Craig's Linux Notes: Epson C80

Epson C80

I had an Epson C80, a 4 color ink jet printer, for about a year and a half before the ink jets stopped working. Output was decent on glossy paper, though reds in particular were noticably dull.

Epson's Durabrite inks are actually ink that sit on top of the paper, rather than the dye, which most "ink" jets use (dye absorbs into the paper). Sometimes I wish I had bought the 6 ink model for better color reproduction, but for the most part the output looks nice, especially on glossy paper.

Epson is well supported under Linux due primarily to the company's cooperation with Linux developers. From this perspective, Epson is a great choice. On the other hand, the C80 clogged a lot, and many times I wish I had bought something other than an Epson!

Due to clogs, I thought it had died several times. In any case, I was ready to kill the thing. But each time, I managed to ressurect it. The following are notes about how I maintain my printer. Another fine resource is FixYourOwnPrinter.com. Finally, all of the jets except the red ones stopped working, and I bought an HP Photosmart 7350.

Before buying a printer, verify printer support at LinuxPrinting.org and check for common problems at FixYourOwnPrinter.com.

Printer Driver

For the Epson C80. I used CUPS with gimp-print. Works great!

Printer Monitoring & Control

The following commands are useful in monitoring and controlling the Epson C80 printer. Change the device as appropriate:

Checking Ink Level

/usr/local/bin/escputil --ink-level --new --raw-device /dev/usb/lp0 --model C80

Print nozzle test pattern

/usr/local/bin/escputil --nozzle-check --new --raw-device /dev/usb/lp0 --model C80

Clean the nozzles

/usr/local/bin/escputil --clean-head --new --raw-device /dev/usb/lp0 --model C80

Non-OEM Inks

I save money sometimes by using non-Epson inks. They look OK, but I have suspicions that they tend to dribble out the jets and drip onto my paper. Epson claims these inks will ruin the printer or clog more, but I have just as much trouble with Epson's inks.

Dirty heads/smudging

After a time, the underside of the ink jet mechanism became dirty. Symptom: dark smudges on the paper. To clean it:

Turn off the printer.

Move the ink carrier by hand out to the middle of the track. To do this, you must flip the little white locking finger at the base of the carrier. It's easy to do with a pen point. If you don't know what I'm talking about, turn on the printer and watch the base of the carrier as it moves back and forth, and you will see it flipping forward. It's at the left side at the base of the ink carrier.

Flip the paper thickness lever to "envelope".

Fold a paper towel so it will fit in the trough between the pull-in and push-out rollers. Some people use coffee filters folded to fit in the trough.

Slide the ink carrier over the paper towel, being careful that it slides underneath and doesn't bunch up. Black gunk should be apparent on the paper. Slide the head from side to side only! Do not pry, lift, or twist it!

Repeat with a new towel, and after the carrier is over the paper, move the paper thickness lever to "normal".

Repeat until the paper comes out a lot cleaner than when you started. The paper will draw ink out of the jets, so expect some small ink spots.

Remove the paper, reset the thickness lever, and turn the printer on. The printer will figure out that the carrier was moved, and reset itself.
Use the head alignment and cleaning software to clean the innards, as by following these instructions you have no doubt shoved some ink up the wrong color nozzle.

Clogged Jets

After prolonged non-use, high ambient temperatures, or possibly incompatible inks, the ink jets may become clogged. The symptom of clogged jets is white horizontal lines on the paper where ink did not print (each line corresponds to one clogged jet). Try the following, in order, to unclog the jets.

Let the printer sit, power off, for a few hours. Sometimes this magically unclogs most jets when all other techniques seem to make matters worse.

Run the head cleaning and alignment software several times. When the test pattern prints with no gaps, the clog is gone. Print the test pattern either from the computer or by holding down the "paper" button for 5 seconds as you turn on the printer.

Print a test image with large blocks of color and black at high resolution. By the end of the page, the gaps may be gone.

Let the heads sit on a paper towel soaked with a mild dish soap solution. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap in the printing area before inserting the wet paper towel. If the jets are really clogged, let it sit for awhile (a long time is an hour). Monitor the paper towel occasionally to see how much of your expensive ink is being drawn out onto the paper. See Dirty Heads/Smudging for instructions on how to position the paper towel. Afterwards, run the alignment/cleaning software to clear the jets.

Remove the ink cartridges and put the paper towel in place with plastic wrap underneath. Get ahold of some 1/8" ID vinyl tubing and a plastic hobby syringe. Fit one end of the tubing over the end of the syringe. Heat some water and suck it into the syringe. Fit the other end of the tubing over one of the ink intake stubs on the ink carrier. Slowly squeeze the water into the ink jet head. Too much pressure, and it will leak out of the tubing and into the carrier bed, which does no good. Or damage the jets. After half a syringe, move the carrier and verify that the a bunch of ink and water has come through the jets. Repeat for all ink colors until the paper towel is clear of ink. For stubborn clogs, let the thing soak for awhile. Dab away excess water, reinstall inks, and print the alignment pattern.

This hot water procedure doesn't always restore ink jet functioning, but does clear out the ink. When the printer is turned back on, sometimes the test pattern prints nothing at all! Place a damp paper towel under the print head for some time to draw the ink through the heads and try the test pattern again later.

What also might work

Someone on the Internet suggested that keeping the printer turned off when not in use is the best way to keep the jets clear. It seems to work sometimes.
Mild dish soap in the hot water. Might clear out the ink faster, but might also leave residue inside the delicate innards. Very hot water works pretty well on it's own.

Powering off the printer and then unplugging it for at least 10 seconds. This will clear the "when was the last cleaning cycle" memory, and force a new one when you turn it back on.

Red Epson cleaning solution. Haven't tried it yet, as very hot water works well. Might be a good option for ink that has dried for a long time.
Coffee filters rather than paper towels. Someone suggested coffee filters. They are less likely to leave fibers behind, and can be flattened against the heads (unlike textured paper towels).

Lay a sheet of plastic wrap (e.g. Saran or Cling Wrap) in the printing area before inserting paper towels or coffee filters (1-1/2" wide strips).

What did not work too well

Windex (non-ammonia) in the syringe.
Clearing the heads with air after the ink is gone. I mean air pushed in from a syringe. Compressed air is too powerful and a definite no-no.

Alcohol.

Filling empty ink cartridges with cleaning solution and then "printing" with them (apart from being extremely difficult to clean and fill, the cartridge's level sensor does not allow refilling, so the printer believes the cartridges are empty and refuses to print).

Cleaning the head from below

Need to take apart the printer to do this. Do not remove the print head from the rail,as this may ruin the alignment.

Unplug all cables. Don't wear nice clothes.
Remove the rear power supply cover: remove three rear screws on rear cover, slide cover down, then pull bottom away from case.
Remove gray top assembly: remove three rear screws just below transparent top cover. Cover must be up to access middle screw. Slide head assembly to center of rail, and applying slight upward pressure on gray top assembly, slip a small pry bar beneath the locking tab hidden behind the print head on the side beige wall. Unlock each tab along the front in turn. For the remaining side wall, move the paper thickness lever to the "envelope" position, and slip the pry bar between the beige and gray plastic directly next to the now-vertical lever. (The lever need not stay in that position.)
Remove the side walls: remove the screws holding the walls to the base, 4 near the head parking area and 2 on the other side. A magnetic tip, narrow screw driver would be very useful right now. Unlock the locking tab near the base of the paper exit chute. Wiggle the walls up and off. Lifting the paper exit chute first helps. Don't touch the clear plastic encoder wheels.
Remove base: remove two large recessed screws on either side of the black metal plate, loosen the small bolt at the right side of the paper exit chute, and release the plastic clips at the rear at the base of the paper holder. Lift out print assembly and place on newspaper. (What's that brackish goop collected in the base, and what happens when it fills up? It's called planned obsolescense.)
Remove the black metal backing plate (what the print head travels across, and what keeps the paper from sagging as it is being printed on): remove the two screws at either end of the plate. Push up on the white plastic exit guides to release from the backing plate. Slide the backing plate out the top of the printer.
Slide the print head to the middle of the track.
Flip the printer onto it back side and inspect the heads. Clean heads with water-soaked Q-tips, followed by dry Q-tips.
For a super deep clean, press a paper towel dampened with a mild soap solution against the heads to pull the ink out. Insure that all colors are flowing.
Clean head suckage assembly: remove the gizmo below the head parking area by removing the two end screws and the metal bracket screws. Clean the rubber squeege and fiber squeege brush under warm water. Gently separate the pump/squeege from the rubber head sucker (hint: fully extend the squeege), including the hose at the fitting. Run warm water through the whole thing, insuring that squeege is (mostly) clean and the hoses are (mostly) clear. I used an automotive vacuum gauge to insure that the head sucker was clear.
Assemble the printer in reverse order.

Results: Heads are still clogged. I feel better for having taken the thing apart, but I don't think it improved anything.

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	Copyright © 2003 Craig Lawson
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