Printer Technology Question (Maybe On Topic)

" Dot matrix printing is typically distinguished from non-impact methods, such as inkjet, thermal, or laser printing, which also use a bitmap to represent the printed work. "

Thanks John!!

So there is a "pump" somewhere that could be my issue.

Appreciate the link!! Very Helpful!!

Les

On Fri, 4 Aug 2023 10:27:17 -0400, ABLE1 snipped-for-privacy@nowhere.com wrote as underneath :

AFAIR in the 70s and 80s for all dot-matrix printers we used pre-inked ribbons that eventually dried out and had to be repleced, noisy things! C+

Air pressure. After the droplets are ejected (by thermal or piezo action), less volume is present in the printer head causing a low pressure. The capillary action in the print nozzle prevents ink from flowing back. The pressure in the tank is higher, hence new ink will flow from tank to head.

Arie

Hi Arie,

Thanks, now that does make better sense. Somehow I had a blockage in my printer 'Black' ink. I somehow cleaned or cleared the obstruction yesterday. Now, the printer is back in operation after running about

After all the time spent on working on this problem I am now a more better educated technician than before!! :-)

Later,

Les

Sorptivity

In my experience with perhaps 4-5 inkjet printers (hp, epson) with printing issues, I find the print head is usually clogged. I've read online about many ways to unclog the print head. Nowhere have I seen a chemical, made by the ink mfg, that one could put in place of the ink cartridge to clean/dissolve the clog. Seems ridiculous to me. Repeated cleaning cycles with 'fresh' ink cartridges seems to waste a lot of ink and is not all that effective. If anyone knows of a cleaning solution that works, I'd like to hear about it.

Hi Three_Jeeps,

I will not say that what I did was the real answer, but it seems that I may have been successful. If you (or others) are in for a read I will type out what I did. For the most part was NOT Successful until the end.

Honestly I think it may have been the accumulation of all my attempts that got it fixed.

Again, I will type if there is a decent desire to read.

Les

There are plenty of head cleaning cartridges available. For example:

HP print cartridges have the print head as part of the cartridge. If the head clogs, you recycle the cartridge, buy a new cartridge and continue using the printer. Epson and Brother inkjet printers have the print head as part of the printer. When head clogs, replacing the cartridge does nothing useful. The head needs to be cleaned or the printer ends up as eWaste.

I used 91% isopropyl alcohol for cleaning. The hard part is removing the head from Epson printers. There are videos available for various Epson:

Sorry, but I have no experience with Epson Ecotank printers. However, these videos might help: