converting epson et8500 or ecotanks to eco solvent ink pros/cons?

[epsonianGUY]

Hi guys, I've seen a bunch a videos on converting and just wondering what are the pros and cons for my 8500. I make stickers as a hobby and some sales here and there, but really wanting to get into the print industry. Where can I start?

Can I achieve better vibrant prints, water resistance/fading with sticker prints? do I need special paper as to using glossy inkjet sticker papers? This is all I can do for now until I can afford a wide format printer.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Yes, there are quite some conversion kits on the market, but you are loosing all warranty/service for such converted printer. I only would get such printer converted at a company which can provide support/repair after the printer has been converted - by you or by that company, a company which can supply you as well the consumables you are addressing. This may be more expensive but should protect the value of your printer.

 

[pharmacist]

How are you going to rinse the print head after the end of the day ? Solvent inks are very tenacious in terms of clogging and after each day of printing the print head should be flushed properly to prevent pigment particles to coagulate and clog the print head. Most solvent ink users use refillable cartridges for printing with solvent inks and and at the end of the days they install the cleaning/flushing carts to rinse the the print head to keep it in good condition (removing any pigment particles of the solvent ink from the tiny nozzles). An ecotank printer is a built-in CISS printer and cleaning the print head is almost impossible. Since the built-in ink tanks cannot be removed like normal CISS systems you will run into trouble to flush the print head (impossible to do it easily).