Haha! Well, yes you are completely right. It seems the most logical next step to do.
I don't think there was dripping, I probably would have noticed. The reason why the reservoirs are so empty is because I didn't empty the full 100ml bottles of ink in there and I've done a lot of test printing...
I've made a video of what's happening:
https://youtu.be/9L9tQxzlVPk
@mikling does this look like a blockage in the pump? It does suck ink away to some point..
I'm afraid to disassemble myself as I know nothing.
As extra information this was the nozzle check this morning
And this one right...
I was wondering too if the relatively clear tubes are normal or not.. there's some droplets of ink inside them, maybe not really visible on the picture.
It's not solid indeed, it's foamy ink that comes from the purging pad itself when the purging pad is trying to evacuate the ink after I've...
I repeated wiper blade cleaning and did a pump cap cleaning too as shown in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmXNTOHxVaU
After this I did another nozzle check, it came out almost perfect. I'm really suspecting there's something wrong with the spongy pad and the pump cap when it's...
It seems that this happens every time after head cleaning (by the printer itself). Yesterday I did nozzle checks and they were coming out missing in the same places every time. Today's nozzle check is worse, more gaps but yesterday's gaps are still there, in the same place.
I have tried various...
Update:
I've been doing some printing today, worked perfectly fine (printing with epson dye inks on watercolor paper). This evening I received a sample package of papers from Marrutt so I decided to test their 300 g smooth fine art paper. Did 2 little tests on it then printer did it's own...
Yes of course there is a big amount of factors that have influence on fading. I have found various threads on fade testing here and on other fora, there is a lot of information out there and I'm a bit overwhelmed.
Thank you for pointing in the direction of that thread, I've already read it and...
The shop I've ordered from has a lot of physical shops all over US, they had a flat rate shipping on domestic orders but it went crazy if you wanted to ship overseas. I've got assigned a virtual address in Delaware. Shipped to France.
The watercolor paper I like doesn't get much of that "blotting paper effect", or not as much as I would have expect it to. I've tried printing on another watercolor paper, which is heavier and has bigger grain and that paper does have that "blotting paper effect".
I've made a little comparison...
I'm definitely not looking at 100 years of longevity but I've done my "market research" on illustrators that sell similar kind of prints and all of them use pigment inks. I would like to provide some quality like that as well.
@Ink stained Fingers , I have started reading this very long thread...
I went for pigment inks for their archival quality as I am selling prints of my illustrations, but I think I will go with refillable cartridges instead of CISS next time. Better idea?
That is true but I don't think it's suitable for fountain pens as when the ink dries, it completely clogs the pen.
From another forum on fountain pens: "If you are looking at decades rather than centuries, then any of the Noodler's Eternal or Bulletproof inks should suffice."
I've seen very...
I'm going to add this one here as well : https://www.mymallbox.com/
I've already tried it and it works fine, not too expensive either. The reason I ordered something through them is because the shipping cost they provide was a lot cheaper than the shop where I ordered things from.
I think that first I'll do some good ol' reading on this forum before I make the switch again. Definitely won't make the mistake every again of letting my printer sit without any work.. It was a rough week!
Thanks again for the help!
Good news: printed many pages yesterday with original cartridges as The Hat suggested, tried a nozzle check this morning, came out slightly clogged, did a head cleaning from Epson Utility, did another nozzle check: looking good!! only one tiny gap in Magenta but I'm relieved. Thanks for all your...
@The Hat I should have come here earlier and asked questions before this "disaster" happened. Too late is too late, lesson learned, I won't be rushing in next time, even though I thought I "knew" enough when in fact I'm just John Snow.
@mikling I'm not "seeking a magic bullet", I'm following...
@apetitphoto thank you for sharing your experience, this is what I am doing now, printing things with the dye based inks to try to get the clogs out. Doing nozzle checks on regular basis. I cleaned up the foamy pad. I'm (and the printer) are taking a break for now. Time will tell.
@The Hat of...