Epson 7800 pro- Where to start?

[Steve B]

Hi all- I'm new here, and new to large format printers. I just picked up a 7800 pro and have limited history on it. It has been sitting for an unknown amount of time (I assume it could be years), and was used by a photographer. The seller provided what he said was an empty set of cartridges, but I can see that several have at least 1/2-1/3 of ink, but show an expiration date in 2009. The interior bits of the printer seem to show little use and is very clean. I hope to eventually use this for B&W photo prints, but probably not right away.
So, I'd like to at least turn it on and get it connected to my computer so I can set up software, see if there are firmware updates, etc. Is there any way to tell if it will work without spending tons of money on new ink cartridges? Can I turn it on without cartridges in it? Also, if you are printing B&W, do you need color cartridges?
Sorry for all the questions, but I'm hoping someone can advise on what and what not to do in starting this thing up. Thanks in advance.

 

[The Hat]

I don’t know to much about Epson printer, but have you ever considered mountain climbing, because it might be easier than getting that thing up and running on a shoe string, O’ try to avoid up grading anything just yet, little steps first...

 

[Steve B]

I know it won't be cheap, but hoping to hear what the baby steps might be, and in what order.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I'm not particularly familiar with the Pro 7800, my 7600 is still printing along, but I would recommend that you get a service manual for this printer, it would tell you how to get into the maintenance mode of the printer, reading out some more usage specifics, having some more commands available like an ink charge command and giving you explanations of otherwise cryptic error codes. Firmware updates are not relevant at this point of time, and B/W printing can be discussed once the printer is running.
I'm reluctant to recommend any further use of such old cartridges if they have not been used for years, this can lead to unwanted effects like pigment settling and clogging inside. I would try to get a resetter for the cartridges and some Epson nozzle cleaner to rinse those cartridges with and to fill them for the first power up. Everything could be possible - the printer starts up and works or you don't see any nozzle on a nozzle check print, nozzles can be blocked, the tubes to the printhead can be blocked etc. So you need to ask yourself how much effort you are willing to invest into such action to revive that printer. As soon as it comes to replace the dampers on the printhead it may get pretty tricky.

 

[PeterBJ]

See this post for a service manual for the printer and notice the instruction for download.

 

[FinalProof]

First, don't power the printer up, after sitting for a long length of time you don't need it to pump clumped ink pigment into the ink dampers and print head which it will do as soon as you turn it on.
As Ink Stained Fingers says above, ink pigment will have settled out of suspension from the carrier and clumped, you can check this by opening the front cover and shining a bright light through the ink delivery tubes, also as he suggested you will need the service manual for the following operation to see how to disassemble the print head assembly, dampers etc.

Second, buy some PiezoFlush https://shop.inkjetmall.com/Shop-By...sh-cartridge-combo-for-Epson-7800-9800-C.html a refillable cart and a larger syringe
Next, you have to access the print head ink manifold nipples and insert the refillable cart filled with piezoflush in each ink bay in turn, using a short piece of clear plastic tubing that fits securely over the syringe nozzle and the ink manifold, draw the piezoflush through each ink delivery tube until all pigment is flushed from each delivery tube.

The print head will more than likely need to be cleaned with piezoflush as well, check youtube to see how to do this using a syringe ( gentle pressure only).
The dampers will need to be replaced as well as they will also be clogged with settled pigment.

Good luck, hope you are lucky with this machine.

 

[Stormlight]

Okay, I assume the worst scenario here with the unit have been out of service over 3 years but it last known running was in full operation. This process will also help you upgrade your color system form 7800 to 7880 or HDX if you opt to do so.

1. Watch youtube: find inkjetmall video on cleaning cab station with printhead for 7800/7880/9800/9880 . Clean cab and clean wiper. Pad the bottom of printhead with Peizoflush/Pharmacist for 48 hours. Replace pad every 6-12 hours. If using Pharamcist formula, the last 24 hours add ammonia to the solution 1ml (1% ammonia) per 100ml is my preference. Essentially you will clear up any potential clog and this will melt through all the ink in the nozzle and the printhead: it thoroughly clean up all dry ink but resulting introducing air into the printhead. It is okay. Multiple cleaning cycle (if must then use ink charge) will clear out the majority. (My personal experience with these vertical printhead is you have to let them idle for 12-24hours to purge out all the air bubble. Yes, I have wasted almost a full tank of ink to figure this out!)
1.1. While at it, unlock/uncab the print head and slide print head left and right 10-20 times. This should get the ink in the line mix together. Doesn't have to be fast. Do it gently in case things are brittle from long storage. Shake all cartridge well.
2. Perform 1 cleaning cycle
3. Print nozzle check.
4. If there is clog, wait 24 hours and perform step 2 and 3 again. Clean wiper again if need to.
5. If there is improvement then repeat step 2-4 until all clog is cleared.

I assume all of your cartridge are at least half full. You can extend that a bit by getting resetter for your cartridge. It goes for ~$15 on ebay. Reset all cart to prevent chip getting down to 0% else you won't be able to reset it if it goes down to 0. Temporary use weight as ink indicator. Empty cart weighs around 160g so stay at 170g would be safe. A full cart weighs 365g. That should give you extra ink before breaking the bank for this testing. Either mod your existing cart, buy refillable cartridge, or buy old ink on ebay (precision colors,inkjetmal,etc...) have good selection. You will need ink eventually. I go the jtoolman way! I have a few emptied ink set (with VM and VLM) and will Ebay them shortly: with working chip set and non-working chip set. Working chip set is for ink refill and non-working chip set for purging and storage.

It seems you are into black and white, you should look into Peizography from Inkjetmall. Alot of folks rave of it!!! Coincidentally, I do have a 3880 with 3 bad nozzles of VM. It will be sold for Peizography purpose with pre-mod cartridge. Do you need 24" width? If not, I strongly recommend getting 3800/3880 instead. 7800/7880/9800/9880 requires print head to be cleaned every two days regardless of printing or without printing. This feature cannot be disabled and it will start the next cleaning cycle prior before printing. Turning printer off will make no different! It will perform a head cleaning. It's a lot of ink get wasted. I am a hobbyist myself and I can tell you that this printer is a ink sucking device in the long run considering I get inks almost for 1/16th or 1/20th the price.

When refilling, consider upgrade to HDX or K3 with Vivid Magenta equivalent ink set. Precision Colors and Inkjetmall has good aftermarket ink. I use only OEM.

 

[Steve B]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I've been a little sidetracked, but plan to get back on this soon. I have a chip resetter on the way.