Hi: I have an old Epson 1200 photo printer with incredibly clogged heads. It prints up to medium format. I have not used it in awhile and the heads are very clogged. Is there anyway to clean those heads without hitting the button 1000 times or should I buy a new printer? I was using my Epson 880, but it no longer works. I know HP, Canon and Epson all make printers around $500 that are supposed to be good, but I would rather get the old one working again, it was expensive. Thanks

Attached Link: Consumer's Report - Snapshot Printers- 2 Epson's best

Thank you, but I need something to print my art that I can calibrate and for larger art. There are so many printers out there now and the color lasers still seem to be not good with graphics.

I was really way off!  LOL...

I will be interested is seeing what replies you get.  I'm afraid I am not  familiar with calibrating printers.  I have a print account with deviantArt that I hope to use some day for large framed art.

Please define what you mean by "large" art.    What size prints do you want to make?

The Epson 1200 print heads can be flushed with cartridges. I have a large format and use them to clean my Epson heads all of the time. They are not cheap. I will give you a URL so you know what you are looking for, but you might want to shop around for the best prices. The keywords you are looking for are “Flushing Cartridges.”

http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl;jsessionid=ac112b801f4303911ebd350a4eed92328f611cbf6563.e3eTaxiPc3mTe34QahuLb3ySbhf0n6jAmljGr5XDqQLvpAe?c=362672&sc=11&category=458 

www.inkjetmall.com 

If you take the printer into a shop, you may get charged upto $600 or $700 to change the printhead.  The service shop does not clean them, just replace them.  So you have little to lose by trying the flushing cartridges.

If you must consider a small or medium format printer then you might look into the Epson Sylus Pro 3800, for about $1500, which is capable of 17 by 44 inch color printing. Or the more expensive 4800 which is a Professional grade printer with archival inks for about $2400.  Street prices vary and you can find better deals if you look long enough.

Great information again, Jan.  Thank you.  Maybe someday I will use it.

Thanks! How fast do these flushing cartridges work? I read you can flush the head with alcohol. Is that what's in them?

From all the info on forums and consumer articles I've read, Epsons are nice printers, but famous for clogging heads.  Though I haven't used one personally, the next printer I buy will be a Canon.  Not only do they receive high praise from users and editorials, they have the smallest droplet size of any desktop printer I know (1 picolitre compared to 2 picolitres for most others).  This results in superior resolution.

I have both an HP wide format printer and an HP medium printer that will do up to 13 in wide.  I find them to be excellent and print crisp clean sharp prints.   The only problem i find with the medium printer is the cost of the ink cartridges.  Amazingly the wide format plotter actually is cheaper to re-ink LOL

As a giclee printer for many years, no one printer is better than any other.  Each has its own special attributes and pitfalls based on how often you print and what you print.  A printer should be used at least once a week to keep the noozles open, if not then run a clean cycle.  Alignment is a key factor and should be done regularly.

I have used HP, LexMark, Epson, Canon, and many others.  Canon is famous for mechanical defects.  HP is is outlandishly expensive, and the software quirky.  Epson does not like inks that are not designed for its printheads, because a special lubricant is added to the ink and therefore required to keep the noozles open.  

Flushing cartridges is a simple but repetative task.  The cleaning solution is not alchohol, and can be toxic if taken internally.  Alchohol is not recommended for some printers and will damage parts.  You should not attempt to manually clean a printhead or you may damage the electrical contacts. If you use the flushing cartridges several times and cannot unclog the heads, then likely they will have to be replaced.  Over time ink can harded like concrete.

You can call a service bureau and find out what the cost for maintenance is.  

You can look fo another printer.  Refurbished are usually half the cost of the original.  I have had several and they worked as well as new ones, provided you purchase them from a reputable source.  

Look into an older Epson 1280 Printer.  It is an update of the 1200, and instead of two cartridges it has many more. 

Hi all: Well, I found instructions on the Internet that works with all inkjet printers with clogged heads unless the heads are part of the ink cartridge. I took my ink cartridges out of the Epson 1200, dropped a small amount of rubbing alchol about three times a day for a couple of days into the head holes, then put in new ink cartridges. I then ran the head cleaning cycle about 4 times. Hooked it up to my PC and first printout was like new!!!!!!!! I am thrilled. Only cost me 99 cents for the bottle of rubbing alchohol!!!! Now I am cleaning my Canon inject. Cheap fix!! The alcohol dissolves the dried ink clogging the heads.

PS. The printer was unplugged from electricity and it was a tiny amount of alcohol so nothing seems to be damaged. Runs like a top.