kcinnick

TGBE is really expensive... My pro 4880 is down because either the automatic sheet feeder sensor or motor went out... I don't need the feeder but you know the printer won't run without every single part being operational.  My sensor and motor assembly arrive tomorrow.  My 4900 went down tonight because the light cyan cart chip won't read... and my 9900 won't run because the left waste tank won't read...  again, another part you don't need unless you are printing really wide AND borderless.  I HOPE the 4880 is printing tomorrow... but the nozzle checks came out fine after pooling with the Epson cleaner.  $19.95 delivered from Melco for 700ml is pretty cheap for a good cleaner.

How long between printing and powdering?  Do you know your humidity?  Lots of people have been having similar issues with humidity and it also happens when you don't let the ink dry before curing.  

2 hours ago, AMartinez said:

You know what, it could be the carts, I have changed the carts a few times to fix the issue after failed attempts with nozzle cleanings.  I assumed maybe the carts stopped working in those cases.  So how would I go about refilling oem carts?!  I didn't know that was possible.  Chinese carts only hold like 17ml anyways right?

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChaf0ywGcq3xhOAV28WVCZw

This guy is pretty enthusiastic about refilling OEM carts.

7 minutes ago, AMartinez said:

Ya that's what I'm currently waiting for, it was supposed to be out in feb, so hopefully it comes out soon.  I'm using the ekprint demo meanwhile but the limitations of the demo are driving me nuts.

 

Also unrelated to program, the magenta in my xp15000 is constantly clogging, but only the magenta, haven't had any other issues not even with white. What could be the issue?  Ink related? Nozzle related? Chinese carts don't like magenta?!  I'm using Andy's ink

Are you sure it is clogging and not a bad cartridge?  Aftermarket carts are not reliable for the XP 15000 and most people are switching to refilling OEM carts.  The drawback is they only hold 12-15mL of usable ink.

6 minutes ago, AMartinez said:

Ya I have no problem paying for the full program, I rather not take any unnecessary risks.  I have used cracked programs in the past and there is almost always quirks that come along with that.  I do appr coated the heads up though.

I would buy 11 if it was available...  

XP15000 heads are relatively cheap so that would be good if they fit the et.  I don't see the point in printing 720X720, that is what the Chinese machines do and they don't produce near the image a desktop can produce, I guess it would be OK for simple designs.  I understand they do that for speed.  

I'll time the printer when I get it up and running.  

I can't find anything on the ET 8550 print head, not even a replacement.  As far as specs I don't see why it would be much different than the XP 15000 but the 8550 is listed as much faster and most reviews have the 15000 as a better quality photo printer.  

7 minutes ago, anum11 said:

Just stating 4880 is not same with 4900 and p5000. It should be slower than other 2 and their parts are not replaceable between 4880 and other 2 models

Yeah but the guy wanted $250 for it with $500+ worth of 220mL extra carts with it.  After I sell the carts it will at least be a free printer...

I paid more for the 4900 but that was what I was looking for in the first place, a 4900 or 5000.  

1 hour ago, anum11 said:

4880 uses dx5 printhead, 4900 uses 10 channel 3600 nozzle printhead. They are diffirent. 4900 is older version of p5000.

I know they are different... what is your point?

4 hours ago, johnson4 said:

 

xp15000 isn’t great unless you design your own ink system. 
 

 

They are having really good results refilling the OEM carts for the XP15000.  It is solving most of the issues people have with the XP15000.  The drawback is that you only have about 15mL of useable capacity in the OEM cart if you get it 100% full and many people are only getting 12-13mL in them.  I wanted a P5000 but I started looking hard and picked up a 4900 and 4880 for less than a 1/3 of what a P5000 cost.  I will watch the Epson store and pick one up if they hit the refurb shop though.

Well, if I could just buy a few P800's that is what I would have done!  I still watch the used markets for deals, like the P4880 printer I picked up, I wasn't looking for that printer but I think it will work out just fine.  Hopefully they work out the chip situation and RIP software issues with the P900 so that becomes an option in the future. Out of the new printers you have the XP15000, the P5000 and the P6000 if you want carts, and well the P6000 needs expensive chips every ink change.  The P5000 can be reset and the XP15000 has its drawbacks. 

I am aware of the dubious development of acrorip but its huge advantage is no limits on printers.  I already have 2 different types of printers and I fully plan to get a P5000.  I don't mind paying for a new release of 11 but I wasn't about to pay full price for 10.5 with no upgrade path to 11.   I am going to do the cadlink and ekprint demo's to try them out, I am just waiting on parts and accessories.  Shipping stuff these days is so slow.

5 hours ago, johnson4 said:

The hacked versions of software I will never recommend. Always something wonky with them. That's the last thing you need when starting up, I went through that with Acro 9 thinking it was my setup. If on a budget, you could also just use acro 9,  It's even cheaper and available just about anywhere you look and will likely work the same way- with the exception of a few additional printers. 

It is really short sited for acrorip to not offer an upgrade path from 10 to 11, it is a hard pill to swallow to pay $400 for software that is being replaced any day now.  

5 hours ago, AMartinez said:

Oh man thanks for the heads up, I think that alone makes it worth waiting for, that would definitely improve workflow.

I don't think it is that big of deal ganging a 13X19 sheet but man would that save some time on rolls.  I wasn't planning on roll printing but you know, things change...  If you want 10.3 or 10.5 for a stop gap the non us resellers have dongles for as little as $17.. maybe cheaper.

On 9/13/2021 at 1:51 PM, St0neD said:

 

I have been busy over the last few days getting my Epson P600 and Epson 4880 converted to print with DTF inks.

 

 

 

How is your 4880 going?  I am converting one soon, waiting on my chip resetter to arrive.  Did you need to build an output tray?  

36 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

Sounds like a solid plan. The ink is mainly water, glycol and pigment. I'll have to pick up some of the glycol ether, sounds like a nice solvent. 

This is what is listed on the MSDS.

TRIETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOBUTYL ETHER

I think the glycerin/glycol is going to be enough for 99% of cleaning tasks.  I picked up a Pro 4880 today for less than the cost of a XP 15000 so I will get to try it out soon enough.  All colors print fine except black which has two white dots in the nozzle check.  The waste tank is "full" so I can't do much until my chip resetter gets here.  

12 hours ago, xcore said:

This is a bit off topic but as we speak about cleaning, the best thing I found is Epson cleaning cartridge T736000. It is cheap (20-30$ per 700ml) and very effective. 

I use a syringe to get the cleaning solution out of the cartridge. I have unclogged DTF, DTG heads many times. My F2000 head was left idle for 3 months in very very dry place, it was badly clogged so I just partially soaked it in T736000 for couple days and it was like 'brand new' 🙂

That cartridge is water, glycerol, "organic compounds" and glycol ether.  

The organic compounds probably don't do jack, the glycerol and glycol ether are what cleans things up, well and the water.  You need lots of water to dilute glycerol, that stuff is pretty thick.  Lots of cleaners use glycerol, you can get it cheapest at tractor supply, it is one my list of things to pick up.  I don't see a good source for the ether they use, but that is probably only needed in really bad cases.  I plan to clean my printer if it is going to sit more than a day.

Theoretically ammonia, alcohols and ethers should all dissolve the inks used in DTF, what I don't want to do is mess up a print head with something that doesn't agree with it.  I am sure I will find something.

1 hour ago, johnson4 said:

That is what this website was for actually, DIY DTG from epson printers. 

 

No I just meant I would rather use water instead of Windex or alcohol. from real world use, they sucked for me. I actually do flush with water though, I only use cleaner to clean things like the capping station or to sit in the lines then flush out with water. 

 

I honestly don't remember what " salt" it was, After it worked I decided not to keep using it just in-case. I mainly did it out of curiosity. 

I realize this forum is for DTG conversions now, I just never discovered it before I found out about realistic DTF printing.

SO the question I still have is what are you using for a cleaner besides water!  I do have to say using water as a daily clean up to keep things fresh does sound appealing.  There are tons of things in the lab that get cleaned with nothing but water because soap is bad for them.  

18 hours ago, johnson4 said:

Windex is honestly a waste, I tried that about 6 years ago, I might as well have just used water. It never helped, actually made it worse usually. Windex is made to dry quickly, you don't want that. You want the opposite of that, a humectant really. Alcohol doesn't work well either because of the same, at least not with water based inks. With Solvent inks or UV inks, OEM pigment inks, Alcohol works well. With water-based pigment inks, I've only seen it make it worse, or do nothing. 

 

Thats my experience with it anyway. 

 

Your cleaner should be able to almost " melt" dried ink. I use it all the time to remove dried up crud, melts it like butter. If all it does is the same thing as water and doesn't actually react to the ink in a way that is beneficial, not through speculation but through actual hands on testing- I'd just use water. 

Wait, so you use just water for cleaning?  I know people use water for capping but I thought everyone was using some sort of sort of cleaning solution for cleaning lines and running in cleaning carts.  I know water cleans up these wet inks very easily.   Seems the most common solutions used are diluted windex with ammonia and diluted ammonia sometimes with an alcohol or detergent added but honestly I have no idea what is best.  

As far as the "salt" they are using calcium salts in DTG.  What did you try?  I think it might be as simple as calcium carbonate but I have never messed with DTG.  I MIGHT play with it after I get DTF rolling, I didn't realize you could convert an epson printer for DTG.

2 hours ago, johnson4 said:

I did come up with a badass cleaner that seems to rejuvenate all my head issues- could just be good luck though. So far I have saved two printheads that would otherwise be in the trash.  
 

 

Please let us know what is in your cleaner!  Capping solutions and cleaning solutions for carts is what I am looking into now.  I have picked up windex with ammonia and ammonia to have on hand.  I keep 91% ISA on hand for other uses so I always have that.  

So these are water based inks so you will use water as your solvent.  I don't know why ink would get thick in a sealed bottle stored properly in 6 months.  I have used reagents that are less stable from the 90's recently... our lab was shipped mis labeled bottles and I had to do something that didn't necessarily need standardized reagents... and they worked like they should.  Now I would never have used them for commerce and I didn't risk clogging a $XXX print head.  My degree path is not as a chemist and not as a biologist but it does involve working in the lab with both of those disciplines.   We have all the equipment to determine exactly what is in these inks but the lab frowns upon reverse engineering products... unless they want to reverse engineer something for use in the lab!

I have acro 10.5 on the way, waiting on my dongle...   I am still waiting on some stuff from Aliexpress so it isn't a big deal I don't have it yet.  I see some sellers saying 10.5 supports the P5000.  I give it a month before I have one... but then I would want a shaker to go with it.

On 2/10/2022 at 12:47 PM, johnson4 said:

I did not go that route. I’m still using my p800’s. The p5000 technically should be twice as fast as the p800, or 24 sq ft an hour plus two additional spot color/spare channels. BUT I haven’t bought one to try, $1800 is a lot. 

So what RIP where you looking at for the P5000.    I know $1800 is a big chunk for a printer but the other options are $1k+ for less performance.  What on earth do you do with all the channels!  I just bought 2 more DK presses so the printer cost actually isn't even the main expense for me.

My only thought is that ink is cheaper than printheads.  WAY cheaper.