Epson R2000 issues

[RybR]

I am going crazy!

Every day for over a week, I've been trying to get my Epson Photo R2000 to print as it should but it keeps getting clogged (I think).

I have installed a set of refillable cartridges from Marrutt.

I hadn't used the printer for a long time (a month probably) and I never performed any kind of manual cleaning on it. After googling a bit, I realise I need to clean it manually so I go through some guides step by step. Saturating sponge with a cleaning solution of 50% distilled water, 50% window cleaner. Removing all cartridges and flushing the spikes with cleaning solution untill no more ink comes out of the print head below (using tissues to collect).

I run a couple of cleaning cycles and I print out purgesheets and I give the printer time inbetween so cleaning cycles wont make things worse. I dab off sponge and wiper pad.

No matter what I do, I always end up with one color not printing either well enough or at all. Currently my Magenta is not printing at all while all other colors are perfect. For a little while it could print almost 2 out of 18 stepped lines of the nozzle check print.

Sometime during this nightmare, I got the Magenta to work but instead the Cyan stopped working completely.

I also tried (in the middle of a perfectly good printing) that the printer wouldn't recognise a cartridge, so I remove the cartridge and put it back. The printer performs (for some stupid reason) a cleaning cycle and continue the printing only now, that cartridge only works on half the nozzles.

Anyway, I am wasting huge amounts of ink on this and I am suspecting something is wrong. I can't believe it's normal for the printer to be this sensitive. I managed to get it to print perfectly for about 10 A3 papers after a complete 2 hour cleaning flushing everything. Now the magenta refuse to print again.

Does anyone have experience with this? Does it sound like the printhead has malfunctioned and am I wasting ink and time on this thing?

 

[ruffin]

Recommend using only Epson Ink in Epson cartridges. I know this is not what you wish to hear, but
has been my experience.

This may be of some help:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3458610

Also download and install the latest Firmware for Epson 2000.

On this next page you will notice near bottom of page, R2000 users have reverted to OEM Epson cartridges and OEM ink. This resolved their problems:
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3693443

Let us know how your fair, Regards

 

[RybR]

Thanks for your reply and bringing that other forum thread to my attention.

It's a major bummer if I have to buy original Epson inks, they're so expensive. I was starting to consider changing to a CIS but that seem to have some similar issues.

Since it was a complete color that didn't print, I suspected the issue to be air caught in the printhead. I removed the cart and have forced some ink through the spike with a syringe and a hose. That has made the Magenta print again although it's not all the nozzles that are firing. A couple of the other colors got contaminated with magenta (I have no idea how that happened since I don't know what a printheads anatomy is like), but a couple of purge sheets and they print clean. Magenta still renders some nasty lines though. I think it should rest for a while. I will continue later.