For day to day printing, I use an old HP Laserjet. It works great. But there are occasional times (typically once a month or so) when I need to do a photo print (or a simple colour print), and have an Epson R300 for that purpose.
I'm throughly fed up with the fact that whenever I want to use the R300, the print nozzles are clogged and it needs multiple cleaning cycles to get it working. The amount of ink consumed must be enormous. My understanding is that this is just the way inkjet printers are if you don't use them regularly. However, I was hoping the experts here might be able to give some guidance:
1. Are all inkjet printers like this, or is there some photo-quality printer I can get which can be left alone for weeks and then actually work when needed?
2. Is the fact that I use third party catridges ("Think" brand) a factor? Would genuine Epson cartridges (which cost a fortune) be any better in preventing clogged nozzles?
3. Is there some more efficient way that I could clean the print nozzles other than using the printer's cleaning cycle (eg. take out the cartridges and use some sort of solvent directly)?
I'm beginning to think that owning an inkjet just doesn't make sense - photos could be printed at a place like Tescos or Boots, and perhaps I could live without non-photo-quality colour printing.
If I do end up replacing the Epson, I'd ideally like:
a). Multifunction printer/scanner/copier (so I can easily make photocopies).
b). Wired ethernet connectivity (wireless not necessary) so it can be used from any PC in the house without needing its "owner" machine to be on.
c). Ability to print onto CDs would be nice, but not critical.
Any suggestions?
I'm throughly fed up with the fact that whenever I want to use the R300, the print nozzles are clogged and it needs multiple cleaning cycles to get it working. The amount of ink consumed must be enormous. My understanding is that this is just the way inkjet printers are if you don't use them regularly. However, I was hoping the experts here might be able to give some guidance:
1. Are all inkjet printers like this, or is there some photo-quality printer I can get which can be left alone for weeks and then actually work when needed?
2. Is the fact that I use third party catridges ("Think" brand) a factor? Would genuine Epson cartridges (which cost a fortune) be any better in preventing clogged nozzles?
3. Is there some more efficient way that I could clean the print nozzles other than using the printer's cleaning cycle (eg. take out the cartridges and use some sort of solvent directly)?
I'm beginning to think that owning an inkjet just doesn't make sense - photos could be printed at a place like Tescos or Boots, and perhaps I could live without non-photo-quality colour printing.
If I do end up replacing the Epson, I'd ideally like:
a). Multifunction printer/scanner/copier (so I can easily make photocopies).
b). Wired ethernet connectivity (wireless not necessary) so it can be used from any PC in the house without needing its "owner" machine to be on.
c). Ability to print onto CDs would be nice, but not critical.
Any suggestions?