I have been running Piezography Pro in my EU P900 successfully since December.
It has now decided to stop working. The printer just runs what I think are continuous cleaning cycles. It has already dumped a lot of ink into the maintenance tank.
Now when I switch it on it says the print head ‘may be damaged’ and to run a nozzle check. But when I try and run the nozzle check the cleaning cycles just start up again and it does not print anything.
I assume the printer is now no good and probably not worth repairing. It is 15 months old.
If I buy a new P900 can I just initiate a new fill with my Piezography cartridges from the old printer?
Or should I consider a different printer and if so what? I don’t need bigger than A2.
Thanks for reaching out. This is indeed an unusual situation, and we don’t have any similar reports in our current tech logs.
Regarding your options for a new printer compatible with your existing cartridges:
New Epson P900 (European Model): If you were to purchase a new Epson P900 from Europe (specifically, not a USA model), you would be able to initialize it using the EU chip versions on your current set of cartridges.
No Other New Options (Same Size): Unfortunately, at this time, the EU P900 is the only new printer available in that size range that would be compatible with your existing cartridges.
However, if you are open to considering a refurbished option:
Refurbished 17" Printers from arditos.com: You could explore refurbished and warrantied 17-inch printers available from arditos.com. They are currently refurbishing both the Epson 3880 and the Epson P800.
New Cartridges Required: Please note that your current cartridges will not fit these 17-inch models. You would need to purchase a new set of refillable cartridges specifically designed for either the 3880 or the P800.
P800 Chipless Firmware: If you opt for a refurbished P800 from them, it will require the installation of chipless firmware to work with refillable cartridges. Arditos.com should be able to handle this firmware installation for you.
Thanks for your reply. I don’t think I can use a refurb from an American dealer shipping to the UK. It would cost too much to have it shipped. I already have a 3880 but I think it is on its way out and there is a loose part in the print head making a noise. It is 12 years old and loaded with Roark’s Eboni inks. I want to stick with your Piezo inks which I have invested a lot of time and money into already. It is a great system.
One concern is that the P900 looks like a toy next to other printers in the same class. I have a Canon Pro 1000 for colour which costs about the same but is built like a tank in comparison.
After looking at used prices online I am thinking about getting a 24" printer. I used to have a 7800, but 7880s and the like with good nozzle checks are actually much less that a new P900 if you are prepared to pick them up from the seller.
How much would it realistically cost to convert a colour 7880 to piezography? How much ink would I need to buy to init fill or clear the colour ink out of the lines?
I thought you were in the USA and had imported your P900 from EU.
INIT FILL Ink Usage:
The Epson 7880 uses 28ml of ink per channel during the initial fill procedure.
Persistent Pigment Staining:
We’ve observed that magenta and yellow pigments are particularly prone to causing stubborn staining within the printer’s ink system, especially in the ink dampers.
Running two standard INIT FILL cycles with Piezography ink might not completely eliminate this staining. Some residual pigment will likely remain on the ink damper screens.
However, rest assured that over time, the Piezography inks will help to gradually break down and dissipate this residual staining during regular printing.
Optimal Cleaning with PiezoFlush:
For a more thorough cleaning, we strongly recommend using PiezoFlush instead of Piezography inks for two INIT FILL cycles.
PiezoFlush is specifically formulated with chemicals designed to soften and dissolve accumulated pigment, making it significantly more effective at clearing the ink lines.
This will provide the best possible results when transitioning to Piezography inks.
I have read today that the P900 has to be initially primed with the cartridges that come with the printer and not alternatives so if I go this route I will still have to put the piezo ink after the epson.
I guess I should order some piezo flush to then clear out the lines. Last time I didn’t do this and the yellow was particularly hard to get rid of.
The cartridges that we sell require the OEM chips to be placed on them. The coding for the first initialization is embedded in the OEM chips. So you could remove them from the starter carts and put them on the refill carts. After initialization you should be able to use the chip resetter to reset them. If you are moving your carts over to a new P900 you may need to do some chip swapping… But maybe not! Give it a try first with the existing chips. However, they would need to be shown to be full. So reset them first.
I think I have decided to go with a used P800. They come up for sale quite often here in the UK and seem much more robust than the P900. I can get refillable cartridges here in the UK and I have a full set of piezo pro inks.
Is there anything else I would need to know about this printer?
I bought my P800 in 2020 specifically for Piezography Pro at the same time I ordered the P900 (that I use for color) since Epson had a rebate on them at the time. Since I’m in NA, I use the chipless solution software on the P800. Have not had any problems (with software or clogs) in all that time.