Summary
This page contains information on installing PiezoTone or Piezography Neutral K6 inks for the first time, in the above printers, including ink positioning for different printing systems and ink sets.
Contents
Test your printer:
Verify that your printer functions perfectly with Epson inks. In addition to printing a perfect nozzle check, make test prints to be certain your printer does not have unfixable banding problems. Take the time to scrutinize your printer’s performance before moving to the next step. It is not possible to diagnose many printing problems on a printer that has not first been tested with Epson inks. It is important to test your printer in this way, whether it is old or new.
Have the correct ink cartridges on-hand:
Refer to the tables, below, for the list of ink cartridges needed, and their positions in the printer, for various ink sets and printing systems. In addition to the ink cartridges listed below, you will also need a full set of flush cartridges.
Note about “Universal” vs. Standard cartridges. Normal cartridges for these printers contain “keys” or tabs that allow them to be inserted into specific printer slots. Some of the ink sets use standard, keyed cartridges, while others use universal cartridges. If you find that a particular cartridge will not fit into its correct slot, please contact Piezography tech support ([email protected]) before breaking off any of the keys on the cartridges. When writing, include information about the cartridge label or labels, and which printer slots into which you are attempting to install them.
Table 1: Piezography Neutral K6 ink cartridges used when printing through either Studioprint RIP or QuadToneRIP
|
Printer Color Slot: |
Cartridge: |
|
Black |
Shade #1 |
|
Cyan |
Shade #2 |
|
Magenta |
Shade #5 |
|
Yellow |
Shade #4 |
|
Light Cyan |
Shade #3 |
|
Light Magenta |
Shade #6 |
Note about Neutral K6 cartridges: Your cartridge label may or may not explicitly note the shade or color position of these cartridges. If there is a label on the end of your cartridge that tells you the color slot, use that information, and you will see that the color slot and shade number will match the information in the table above. If your cartridge does not have this label on the end, then look at the “SKU” number on the cartridge, which consists of a series of letters and numbers. The shade number is the last number of the SKU number. Use that shade number and the table above, to know where to place your cartridge. Do not confuse the shade number with the printer’s slot number.
Table 2: PiezoTone ink cartridges needed when printing with the PiezographyBW ICC or iQuads profiles.
Information: the labels on the cartridges are misleading, in that they represent the old Piezography BW Pro 24 ink fill order and naming convention. When you use an ICC based system (iQuads, Piezography BW ICC), you must use the following order. Note that the cartridges you must place into the Light Cyan and Light Magenta printer slots are not as labeled:
|
Ink cartridge slot on printer says |
Ink cartridge label says |
This ink cartridge contains the following ink shade |
|
Black |
Black |
Black |
|
Cyan |
Cyan or Light Cyan (or, C or LC) |
Dark Gray |
|
Magenta |
Magenta or Light Magenta (or, M or LM) |
Medium Gray |
|
Yellow |
Yellow (or Y) |
Light Gray |
|
Light Cyan |
Magenta or Light Magenta (or, M or LM |
Medium Gray |
|
Light Magenta |
Yellow (or Y) |
Light Gray |
Table 3: PiezoTone ink cartridges needed when printing with Studioprint RIP
The selection of cartridges when using Studioprint is completely up to the user’s desired print environment. As a general rule, a person will select one cartridge of Black, two medium gray cartridges, and then either one dark and two light gray, or one light gray and two dark gray cartridges. In addition, the use of Studioprint allows the user to mix two shades, to enable “split-tone” printing. Refer to the table below for commonly used ink set combinations for different ink combinations. The designation “Tone 1” and “Tone 2” refer to two distinct tones. Usually this means one cool tone and one warm tone.
|
Printer Color Slot (Remember that Studioprint allows the user to install the cartridges in any slot desired. Shown below is a common configuration): |
Cartridges for Option 1: commonly used configuration printing with all one tone |
Cartridges for Option 2: Common split-toned configuration, enabling highlight printing in two tones |
Cartridges for Option 3: Common split-toned configuration, enabling shadow printing in two tones |
|
Black |
Black |
Black |
Black |
|
Cyan |
Dark Gray, Tone 1 |
Dark Gray, Tone 1 |
Dark Gray, Tone 1 |
|
Magenta |
Medium Gray, Tone 1 |
Medium Gray, Tone 1 |
Medium Gray, Tone 1 |
|
Yellow |
Light Gray, Tone 1 |
Light Gray, Tone 1 |
Light Gray, Tone 1 |
|
Light Cyan |
Dark Gray, Tone 1 |
Medium Gray, Tone 2 |
Dark Gray, Tone 2 |
|
Light Magetna |
Medium Gray, Tone 1 |
Light Gray, Tone 2 |
Medium Gray, Tone 2 |
Table 4: PiezoTone ink cartridges needed when printing with PiezographyBW Pro, or Imageprint Software.
|
Printer Color Slot: |
Cartridge: |
|
Black |
Black |
|
Cyan |
Dark Gray |
|
Magenta |
Medium Gray |
|
Yellow |
Light Gray |
|
Light Cyan |
Dark Gray |
|
Light Magenta |
Medium Gray |
Ink Change Procedures
There are two procedures used to flush the inks from your printer. One is for the 7000 and 7500 printers, and one is for the 9000 and 9500 printers.
When changing inks in your printer, you will flush out the first set of ink, using flush cartridges, and then you will flush out the flush fluid with the PiezoTone or K6 ink set. The ink and flush fluid are deposited in your printer’s waste pads, and how full they are originally, it is possible that you will fill the waste pads up during, or shortly after the ink change. Keep this in mind, and realize that you may need to have your pads replaced.
Procedure for Epson Stylus Pro 7000 and 7500 printers
1. Test the printer with Epson inks, as described above.
2. While the printer is on, remove all six cartridges, starting with black.
3. Turn off the printer. It will automatically empty the ink tubes of ink (this is called a “transport dump”).
4. After the printer has finished with this cycle, turn it back on and insert the set of flush cartridges, starting with the black cartridge slot, and installing them from left to right. After you have installed the sixth cartridge, the printer will automatically begin to fill with flush fluid.
5. After the printer has finished filling, turn the printer off. Leave it off for several hours, or if possible, overnight or longer. This allows the flush fluid to help dissolve any dried ink in the printer.
6. When you are ready to install the set of PiezoTone or Neutral K6 inks, turn the printer on and remove the flush cartridges starting with the black position cartridge, and moving to the right.
7. After removing the sixth flush cartridge turn the printer off. This will initiate another transport dump cycle, emptying the printer of the flush fluid.
8. Turn the printer on, and install the six ink cartridges, from left (black position) to right. The printer will begin to charge with ink after the sixth cartridge has been inserted.
9. After the printer fills with the new ink set, print two copies of the “flush image” on typing paper, to ensure that the printer is completely flushed of flush fluid and old ink. You will find a copy of the flush image here.
10. Print a nozzle check pattern. Once you verify it is perfect, you may print with your new ink set.
Procedure for Epson stylus Pro 9000 and 9500 printers
1. Test the printer with Epson inks, as described above.
2. Turn off the printer, remove the old ink cartridges and install the flush cartridges.
3. Turn on the printer while holding the following three buttons:
“Paper feed -”
“Cut/Eject”
“Cleaning”
The printer is starting up in the “service menu.” The LCD panel will display "LCD = Check: Test.”
4. Press the "Paper Source" button to toggle through the cleaning menu until the LCD displays "Check: Cleaning". Press the "Enter" Button. The LCD will display "Cleaning: Std.KK0"
5. Press the "Paper Source" Button to toggle though the menu until the LCD displays "Cleaning: Init. Fill". Press the "Enter" Button.
6. The printer will perform an “initial fill” cycle, which will push out the old ink set, and replace it with flush fluid in your printer.
7. Once the printer completes the initial fill cycle, turn the printer off. Leave it off for several hours, or if possible, overnight or longer. This will allow the flush fluid to help dissolve any dried ink in the printer.
8. While the printer is still turned off remove the flush cartridges and install the new ink cartridges. Turn the printer back on.
9. Pull out the first cartridge and reinsert it. Repeat this for the other cartridges, one at a time. The purpose of this is to reset the cartridge ink level readings to full.
10. Turn the printer off.
11. Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5. The printer will perform another initial fill cycle; this time with the new inks.
12. After the initial fill completes, turn the printer off and back on to exit the service menu.
13. Print two copies of the “flush image” on typing paper, to ensure that the printer is completely flushed of flush fluid and old ink. You will find a copy of the flush image here.
14. Print a nozzle check pattern. Once you verify it is perfect, you may print with your new ink set.