John Amiet , Mar 24, 2005; 05:16 p.m.
My 5 month old Epson 1290 printer has stopped with alternate flashing red and green indicator lights. This means a trip to the service centre. I have been told a. the ink pads need replacing. b. the carriage and rail are worn. Complete cost = AU$319.
The printer has a CIS (Continuous Inking System) and since new, has used only 1.5 complete inksets. The ink bottles are 125ml ea. I don’t consider this to be anywhere near excessive use. Because of the CIS, I am not able to claim warranty service. Has anyone had a similar experience, or have an opinion?
Thanks
Answers
Paul McKeown , Mar 24, 2005; 06:16 p.m.
If you can replace the original Epson Carts and remove all traces of the CIS, then you should be able to claim warranty service. Also I think I saw a solution to the alternate flashing red and green indicator lights symptom some time back – it involved switching the printer off and then back on while holding down a certain button combo. Try a google search for these specific terms.
Bill Van Antwerp , Mar 24, 2005; 07:31 p.m.
Paul: I guess I am a little surprised that you would try to fool (or lie to) the Epson folks. That is a little like running your car with no oil until the engine seized and then putting some oil in the crankcase and telling the dealer that you can’t imagine what happened.
Bill
John Amiet , Mar 25, 2005; 12:23 a.m.
Paul, you are right about replacing the original carts, but I don’t have them! I did already try the “sequential button pushing” trick. It didn’t work!
Bill, your engine oil analogy is flawed. I did not run out of ink, I used another “proven” brand on the advice of the retailer to suit my volume needs. ie. Epson carts are ridiculously small and rediculously expensive. I print volumes that call for economy, without quality compromise because I am a photographer. I believe I should be able to select ink, much the same as I select film, for my end purpose. Epson don’t support this theory and therefore risk being “cheated” by end users. I have chosen not to cheat, but not for moral reasons. This is a bad rap for Epson, even though I do prefer their printers. “Catch 22″ I guess.
Yousef, I am now facing buying a second (backup) printer since I now do not trust the original. I will consider your suggestion about the ‘InkRepublic’ CIS. Thanks for the tip.
Jim A , Mar 25, 2005; 02:25 a.m.
To reset the waste pad try here:
http://inksupply.info/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=8
and here
http://www.mwords.co.uk/catalog/articles_info.php?articles_id=107
Glenn Jobson , Mar 25, 2005; 03:12 p.m.
If you have a PC or could hook it up to one you could use the SSC Utility, this would at least let you reset all the counters and they you could find out what the problem is/was…
I think it’s still here…http://www.ssclg.com/epsone.shtml
I have used it with many Epson units I have found in junk shops or even at the tip, one of those, a C70 not has a EZN CFS installed from inksupply.com, after resetting everything I decided it was the waste ink pad COUNTER that was the problem, the pad was nowhere near full, I washed it out anyway, and the printer is great.
Hope this helps…
Glenn @ colour-mad.co.uk
Bill Van Antwerp , Mar 25, 2005; 07:18 p.m.
All analogies are flawed. My point is that you purposely chose to void the manufacturer’s warranty by using the CIS. Going back to claim that you didn’t by removing the CIS and re-installing the original cartridges would be (IMHO) fraud. The better solution would be for the CIS folks to fix your printer if you think the CIS had something to do with the failure. If you think Epson should fix it then I would argue with them, but when you made the decision to put in the CIS, I assume you understood Epson’s warranty. The fact that they charge lots of money for their ink is not justification for trying to scam them. I should point out that I am not aiming this discussion at your direction but rather at those that suggest lying to Epson is the best course. I too use CIS on a Canon printer, when the CIS killed the print head, I argued with the CIS guys to no avail then bought a new printhead and changed ink brands.
Bill
