[AnthonyF]

I've been searching online, but have not been successful. Does anyone know of a guide to resuscitating a Ricoh GX e3300n? This is the nozzle check, which I don't think bodes well! Ink is low in all colors but black. I ran a couple of head cleanings and flushes with no success. I basically paid nothing for this machine, so I'm not opposed to putting in a bit to get it running, but I'm unwilling to spend $300 on ink to find out I can't. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Signature Series]

If you paid nothing you paid exactly what it is worth - toss it.

 

[AnthonyF]

Is that based on your experience restoring this particular printer model, or are you just taking time to be unhelpful?

 

[Signature Series]

Sorry, you go right ahead and keep on working on restoring with a bad print head. Let us all know how it turns out although 99% already know.

 

[mgparrish]

I've been searching online, but have not been successful. Does anyone know of a guide to resuscitating a Ricoh GX e3300n? This is the nozzle check, which I don't think bodes well! Ink is low in all colors but black. I ran a couple of head cleanings and flushes with no success. I basically paid nothing for this machine, so I'm not opposed to putting in a bit to get it running, but I'm unwilling to spend $300 on ink to find out I can't. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Most likely is a bad print head, however assuming you did regular head cleans AND "power cleans" and the problem didn't go away ...

The capping station on inkjet printers can make it appear as thought the heads are clogged, they are not internally clogged but rather clogged underneath the head. Once the capping station gets gunked up the result is cleaning the heads just furthers the problem, the capping station isn't passing the waste inks into the waste area and remains on the surface.

So you clean the heads but it gets gunk again underneath once the heads are "parked" or "capped".

See the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uj2gIN6g4A

A gunked up capping station can also cause "splatter" or over spray so you see artifacts in the printed area, or fuzzy looking stuff especially visible in text

If David at Conde sees this perhaps he knows a better or newer video, or other suggestions.

 

[AnthonyF]

As always, Mike, you are a prince! I watched the video and currently have some cleaning solution soaking on the sponge pad. I'll see what happens and let you know. Thanks again!

 

[mgparrish]

As always, Mike, you are a prince! I watched the video and currently have some cleaning solution soaking on the sponge pad. I'll see what happens and let you know. Thanks again!

Another thing to do is to place a wet bounty paper towel soaked with head cleaner or 50/50 Simple green and distilled water under the print head for a couple of hours while your head is moved away from the park position during your cleaning of the capping station.

I'm not aware of a video for this (for Ricoh) but basically you fold the paper towel and soak it and place underneath the print head.

As a last resort after you have placed the soaked paper towel underneath then you take another clean paper towel (soaked in cleaner) and gently go back and forth underneath the print head to wipe it. You have to be careful and gentle on this step as it could damage if you get too abrasive.