Epson XP-630 always becomes a MESS!

[Fenrir Enterprises]

This is the third time I've had to clean my neighbor's Epson. She prints a lot of cards and scrapbooking stuff so she needs small print margins, and they also have to be even so they center correctly for the legacy software she uses (the HP she had bought when she moved in had a .25" top margin and .75" bottom margin!). Eventually she'll call and say she's getting black ink smeared all over everything. This last time isn't even that long (she prints a LOT for a home user but probably average/slightly heavy use if it was for a home office) and the recapping station/squeegee and the bottom of the print head were just coated in globs of thickened black ink. Have to soak a disposable rag (I've been using Hoffmaster "linen like cloths" I got on clearance instead of paper towels) and gently wipe under the printhead to get it fully clean. If someone didn't know how to maintain one of these printers it would be useless in a year of moderately heavy printing!

Anyone have suggestions for a printer with minimum, even-on-all-sides margins that's easier to maintain that's good for card stock and pre-perforated note cards, etc? She doesn't refill, she just uses OEM I kind of wonder what the waste pads in the thing look like by now!

 

[The Hat]

I’ve always used Canon printers to do the same job quite successfully...
Don’t like Epson, or maybe Epson don’t like me...

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I think you are addressing several problems - with ink blobs etc and a formatting issue - borders.
You mention the use of cards - how stiff and thick are these ? and with which format ?
The XP-630 feeds from the bottom, the paper , the cards take a U-turn until they get into the print path and may be bent at this time which is quite a typical effect with stiffer material. You may try to use the papersetting 'envelopes', the main reason of this paper type is the increase of the platen gap, the distance of the nozzle plate to the paper.
You are addressing formating issues with borders, I don't get the details - which paper format is used, which software is used to print ? Did you try to use the borderless print option ? Epson printers , without the borderless option active, print with a margin of 3 mm on all sides if the selected paper format matches the actual paper dimensions.
The smudge, ink deposit on the nozzle plate may indicate another problem , that the purge unit is defunct, the pump could be defect, the tubes to the waste ink container may be clogged. The nozzle plate is typically wiped off with a rubber lip when the printhead returns to the resting position, and this ink is pumped away. If this process does not work you get big ink blobs on your paper.
Is the problem still there if you do a cleaning cycle and print directly after that on plain paper ? Not onto cards - they may be bent as asked above.

 

[Fenrir Enterprises]

I think you are addressing several problems - with ink blobs etc and a formatting issue - borders.
You mention the use of cards - how stiff and thick are these ? and with which format ?
The XP-630 feeds from the bottom, the paper , the cards take a U-turn until they get into the print path and may be bent at this time which is quite a typical effect with stiffer material. You may try to use the papersetting 'envelopes', the main reason of this paper type is the increase of the platen gap, the distance of the nozzle plate to the paper.
You are addressing formating issues with borders, I don't get the details - which paper format is used, which software is used to print ? Did you try to use the borderless print option ? Epson printers , without the borderless option active, print with a margin of 3 mm on all sides if the selected paper format matches the actual paper dimensions.
The smudge, ink deposit on the nozzle plate may indicate another problem , that the purge unit is defunct, the pump could be defect, the tubes to the waste ink container may be clogged. The nozzle plate is typically wiped off with a rubber lip when the printhead returns to the resting position, and this ink is pumped away. If this process does not work you get big ink blobs on your paper.
Is the problem still there if you do a cleaning cycle and print directly after that on plain paper ? Not onto cards - they may be bent as asked above.

There's no problem printing the cards until it gets dirty, the U shaped paper feed is less of an issue than I thought it would be.

The formatting issue is with printers that have uneven physical margin limits. Her HP, which she had bought when she moved, had worse margins than the old one she had gotten rid of before she came here. When the top and bottom margins aren't the same, and the software (I can't remember what it's called. It's OLD, 16-bit era. It wouldn't even install on 64-bit until I found it had a 32 bit version hidden on the CD) tries to center the print on the page, if the printable margin limits of the printer itself aren't even (and too big) it doesn't print centered on the cards. There are no problems with the Epson with the borders.

I figure it could be a bad purge station. The rubber wiper, the capping station itself, and the underside of the printer, absolutely coated in semi-dried ink blobs. Luckily not hardened. I do wonder how much longer this printer will be viable. It has to be cleaned manually - we'll see how long this lasts before it starts again.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

the XP-630 problems would need a disassembly of the unit, clean up , inspection and test of the purge unit/pump, probably a replacement, if that all is possible at low cost at all.

 

[te36]

A one week old XP-820 failed on me and the epson authorized repair shop said they can not repair/not worth it, Epson would send a replacement while in-warranty.

Outside warranty, find a tinkerer or become one yourself. You already started with cleaning under the head. May need to buy a service manual. Likeley useful across multiple epson printers.

 

[Fenrir Enterprises]

The idea was to find her a printer that doesn't need a ton of maintenance that fits her needs (small print margins that are even on all sides, or at least the same number for opposite sides). I don't mind cleaning it for her, but I figure if it clogs up again in a few months then it's definitely not cleaning itself properly.