Converting a used printer for DTF - Removing the old inks

[alexb]

Hi,

I am looking to get a printer to convert to DTF. I have made a lot of research, but I'm not sure what are the exact steps for removing the old ink out of a used printer to put DTF inks in.

A lot of people here are talking about stuff like putting refillable cartridge and removing rollers and start printing, but that's if you get a new printer. I would assume converting a used one has extra steps?

Thank you so much for your help and I hope you're all having an amazing day

[johnson4]

21 minutes ago, alexb said:

Hi,

I am looking to get a printer to convert to DTF. I have made a lot of research, but I'm not sure what are the exact steps for removing the old ink out of a used printer to put DTF inks in.

A lot of people here are talking about stuff like putting refillable cartridge and removing rollers and start printing, but that's if you get a new printer. I would assume converting a used one has extra steps?

Thank you so much for your help and I hope you're all having an amazing day

Nope, not really. Refurbished printers and new are the best bet.

Used, well, how used and how old, how maintained right? 

overall, you just flush out the old inks with distilled water, or a light cleaner, which means you’ll need carts to do that. 
 

then another set of carts to fill with ink and use. 

Really is that simple. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by johnson4

[alexb]

I tried finding new printers but the ones that everyone are using or discontinued so I can't find any (or they are way too expensive for me). The only one I found new is the Epson l805, but it only prints A4, I'd like a printer that's capable of A3. 

That's why I'm trying to find a used printer. I'm having discussions with someone near me that's selling their Epson R3000, it seems to be in good condition and hasn't been used a lot. The person said the printer has been sitting for a while tho, I know these printers are not made for sitting, I'm not sure if a good flush would clean it enough? 

I have absolutely no experiences with inkjet printers, I only had laser printers in my life so it's all new to me

I really appreciate your help, thank you so much for your time!

[johnson4]

5 minutes ago, alexb said:

I tried finding new printers but the ones that everyone are using or discontinued so I can't find any (or they are way too expensive for me). The only one I found new is the Epson l805, but it only prints A4, I'd like a printer that's capable of A3. 

That's why I'm trying to find a used printer. I'm having discussions with someone near me that's selling their Epson R3000, it seems to be in good condition and hasn't been used a lot. The person said the printer has been sitting for a while tho, I know these printers are not made for sitting, I'm not sure if a good flush would clean it enough? 

I have absolutely no experiences with inkjet printers, I only had laser printers in my life so it's all new to me

I really appreciate your help, thank you so much for your time!

Before I buy a used printer, unless it’s at parts prices, I’d always do a nozzle check. If it doesn’t have enough ink, it’s worth wasting money on a cartridge to check it before buying, instead of buying it and it needing a $800-$1,000 printhead. 
 

You also need to consider replacement parts availability and cost, RIP compatibility, and so on. 


 

 

Edited April 2, 2021 by johnson4

[johnson4]

1 minute ago, johnson4 said:

Before I buy a used printer, unless it’s at parts prices, I’d always do a nozzle check. If it doesn’t have enough ink, it’s worth wasting money on a cartridge to check it before buying, instead of buying it and it needing a $800-$1,000 printhead. 
 

You also need to consider replacement parts availability and cost, RIP compatibility, and so on. 

 

 

 

[alexb]

I can ask the person to perform a nozzle check then, but would the results be accurate if the printer has been sitting for a year?

If the nozzle check isn't perfect, maybe doing a flush before doing the nozzle check would fix the potential issues, no? In any case, that would be too much trouble when buying from a random person, especially if the person isn't already equipped to do a flush

[johnson4]

8 minutes ago, alexb said:

I can ask the person to perform a nozzle check then, but would the results be accurate if the printer has been sitting for a year?

If the nozzle check isn't perfect, maybe doing a flush before doing the nozzle check would fix the potential issues, no? In any case, that would be too much trouble when buying from a random person, especially if the person isn't already equipped to do a flush

Ink coagulates as it ages, at least pigmented ink. That’s what happened to a lot of the matte black 8 channel printers causing clogging and damper failure. It can cause printhead clogging too. Usually it’s easily cleared, but not always. If it’s a few hundred or less, I’d take the risk. If it’s more, I’d go with a newer printer like the p400/600/800 or even the xp-15000. 

 

if he can do a nozzle check for you, and usage report, I’d buy it. Yea, your going to flush the ink anyway, but if it has sat long enough in poor conditions, it could need multiple things replaced. Dampers are cheap, flushing solution is cheap. Printheads aren’t, and that’s what you need to check to make sure it’s fully functioning. If your flushing, ALL of that is going through the printhead, so if it’s not clear/working, then flushing won’t help a thing. 
 

Keep in mind, if it has built in ink lines, you’ll need to print DTF daily or you’ll waste quite a bit of ink every other day when it settles in you. If you don’t intend on printing much, I’d go with a smaller printer like the p400 or xp-15000 so you can easily store it and not deal with ink flushing as it settles. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by johnson4

[johnson4]

I chose the p400 personally, I get about 70 prints before I need to change the carts out, at 18ml each, swap in cleaning carts and do a couple cleans and it can sit for days or months without issue. Other printers with built in ink lines, not so. 
 

all in all though, I’d go with your gut and understand there is a risk to it, but if it’s cheap, go for it knowing that. I know I sell the p800s I have for about $1200 including shipping, the p600s are several hundred more than that. P400s run from $600-900.

 

good luck! 

Edited April 2, 2021 by johnson4

[alexb]

Got it! 

I just noticed that Epson Canada is selling a Refurbished XP-15000 printer for only 200$CA on their website, that's very cheap for a A3 capable 6-color printer. Do you think I should go with that instead of the used R3000? I'm running a small custom embroidery shop and I want to get into DTF, so I probably won't be using it that much when starting out

[johnson4]

12 minutes ago, alexb said:

Got it! 

I just noticed that Epson Canada is selling a Refurbished XP-15000 printer for only 200$CA on their website, that's very cheap for a A3 capable 6-color printer. Do you think I should go with that instead of the used R3000? I'm running a small custom embroidery shop and I want to get into DTF, so I probably won't be using it that much when starting out

Yea, Epson also sells them refurbished as well in USA, but resellers buy them up quick. The xp-15000 is supported by EKprint that I know of, you’d need Chipless and refillable carts. But it would be good for low amounts of printing and something you could upgrade from it if the need arises. a few people here have done just that. 
 

Inkowl or aliexpress should have the cartridges, for either printer. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by johnson4

[johnson4]

If your going to do the 15000, I’d buy it before it’s gone. 

[alexb]

 

25 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

Yea, Epson also sells them refurbished as well in USA, but resellers buy them up quick. The xp-15000 is supported by EKprint that I know of, you’d need Chipless and refillable carts. But it would be good for low amounts of printing and something you could upgrade from it if the need arises. a few people here have done just that. 
 

Inkowl or aliexpress should have the cartridges, for either printer. 

I made some research and only found Single-Use Chip refillable cartridges, I didn't find Chipless carts for the XP 1500. It would cost a lot to replace the chips after each refills (from my understanding). That's a bummer...

[johnson4]

6 minutes ago, alexb said:

 

I made some research and only found Single-Use Chip refillable cartridges, I didn't find Chipless carts for the XP 1500. It would cost a lot to replace the chips after each refills (from my understanding). That's a bummer...

This printer is supported for Chipless ink, meaning you pay a single fee, and it requires no chips, meaning full ink forever. 
 

its $50 and shows full, and you don’t need chips on your carts

 

Www.Chiplesssolutions.com

Edited April 2, 2021 by johnson4

[johnson4]

It’s basically a Chipless firmware that is loaded on the printer, which makes it read full, even if chips are not installed. 
 

I just bought 3 of them. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by johnson4

[alexb]

 

7 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

This printer is supported for Chipless ink, meaning you pay a single fee, and it requires no chips, meaning full ink forever. 
 

its $50 and shows full, and you don’t need chips on your carts

 

Www.Chiplesssolutions.com

Are you sure it would work on the North American version of the printer? I know there's an European version that supports auto-reset chips as well, so if this Chipless fix only works for the European version it won't work with the one I'm looking to buy

I just want to make sure I don't buy I printer that wouldn't be compatible for Chipless

[johnson4]

5 minutes ago, alexb said:

 

Are you sure it would work on the North American version of the printer? I know there's an European version that supports auto-reset chips as well, so if this Chipless fix only works for the European version it won't work with the one I'm looking to buy

I just want to make sure I don't buy I printer that wouldn't be compatible for Chipless

I wouldn’t either, I’ve never ran across one that doesn’t work with Chipless. I have made over 15 printers Chipless from this website, most of them come from Epson refurbished directly.

I know the auto reset chips don’t work on these versions in the US, but from my experience the Chipless does. 
 

like I said, they won’t last long. 
 

good luck, you’ve got a few options. Worst case scenario, you resell it for a small profit if it doesn’t.

Edited April 2, 2021 by johnson4

[johnson4]

I want to add, I meant printers that have Chipless available, have always worked. Obviously if Chipless isn’t available, it won’t work. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by johnson4

[alexb]

Okay perfect! I can always try it when unboxing the printer and if it doesn't work don't go through the conversion and then resell it

Thank you so much for all your help! I just placed the order! I'm super excited about it

You mentioned EKprint, I also know Acrorip is compatible with this printer: is there any advantages of getting one or the other?

[johnson4]

Right, I always test it out of the box, THEN try the Chipless, if all is well, it’s good to go. 
 

wrong person to ask on the software, I hate acro with a passion, and I’ve used EKprint for 4 fours. However, some people feel the exact opposite. 

[alexb]

3 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

Right, I always test it out of the box, THEN try the Chipless, if all is well, it’s good to go. 
 

wrong person to ask on the software, I hate acro with a passion, and I’ve used EKprint for 4 fours. However, some people feel the exact opposite. 

Oh well I still want to know why you hate Acro  It might help me take a better decision, these software aren't exactly cheap 

[johnson4]

Just now, alexb said:

Oh well I still want to know why you hate Acro  It might help me take a better decision, these software aren't exactly cheap 

Acro, is slow to process a print job( like insanely slow, sometimes 5 minutes) The settings aren’t the most intuitive, among other things. You can find acro 9 for free, and EKprint is $350. EKprint usually only takes 10-20 seconds to print, and is very user friendly- in my opinion. 
 

[alexb]

6 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

Acro, is slow to process a print job( like insanely slow, sometimes 5 minutes) The settings aren’t the most intuitive, among other things. You can find acro 9 for free, and EKprint is $350. EKprint usually only takes 10-20 seconds to print, and is very user friendly- in my opinion. 
 

So you're saying that the software actually makes a difference in the print speed? 

[johnson4]

2 hours ago, alexb said:

So you're saying that the software actually makes a difference in the print speed? 

Technically, it can. However, That isn't what I meant, I worded that wrong.

 

When you load a file and click print, the RIP program processes it and sends it to the printer. Once it's sent to the printer, it begins to print. Acro, Takes a long time to do this. Ekprint, does not. a standard 4MB image can turn into a 200-300MB print file.

 

Those printers have been sold out for a bit now, I'm not sure if you noticed. They must have just become available when you found them. I had checked about 10 minutes before you said that. Anytime you see them like that and want it, buy it immediately. 

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by johnson4

[alexb]

11 hours ago, johnson4 said:

Technically, it can. However, That isn't what I meant, I worded that wrong.

 

When you load a file and click print, the RIP program processes it and sends it to the printer. Once it's sent to the printer, it begins to print. Acro, Takes a long time to do this. Ekprint, does not. a standard 4MB image can turn into a 200-300MB print file.

 

Oh okay I get it now! That's a good thing to know, thank you

11 hours ago, johnson4 said:

Those printers have been sold out for a bit now, I'm not sure if you noticed. They must have just become available when you found them. I had checked about 10 minutes before you said that. Anytime you see them like that and want it, buy it immediately. 

Yeah I was probably lucky for that one. But I'm from Canada, so maybe here the printers sell out slower on Epson Canada's website cause there's a lot less population than the US. They had only one in stock tho, so good thing I noticed it before it was gone

I paid only 200$CA, it was free shipping and since I have a business I will get the taxes back, so basically it only cost 200$CA total. That's a great deal, especially for someone who's just starting out in DTF. Super happy about it

I couldn't thank you enough for all your help, I really appreciate it!

There will be a learning curve for sure, I gotta figure out everything about maintaining the printer and keeping it clean and running good as much as possible

[johnson4]

1 hour ago, alexb said:

Oh okay I get it now! That's a good thing to know, thank you

Yeah I was probably lucky for that one. But I'm from Canada, so maybe here the printers sell out slower on Epson Canada's website cause there's a lot less population than the US. They had only one in stock tho, so good thing I noticed it before it was gone

I paid only 200$CA, it was free shipping and since I have a business I will get the taxes back, so basically it only cost 200$CA total. That's a great deal, especially for someone who's just starting out in DTF. Super happy about it

I couldn't thank you enough for all your help, I really appreciate it!

There will be a learning curve for sure, I gotta figure out everything about maintaining the printer and keeping it clean and running good as much as possible

Youll need quite a bit more than $200, the rip, Chipless, refillable carts, ink, film, powder etc. but $200 for a printer is a good deal.