeez! I sent my artist to the local Office Depot with the art on a flash drive. He took some transfer sheets. Then came back with transfer sheets that were printed with laser printer ink. >DOH< Well, I couldn't use those.
OK...so as an interesting side note, we opted to print a different product using sublimation. So I used our other Epson, an R1800. That Epson is always loaded with just sublimation inks. But we have to take our design from our MAC and then run it to a Windows computer to output the art. Hey, don't ask me why? I just sign the checks. I don't have all the answers all the time. If you know of a better way, I'm all ears and low on checks. What next? Low and behold, the friggin Windows computer was dead! Would not even power on! Great now what? It must be FRIDAY! I'm running around trying to figure out what my next option was when the salesperson told me all the client needed was 25 gifts to give to high school age kids at a camp. Oh, now I get it. How about 25 of those Flashing Glasses we've got left over from another job? Heck, I don't even have to print those! There you go! Client showed up, saw the glasses, and was pretty geeked about the product and imprinted towels we had managed to complete. 
Now, if I can get that Epson 1280 to work, AND the R1800 to work without using a Windows machine, I'll be a happy camper.


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## conde tech (Nov 15, 2007)

Are the lights flashing on the 1280?


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## ScreenMeister (Jun 5, 2007)

conde tech said:


> Are the lights flashing on the 1280?


No. Once the 1280 is turned on, it makes its noise for a few seconds, the red light is on, and the green light is blinking. Then it settles with the green light on steady as well as the red light on steady.

Also, any ideas on how we can take our artwork direct from our Mac to the 1280 without going through a PC?

Thanks for your assistance.


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## xtees (Oct 4, 2008)

it's time to ditch the epson.... after 5 years and six of their printers... a 2200, two 1280s... two r280s.. and a 1400.... between myself, my epson repairman, and my CIS & ink vendor.... we have figured out that epson is doing their best to foil the use of CIS with their printers.... the motherboard sooner or later recognizes that you are not changing cartridges and disables the cyan (on the 1280s, 1400s, and the r280s) or the yellow (on the 2200).... it's always the color that has to travel the furthest to the print head.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

hey xtees...can you recommend a good replacement for the Epson for sublimation?


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## shirtorders.com (Oct 6, 2008)

Wow, alcohol in the sponge tray? How did you let it soak? I've never tried that before but might need to, my epson 1400 has been printing blacks a little lighter/greener than I would like. I'm using a CIS system from inkjet fly with pigment inks.


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

@bryan....on my 1280 i just pressed the "change ink" button to move the ink heads away from the tray. i then soaked the cotton on a q-tip with alcohol and let a few drops fall into the tray. the printer was then turned off to set the heads back on to the tray and i let it sit for overnight. although a few hours may do the trick just as good.


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## shirtorders.com (Oct 6, 2008)

Thanks a lot! I'll give it a try and let you know how it works out.


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## uncletee (Feb 25, 2007)

get rid of the 1280


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## chonkymonky (Apr 1, 2007)

actually the reason for me posting this thread was to get suggestions on what printer was on the market that i could replace the 1280 with. something that didnt have the clogging issue. people keep telling me to get rid of the epson but nobody tells me what to replace it with. although now that i got my epson working again..ive had no problems since now i turn it on every two days or so to keep the heads clear. a little extra maintenance goes a long way.


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