Any hope for a printer that won't print?

[Dustbunny]

A couple of years ago I bought an Epson all in one to replace my Lexmark which no longer worked because the ink dried up or something. Well here we go again and I've had it.

I rarely use the printer (usually it's the scanner which gets the workout) which is probably the source of the problem but it wasn't with the Epson to date. Meanwhile last summer I ran out of ink so I bought brand new Epson ink and all was fine. I used it a bit, but again, not much and the other day I wanted to print a document and nothing... did nozzle clean/check yadda yadda, nothing, none of the colours or the black. Checked ink levels and they're at half so there is still ink. Gave the cartridges some shakes, and there is ink coming out of the cartridges, but still nothing prints.

Is there something I can do to get this thing printing again?

[Frankie3s]

A couple of years ago I bought an Epson all in one to replace my Lexmark which no longer worked because the ink dried up or something. Well here we go again and I've had it.

I rarely use the printer (usually it's the scanner which gets the workout) which is probably the source of the problem but it wasn't with the Epson to date. Meanwhile last summer I ran out of ink so I bought brand new Epson ink and all was fine. I used it a bit, but again, not much and the other day I wanted to print a document and nothing... did nozzle clean/check yadda yadda, nothing, none of the colours or the black. Checked ink levels and they're at half so there is still ink. Gave the cartridges some shakes, and there is ink coming out of the cartridges, but still nothing prints.

Is there something I can do to get this thing printing again?

Epson's are famously known for clogging up. You could try and use rubbing alcohol on the print head with a Q-tip. I've ditched the Epson and have gone with an HP that has separate ink tank technology. So far so good.

[eelfliw]

I have an Epson 1520 printer with the same problem - Clogged print head. Paid $700 + tax for the printer year ago. Now, potentially all that money is going down the drain.

I tried all kinds of so-called "fixes". Windex, rubbing alcohol, magic "cleaning solution", syringe + rubber tubing, etc etc. None worked. I eventually had enough and disassembled the printer. Soaked the print head in alcohol for 3 days and blotted out all the ink. Still has problems (reports out of ink even though I put in a new Epson ink cartridge). Wasted 3 brand new Epson ink cartridges.

My last resort, the Epson repair shop, wants $400 to fix the printer. At that price, I simply told them I won't buy an Epson printer ever again. If you don't print much at all, get a laser all-in-one. If you need to print photos, take it to a print shop. Some offer 8X10 prints for as little as $4 a sheet.

I was planning to get an Epson R3800 for the 8 color Ultrachrome K3 ink. I won't bother now. The repair cost for a commonly broken part should not be that expensive. If Epson lowers the cost of replacement heads to $100, I will be their customer again. As it is, I'll spend my money at print shops.

[canadiancynosure]

Depending on how much you paid for it, might be easier to just go to the store and buy a new one. You can pick up a pretty good quality Canon for $100 (which when you think about it, is the price of two cartridges).

Unfortunately if you only use your printer intermitently, clogging is likely to happen over time.

[Dustbunny]

Nuts. Sounds like the thing is doomed. I hate when that happens. I have so had it with printers between the ink costs and being unreliable.

[Angela V]

I have an all in one RX500 Epson. Got it about 4 years ago. You need to print something once a week so the ink doesn't dry or clog. If I haven't been printing, I do a nozzle check. Doesn't use much ink and keeps the printer good. I've used this printer a lot for my scrapbooking. The last printer I had, I didn't use it so much (Lexmark) and the ink kept drying. If you find a way to fix it or get a new one, just make sure you use the printing part.