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Main Ink Page | Other Refill Instructions and Help | Home
http://www.oddparts.com/ink/help.htm
Updated April 8, 2002
For best results, never leave your Epson printer without an installed cartridge -- even an empty one -- for more than an hour or so, because the ink -- the original or our refill ink -- will begin to gel to the consistency of honey, which will require multiple cleaning routines to clear.
The most common problems when refilling this cartridge are air bubbles trapped in the sponge because:
You must have a spare cartridge on hand before you start.
DO NOT turn off the printer during the following procedure. You may turn off the printer after the process has been completed. Turning off the printer during this procedure may cause the software to read the chip and reject the cartridge.
Step 1) Remove the old cartridge from the printer.
Step 2) Locate the lever. Insert the spare (new) cartridge into the printer. The printer should cycle and move the new cartridge to the resting (parked) position under the printer cover.
Step 3) Refill the old cartridge as described below under "Cartridge Refilling Instructions".
Step 4)Using a long pen or pencil, reach back to the parked cartridge and flip the lever. Alternatively, you may remove the 4 screws which hold on the cover of the printer (2 in front/2 in back) and access the cartridge after removing the cover.
Step 5) The cartridge should be able to be moved to the center.
Step 6) Replace the new cartridge with a refilled cartridge. Keep this new cartridge in a safe place in a zip lock baggie, since you can use it many, many times to reset the counter chip.
Step 7) Move the cartridge back to the parked position and flip the lever closed.
Step 8) Print a test document.
Note: These instructions are for refilling original Epson Cartridges. The original cartridges have neat little valves in the bottom of the cartridge which prevent ink spillage. Some generic cartridges do not have these valves, and should be refilled using the SO20110 Instructions.
Step 1) Put the cartridge on some paper towels in an area where you can tolerate a spill. Wear old clothes. You may wish to wear rubber gloves if you don't wish to temporarily stain your fingers.
Step 2) Place the cartridge so that the ink exit hole is pointing down and are flat on the surface in front of you. There are two vent holes under the label on the top surface of the cartridge.
Step 3) Locate the vent holes on top. They may be under the label or taped. Locate the second vent hole row nearest (above) the ink exit hole. (This row is best to use, but either row may be used.) You may need to peel off the label.
Open the holes if they are under the label or taped and place the cartridge back on the table surface as in Step 2.
Step 4) Fill the syringe bottle 1/3rd (10 ml) full with the correct color of ink and insert fully through the hole on top which is closest to the exit hole. Angle the needle toward the exit hole. It is very important that the needle penetrate deeply and get under the sponge.
Tip: If you are unsure of the correct color to use, insert a toothpick into the hole and see what color is present.
Step 5) Important Angle the needle toward the exit hole and inject the ink very S-L-O-W-L-Y. Too fast and you will "vapor lock" the foam because air bubbles will form. You must get the needle to the bottom of (under) the sponge and fill to remove all of the air from the cartridge.
Step 6) Repeat for the other colors.
Step 7) Wipe off any spilled ink and put the cartridge into the printer. Remove any tape from the top holes to print.
If further questions,
check our Frequently Encountered Problems page at:
http://www.oddparts.com/ink/help.htm
What is happening is that a small air bubble expands under the vacuum of printing to form a large air bubble, which blocks the flow of ink to the printhead. This problem usually occurs after printing 1 or 2 good pages.
To clear the problem, you may wish to let the printer sit without printing for several minutes, while tapping on the top of the cartridge. This may get the air bubble to move to the top of the cartridge. It may not.
Another idea is to remove the cartridge and try again. Also, try putting a single drop of ink directly into the point where the cartridge is plugged into. But be very careful not to spill the ink!
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