Epson XP-15000 Conversion Some Answers and Some Questions

[anum11]

1 hour ago, TeedUp said:

Air clogs will often improve on their own if left alone for hours or overnight.  I don't have the patience, neither do my customers.   Multiple XP15000 so one can be down, as long as one up.

Dual XP600 head printer coming on slow boat from... yeah.  I can't wait. My life will finally be blissful, right?

Dont get your hopes too high. Dtg and dtf printing is full of pot holes. I am somehow going on but every week i gotta deal with something.

[cartierusm]

3 hours ago, TeedUp said:

Air clogs will often improve on their own if left alone for hours or overnight.  I don't have the patience, neither do my customers.   Multiple XP15000 so one can be down, as long as one up.

Dual XP600 head printer coming on slow boat from... yeah.  I can't wait. My life will finally be blissful, right?

LOL I get it. Nice, I bet you can't wait. I'm pretty sure that's what's mostly happening to me is the air bubbles as I'll do a head cleaning with only a speck or two missing, do another one right away and a whole color channel is missing. That's when I started messing around with removing the colored (fill) plug. In all honesty I've been super happy with the quality and printing. It's been pretty reliable so far. I just got the new CISS with dampers system and have a DTF job coming up to test it on. I have a Epson 3880 all channels cleaned and sitting with cleaning fluid with a good head print waiting in the wings if I need it. I'm not doing this for a full time biz, just for friends and stuff. Small clientele. So I bought all the stuff for the 3880, but not sure I should even put ink in it unless I need it as the XP-15000 is working so well.

[cartierusm]

1 hour ago, anum11 said:

Dont get your hopes too high. Dtg and dtf printing is full of pot holes. I am somehow going on but every week i gotta deal with something.

Oh I'm familiar with that type of stuff. I've been messing around with this type of stuff my whole life. Thanks though.

[johnson4]

3 hours ago, TeedUp said:

Air clogs will often improve on their own if left alone for hours or overnight.  I don't have the patience, neither do my customers.   Multiple XP15000 so one can be down, as long as one up.

Dual XP600 head printer coming on slow boat from... yeah.  I can't wait. My life will finally be blissful, right?

The dual is pretty nice. Depending on your RIP it’s a bit faster. The main thing is it just works till the job is done. 
 

i finally Got Cadlink working correctly, it’s a breeze in comparison overall.

Edited June 7, 2022 by johnson4

[cartierusm]

19 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

The dual is pretty nice. Depending on your RIP it’s a bit faster. The main thing is it just works till the job is done. 
 

i finally Got Cadlink working correctly, it’s a breeze in comparison overall.

Glad you did. I like it a lot. So far. Not sure if I can use it with another printer or not as I have that 3880.

[johnson4]

16 minutes ago, cartierusm said:

Glad you did. I like it a lot. So far. Not sure if I can use it with another printer or not as I have that 3880.

Should be able to use any supported Epson, just one at a time unless you pay for each additional port. They support the P800, so they should support it. 

[cartierusm]

Ah, cool. Thanks.

[TeedUp]

8 hours ago, johnson4 said:

Should be able to use any supported Epson, just one at a time unless you pay for each additional port. They support the P800, so they should support it. 

Didn't you have to upgrade to the wide version Cadlink to support the Audley dual XP600?

[johnson4]

45 minutes ago, TeedUp said:

Didn't you have to upgrade to the wide version Cadlink to support the Audley dual XP600?

For any of the Chinese controllers you do need the wide format version, including the 13" and smaller chinese controller printers.

 

 I have both, the wide format version and the small format version. You can upgrade the small format version for the price difference if you wanted, as well you can add an additional port for slightly less than the small format license cost so you can run multiple machines at the same time under a different queue.

Edited June 8, 2022 by johnson4

[TeedUp]

7 hours ago, johnson4 said:

For any of the Chinese controllers you do need the wide format version, including the 13" and smaller chinese controller printers.

 

 I have both, the wide format version and the small format version. You can upgrade the small format version for the price difference if you wanted, as well you can add an additional port for slightly less than the small format license cost so you can run multiple machines at the same time under a different queue.

So if I upgrade my small format version to wide, can I run my XP15000s and dual XP600s off the same wide license (regardless of adding a port for simultaneous use)? Does the wide support the desktops as well?

[johnson4]

1 hour ago, TeedUp said:

So if I upgrade my small format version to wide, can I run my XP15000s and dual XP600s off the same wide license (regardless of adding a port for simultaneous use)? Does the wide support the desktops as well?

Correct. 
 

wide format covers wide and small format. 
 

I will message you something. 

[cartierusm]

I'm having trouble with the XP-15000 and the CISS with Dampers. It just won't print the colors. I see the ink flow when I do an imaginary cartridge change through the printer menu and occasionally I get a good-ish nozzle print check. I called Vibrant Vibes ink, where I purchased the CISS, and they said some people remove the vent plug in the cart itself, I tried that, but when doing a cart change through the menu it definitely doesn't create the vacuum it needs to pull ink. I don't know but maybe there's lots of air in the lines?

Here's my current setup. The cheap clips it came with for the lines made the lines dip down possibly hitting the print. I'll make a more permanent solution if this works.

[johnson4]

36 minutes ago, cartierusm said:

I'm having trouble with the XP-15000 and the CISS with Dampers. It just won't print the colors. I see the ink flow when I do an imaginary cartridge change through the printer menu and occasionally I get a good-ish nozzle print check. I called Vibrant Vibes ink, where I purchased the CISS, and they said some people remove the vent plug in the cart itself, I tried that, but when doing a cart change through the menu it definitely doesn't create the vacuum it needs to pull ink. I don't know but maybe there's lots of air in the lines?

Here's my current setup. The cheap clips it came with for the lines made the lines dip down possibly hitting the print. I'll make a more permanent solution if this works.

Is the ciss higher than the printhead? 

[cartierusm]

No same level as the printer. That's what the instructions say, should I raise it up?

[johnson4]

2 hours ago, cartierusm said:

No same level as the printer. That's what the instructions say, should I raise it up?

I had to. You need positive pressure on the in line dampers. The dampers should be able to withstand the pressure, the head likely isn’t making a great seal and/or suction to activate the dampers and pull the ink on top of that, it’s like double duty. Without the inline dampers, the top

Of the ink in the tank should be the same height as the top of the printhead- not the tank itself. Any higher and the positive pressure causes leaking. 
 

All of my printers with in line dampers I have the ciss about 6” higher than the printhead. If it leaks, then the dampers are no good, anything less than 2”- 3” higher doesn’t work well for me either. Could try it anyway, raise it up, do 2 head cleans then test print. If it works it works, did for me. If it doesn’t, just lower it back down. 
 

im talking about the ink level in the tank, not necessarily the tank itself. A good test to be safe would just to sit the ciss on top of the printer IF it has dampers. If it doesn’t have dampers in the ink lines then don’t do anything I just said. 

Edited June 10, 2022 by johnson4

[cartierusm]

Ok thanks. I tried everything even holding it up high, but not for long just a head cleaning and that didn't work. I put the old carts in and bam works fine. Maybe I'll put them back in and put the whole tank on the printer and let it sit for a few hours and see what happens. I'll watch for flooding.

[TeedUp]

I have a CISS sitting in the box, almost since the start, I've been reluctant to deal with possible stagnant ink issues without a WIMS.  But now that my print volume is more regular, I'm thinking of giving the CISS a shot .

I don't have dampers, should I get them, necessarily? Or when might I not need them? and are they specific to the CISS I'm using, or are they all pretty much the same? 

Also, is WIMS advised?

Thanks guys.

 

Edited June 10, 2022 by TeedUp

[cartierusm]

I don't know, but if you already have it try it. You can always add dampers later. Tons of people already use CISS without dampers. WIMS? Is that a white circulation system? IF so I would just give the external tank a shake and the white carts and be done with it, at the beginning of each day.

I haven't tried anything else yet, but will tomorrow. Gotta get this print job done.

Something weird goes on. Sometimes it starts printing on the film near the top, where I want it to, then for the last hour I have to keep cancelling prints as it starts to print about 3" down the page. Problem is I'm ganging stuff up and you can print on the last 2 inches of a sheet as the front rollers were removed in the conversion and there is nothing to grip and move the print the final few inches. SO it ends up just sitting spray ink all over the page until it drips and the last graphic is useless.

Anyone else have this problem?

[johnson4]

44 minutes ago, TeedUp said:

I have a CISS sitting in the box, almost since the start, I've been reluctant to deal with possible stagnant ink issues without a WIMS.  But now that my print volume is more regular, I'm thinking of giving the CISS a shot .

I don't have dampers, should I get them, necessarily? Or when might I not need them? and are they specific to the CISS I'm using, or are they all pretty much the same? 

Also, is WIMS advised?

Thanks guys.

 

The dampers are a few bucks a set. From China like .20 cents each. It’s recommended but not necessary. You MUST keep the ink level at or below the printhead. Otherwise the positive pressure will cause severe leaking. 
 

it’s a basic ciss tank, basic in-line dampers attached to refillable carts. If you have that, then your good. I built mine for about $30 a set. 
 

It sucks shaking the white ink daily, and pulling/purging the settled white ink. If you print daily then shaking should be fine. Your carts are going to be the same way. 
 

making a wims for this type of ciss almost never works out. The amount of pressure ( positive or negative) on a damper-less head just won’t work well and will cause serious issues. 
 

worst case make it daily routine to pull 10ML per line each morning after shaking the white ink. More reliable and cheaper. Takes about 3 minutes if your slow and careful. 

Edited June 10, 2022 by johnson4

[cartierusm]

15 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

worst case make it daily routine to pull 10ML per line each morning after shaking the white ink. More reliable and cheaper. Takes about 3 minutes if your slow and careful. 

So shake the CISS tank, use a syringe to pull 10ml from the white cart in the printer from the vent hole?

[johnson4]

37 minutes ago, cartierusm said:

So shake the CISS tank, use a syringe to pull 10ml from the white cart in the printer from the vent hole?

The vent hole may work- I usually pulled the tube from the cart and did it with a small hose on a syringe I rinsed out daily.

[cartierusm]

Ok cool. Thanks. 

[johnson4]

4 hours ago, cartierusm said:

Ok cool. Thanks. 

No problem

[cartierusm]

Ok maybe, MAYBE, two problems solved. When I put in the 13x19 sheet in the rear feed it's always asking what size paper, I  just cancelled out as I figured that the RIP was telling the printer exactly what to do, NOPE. Once I set it to 13x19 plain paper it seems to printing in the correct location now.

But the almost better news is that I think I got the CISS working. I kept the external tank on top of the printer all night, as suggested by Johnson4, and left it there for printing. This morning fired it up did a couple nozzle checks and a head cleaning and a purge print and it seems to be working. Cyan's nozzle check wasn't great, but did a purge print and it seems ok. Printing the first film of the day. Keep your fingers crossed.

[cartierusm]

Ok I've been printing all day and everything was excellent. It just stopped min print saying there is a paper jam, when there isn't. I've unplugged the printer multiple times, cleaned the underside of the print head carriage with a paper towel in case there is ink on the sensor, but still nothing.

Is the printer dead?