# Nozzle checks getting worse!



## AngelicEndeavour (Aug 12, 2013)

Have a WF-7110 from cobra with sub-inks. Is 9 months old. Started off printing a design that had some banding... Next transfer printed ok but didn't look too black so I did a nozzle check. Turns head cleaning. Got worse! Decided to prime the cart and used syringe to pull air out and ink into the syringe. Nozzle checked again -- even worse. Then put ink into the CIS bottle, put plugs into place, laid bottles down to get correct vacuum in place, then pulled plugs and put vacuum tubes in. Did nozzle check. Even worse! What can I do to fix this?? I stopped doing head cleanings and nozzle checks. Richard says in his video to leave it alone, overnight, that maybe it'll loosen up... I hope that's right! While doing this, the printer suddenly stopped recognizing the ink carts too! I was like "what else could happen??!?"


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## AngelicEndeavour (Aug 12, 2013)

This was the first nozzle check...


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## AngelicEndeavour (Aug 12, 2013)

This was the 6th and last nozzle check...


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## AngelicEndeavour (Aug 12, 2013)

I was able to prime the head by pulling ink through it... So I guess it's not clogged. Should I try to wipe the head? I don't have any solvent. Is there anything else I can use?


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## AngelicEndeavour (Aug 12, 2013)

It's just weird, bc I had just printed 2 large 13 X 19 designs. I had some banding but nothing crazy...


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## AngelicEndeavour (Aug 12, 2013)

This is the 2nd print... I did the nozzle check bc it looked more grayish brown than black. That's when I got the first nozzle check print-out in this thread.


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

Head cleanings can cause air bubbles in the printhead and dampers so giving it a rest can make a big difference.

Also, nozzle checks aren't always perfect. I've had clogs that still allowed enough ink to flow for a nozzle check.

How long do you let your printer sit in between prints? A day? A week? A few months?

Printers NEED to print. Daily if possible. I always suggest printing at least one full page of ink a day (heavy ink) to keep it flowing.


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## AngelicEndeavour (Aug 12, 2013)

Halle-fricken-Lujah!!! I gave the printer a break for the last hour or so, then just ran 3 more head cleanings. On the 2nd, it looked a little better, so I did a 3rd. Soooooooo much better!!!! It's still missing a few bits, do I run another or leave well-enough alone???


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## AngelicEndeavour (Aug 12, 2013)

Had this been a fatal problem for the printer, I would've kicked myself... This has been a crazy year, and I have not been printing on a regular basis with this printer. It's sometimes months between prints, and I've never had an issue whatsoever, so I didn't expect this! Am I aware that I should print everyday? Yes... But sometimes life happens! I've been in the hospital unexpectedly, then went back to work, got a new job, hated that and quit, then back to the old job... Yeah, life is crazy -- and so am I -- why I continue doing this kind of side-work that has all this drama associated with it is beyond me, LOL!! There's always something going wrong! Mug didn't transfer properly, printer suddenly dries up, press keeps flipping my circuit breaker, etc... And I do this as a hobby??? I must be nuts!!!

I think the key to getting the printer working was that I primed the head by drawing ink into it with the syringe, and then made sure I had the correct vacuum in the CIS bottle. I left it alone for like 2 hours, and then did 2 head cleanings, and started to see more ink in the nozzle check, so I did 2 more and it's now perfect! THANK GOD!!! I also was getting caution messages from Epson saying I'm using unauthorized cartridges -- so I was really flipping out! What a day... LOL


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## WalkingZombie (Mar 15, 2014)

If you're hardly printing, install harvey head cleaner and have it run like every 3 hours (8 nozzle checks a day). See if that helps with the headaches.

And just in case you haven't fixed your breaker issue:

As for the circuit breaker, make sure it's the ONLY thing running on that breaker. If you have another item running at the same time (doesn't have to be on the same outlet) and it also draws a lot of power, it will trip the breaker. AND if you are using an extension cord instead of plugging directly into the socket, make sure to use an industrial 15-amp 12 gauge heavy duty extension cord. Minimal rating: 15A/125V/1875W

Glad you're getting it back to normal.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

AngelicEndeavour said:


> I was able to prime the head by pulling ink through it... So I guess it's not clogged. Should I try to wipe the head? I don't have any solvent. Is there anything else I can use?


If everything is working so maybe you don't need to clean now, but as future FYI and preventative maintenance.

You can use this procedure. It will work for your printer. 

You can either use any Epson head cleaner or a mixture of 50/50 Simple green and distilled water. You need a syringe to soak the capping station and the paper towel under the print head.

Do not do the direct fluid injection into the print heads _except only as a last resort_. Try and do the underneath head cleanings and capping station clean as shown in the video. Use real "bounty " towels under the print head, not some generic, they work much better.

On your last round of soaking the capping station I "puddle" the print head over the capping station and let it sit several hours. Puddling means you have a good clean capping station and then it is saturated enough with cleaner that it doesn't immediately soak downward.

Some call this the "puddle method". I do that after all the other cleanings.

I do this every 3 months or so as preventative maintenance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUysQFDH6u0

Inkjets you must "use them or lose them".


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## AngelicEndeavour (Aug 12, 2013)

Excellent description of cleaning procedure, mgparrish!! THANK YOU!!! Yes, all is good right now, but I will keep this info handy and will keep supplies on-hand just in case! (BTW, I ONLY use Bounty paper towels -- they're the best!) I was rattled yesterday, for sure! I thought my printer was a goner!!! I'll be making sure I print every day... Is a nozzle check enough to print daily or no? Someone else said you need a big, solid print to keep things going...


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

AngelicEndeavour said:


> Excellent description of cleaning procedure, mgparrish!! THANK YOU!!! Yes, all is good right now, but I will keep this info handy and will keep supplies on-hand just in case! (BTW, I ONLY use Bounty paper towels -- they're the best!) I was rattled yesterday, for sure! I thought my printer was a goner!!! I'll be making sure I print every day... Is a nozzle check enough to print daily or no? Someone else said you need a big, solid print to keep things going...


You don't need a big print, the nozzles in the print head don't hold much ink.

I use this ...

https://www.inksupply.com/zip/purge.zip

Just use the 4 color CMYK file in the zip package. I size down to maybe 1/8 of a page.

In addition it is also more comprehensive that a nozzle check for troubleshooting purposes.


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## SublimatorToo (Jan 15, 2009)

AngelicEndeavour said:


> Mug didn't transfer properly, printer suddenly dries up, press keeps flipping my circuit breaker, etc... And I do this as a hobby??? I must be nuts!!!
> 
> LOL


That's exactly what a hobby is - something which takes tons of time and money and has no economic return - just like sublimation, as you've learned.

How do I know? Have been doing it for over 10 years now and I'd hate to compare the revenues to the costs on maintenance, wasted product, wasted ink and other supplies. 

Next issue is finding a market willing to pay what would be a return for you on your inputs, never mind profit. Nothing but whining about it being too expensive. 

Two examples. Supplier wants $12.00 wholesale for all white sublimatable tote bags. From promo suppliers i can get a bag for half that which knocks your socks off. At that rate, it would top anything sublimated.

A blank sublimatable 11 oz. mug costs net about $1.25. I can get a fully digitally decorated, full bleed (let's not even start discussing that one and shi**y mug presses) mug for less, with no loss in image quality even when abused and cleaned in the dishwaser. 

Additionally, there is lots of howling when you tell people to only hand wash the sublimated mugs. They toss them into the dishwasher and then complain when the images fade. Doesn't matter which brand or country of manufacture, they all fade.

So why bother unless you are some sort of nut? Or a hobbyist, perhaps?

As for your nozzle checks and printer, that machine was never made to be compatible with sublimation inks. My Epson 4800 did just what yours did. Solution? New print head for almost the initial cost of the printer. The more you try to fix, the worse it gets. A color comes back and several others go down. Head fails while running a job. Epson tech told me that life expectancy for the head with compatible inks is a year, max. Could not believe that I got 1-1/2 years. Lasted less than a year after the fix. this thing is just gulping down the ink, at $300 for a 250ml cartridge!! With no results!

Also tried the Ricoh printers. They just up and fail one day. And that's the end of them. Time bombs with the fuse lit and you don't know when it's set to explode.

Yes, this makes a great hobby. A viable business? Maybe with proper commercial grade equipment but not with this mickey mouse Sawgrass et al. mash up of toy stuff.

Reliability is zilch. Cost is high, market potential low.

Contrary to what Jimmy lamb at Sawgrass will tell you about insignificant ink costs for sublimation, the opposite is true due to the high waste. If he put the real world consumption cost into his spreadsheet for overhead, your eyes would pop. You would not believe what it has been actually costing you for production and how low your profit is. Don't forget to include a number for destroyed blanks - eiher duds from the suppliers or those where your pressing did not turn out right. 

Keep at it long enough and you'll see that often what creates a dud is an area which quite noticably does not get any color. You saw ink there when you printed the transfer. So what happened? Look at the transfer image. That area will have a hard, shiny crystaline spot. The ink does that in the press and doesn't transfer. Of course this always happens when you have no extra blanks, you need to deliver the job tomorrow - like a specific number of shirts in specific sizes - and can't get a replacement. So who on the team goes without a shirt?

Yes, it's a wonderful hobby!


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

You retired from the printing business to focus on other priorities. Now you want to come back to it.

The hardware doesn't care about why you ignored it, but now it's where it will be when you don't use it daily.

I wouldn't spend precious hours trying to repair something that costs $150 to replace. Seriously, how much is your time worth?


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## Resu (Oct 16, 2011)

SublimatorToo said:


> That's exactly what a hobby is - something which takes tons of time and money and has no economic return - just like sublimation, as you've learned.
> 
> How do I know? Have been doing it for over 10 years now and I'd hate to compare the revenues to the costs on maintenance, wasted product, wasted ink and other supplies.
> 
> ...


For starters this isn't a personal attack and/or a call to let's debate biz-101, but rather a rebut to let "newbies" know there's always more than one side to everyone's business jewels. I prefer to encourage potential entrepreneurs especially anyone wanting to get into sublimation to follow their dream because they may be the innovator that changes the game for all off us

Now there is some truth in your reply, but I live by the words "one person's hustle is another person's hobby because they don't have to eat of it!!" What does that mean? Simply put if sublimation is your bread and butter to pay your bills, as sure as water is wet you gonna make it work and make a profit. As far as Jimmy Lamb and Sawgrass, they're part of the chain that drives capitalism. We are Jimmy L. and Sawgrass to some degree once we create or market our goods and services. Albeit just on a smaller scale and hopefully we found or find a niche market to garner that word that some think is taboo and/or unattainable with the equipment we can afford-- "profit".

There's plenty of sublimation biz folk out here, me included, making good money on sublimation with Epson WF-xxxx and Epson Stylus Pro 4xxx printers. I can understand if anyone has problems with getting sublimation to work like they see others doing it successfully. That's the beauty of being dedicated to your craft. You'll can set yourself apart from the weekend warriors and toe dippers when it comes to delivering quality goods to customers along with making a profit when you study, experiment and stay in your lane.
By that I mean don't take a full front job if you got a 13" x 19" printer and a 16" x 20" heat press!! Take the job and farm it out and make friends with the big guy. Because he once was small too and if he's really a big guy he's eating off big jobs or he wouldn't be in that big space with all that big equipment!!

I started on the WF-1100 and yes there was a learning curve and wasted items. But if you're savvy and keep accurate books all those wasted tees, mugs, paper, etc. can be written off during tax time. So you really aren't losing anything, but rather getting paid to hone your skills. Today I run several WF-7520's and Epson Stylus Pro 4xxx printers strictly for sublimation and can't complain. Yeah I gotta Sawgrass 400 too, but that's strictly for the wifey when she wants to get mug or Unisub happy.

Now in regards to the Epson 4800's or any other product that a factory tech will repair, 99% of their--the repair tech and manufacturer--recommendations are profit driven. If they tell you a print head is your solution and you gotta give them $1000 plus labor and you agree, your are part of the 99% who keep them in business. If you are the 1% who digs, researches and understands certain Epson printer print heads are compatible across certain printers, you'd laugh while you place an order from Epson.com--the same manufacturer that is trying to sell you a print head for $1000--for a new or refurb printer with a brand new superior print head and resalable components for around $400 with taxes. I would go into detail but that's for the 1% who buck the system when necessary. And no I"m not saying all techs and manufacturers are hosing the consumer. But they have to make a profit too!! Just make sure after your initial big purchase from them you don't get too dependent on every word out their mouths especially if you're using their products contrary to it's OEM purpose.

Now as far as AngelicEndeavour's problem, I agree that she can't expect flawless results when you don't use the printer as suggested by the sublimation community. I found the newer WF-7620/7610/7110 printers to more problems than their so-called advantages warranted and stuck with the WF-7520/7010. But what works for me may not work for you? I'm in it for a profit as I'm not for non-profit when it comes to my craft. But I will donate to non-profits and write if off!!!

I agree it can be a wonderful hobby, but it can also be a profitable hobby when approached as such.

Again, no one take any offense as this is my take on it and I'll gladly share work arounds, tips, etc. with anyone having problems with anything sublimation related I can assist with. I've learned a ton of stuff from the vets here and respect everyone's opinion. I just wanted newbies to know that this ain't no plug and play field!! And you will have to take some "L's" along the way.


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## missmoneyp (Aug 18, 2016)

I have had this exact same problem. In the end I had to place a piece of kitchen towel under the print nozzles and gently squeeze distilled water through and left it over night. Then did a print head clean and them printed a very intense picture and finally it works. Took me days but I got there in the end 

Sent from my SM-A500FU using Tapatalk


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## faloo (Aug 16, 2016)

Wow..I used to think I am alone in this..Mine too started as a hobby then life happens and you don't get to print in a few days or just concerned about the amount of t shirt samples made just to maintain printer head.

My last clog cost me a whopping £900 inclusive of a printer head replacement.
My conclusion is to do more with vinyl and heat press until the orders are rolling in and volume of prints can be sustained before getting a DTG printer. Until then our creative instincts and hobbies will remain liabilities.

Otherwise hobbyists like you and I will continue to waste money on inks,printheads and bank t shirts.

The good practice remains printing white daily(white pigment has Titanium Oxide which is what causes the clogging when not used.) The alternative is not to print on dark t shirts and not use white inks.

Best of luck.


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