Monday 9 February 2009

One Dead Printer

This morning started well. I was pleased when the post arrived because it contained some ink cartridges from a new supplier.

I ordered them after the last black ink cartridges I’d bought several months ago, from a supplier that will only accept returns for seven days, simply didn’t fit. Of course, I tried two of the four I had bought, because it’s cheaper to buy them in bulk, before refitting the old one that was almost empty. At which point the printer told me it WAS empty and wouldn’t print.

Anyway, that was about 72 hours ago and the new ink cartridges arrived today. I put one in and it fitted fine. I did a print test and it sounded fine but the paper came out blank. I cleaned the heads about eight times, did several nozzle checks. Nothing.

I googled “troubleshooting Epson CX5400” and found someone with exactly the same problem who fixed it by dismantling the whole unit and gluing a something tube into its socket because it had become unfixed. I looked at the instructions, then got my husband to look as well. No way I could follow them but he might.

Trouble is I can’t print the instructions so he will have to do it next to the computer and read it off the screen. That means I can’t get on with anything else for the time it takes. And that could be hours or days, as he’s likely to get a phone call at any time that will take him back out to work and would have to just leave it. For the moment we’ve abandoned the idea.

I found a company that will come out and do repairs, but I didn’t bother to ring them. The cost of an engineer would surely equal the cost of a new printer. I’ve been looking at them on ebay and Amazon etc, but haven’t yet decided to buy. Hubby says he’ll take a look at it tonight now. But he’ll be downstairs with his workmate on a dustsheet and some plastic sheeting to protect the carpet from ink. While I’ll be upstairs in my office calling down instructions in between EC dropping or some such.

After all this, I finally got through to the Egyptian Consulate in London this morning. And I discovered that I can send in our applications for our holiday visas if I download and PRINT them from their website.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your experience reveals a bit of extra effort brings you new options. What a person things he already knows is not all there is to learn.

Anonymous said...

I certainly hope you get your printer sorted out. I have a problem with mine from time to time also. My printer use to make large copies of a photo, now it only prints the regular size which is frustrating me so I will probably need to take mine to be serviced.

Jena Isle said...

Hi Jean,
that happens at times , it's so frustrating. Happy blogging.

Rebecca Laffar-Smith said...

My printer is of the temperamental sort as well. Actually, because I print so infrequently I often find my ink dries up so I'll go to print something after a couple of months and find nothing but a pile of blank pages printing. It is frustrating. I've actually been thinking of just getting rid of this printer actually.

My mother has a BEAUTIFUL printer. One of those professional four ink cartridge double paper cavity, self-cleaning, self-ink-refreshing kind. Lately I've taken to just emailing her what I want printed out and collecting it from her later. Maybe I should invest in a model like hers but that is on the pricey end of the printer scale.

Still, she's had it over a year and it's worked perfectly every time. The savings in frustration alone could be worth the expense.

I hope your own printer woes are solved. It is always when the printer won't work that we need it most.

Jane Doe said...

I hate printers. Mine is always out of ink and when I buy more I invariably buy the wrong cartridge. Guess I'll have to start carrying the old one with me.

Good luck fixing yours!

Unknown said...

Thanks for comments, folks. The printer was in bits in my living room for two days and when put together again it till wouldn't work. I managed to win an auction at ebay and am waiting for an ex-display printer to arrive now. It didn't cost much more than buying real Epson ink cartridges.

Today I had an email from Greenmetropolitan to say one of my books had sold. I had to write out the delivery note by hand. Sods law these things happen when I am printerless.

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