I need some facts from other users to throw at the repair shop, whose best advice so far is 'if 2 or 3 cleaning cycles don't fix the problem, switch it off for a few hours before trying it again'. Great.
nothing specific, but maybe there's some info here that can help you decipher what's going on...
I don't have any experience with the 2100/2200 but have plenty with other Epson printers. With the 2100/2200 I assume you're probably using Epson inks in Epson carts so the likelihood of some sort of ink incompatibility is slim to none. Most printer missteps that we call clogs are caused by one of two things. First the ink is drying on the surface of the head and blocking the tiny openings; or air is being drawn into the system causing an air bubble of sorts right where ink should be getting delivered. If your printer is in an unusually dry climate that can cause more of the head clogging problems due to ink drying. I know of users of large format Epsons in dry climates that keep a humidifier in the room to prevent just this occurrence. When the head parks, it's typically capped by a sponge mechanism that helps to keep the head from drying out as it cleans excess ink from the surface of the head. If there's something wrong with this system that can cause more clogs.
Getting unwanted air drawn into the system produces an effect just like clog. Certain jets don't fire any ink. This is typically caused by a loose fitting where the pin that draws ink from the cart into the head actually penetrates into the cart. The tiniest bit of excess air in the wrong place can seem like the clog from hell. Cleaning cycle after cleaning cycle won't produce any improvement. Often, letting the printer sit for an extended period will give the air bubble time to move higher in the system where its no longer a problem. To prevent this, make sure that you don't wiggle the carts excessively while inserting them; and be sure that the pins that pierce the carts to draw ink are clean and smooth.
One last note. When you run cleaning cycles, do it from the print driver, not the buttons on the printer. If you do them this way you'll notice a variety of different types of cleaning cycles happen. For instance, the second one will be more aggressive than the first because the driver knows that you already tried once and didn't achieve the desired result.
Bob Smith
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