Stylus Pro 4000.

[socialgiraffe]

I like everything to match so will probably want more for different applications.

Nik, as you expand your range this will not be possible unless you want to restrict your business. As an example, the printer you have just purchased is superb for glossy prints and canvasses, one could argue they are one of the best. But they are not so good at banners or stickers due to the ink they use. It would be better to get a Roland (for example). So do you get another Epson which will look neat but hinder your growth or do you go with the better suited printer and grow the business

Just saying

[soulclaimed]

You can as I do use it for T-shirt transfers canvasses posters etc mine is a 4800 and I got it for £500 but same size etc by the looks odnit and 8 inks give awesome color quality I use inks that are Epson xolour matched too

[pisquee]

After moving away from an Epson 1400 with CISS and Artainium inks, we got a Stylus Pro 4000 for art prints, and a 4400 (4 colour version of the 4000) for sublimation work - so kind of a matched set - I did like having a pair of matching printers, and this stayed with us for upgrading both to 7600s, although we only have the sublimation printer on the 9600 now, and kept the art printer as the 7600 as we don't do enough art prints over A1 to want that size - we'd spend too long guillotining the papers down to size!

[NikGrey]

Really hoping I can do Tee Shirt transfers with this, at the moment I keep asking a special member here for small orders which I know is a pain for him.. would be lovely to make these in house.
It's cutting them accurately thats the problem, mind you - I'm not adverse to using a pair of scissors.

Just about ready to make the journey to Grimsby - just waiting for my Maconalds breakfast to arrive with the missus returning from work..

I am worried that Transfers may not last very well as I will be using a water based ink ?

[soulclaimed]

The inks I have are pigment based and I use mine for transfers jet pro software stretch transfers work great and if cut close with scissors you can't see the edge I'm due to get some a3 3g jet opaque and will contour cut with my vinyl cutter. the dye inks won't last as well although some might say otherwise.

[NikGrey]

I am going for Pigment ink.

I have the printer, got another Waste Tank and a chip resetter for £12 which I thought was ok.

He did offer me some empty carts (220ml) for me to refill at £2 each but as I have some new ones coming I declined - The display is telling me slots 5 and 6 are low, I did a nozzle check and there is nothing from No2 (Cyan) - I am wondering, for now if I can fill these with the Dye Inks I used to refill my domestic Epson carts with?

I will bin these carts when my new ones come and I have the new ink of course.

I just want to do something right now for testing?

Oh, it does have a roller - and a Network card which is handy since everything here is networked.

It's a bloody big machine and takes Two to move it - not due to weight but its sheer size.

[soulclaimed]

Yeah they are beasts I want to go bigger though canvasses are great at a3 and quality is great but a3 isn't the greatest although it can do panoramas I printed a meter long Berlin skyline and I'm very happy with it. You have to Mae sure you do as custom print size and If it has a built in cutter turn off in print settings as I've read that canvas can same the blade.

[Steve]

Nik,

DO NOT PUT DYE INK IN PRINTER

Sorry for caps, I recently had a 4600 that has recently died that I replaced with a 4800, I tried to clean the head and during the time I spent looking on the net for information, I found that the head on a 4600 at least IS ink dependant, some printer allow you to change ink type but you have to purge the system, if the print head on your printer is Pigment then you MAY cause MAJOR problems trying out some dye ink.

Not sure if I am 100% correct but this is what I found and I wouldn't want you to BLOW your printer up unnecessarily.

Steve

Another word of advice, always print something regular, I have a program that send nozzle check to all of my epsons it has save me a few times.

[pisquee]

Sorry for caps, I recently had a 4600 that has recently died ...Another word of advice, always print something regular.

There is a huge difference between the Epson CX4600 and the Epson Stylus Pro 4000
There were dye and pigment inks available for this range of printers AFAIR, I would say that it's best to flush inks with cleaner before changing any ink type, but in general water based inks should be fine.

In our experience since moving to the Stylus Pros (and Inktec ink) we have not had problems with clogging even with going away on holiday for a few weeks.

[NikGrey]

Thanks all, I have decided not to try anything in the mean time before I find proper ink - I will just leave this machine alone until I can give it the proper fuel.

I gave it a proper clean earlier, it seems like it has never been cleaned.

So, as I am sure I have a good machine here (less than 3000 prints and the system tells me it still has at least 81% service life left) I will wait.

Have to save up my pennies though, its not cheap to buy the ink in the quantity I want - may have to sell my restored 1978 Honda but needs must.

Thanks for all of the advice by the way - it is appreciated, I have no idea about this stuff yet but as usual am learning fast