Author Topic: Turning off Epson 820 (Read 2579 times)

Francine Eisner · « **on:** June 21, 2007, 12:24:12 PM »

Hi guys,

After several years of suffering clogged printer heads, I found a thread on another forum stating that the Epson Inkjet 820 should always be turned off when not in use, as this device has (1) In the off position a mechanism for protecting the nozzles from drying out and (2) An automatic "mini-clean" cycle when it is turned on. I was also advised that this is best done by FIRST turning off the printer in the control panel and THEN unplugging it. In OS X (as far as I know) there is no control panel nor prefs that can shut down the printer, and trying to depress the on button doesn't work. Is this a job for AppleScript? Please advise. If so, I will take a crack at it (been meaning to for ages). Otherwise, I will just unplug the &*^% thing...!

Cheers,
Francine

Paddy · « **Reply #1 on:** June 21, 2007, 01:51:47 PM »

Francine, the power button on the Epson is what you need to use - I don't know why it isn't working. You cannot achieve the same result by simply unplugging it - turning it off "parks" the print heads so that they are capped, from what I've read. Unplugging doesn't allow that to happen.

Manual for the 820 here, with 800 number for Epson on page 53:

http://ftp.epson.com/pdf/pho820/pho820pb.pdf

chriskleeman · « **Reply #2 on:** June 21, 2007, 02:10:25 PM »

Hi Francine,

After using Epson printers for a long time, I can tell you that what Paddy says is true. Sometimes the printer won't shut off if it thinks it has a job in que, so check your printer utility to see if there's a job pending. And sometimes, unplugging it will reset it, and then maybe the power switch will work.

Did you check your mail?

Chris K

Francine Eisner · « **Reply #3 on:** June 21, 2007, 04:04:02 PM »

Thanks...!

Yes, unplugging it did the job. I was able to turn it off afterward, by holding down the on/off button for a few seconds.

Cheers,
Francine

sandbox · « **Reply #4 on:** June 21, 2007, 05:32:10 PM »

Francine you may still need to check the printer que as chris has suggested because you may have a pending job(s) in there.

I usually shut off my printers if I have no use for them that day, but you can cause additional problems if you send a job to the que when it's turned off. Newer software seems to deal with the need to delete the job and start again, but not always, and if it doesn't handle the problem your forced to delete the que manually.

Another point, do not turn it on and shut it off more than needed, that will force the head to clean itself at every on cycle and you'll waste ink, saturate the heads and get blotches or drag marks, from the flood of accumulated ink.

Francine Eisner · « **Reply #5 on:** June 21, 2007, 07:23:15 PM »

Oh, yeah...forgot to mention that I knew about that.

The first thing I always do is check the queue when there is a printer problem. I got used to doing that at various places I worked, on Windows computers.

I don't know if turning off the printer will solve the stuck nozzle problem, but if it does, it sure will save me a lot of money on ink. Lately I've had to clean the nozzle 3 times before I used it, every single time, or it printed only blank pages.

Cheers,
Francine

Xairbusdriver · « **Reply #6 on:** June 21, 2007, 09:55:20 PM »

QUOTE

Lately I've had to clean the nozzle 3 times before I used it, every single time, or it printed only blank pages.

Is that before or after you started shutting it OFF when not in use? If the heads aren't 'parked' ( usually by turning the printer OFF ), the heads are exposed to air constantly and the ink in them will dry. Indoor humidity levels are probably around 20% unless your house is air-conditioned, in that case the level may be closer to 5 - 10%! And sometimes Winter-time heating can make things just as bad.

So, you have two options:
1. Turn the printer(s) off until you need them ( keeps the heads 'parked' ).
2. Move them out doors where the humidity levels may be high enough to avoid the air drying. You'll probably not want to use your front porch, however.

As for ink costs, remember, these printers are only secondarily made to make prints. Their primary use is to use up the ink in the carts the company sells. Most people are finally becoming aware of how little ink is actually in those Name-brand carts. Replacement carts, with refill caps, are available for 99% of all Epson printers ( and many others, as well ). For the price of a new 'filled' cart, you can usually buy at least an 8 oz. bottle of ink. They are very reliable, easy to use and refill and the good systems use excellent inks that will not harm the printer in any way, shape or form.

Francine Eisner · « **Reply #7 on:** June 21, 2007, 10:07:35 PM »

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Jun 21 2007, 10:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE

Lately I've had to clean the nozzle 3 times before I used it, every single time, or it printed only blank pages.

Is that before or after you started shutting it OFF when not in use? If the heads aren't 'parked' ( usually by turning the printer OFF ), the heads are exposed to air constantly and the ink in them will dry. Indoor humidity levels are probably around 20% unless your house is air-conditioned, in that case the level may be closer to 5 - 10%! And sometimes Winter-time heating can make things just as bad.

So, you have two options:
1. Turn the printer(s) off until you need them ( keeps the heads 'parked' ).
2. Move them out doors where the humidity levels may be high enough to avoid the air drying. You'll probably not want to use your front porch, however.

As for ink costs, remember, these printers are only secondarily made to make prints. Their primary use is to use up the ink in the carts the company sells. Most people are finally becoming aware of how little ink is actually in those Name-brand carts. Replacement carts, with refill caps, are available for 99% of all Epson printers ( and many others, as well ). For the price of a new 'filled' cart, you can usually buy at least an 8 oz. bottle of ink. They are very reliable, easy to use and refill and the good systems use excellent inks that will not harm the printer in any way, shape or form.

----------------

Hiya Grumpy,

Naaah...I just started turning it off a coupla hours ago. I just found out about this "parking" thing, and after all I couldn't even turn off the *&^% device without the help of you kind folk!

Where is a reputable place to buy the "refill carts?"

Thanks,
Francine

(Just because)

chriskleeman · « **Reply #8 on:** June 21, 2007, 10:19:50 PM »

QUOTE

Hiya Grumpy,

Naaah...I just started turning it off a coupla hours ago. I just found out about this "parking" thing, and after all I couldn't even turn off the *&^% device without the help of you kind folk!

Where is a reputable place to buy the "refill carts?"

Thanks,
Francine

(Just because)

Francine, I'm not going to post the link, but Carrotink.com, while not as inexpensive as others, always delivers good cartridges that save time and eventually money, because they always work, have less cleaning cycles when they're changed, which saves aggravation, time, and money. The really cheap discount cartridges I've uses are just that...

Just my 2 cents worth.

CK

Xairbusdriver · « **Reply #9 on:** June 22, 2007, 04:07:23 PM »

This is where I buy my empty carts, supplies and inks.

<InkSupply.com>

BTW, here's a color test page if you don't have an image on your drive yet. <http://inkjetprinterhelp.us/Color.html>

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Author Topic: Turning off Epson 820 (Read 2579 times)