Epson ET-8550 ecotank printer internal cleaning for ink buildup.
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- After a lot of use, especially with thicker media and borderless printing, inkjet printers of all makes can benefit from a bit of an extra clean.
Video covers a technique Keith has used for many years using just a bit of paper kitchen towel.
** This is not an Epson cleaning technique, so take care and use it entirely at your own risk **
There is an article on the Northlight Images web site, updated over many years which discusses potential cleaning products for if the ink is dried on.
www.northlight-images.co.uk/i...
It is one of hundreds of printing related articles, videos and reviews on the Northlight Images web site
www.northlight-images.co.uk/p...
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dude.. talk about an ET-8550 masterclass! Definitely reconsidering my hope of doing all my designs borderless.
Thanks! I'm hoping to get an 8550 back for a bit during the year and do a few more tests ;-)
That is really, really useful to know when a need to get in and a little clean where necessary. Thank You, Keith
Thanks - it's particularly important of you use more fibrous papers or print borderless a lot.
I know very well that this gentleman is only trying to help, and he himself said, do it at your own risk; it means that if you do it, and the printer is damaged, it is not this gentleman's fault. I understand that very well. Well, I just did exactly what this video instructs, and I just damaged my new ET 8550 Epson ecotank printer. $759 dollars is a lot. Do it at your own risk, fortunately, I have a warranty, and in 7 days, I receive a new one.
I know this helps many, but with my new printer, I won't do it again. I had to clean this printer because I print 6 thousand graphic sheets a week for my small business.
Anyway, Mr. Cooper, I have learned many things from you.
Sorry to hear that, but for anyone reading this I feel I must note that it is a consumer level printer.
Six thousand a week on an 8550 is decidedly heavier duty than it is designed for.
This is not a printer aimed at commercial print work of any significant volume.
I would not have expected anyone needing to do significant cleaning for quite some time, and then only if they printed a lot of borderless prints.
.@@KeithCooper Although I was aware about that, BUT I decided to give it a try, but I quickly realized my mistake. However, I always believe in the value of learning from new experiences.
On another note, I must say that the image quality and colors of the 8550 printer are exceptional. However, due to the amount of printing work I do daily, I find it necessary to perform maintenance on it every day. I actually bought this printer based on a review that you had made, and I am truly grateful for it. The printer has certainly lived up to its impressive reputation.
Mr. Cooper. I am working on it to get a commercial printer. My business is growing and I never expect to do a lot of printing is this printer. May God bless you. Thank you for your advice, Mr. Cooper
Thank you once again, and greetings from a Puerto Rican from the United States to UK. May God bless you. Again thank you for your advice.
How do you like your 8550 doing that much volume? I'm currently printing wedding stationery (around 10k A3 pages/year) on Epson L1800 and I am planning on switching to ET 8550 or L18050. Have you notice any drawbacks to 8550?
@@bartoszziokowski3799 "I recently received a new printer since my old one was damage, and I've been extra careful with it, cleaning it daily and using it more frequently than usual. I've noticed that I have to replace the ink head weekly, but that's not a big issue as it only costs $15 on Epson's website. The only problem I've encountered is that the red color prints out very light and dull, even after trying all of the recommended settings from Epson. This is concerning to me as I use the printer for various purposes such as printing stationary, bookmarks, book covers, posters, business cards, journals, and more. Does anyone have any advice on how to solve this issue? I only use Epson ink for my printer. Best wishes and good luck with your own business."
I would love to know if you have any tips for someone who is trying to print 1k prints a week, in particular, what settings do you run to improve print speed and efficiency without sacrificing too much quality. my current print load is about 20 11x17 borderless prints per hour and in between I spend 10 mins give or take of just wiping the paper guides. Would love to have a dialogue with you !
I have the ET 7750, I do a nozzle check regularly but first I lift the cover, turn the printer on, during it's initialisation the printer head will move over to the left and stay there for about 10 seconds, just enough time to "gently" dab the ink pad with tissue paper wrapped round a piece of sponge. Then I do a nozzle check and away I go - problem free printing. I also have ICC profiles for my paper, even on this budget printer it makes a significant improvement. When manually cleaning the print head I use kitchen towel damped with window cleaning fluid - works a treat.
Yes, I've done similar - I don't mention this since such printers have the ability to cause injuries if you are not careful ;-)
Many thanks. In fact all I needed to hear was the think paper setting existed, but will probably use this cleaning at some point in time.
Glad it was helpful!
Very helpful video Keith! After 3years of use my EPSON ECO ET-7700 was streaking ink all over the place and especially the paper edges. Inside under the print head home position and print head there was a load of paper-dust/ink gunk which took a while to tweezer out and wipe down with kitchen paper towel. Thanks to you, clearing it all out was easy. Thanks again for taking the trouble to video the procedure! :)
Thanks - glad it was of help!
Hi Keith, thank you for the very informative video, just what i needed for my ET-7750 PRINTER that has been smudging the edges for a while and i couldnt find a decent video. i shall try out your system soon. I noticed that when i chose one of the two drivers for the printer, both installed from Epson, one was better than the other especially if i changed the type of paper and made sure that was correct. i use both photographic paper and plain paper mainly 100gsm or 120gsm, seldom less than those. thanks again for a well produced video.
Thanks - glad it was of help!
Thank you for this helpful tutorial. I have been having ink bleed issues and have an art show in a few days. I performed all the recommendations on the printer (I have the 8550 as well) to no avail. I took a chance on your method and my prints are coming out super clean. Thanks so much.
Glad it was helpful!
I comes from similar cleaning experience with printers over many years
Thank you so much this video was so helpful and helped me with my black smudges!!!
Thanks - glad it was of help!
Perfect video for what i needed to do! Thank you so much
Glad it helped!
Thank you Keith,
Use mine daily
That will certainly reduce it clogging.
thanks, I solved some smudging problems.
Excellent!
so glad i found this. i gotta clean my canon g620, this helps a lot.
Glad it's of interest - just be patient is my top tip ;-)
Nice ideas !
Thanks!
Thank you!
Glad to help!
Hi Keith, I had been looking for a printer to replace several printers that filled a number of functions for me, and which had all reached the ends of their useful lives. I am a retired graphic artist who now does mostly PR brochures and posters etc. for NFP and charitable groups. Lots of proofing involved needing full bleeds etc. I also love to play around with fine art applications. I found your channels and you were reviewing the Epson 8550. I have a Epson 2650 for air-printing documents and so I thought this was a great option for me. I purchased the printer in August and unfortunately have not been able to spend a lot of time using it yet due to health issues. The brochure proofs and photos I have run on it so far are really quite stunning for a tank printer. Thank you for all your good advice and assistance!
That being said, I would really appreciate some advice. I use CorelDraw Suite for most of my graphic work and photo editing. I have been looking for colour profiles for this printer to print on various papers and running into dead ends. Epson just says to use their closest generic profile. Do you have any tips on how to get the best colour rendition?
Two ways - make your own profiles (I have a video covering this) or buy media from a company that does profiles for you - several in the UK do this (no idea about foreign markets in this respect I'm afraid)
Really useful video as always! Since I haven't had my printer for more than a couple of weeks, I guess I won't be having to go through this in a while. Still, I already wanted to ask about the Maintenance Cartridge I believe it's called. Haven't fully understood when you need to replace that one and also, will the printer let me know or do I have to perform some manual checks to know when it needs to be replaced?
Thanks - The printer will let you know in good time. They take quite a while to fill.
IIRC you can check its levels from the driver.
Hi there. Thanks for the video.
I've had the printer a few weeks and done about 10-12 prints for testing.
As this is my first photo printer, how often do you think I should print to keep things in good nick and stop things from drying out etc etc.
Thought I'd get some advice as I wouldn't want to mess up my first photo printer.
Additionally, I presume the printer will also tell me to do some maintenance procedures after a certain amount of time..
Thanks
Joe
The 8550 is a bit more forgiving of lack of use than the bigger 'pro' printers. Even so I'd want to print something at least every few of weeks - even if just a nozzle check on plain paper.
There are no specific maintenance aspects that I know of - the biggest problems for people come from extended periods of disuse and letting the printers accumulate paper dust.
There's all my 8550 info/videos linked from the main [written] review at:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
Thanks Keith, Useful Info.
I had a Canon AIO Pixma MG6250, and the Ink Clogged / Dried in the Printhead,
probably because it was not used for some time,
Purchased a replacement Printhead for about £30+, and dthis did not resolve the Glogged Printhead
(missing lines in the Print Test)
I purchased a New Canon TS6350,
and set a weekly reminder on my phone to print a test sheet, to keep the printhead from drying out.
I'm kinda new to this specialised Printing.
Is there a Schedule within the Epson ET8550 to automatically print Test Sheets ?
On a RUclips Video,
I saw that the QimageOne or/and QimageUltimate,
There is a Scheduler to do just this, but the Printer has to be left on,
Also another RUclips showed some Rollers on the underside of the ET8550, that can be accessed by,
Powering down, and standing the Printer on it's end, InkTanks at the bottom,
Would these rollers cause any problems ?
Iguess they may be influential when feeding from the trays, or Duplex Printing.
Thanks again for your thoughtful insights into Printing
I just try and use any printers every week or two - they really don't need a rigorous timed clean, especially consumer level ones like the 8550. Even if had that software, I'd likely not bother using that feature ;-)
I'd generally advise against standing a printer with ink in it on its end - a great way to siphon inks, but tilting does give access. All the rollers likely to cause any issues are accessible, but I'm limited with the test unit here belonging to Epson (tempted as I am to take test printers apart, it might not go down well)
The real thing with inkjets is not to leave them for months ;-) When I've been away for long in the past I've persuaded the house plant waterer to start up printers (larger ones), let them do their stuff and switch off.
Hi Keith! I wanted to say your channel has been indispensable in my hunt for a printer. I ended up buying the ET-8550 and it's worked like a dream for almost a year-- until several weeks ago when it started smearing the furthest edge (opposite of the leading edge) of every large print I make. This only happens when I print using the rear paper feeder, and only when I have "Borderless" checked in the print settings. I'm glad I found a way around it-- but I DO want to be able to print borderless! Any suggestions as to what might be causing this? (I did try the cleaning you suggested here, but it didn't seem to help unfortunately.)
Deeper cleaning would be my solution - check all rollers, maybe using a thick sheet of paper lightly damped with a cleaner. It sounds a bit like the paper end feed is not working quite right.
I don't have the printer here any more, so can't check
I am having the exact same issue with the exact same printer, wondering if you had found a solution. Thanks!
exact same issue
You mentioned in another video not to turn the printer off as it wastes ink on every start-up. Is this true for all printers?
Very much printer dependent - and how often you print.
Much less of an issue with more 'consumer oriented' printers like the 8550 where ink costs are pretty low to start with.
You mentioned if it goes too far to left it will enable another locking mechanism. How does that unlock? Mine wont move back even turning on and off it says theres a paper jam now
See the comments here - several people cleared it with a few full power cycles
Hi Keith, great video. I've followed all the steps and cleaned all the parts as shown, yet I am still getting marks on the bottom of my glossy prints, mainly a4 but sometimes on a3s too. Anything else you suggest I can do before my head goes through the printer? Thanks
Depends where the ink residue is...
I won't cover this in a video since someone would get it wrong and end up with paper bits in their printer - then moan at me for their own clumsiness or plain ineptitude ;-) :-)
Hence a strong - do this at your own risk and take care!
My own next step is to get some thick soft paper [blotting paper or an art type paper] and moisten [not soak] the middle section [full width] with a mild cleaner like window wash and run this through a few times.
See the page I've maintained about cleaning for nearly 20 years - long before I stared doing any videos...
www.northlight-images.co.uk/inkjet-printer-cleaning/
Thanks a lot! if there is any paper you recommend for this please let me know. Thanks!@@KeithCooper
Proper blotting paper... [Can you still even get this??]
I'll use whatever is at hand from sample packs etc
Okay fab, thanks, i'll give it a go!@@KeithCooper
Hello thank you for the knowledge I have the same printer IS A GEAR ON THE PRINTER I JUST GOT LAST MONTH SOUNDS LIKE LOAD RAMBLING? Please help
For printer that new - it's a call to Epson I'm afraid.
I'd ask for it to be replaced
What would you suggest for daily maintenance so the nozzles don’t get clogged? I’ve had this printer for almost 3 months now. I don’t see any problems with my prints. The prints turn out beautifully! With that being said, should I still do a deep cleaning just to maintain my printer? I want to take care of this printer so it lasts me a long time😌
Also, do you recommend me turning off my printer when I don’t use it for a few days? Or just let it be in sleep mode? I’ve been letting it go to sleep mode, so I haven’t switched it off ever since I got it.
Thank you in advance!
I left it switched on when I had it here for testing - I don't believe it makes much difference. For a printer like this I just like to make sure it's used every week or two
Keeping it clean inside is important. A lot depends on the sort of paper you use and if it sheds fibres or you have much dust in the room. A dust cover might be helpful in some circumstances.
I'd set a diary reminder to do a stronger cleaning after a couple of years use - it should need doing no more than that - once again that depends on how much use...
@@KeithCooper thank you so much for your response!😊
new subscriber here 🎉 just got an et 8550 pretty cool little printer.
want to know how often the ink tanks should be clean empty to prevent clogs.
thx for all the info u do a great job
You don't ever need to clean the tanks - just don't let them run empty.
See more detail in the main [written] review
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
@KeithCooper thx for the info i appreciate it.
what glossy paper brand do you recommend?
the paper im using feels super sticky when touching it after it prints, it looks super cool tho but sticky to the touch.
Is it a cheap paper - that's a typical result.
I can't suggest brands - I get papers in the UK from various suppliers like PermaJet and Fotospeed. Epson paper will of course work... @@jgo8050
@@KeithCooper yes it ls lol. thx for the info. keep up the good work
A good heads up on the normal, with lots of use, Borderless printing and Art paper ink buildup. Thanks
Thanks
Will this help if I have a very thin line about every inch that dosn't get printed? ive ran the head cleaning
It might, but take care before doing it - read the notes
This is wonderful, I’ve been having this problem all week and no one else could answer me, thank you!
I will ask, could this build up of the paper dust also cause jamming issues? This week I’ve started to hear a grinding noise when it tries to load from the rear, and it thinks it’s jammed when it isn’t
Whilst I've not heard it, the grinding noise should not happen - I have heard of people who got a replacement from Epson (one sent a short phone video clip showing it)
It would take a lot of paper dust to cause problems, but if you do a _lot_ of borderless on thick rag papers it's a risk
@@KeithCooper Thanks! I’ve honestly been doing almost exclusively boarders prints (Over 400 on 11x17 cardstock), so I’ll give it a thorough clean and see if that helps. If not I’ll see if Epson will help me
@@3Mewthree Hi I am having a similar problem, grinding noise and it has major problems feeding the paper, i am searching for a video how to clean the rear. The paper also keeps jamming. Its been working for a year with no problems
@@mohammedmakda9306 I had to get a new one, but it was covered under my warranty. Go to Epson’s website to find an approved repair shop and give them a call. They can look up your serial number to check your warranty
@@3Mewthree thank you autumn, i will try contacting them, is the warranty for 2 years?
Hi Keith my prints come out wet / not set have you any advise on this please.
what paper/media are you using
What media setting is selected
Great vid. Maybe I missed it in the comments below, but can cleaner ("windex" in North America) be used on the kitchen paper towel? Also, is this buildup on the print head less a problem when printing with a border?
Thanks - lots of household chemical can be used - they vary in composition over time.
See here for more info
www.northlight-images.co.uk/inkjet-printer-cleaning/
@@KeithCooper I also have a P900 and it has started to leave marks on prints. But how do I trick it into releasing the print head? It doesn't move when starting up.
@@mikeambach806 The usual 'trick' is to kill the power when the head is unparked. At a push you could do this when loading a sheet of plain paper
Hi Keith. I bought the et 8550 (L 8180 in Chile) something like a month, i have used it just a little, mostly testing it (with canson discovery pack) and some glossy paper. The thing is the other day i screw it up with a 6 x 4 glossy print, I put the paper upside down and of course a total mess over the paper. Then I printed a couple of A4 glossy paper and I noticed little points of black ink (no typical ink smearring type) a very well define random points (for example over my ex mother in law's nose ha ha, they looked like tattos over her face), so could it be something to do with the previous mess I did? I run a nozzle check and everything looks fine other than that. So im not so keen to do this type of cleaning just yet.
what do you think? And since I am here, another thing that I noticed (and search in forums like dpreview where i found you too) is that with thicker paper when the printer is feed by the second tray it leaves 2 noticiable marks on the paper :( so, the next move is to put the paper straight from the rear paper feed, but with thats came another problem and i dont know why, in this mode the print leaves 2 cm without printing anything at the bottom of the paper! why is that? thanks so much in advance and sorry for the long text.
Ink can rub off when not dry - my way of fixing this is to run some sheets of >slightly< damp thicker paper through the printer. I spray it >lightly< with a window cleaner and print a mostly blank page - you can run it through again.
The rear feed has an enforced large trailing margin - there is nothing you can do about this I'm afraid - see my ET-8500 rear feed video from last week [8500 and 8550 are the same but for width]
Hi Keith, I've recently got the Epson et 8550. I've printed out some A3 coloured art prints all of which turn out great. However, when I've tried printing just a black image it leave a faint shadow down the left hand side. Seems to be fine when printing A5/A4 the issue only occurs in A3. Is this something you've come across before or have any thoughts on how to resolve? Just tried dabbing up a excess ink surrounding the print heads but doesn't seemed to have fixed it. Thanks, Greg
Not sure about this one - I had a similar issue, when testing with a new 8550 which had been damaged in transit - Epson replaced it.
I would suggest contacting Epson
Hi Keith, i also have an Epson ET-8550 printer, but I am not able to get the maintenance box. Do you know, if I can clean the maintenance box and reset the chip to reuse it?
Greetings from Mexico
Sorry - I've no idea how to do that (or if it's even possible)
I've got the ink fixed on my printer, but now I'm having to replace the ink waste pad and I'm really confused. I saw someone connect a bottle to the tube so that the ink goes in a bottle that you can empty instead. I was thinking about doing that, but I need a computer to reset the printer apparently. And I don't have access to that. Both of my laptops need to be looked at anf it's gonna be at least $200, so idk when I can do that. My work hours have been cut, so I'm struggling with dealing with all of these issues I'm having.
I've not seen the 'waste pipe' solution for this printer - the place I'd ask would be:
www.printerknowledge.com
When filling the ink tanks for the first time where you'll end up with some ink left in each bottle which can be used for later, when would you normally use that remaining ink? I know you should not allow the ink level to go below the lowest line seen on each tank. However, I've also seen instructions on the printer display saying filling up ink with 2/3 of the tank still full, that could damage the printer. So I guess you at least need to wait until the ink level is below half maybe? Also, when just adding some ink and not all the way up to max, will the printer still be able to calculate the correct remaining ink levels? Or will you need to have enough ink to fill up to max for that to work?
Actually I used the ink to top off the tanks after a bit of use - just remember to reset the tank ink levels to the top.
The printer can only calculate tank levels with respect to the last time the tank was set as full.
There are no ink level sensors (as with all inkjet printers).
The main thing is not to run dry...
So if I understand what you say, if I would top off the tanks with the ink left in the bottle. Which I don't think wouldn't be enough to reach the top. Then the printer won't know how much ink I actually have. Since resetting the ink level is based on the assumption you have filled the tanks to the top/max capacity. Or...if you don't reset the ink levels after using the ink left in the bottles which will of course increase the amount of ink but not to the top, the printer will think you have less ink compared to what you actually have.
Guess I'll just keep that extra ink left in the bottles rest in my drawer for now. Since I still have plenty of ink left in the tanks.
Yes - the ink levels don't actually matter that much as long as the printer doesn't run dry.
I topped one tank up and set the level, to show it in the review. The others I left to run lower (it's gone back to Epson now)
I have a brand new 8550 that has missing lines on the head check, that simply won't come clean. I've done a deep cleaning and still get the exact same result. 50% of the black lines don't show up... in exactly the same configuration. Would this be something I could handle using your techniques?
Brand new - contact Epson.
No 2 ways about it - if I get a duff printer it gets replaced...
you don't use windex on the paper towel?
Windex is a US product? I do use similar on occasions.
It has been mentioned for many years in this context - see the main article about this - it's been regularly updated since I first wrote it in 2005
www.northlight-images.co.uk/inkjet-printer-cleaning/
Articles, I can update and extend - videos are set in stone when made... :-(
hi i have the Epson Ecotank ET 4800 is this the same way i would do mine ? Im getting black blobs of ink on edge of my sublimation paper
Sublimation? Are you using sublimation inks?
If so there's a good reason - the printer is not designed for such ink.
However, I've never seen a 4800, so I couldn't be sure...
Hi, I am using this printer with vinyl sticker paper on premium glossy photo paper setting. It was working fine and now it suddenly jams or will load slanted, even with the thick paper setting on. Is there something I am doing wrong?
Sounds like the rollers need cleaning. Thick paper lightly moistened with some isopropanol may help, but cleaning is fiddly - take the duplex unit out also for [gentle] cleaning of rollers
What if i accidently filled a bit of black (BK) into the photo black (PB) tank slot? Will it matter if i let it run like that till it runs low then fill with PB? Just printing office manuals with a bit of color. Quality doesnt matter much. (Put about 30mls before i noticed and put the rest back in the correct tank, so both have BK)
It won't cause any harm. Photo papers might not look quite right, but the inks won't react or anything.
@@KeithCooperThank you for the reply!!! Definitely puts my mind at ease.
Seems to be a common theme with
These Eco Tank printers. Had the same problem with both the ET 7750 and 8550 very annoying
Thanks - Did you print borderless much?
This is the number one cause of ink buildup for lots of different printers I've tested.
Hi Keith... you had problem with "Pinwheel roller marks
"? On your et8550? Im trying to find resolution everywhere but without the luck😢
The example I had [a loan from Epson UK] did not show such issues.
However it seems to vary very much by individual printer and paper used.
The most recent firmware update addressed issues in some areas for some printers, but not this.
A similar issues was the inability to use art media in the ET-18100 I tested - some have told me it works fine in theirs...
It's something I'd test with any new printer [with Epson media] and not accept if it showed
@@KeithCooper thanks.
How much should I worry that my two week old 8550 is doing ink smears on the edge of the paper
It shouldn't be doing this on good papers- if it's that new, I'd check with Epson.
Hey Keith…at the front of the printer when opened up there is a grey box with arrows…I have some roller bleeding a bit…slightly spotty…but see this box has black ink inside..what’s it function?
Do you mean the maintenance tank?
See the review for more
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
It fills up over time - it's a user replaceable part (takes a lot of use)
Thanks for the info! Got it..was trying to find the name through the parts picture, but didn't see it. Got it covered! Also big thanks for the cleaning tips! Had an issue and your tips totally cleared it all up! Fantastic! Thanks again!
Ohhh..one more question...do you recommend only using the Epson Maintenance tank...or are the third party ones I see on Amazon ok? Any experience with this?
I'm trying to print on double sided gloss paper that's thin because it's for a zine and I need to be able to staple at least 13+ together at a time.140 was to thin and just jammed. 160 is like ehhh some jammed some didn't. I moved from top tray to the pull out #2 paper source and so far the first 2 have worked but it still doesn't sound smooth while printing. Sometimes it almost looks like it's not aligned right it printed fine but idk. Almost like the paper comes out to far to the right up against the side wall. I center it when loading, Set it to gloss paper it's 8.5×11 btw. I did all the on screen maintenance things besides the heavy duty cleaning one idk if it requires that much also the image quality isn't the problem, it's the jamming. Any advise? I saw the setting for thin paper but it doesn't mention gloss or photo on that setting so I just went with gloss paper. Apparently the ultra and premium get thicker as the names get longer. Maybe I'll have to try 180gsm idk. I'm sick of ordering and returning paper lol. I've never used the rear manual feed slot either. I believe that's mainly for thicker cardstock stuff though right and probably wouldn't aid me? Also on the printer head part than has the lock lever for when you move it, I noticed it has another lever/dial next to the lock. Any idea what that's for? Or if perhaps using a computer program to print instead of the various epson phone apps (like smart panel or creative print which I'm currently using) would give me the option to get really intricate with my paper specifications and let the printer know it's photo gloss but also thin/how thin. Idk. I like you. So why not ask ya know. Lol thanks for your time even if you don't have a solution. Appreciate the video. Oh also how do I get on that list to early test new epson printers lol do I have to be a RUclips etc I'm curious about the new 10/12 color cartridge printer. But anyways. Jamming is the focus lol. Have a good week. I hope you find 100 £ on the ground and win a contest for a year of free gasoline. Peace from California.
Double sided photo paper printing is a recipe for problems with any printer I've tested - especially stacking sheets
Sorry, but phones (and iPads) have no real place in printing once you go beyond simple snapshots
Have a look at my main 8550 review for more info - I used Epson Print Layout for quite a bit of testing.
The main [written] review also has links to all the 8550 related videos I've made
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
BTW Do not touch the 'other' lever - it is for print head alignment [by the factory]. To my mind it is just a bit too 'obvious', for something visible to users, people will move it and possibly mess up their print quality.
PS will watch out for that lost cash!! ;-)
PPS I've been testing printers for over 15 years - making YT videos for just two [I only started doing them after Canon asked me to think about YT...]
@@KeithCooper I watched it print with the top open and saw that the paper starts to bend at a certain spot and point on the right during printing. I'm going to clean all the excess ink on the inside and try again. Also thank you for the POM112 info I was wondering what it was for. My print head is also very lose it feels. Should it feel like that? Like a little giggly. Or should I tighten the screws and such. I'm also going to try the thin paper feature and see what happens. Also I've printed with my MA book pro and my PC and honestly the epson apps on my S22 have the same features. For zines sometimes even better since I can do half page layouts prior to printing without needing Adobe in design etc. I'll take a look at that link though. I appreciate you responding. Good luck with the money and gas.
Ah - there should never be any screws need tightening in a printer ;-)
With phones it's not anything to do with features - they simply don't have functional colour management (paper profiles etc)
That said, if the prints look OK then fine ;-)
@@KeithCooper so is it OK the head is jiggly. Like I can move it up a little and what not. The paper seemes to snag on a part under where the head usually sits to the right then it starts curling. Would the head being lover or somehow making the print rollers lower be something that exists or is the whole world just a simulation and we're both just bots talking to eachother?
The heads are moveable when at rest
However, it the problems are regular and with a newish printer, try one of the support bots at Epson - it might be a warranty issue.
Hi Keith....................Thank you for the video, I think this is great and very helpful. But I have a situation and I don't know if you can help me. I tried to do follow your instructions, the print head moved all to the left side, but now it can not be moved to the right side, it is stuck on the left side and it can be moved only a little bit, but apparently it stops in some lock and can not be moved freely to the right side. Do you know how to unlock the mechanism to move the print head left to right again?? Thank you
I'm told that after several power cycles it will reset itself - it may spend a minute 'thinking about it' though.
@@KeithCooper Great!!! I will try that. Thank you for your help :)
@@KeithCooper Great!! it works.....after turning power on/off about 10 times, the print reset itself as you said. BIG thank you for your help!!!!!
I’ve been having a lot of problems with black ink spots on my prints and it’s been really frustrating as I’m printing to sell! I hope this will work for me
Hopefully, it's of some use...
Had the same problem on SC-P900. I was using it regularly with fine-art papers, a LOTs of ink inside, ink spots on leading and final edge on some Hahnemuhle art papers. Sent it for service, got a replacement, so far so good...
I have the ET-8550 (White version sold in the USA) and it's brand new but I'm having problems with small black smudges (either trailing edge or leading edge) only a couple weeks after setting it up. I've been using mostly glossy vinyl sticker paper and "premium" glossy photo/presentation paper (180g/48lb). I heard that this machine is quite "generous" with its setup when it runs ink thru the hoses and what such on first-time use, so maybe the ink pad is saturated. I will try this method and dab up any excess ink on the pad and do one or two wipes under the printheads themselves. Will report back with my results shortly!
Here's my report.
The latest firmware update as of July 2022 must have changed some things because the printer heads do not move out of the way as shown in the video. No matter what variation of the procedure shown which I tried- I could not get the printer heads to expose the ink pad while the top was open. Since this is the machine sold in the US, it is fitting I had to come up with a "cowboy" method of cleaning the ink pad.
⚠THIS *WILL* BREAK YOUR $800 MACHINE MORE LIKELY THAN NOT ⚠You have been warned. I assume no responsibility if you actually attempt this maneuver, I provide the information purely for educational purposes.
1. Open the cover so you can see all the guts.
2. Print a nozzle head test page, take note of the pattern the print heads take. You will see the pad is exposed at certain times for about 1-2 seconds.
3. Get a paper towel/napkin ready.
3. Print another nozzle head test page, this time you must get in there and dab the ink pad once or twice then pull your hand out before the print heads slide back over. Be gentle, you don't have to dab very hard to get the excess ink onto your towel/napkin.
4. Perform #3 once more.
Following these steps fixed my issue perfectly and I have been printing without any black smudges.
Note: I thought of pulling the power while printing a page but decided against it. Turning the power off with paper inside while the print heads are ejecting ink seemed like an even worse idea than reaching into the machine while it is printing.
Have you had to deal with error 8550 but there's no paper anywhere? I am really struggling to get this error off the printer, after following several steps.
Not one I've seen
I'd ask at www.printerknowledge.com
Help help please my 8550 is not printing correctly I've tried all cleaning solutions
Define 'not correctly'?
Could mean a wide variety of things?
I just bought an ET-8500 and I got black smudges on my 4th or 5th print! :(
That's not good - if the problem persists, I'd be on to Epson asking about it...
Have found mine scoring 300gsm greeting cards even with platen gap setting increased
I've seen discussions about modifications for this, but the printer here belongs to Epson, so I can't really take it apart to check the rollers.
Hey Keith
I have a Epson 8550, I have cleaned the heads with fluid cleaner, did power cleans you name it and I have done it, and I still cannot get the Black, Yellow or Grey to print at all was working one day and the very next day stopped printing these colours, I have filled ink up so that not it. I am hoping you may know why??
Could be a hardware issue if there is no ink at all from those nozzles - is the printer still under warranty?
There is not much more you can do other than a nozzle check, a clean and leaving the printer for several hours before looking again
Don't mention trying the cleaner if you do contact Epson - it may void any warranty
@@KeithCooper as it does not have epson ink in it they said would not be covered under warranty
Yes - that will do it.
One reason I never ever use third party ink
hi KC i need your help.i need epson et-8550, or l8168 resetter.Can u help me?
Unlikely I'm afraid since I don't even know what that is?
Try: www.printerknowledge.com
I wish I had considered your warning more carefully - when I plugged out the printer, the printhead got locked in place on the left side, and there is no way of moving it back over to the right. The printer gives me an error saying there is a "paper jam" and says to contact Epson support if the error persists. I shall do that tomorrow, fingers crossed this fix will be covered by my warranty.
Hope it works OK
Wait mate, someone had the same problem as you in the comment ( 4 comment on top of yours -> @st.leibowitz6463 ) and his solution was "the head was mostly locked to the far left, i pushed it all the way to the far left, cycled the printer, and all of a sudden it worked again. Go figure."
I don't speak normally english so i hope you understand and it helps.
Good luck :)
@@snp117 Thank you so much! I had already seen the comment and tried it, but unfortunately, I had no luck. All is resolved though - Epson support was quite good and they swapped it for a working printer within a few days :)
@@monamauve happy to hear that you problem is resolve!
Have a nice day :)
I got a question my Epson 8550 has a error code 031002. How can i fix the problem please help
You need to contact Epson, or check the full manual to see if it is listed there?
where can I find INK DAMPERS to printer ET 8550
Do you mean the actual replacement parts?
These should never need any attention unless you've put an incompatible third party ink through the printer [and messed up any warranty...]
Dear Mr Cooper,
What may be the reason for my printer (same model) to sometimes stop printing during the printing? It looks like it somehow looses its mojo and gets stuck in a place, doing the same thing, but printing does not continue. It looks like it triest to resume the programme, but cant find a way forward. Its like the programme would go blank at some point…
A networking issue? - try printing with a different connection or from different software, such as EPL
@@KeithCooper
Well, yes there might be an issues with my wi-fi, HOWEVER... isnt that the printer receives complete printing data before it starts printing, and so after the file/instructions are transfered fully, printing begins and then, even after network failure, device should finnish its job?
On the other hand, when I think about it now, the printing software must communicate with the device I assume, so we can monitor the printing progress and such... so I really hope this is an wifi network issue, so that would mean the printer is OKAY. I bought used for about 350,00 GBP which was a great deal in my book, it had only about 600 prints.
I've seen network issues cause all sorts of seemingly unrelated issues - the gold standard is still to try a USB cable ;-)
The place to ask is the printing forum at DPreview.com BUT do give full system and software details - without these it's just guesswork...
Thank you Mr Cooper. I’m currently rebuilding my network. The printer will have wired connection when it’s finally done. This happened only twice during the time this printer is in my possesion - about 12 months, so it’s not a HUGE deal, but it was a little letdown to see my first roll print fail…
Perhaps the question I should ask, as a newbie, is: is it normal that sometimes, for some reason, my print will fail and thats it. Or it might be something I should dig in, as it might be an issue that should be adressed.
Man i just tried this and Im still getting smudges at the end of the print and a bit on some of my graphics. It looks like a dollop of ink just starts running. I just got this printer and not even a year old. Getting ready to toss or sale it.
Warranty? It shouldn't do this - just make sure you mention an Epson paper it happens with [to save them using it as an excuse]
@@KeithCooper i think found the culprit. The adhesive glossy vinyl paper i used kinda curled so I think it dripped as it was drying?
Ah yes - paper curl is not good @@vanillarice24
Hey Keith. I tried performing this procedure on my et8550, i performed it once and saw some improvement... I tried a second time and after powering on the printer, the head moved to the opposite side, just started moving again, and i unpowered it. I moved the head slightly and heard a 'pop' i was unable to move it much after that. I powered it back on thinking it was still locked, and the printer made lots of loud clicking/popping sounds. I tried unplugging it and plugging it back in and now the head won't move at all and it says there is an internal jam! Any ideas?
I've not seen this happen. My suggestion would be to ask at this print forum. I've not got a printer here any more to test.
www.printerknowledge.com
@@KeithCooper the head was mostly locked to the far left, i pushed it all the way to the far left, cycled the printer, and all of a sudden it worked again. Go figure.
Glad it's OK
@@KeithCooper Hey Keith, You stated no longer have the printer, did I missed understand the comment? If not, why no longer have the Epson ET-8550? Thank you.
Please look at the aputure handheld photo lights or some other brand of photo light. Those little cheap LEDs have absolutely terrible Spectrums
Which lights are you referring to? The one in my hand is a general purpose lamp which I keep in the car...
This video is one of my oldest ones shot in my kitchen...
Of course I'm always happy to test video lighting if someone sends me some - I have zero budget for buying new kit, since I have everything I need for my actual [non video] work ;-)
The LED floodlight is covered in detail here, including colour correction
www.northlight-images.co.uk/rechargeable-led-worklight-for-product-photography/
It is nowhere near as awful as you suggest ;-)
Remember I am not, nor have any desire to be a videographer...
Thanks for your video! I just got the ET-8550. The grey piece below the printer head...what is that? Mine is turning black and it came white when I first opened it. Should I be concerned?
Is this the bit where the print head rests when not printing? - This is part of how the printer keeps the heads clean.
The other area is under where printing occurs - this catches overspray from borderless printing.
[I don't have the printer here at the moment, so am going from memory here...]
@@KeithCooper Maybe? It's the grey plastic piece in the bottom middle--it looks like a grate. If that makes sense!
I've had my 8550 for about 2 months. I'm getting an error 000025 and can't find what it is. Any idea
Not one I know - with a new printer I'd contact Epson whilst the warranty is fresh
@@KeithCooper After much investigation inside my printer. Come to find out the ink lines were hanging loose so the print head could not travel all the way across the printer. The plastic ties came off. I just had to attach the ties around the lines again
@@dianebaumgartner9680 Thanks for letting me know - filed away in case I see it asked again...
I accidentally put magenta on top of cyan and for a little bit it was printing okay. The magenta was full if magenta and the cyan was mostly full of magenta. I printed pink on copy paper continuously to use of the pink. It was taking a lot from the Magenta tank. I put cyan in the magenta when it got low on magenta.
I would think when you print a color the printer would take the ink from the designated tank for that color, so even if magenta was in cyan, if I printed a cyan photo it should take from that tank and print the magenta ink, although it should be cyan, so that I can clear the tank out. But, now both tanks are full….but, my printer isn't printing magenta or cyan now. And them ranks are full of them two colors, somewhat mixed. I don't have a screwdriver to live the top up, but I was able to lift it enough to squeeze my hand in and get the cyan cartridge out. I took out the tube, and stuck a syringe with a long metal blunt needle (the ones for feeding pets, retrieving ink from printers, and other uses)… but it barely got anything. Nothing got sucked up into the syringe…
I am also having to remove the ink waste pad I think as well. And I can't find anywhere where I can figure out how to take the top off for the ink situation. I have the et-2400 and I don't know what to do.
I was getting the thing saying that things in the printer have reached the end of their service life and when I looked it up, the waste pad stuff popped up, so I'm sure it is that. I can't find anything to help. I may have to call their support, but I've heard they aren't very helpful.
The place to ask about this is
www.printerknowledge.com
@@KeithCooper I was able to finally get the ink out, but now I need to replace the ink waste pad and reset the printer. I pulled out the tube from under the cover, as I still don't know how to take the top off. I see not obvious screws to do it. My issue was that I wasn't sticking the whole syringe into the tube, so it wasn't getting the proper suction.
Wish u had warned us not to pull power if the printer if the printer head locks. Mine is now locked on the left
A few powerup cycles usually sorts this
Hi. You do realize that you have ink spill above the printhead on the back of the rail!? The printhead is leaking in the upper parts!? That ink will with time enter the bearings on the printhead cartridge and destroy the bearings.
Nope - that printer was sent back to Epson long ago. It was an engineering test unit...
@@KeithCooper 😅 Ok, probably best that way. How much hade you printed before that cleaning session? Because there was quite a lot of ink on the back side of that rail.
@@mikaelsjostrom149 All the stuff for the review - it was a demo unit though, so there is no way of knowing.
Probably quite a lot, and a wide variety of media as well...
It is in the video purely as a prop, to show the ideas behind cleaning :-)