Inkjet Printing Issues

1. Does it matter if I use different brands of paper in my printer?

Yes. There are different types of paper available on the market. Printer manufacturers tend to design their printer and paper to produce the quality they believe looks best.  Different inkjet printers use different inks, the print heads work differently and they have different textures. It is for this reason that the printer manufacturer's paper normally produces the best results with your printer.

This does not mean that you must only use the paper from your printer?s manufacturer. I have tested a lot of generic brands with some Epson and hp printers and discovered that some brands give a similar quality result as the manufacturer?s paper, but some brands tend to give a really dull result. Using some generic brands of printer paper can save you a lot of money, so you may need to try out several brands to find one that works correctly with your printer.

One common problem when using gloss paper that is not compatible with your printer's ink is called bronzing. One of the main causes of bronzing is because the paper cannot absorb the ink correctly.

2. What weight in photo paper should I select?

Simply it all depends on what you what to do with the photos after you print them. As a simple rule of thumb I would recommend around 240gsm (grams per square meter). This paper feels great in the hand and is fairly rigid, so it is perfect to use and gives a good impression when showing others your images.

3. Can I use 3rd party inks?

From testing many third party inks on different brands of printers, I have not found any 3rd party ink that can perform the same as the printer manufacturers inks. Even though it may appear that you save money on the cost of the ink by using a 3rd party, in the long run it may cost you more and you may have to replace your printer. One of the most important things to consider is your printhead because on many HP printers the heads are part of the cartage so when you replace the print cartage you are also replacing the heads, but if you have an Epson the heads are part of the printer. From all 3rd party inks I tested in my Epson photo printer I ended up with clogged heads. According to Epson technical support if your printheads are blocked, its cheaper to replace your printer, so if you have an Epson or a printer where the heads are part of the printer you should consider that the 3rd party ink can destroy your printer. If you have a printer where the printheads are part of the print cartage then there is very little risk of damage, your real consideration is the print quality.

• Print cartages from the printer manufacturer costs more but quality and performance are guaranteed.
• Some 3rd party inks can be up to 50% cheaper.
• There is no guarantee of the printing quality from the 3rd party inks.
• Which print paper is compatible with the 3rd party inks? This is something you will have to work out.
• With 3rd party inks blockages seem to be more common.

4. What are the different types of inks?

• Two common types of inks are dye and pigment inks.
• Dry inks are water based. This is the most common ink used in desktop printers.
• Dry inks can break down and fade overtime
• Dry inks are cheaper than pigment inks.
• Dry inks are absorbed by your printer paper.
• Pigment ink is not absorbed into the printer paper; instead it sits on the surface of the paper.
• It is believed that the prints with pigment inks may last for hundreds of years.
• Some pigment inks don't print well on glossy paper; this is because the ink normally creates a matte finish.

5. How can I match the colour of my printer to the colour of my monitor?

You need to calibrate your monitor and your printer. Firstly, the most important element is that you calibrate your monitor to ensure that it is displaying each colour accurately. Once you have calibrated your monitor you need to do a test print and compare the image to your screen image, if both do not match then you will need to calibrate your printer. To calibrate your monitor and screen you need a calibration tool.

6. How big can I print an image?

Resolution	Print size at 300dpi	Print size at 150dpi
6 megapixels	10x6.5inches	20x13inches
10 megapixels	13x8.5inches	26x17 inches
12 megapixels	14x9.5 inches	28 x 19 inches

A 300dpi image from 6 megapixels camera is only designed to print at a size of A4. The printing of a larger picture at high quality is possible by printing at a lower resolution, this is subject to the fact that the cameras produced a good quality image. Most image from digital cameras using a low ISO will be of high quality.

7. How to print large panoramic pictures with my A4 Epson printer?

Most Epson A4 printers allow you to customise the page size to much longer than the standard size. The width is limited to a maximum of 210mm, but the length can be up to 3 meters.

8. How can I unclog my print heads on an Epson printer?

• You need a syringe and ink cartage clean solution.
• Remove the ink cartages from your printer.
• Ensure the printer is powered off.
• You may need to add a small plastic pipe to the syringe to ensure that it can be connected to the print head nozzle. The print head nozzle is the part of the printer that connects to the print cartage.
• Fill the syringe with the cartage cleaning solution and inject the solution into each nozzle.
• Repeat the process after 10 minutes.
• Allow the solution 60 minutes to dissolve the blockage.
• Insert your print cartages and run the printhead cleaning program twice.
• Now do a printer test and see if the printer prints correctly.

On printers that were badly blocked I have repeated this process several times before I was successful. I have heard that many people have used window cleaning solution to clear there blocked heads. Remember you do this process at your own risk, if this process goes wrong your Epson warranty will not cover the repairs of your printer.