Epson 7880 Problem

[Greg]

Yesterday I was printing an 8 1/2 X 11 inch print on my Epson 7880 printer.  In the middle of the print job I noticed the paper had wrinkled, and the print heads were in direct contact with the paper.  After stopping the print job and removing the paper, I tried to print again.  There was a terrible artifact about a half inch wide the entire width of the paper.  And there was banding that was very visible after the artifact.  Well, I knew the banding could be corrected with a print head alignment, so I proceeded to begin that process.  There are a series of three print head alignment runs, and it took three times just to complete the first one.  I think it took four on the next, and I can't remember how many on the last.  That being done, I tried to print again, but the artifact was exactly the same as the last.  So I called epson technical support and hoped for the best.  The gentleman who answered had me clean the two pads within the printer and told me to wait a half hour and try again.  So 45 minutes later I tried to print and ended up with the same results.  Again I called Epson technical support and was told that it may require a visit from a technician.  The lady said it may be that the technician may not even have experience with the 7880 since most they encountered were smaller printers.  I was concerned that the time to get to my small home town would be inordinately expensive at $175.00 per hour, but she assured me I would only be charged from the time he got to the location.  Whew, that was a relief, because the nearest location to our small town was around two and a half hours away (five hours round trip).  But she said, "Why don't we try a few things before I get off the phone with you."  I said, why not.  She was very patient with me and walked me through a cleaning (not a power cleaning).  I'm not sure if that is all we did, because I was so stressed about the problem.  By that time I had been working with the printer for several hours.  After we were done she said to try a print, and I was thoroughly elated that it turned out perfect.  The printer has worked flawlessly since I have owned it, so I was thrilled to have it back to normal.

Having technical support was so helpful, and as it worked out, was a life saver.  My hat is off to that young woman who helped me and was so encouraging.  I wish I knew her supervisor so that I could relate how helpful and friendly she was.  I have decided to only use larger sheet paper in the printer and use mostly roll paper when possible.  Paper up to 13 inches will be printed on my Canon printer.  My confidence in Epson is now at its highest level, and if I purchase another printer it will, of course, be an Epson.

Greg

 

[jonathan.lipkin]

Good to hear, Greg. My experience with Epson pro tech support has been similar, although in my case it did require a head replacement.

[Greg]

Johathan,

That was my fear from the beginning of my trouble.

Greg

[Michael H. Cothran]

In April, 2011 my 7600 was also giving me a few issues. To make a long story short, Epson advised me to "take" it to an authorized service center, as they would have any parts on hand that I might need. Made sense to me. The closest center to my home in Nashville was 5 hours away in Atlanta. Biting the bullet, I drove down the night before, incurring a motel bill in addition, dropped off the printer at 8:00 AM, and picked it up about 4:30 PM. They had thoroughly refurbished it, but sadly it did need a new head also. A year later, and it runs smooth and clean, and I will certainly get my money's worth out of the overhaul. The cost was still much less expensive than replacing the printer with a new one. Although, in a few years or so, I will upgrade to whatever the newest generation of 24" printer is, if for nothing else, to experience the new technology in print heads and inks.

[Michael H. Cothran]

Additionally, the tech who worked on my 7600 knew the machine better than I know my address. Furthermore, he was friendly, and straight forward. I'd recommend them in a heartbeat for anyone near the Atlanta area. Here's a link -

http://dawnelectronics.com/location-us-kennesaw-ga/