Epson C70/C80/C82/950/960/2100/2200 Printers   
 

Preparing the Cartridge:

Step 1:
You must start with a brand new Epson cartridge, one that has never been inserted into a printer. This is because, when inserted, the TANG opens the internal vent system and once this is done, air locks and foam will block the ink and the cartridge will not print if refilled.

Step 2:
Get a pencil or pointed object, and lift up the TANG (See Photo). Use your fingers to remove the TANG. It is easy to do and does not require great strength. Just twist it off. Once it is removed you will have to make a new vent system or the cart will not work. Read on.

Step 3:
Make the new vent. Use a 1/16" dia drill bit, and drill a hole in the top of the cartridge, right in the center of the bullseye on the label. (It was nice of Epson to identify this location for us.) Be careful how deep you drill. You must drill down through the first two layers of plastic. When you hit ink, STOP. Do not drill into the third surface. See Photo.

Step 4:
Now you have a choice. You can either waste the ink that is in the cartridge or use it up. If you are cost conscious, then just install the cartridge in the printer, just like you would have done in the beginning. Print until it is empty, then refill it.

If you don't want the ink that came with the cartridge, for what ever reason, then use the syringe and bottom fill adapter that came in your kit, to extract the Epson ink.

If you are putting a totally different ink in the printer, like XXX B&W, then you should flush out the insides of the cart with water. Follow these steps to flush out the cartridge.

  • Suck all the ink out of the exit port using a syringe and the XXX Bottom Fill Adapter. Don't puncture the other two sealed holes, only the exit port (see photo).

  • Inject water (preferably distilled water) into the vent hole you drilled in Step 3. Inject as much water as your syringe will hold. Then put the bottom fill adapter on the syringe and suck out the water from the exit port. Repeat this process until all traces of ink are gone. When finished, suck out all the water you can. Don't apply compressed air, it may damage the diaphragms inside the cart. Centrifugal force will help get excess water out.

  • Now the cart is clean and you will be able to fill it with any ink you wish, Color Dyebase, B&W, Dyesub, or other.

Refilling the Cartridge:

Step 5:
When the cartridge is empty is it time to put some ink into it. Put the short 1/2" long needle on the end of the syringe. Load up your 10 cc (20 cc for high capacity black) syringe with the correct color ink corresponding with the cartridge designation. Hold the syringe up, and expel any air or foam at the bottom of the syringe. Wrap a paper towel around the needle so you don't make a mess.

Step 6:
Slowly inject ink into the VENT HOLE (the one you drilled in Step 3.) Watch the side of the cartridge. The ink may start to over flow. If it does, stop immediately or you will waste good ink and make a mess.

Step 7:
Take the needle off and put the bottom fill adapter on the end of the same syringe. Insert it into the EXIT PORT. Suck out some ink, about 5 cc.. This is to eliminate any trapped air or foam that may be stuck in the cartridge.

Step 8:
Next, put the needle back on the syringe, expel the air, and inject the rest of the ink into the Vent Hole. It should take the full 10 cc (20 cc for high capacity black)that you started with.

Resetting the Chip:

Step 9:
Now that the cartridge is filled with ink, it is almost ready to use. One small problem, the electronic chip on the cart will report to the printer that this is an empty cart. You must use a Chip Resetter (QB7-M80) or other type to reset the chip. The Swedish Reset method will not work on these cartridges. Alternately, you can replace the chip if you have one. Or if you have the Auto Reset Chips, you can disregard these instructions.

We recommend the XXX or QB7 chip resetter. Follow the instructions that came with the Chip Resetter. After it is reset, then the cartridge can be re-installed in the printer.

Trouble Shooting:

Epson has gone out of their way on this cartridge to eliminate the internal sponge. In the previous cartridges, the sponge acted as a catalyst to help create ink foam. Ink foam is the enemy of the cartridge refill process. The Epson piezoelectric print head will not print if it has any foam in it. So, this cartridge, unlike the older carts, can be filled over and over, an unlimited number of times. It is great Engineering from Epson.

Nozzle Problems
About the only trouble you will get into on these cartridges is nozzle problems. If you clean the heads using the Epson utility software, this will normally restore missing nozzles.

Remember that you must do cleaning cycles in groups of 3. Check nozzles before and after each cleaning cycle. Stop when it is perfect. After 3 cleaning cycles, print a copy of our Purge4.tif image. Do this on the default printer settings. One copy is enough. This resets the firmware in the printer so that you will get the short, medium, and long cleaning cycles. Otherwise you will only get the short cleaning cycle from the 4th clean on.
If after doing a lot of cleaning cycles, and you are not getting anywhere. Go back to Step 7 and 8. Suck some ink and possibly an air pocket out of the bottom of the cart. Then inject additional ink into the top vent hole.

Put the cartridge back in the printer and run a few more cleaning cycles. If this proves to be unsuccessful. Try a brand new Epson cartridge. It is possible your cartridge may have become damaged, but it is unlikely.

How to Kill an Epson Printer
Because the print head is inside the printer and not on the cartridge, Epson printers have more risk of dying than do HP's or Lexmark's. If the print head has to be replaced, they normally cost as much as new printer. So keeping the print head working right is very important.

When you do a nozzle check, and you have missing nozzles, this is a warning that should not be ignored. If you leave your printer for several days (shorter if you are in a hot dry climate) the traces of ink left in the missing nozzle can dry and harden. If this happens, your print head is ruined, and the printer is, for all practical purposes DEAD.

Don't let this happen. If you have missing nozzles, get after them and get them going again. If necessary call Epson and get there assistance. (They will not help you with refilling, so don't mention it.) Try the tips we have given above. Call us, we may have a few more things you can try before taking your printer to the under taker.