[isanabria79]

I must say that im really impressed on how helpful and nice everyone is here to help new guys learn about this stuff. But the more i read the more questions i have and the more confused i get
I want to make my own tshirts but mostly as a hobby making shirts for my kids and maybe some shirts for friends that have local businesses or just crazy ideas to see what it looks like on a shirt. So im not planning to make 1000's of shirts in a month.
I been reading about how everyone loves the epson wf 1100 but now its discontinued. Also that pigmented ink with a CIS is the way to. but they clog up specially if you are not using it almost every other day.

So 1- since the Epson WF1100 is discontinued what kind of printer should i get or should i look for a used one.

2 - how bad do pigmented inks clog in a CiS or is it better to get replaceable cartridges

3 - Can you do XXL shirts on a 15x15 or should i try and save for a 16x20..

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[Hegemone]

Cis or replaceable are fine. Make sure to print pigment inks frequently to keep the head from clogging. The CIS or carts won't clog if handled correctly. Go with carts if you are not at least somewhat mechanically inclined. If you don't understand the principle of siphoning then you will want to avoid CIS lol. With either wear gloves and work someplace easy to clean.

 

[isanabria79]

Cis or replaceable are fine. Make sure to print pigment inks frequently to keep the head from clogging. The CIS or carts won't clog if handled correctly. Go with carts if you are not at least somewhat mechanically inclined. If you don't understand the principle of siphoning then you will want to avoid CIS lol. With either wear gloves and work someplace easy to clean.

I guess im just really worried about it getting clogged since its more of a hobby right now then actual business. I would like it to expand in to that but maybe later on.

 

[Fenrir]

The replacement WF 1100 is the WF-7010 which is kind of a weird design (I hate bottom feed printers) but the print travel area is wide open, making it ideal for a CIS without any obstruction of the tubing. I haven't seen details on CIS for it yet, but I haven't looked.

You can also get an Epson 1400 off their website (refurbished) and put pigment inks in it, but it will only work with color profiling (i.e. everything has to be printed out of your photo/graphic design program that works with ICC profiles). People say it's more prone to clogging since it's dyebased but any pigment printer will clog with disuse. I did have trouble getting my 1400 to print a perfect nozzle check (I would print several nozzle checks, purge pages - pages with solid color blocks - and one cleaning cycle every day, and it gave me perfect nozzle checks on the third day). That could simply be because I didn't prime the dampers correctly, but the ones I use are gravity feed and not suction based. In my opinion, I get much better color with the 1400. Other people here seem to think the 1100 is just fine. I got refillable dampers (mine are refill-in-the-printer with a reset button so I never have to take them out) because I don't see myself printing enough for a CIS in the near future, and also I need the 1400 to be portable without worrying about snagging tubes and creating a disaster.

With both my 1100 and 1400 I print at least 1 nozzle check every day. This uses a tiny amount of ink and makes sure every single jet in the printer is fired.

 

[isanabria79]

You can also get an Epson 1400 off their website (refurbished)

I saw both the 1100 and 1400 (refurnished) one is 100 dollars and the other is 179.. is the price difference worth getting the 1400?

 

[Fenrir]

Personally, I like the 1400. But most people here prefer the 1100. It is built "more robustly" and is designed for pigment ink so you will have less problems changing the ink for it (1400 is for dye but Epsons can be changed).

I did have less trouble getting the 1100 running than the 1400. I'm sure most people here would tell you to get an 1100 and that's a very good deal. Last I checked they didn't have any on their website so they must have gotten more in.

 

[mgparrish]

The replacement WF 1100 is the WF-7010 which is kind of a weird design (I hate bottom feed printers) but the print travel area is wide open, making it ideal for a CIS without any obstruction of the tubing. I haven't seen details on CIS for it yet, but I haven't looked.

You can also get an Epson 1400 off their website (refurbished) and put pigment inks in it, but it will only work with color profiling (i.e. everything has to be printed out of your photo/graphic design program that works with ICC profiles). People say it's more prone to clogging since it's dyebased but any pigment printer will clog with disuse. I did have trouble getting my 1400 to print a perfect nozzle check (I would print several nozzle checks, purge pages - pages with solid color blocks - and one cleaning cycle every day, and it gave me perfect nozzle checks on the third day). That could simply be because I didn't prime the dampers correctly, but the ones I use are gravity feed and not suction based. In my opinion, I get much better color with the 1400. Other people here seem to think the 1100 is just fine. I got refillable dampers (mine are refill-in-the-printer with a reset button so I never have to take them out) because I don't see myself printing enough for a CIS in the near future, and also I need the 1400 to be portable without worrying about snagging tubes and creating a disaster.

With both my 1100 and 1400 I print at least 1 nozzle check every day. This uses a tiny amount of ink and makes sure every single jet in the printer is fired.

.:: Cobra Ink Systems::. This is where the term CIS began

 

[mgparrish]

I saw both the 1100 and 1400 (refurnished) one is 100 dollars and the other is 179.. is the price difference worth getting the 1400?

Save your money.

A 6 color printer will not really improve the color quality as the transfer paper is not the same as glossy hardcopy photographic paper. If you were using a only a photo printer then the 1400 is better, but not for tshirts. I have a 8 color Epson 4880 (with pigments) but it is not better than WF1100 for transfers either.

Also, more printheads = more probablity for clogging and more $$ wasted on inks when you run print head cleans.

While there are pigments inks available via 3rd parties for the 1400 the 1400 wasn't designed native for pigment inks, the WF1100 is designed native for pigments. Most likely to get accurate color on the 1400 using pigment inks you would need to have a profile as well.

 

[Fresh White Tee]

I am considering getting a CISS Pigment Ink system for my 1400, As one other user asked, if used only 2-3 times per week for a hobby of printing T Shirt transfers rather than daily for business use, will the system clog up quicker? Or is a nozzle check daily the only way to keep everything running smoothly?

 

[mgparrish]

I am considering getting a CISS Pigment Ink system for my 1400, As one other user asked, if used only 2-3 times per week for a hobby of printing T Shirt transfers rather than daily for business use, will the system clog up quicker? Or is a nozzle check daily the only way to keep everything running smoothly?

2 or 3 times a week is not a problem. You can still run a nozzle check often if you like, it doesn't use much ink. Humidity is a factor. I'm in a dry area (Phoenix) so I make sure I print or nozzle check every other day. Inks like humidity.

The biggest thing with CIS is that you should research how to troubleshoot before you run into trouble. Keep a set of refillable carts with the same inks so if the CIS has trouble you can:

1. Use them as a back up. Trouble seems to always happen right in the middle of a job.
2. Use them to troubleshoot ... if you install the carts and any clogging or banding goes away (after head cleaning on the CIS doesn't work) then you know the CIS is at fault.

Buy your CIS from somewhere that has support available and make sure troubleshooting advise is given with the purchase either thru a website or with printed documentation.

Priming instructions (getting a good vacuum) and detailed instructions on how to reset the chips, etc ... get this upfront when you purchase.

Keep this file handy, it's a little more comprehensive than a nozzle check at times to see how well each color channel is working.

MIS ASSOCIATES, INC. - Powered By Kayako eSupport

A nozzle check is good enough to keep the ink fresh in the head, once in a while the nozzle check may not show enough to see some banding issues though.

In the purge.zip file there are several files with color bars. You have a 6 color printer so you will see one for that in the package.

There is also an "auto print" utility on that webpage if you need to go away for a week or so and want to print while you are away to keep the inks fresh in the printhead.