Why do problems always happen when you're busy!

[remlap3]

Hi everyone,

New to the forum. I think it's the law of the sods but why is it that things only ever seem to go wrong or you run into problems when you have a lot of work on and are working to tight timelines!?

We use an Epson B1100 for dye sub printing and have 125 mugs to make for a client for Monday morning and the yellow nozzles decided to never produce a full nozzle check today. Of course, yesterday it was fine! Have tried some head cleans, power off/on, leaving it for a few hours and it is still being stubborn. Any suggestions (other than throw it out the window!)?!?!

As well as any suggestions for the problem above does anyone know of any more 'industrial' type dye sub printers? I've gone through 3 or 4 Epson printers over the years as at the end of the day they are home printers, or office printers at best. Does anyone use anything a little more 'substantial' ?

Cheers,
Steve

[Johnny]

I've got a SuperA3 Ricoh 7700 which has only ever moaned once in two years, which needed it's belt cleaning. I've got a B1100 with standard ink as well and that's been going solid for 3/4 years. :s
Maybe try printing a few pages of yellow and see if it clears up. If nothing comes out you've not wasted anything. Or swap out a cartridge and see if it's ink-level-reporting-chip-thing is nakered.

[remlap3]

Thank Johnny, tried printing a load of yellow until it said it needed replacing, which usually works - but still hasn't! Have resorted (at the moment) to power off/mains out and leave it in the hands of the gods for a few hours, which in the past has worked! Who knows?!?
Will definitely look into the Ricohs as I like the idea of the GEL cartridges that don't clog.

[Johnny]

The B1100's have four cartridges right?

From an error checking point of view (I'm not trying to make you look silly!):
Tab's off cartridge heads?
Shaken the cartridges?
Cartridges in the right slots?
Anything clogged in between the cartridge and the dock?
Any torn paper or clogs between the paper and bottom of the head?
Re-install your printer drivers / Try a different computer with the standard printer drivers?
Different USB cable cus of damage/age?
Different USB port?
Turn it upside down and rest it on it's head for half an hour, might help loosen a clogged up something somewhere!

I know half of these might not seen relevant but as a matter of elimination it might tighten up the possibilities.
J.

[remlap3]

It's just a certain area of yellow not working - have taken out and shaken. Will turn upside down and see what happens. I have a spare B1100 just in case so if I cannot get it sorted later I will swap them over to get the job done! Many thanks

[socialgiraffe]

if you fancy a drive to Wisbech I am more than happy to print your artwork and then you can dye sub it ready for Monday. There are probably members here that are closer who might be able to do the same with less driving involved and am just trying to help you get out of the problem you are currently in.

PM me if you want mate.

[remlap3]

Hi Socialgiraffe, many thanks I appreciate that! I will see how I get on a little later and whether the second printer works first though

[socialgiraffe]

No worries.

I am out this evening so will PM my email and mobile number. Text me if you need me to run something and when I get home (about 2am) I will run the sheets ready for the morning. If you want to come up this evening I will get my wife to drag herself away from BGT or The Voice or anything else that is crap and on TV tonight and she will print them

Hopefuly it will not come to that and your second printer will work, but the back up is there if you need it.

[Justin]

I used the B1100 for a while and came to the conclusion it just wasn't suited to sublimation, for me at least. The 1500W on the other hand has been superb. I recently got a Ricoh 7100 and this appears very good as well but you're paying a premium.

[pisquee]

The idea that the gel-ink in the Ricoh printers does not clog is not true, although it was certainly an idea banded around at the time of their initial release. What stops the Ricoh printers from clogging is the automatic head cleans that they do.
If you're seriously considering something more substantial/industrial as a printer, then you're into wide format - take a look at Epson's Stylus Pro models, which start at 17 inch (a2) and go up to aroundt 1.5m wide! We haven't looked back since moving away from the home/office type printers to these, which were obviously made for commercial printing. The Ricohs are still in the home/office category.