This page covers a number of hints and tips that will be useful to those using larger Epson printers. In particular, many of the hints focus on things you need to know when running third-party inks and cartridges in those printers.

When Epson make their 24" printers like the 7000, they tend to make a larger brother like the 9000 (44" model). The same for the 7500 and 9500, 7600 and 9600. In each case, it seems like the larger printer uses larger cartridges by default (approx 220ml instead of 110ml).

Within each range of printer, Epson protect their cartridges from being used on the wrong printer by putting little ‘tabs’ on the cartridge. These tabs slide into appropriate slots in the printer receptacle... or they can not and thus prevent insertion of an incorrect cartridge. These tabs prevent the wrong colour being inserted into the wrong position, and / or prevent the right colour cartridge being inserted into an incorrect model printer.

Having said that, larger carts from e.g. the model 9000 printer can be used in the 7000 printer... without modification except that the cartridge cover lid can not be closed any more. Please note that you must not insert 7000 sized cartridges into a 9000 sized printer as they will get stuck in place!

In general, the larger cartridges are better value, and this is why many users wish to carry out such tasks.

Here are the heading covered on this page:

• How Large Format Epson printers measure ink consumption
• Using Cleaning Carts in a LF Printer
• Using Cartridges for a 9000 in a 7000 etc.
• Using x500 carts in an x000 printer and vice versa
• Using ‘Universal’ Style Carts
• Running Large cartridges in an Epson 3000
• Turn off the 7500 / 9500 ‘Black Square’ Test, and the 9000 Tab test

How Large Format Epson printers measure ink consumption

Epson firmware in the printer actually carries out some kind of cursory count of the number of ink droplets fired from each colour head. Using this information, when the cartridge is about half-full (based on the printer setting for the cart size in use) the Ink-Low light starts to flash. Presumably, the printer continues to keep count of ink used, but it seems that the Ink-Out light will only turn solid (indicating that you must change the cartridge) when a white tab inside the cartridge and attached to the ink bag activates a switch inside the printer. In theory, this only occurs when the bag inside the cartridge is ‘deflated’ enough through ink consumption. In practice though, it seems a rather unreliable mechanism for measuring an ink-out condition.

Printers since the 7600 / 9600 series introduced those clever-little Intelligent chips to keep a count of the ink used from each cartridge, which in theory means that these mechanisms noted above would not be required.

Using Cleaning Cartridges in a LF Printer

The following procedure will work with most Epson large format printers (7/9000, 7/9500) to clear out the majority of your current inkset, and then to prime the printer with the cleaner fluid from specialist cleaning carts:

1. With the printer on, remove each ink cartridge in turn. After removing the last cartridge, switch off the printer on it’s main control panel. This activates the printer’s mechnism to purge the ink from the printer ‘for transit’. After a few minutes, the printer will turn off, and you should have seen the ink be drained from the ink lines. This procedure should match that shown in your manual to purge ink for transit;
2. Switch the printer back on;
3. Insert your cleaning cartridges until all are in place. As you insert the last cartridge, the system should go into ‘priming’ mode, which will take several minutes. The cleaning fluid should be sucked into the printer lines and the print head, and again, you should be able to see it’s progress along the ink lines;
4. Allow some time for the cleaner to settle into the printer - certainly for a few hours and ideally overnight or up to 24 hours;
5. Run some cleaning cycles and print some solid blocks of colour. You should hopefully not see any colour printed... but what you will see is damp and ruffled paper (use cheap paper!)
6. Whilst it can sometimes be difficult to be sure, try to be as certain as you can be that all the nozzles are firing with the cleaning fluid. This may take some time, and a few cleans and prints.

Now, you need to consider moving from the Cleaning Fluid to your new ink supply. Do this by going through steps 1-7 again, this time purging the cleaner, and priming with your new ink. Again, you should expect to give your printer quite some time / a few cleans / a few block test prints to settle in to using the new inks.

Using Cartridges for a 9000 in a 7000 etc

Whilst Epson never advertised the fact that this could be done, they actually built in some control codes to the smaller 7000 and 7500 printers to tell them that the cartridge you were inserting was ‘double capacity’. In general, we recommend using the weight of the cartridge as the guiding force to ascertain if a cartridge is near-empty, or not, but changing this setting could be important to you.

1. With the printer on, load some paper;
2. Turn off the printer;
3. On the control panel, press and hold the "SelecType" button, and turn on the printer;
4. Release the button, the LCD panel displays "CARTRIDGE SIZ=100ML*"
5. Toggle through the two choices by hitting the "Paper feed +" (Paper feed plus)" or "Paper feed -" (Paper feed minus) buttons.
   The two choices are:
   a) LCD panel displays "CARTRIDGE SIZ=100ML*"
   b) LCD panel displays "CARTRIDGE SIZ=200ML"
   In the above example, the 7000 cartridge is the current selected size because it has the "*" as the last character. To switch the 7000 printer to use the larger 9000 cartridges, press the "+" or "-" button as above until the LCD panel displays "CARTRIDGE SIZ=200ML"
   Press "Enter" to register your selection.
6. The printer should now enter the Ready state for printing.

Using 7500 Cartridges in a 7000, and Vice Versa

As noted above, the use of 7500 cartridges in a 7000 printer is prevented through the use of tabs on the cartridge. However, one of those tabs is required to open up a small gate inside the printer cartridge slot. As you look at the cartridge, in the orientation that it slots into the printer, it is the top-right tab... but you should double check this with your printer and your carts through careful observation.

To fit a cartridge from a ‘wrong model’ printer into the model you wish to use, break off the tabs - typically the ‘top-left’ tab and also the tab on the bottom of the cartridge.

Before undertaking this task, you should be careful that what you are trying to achieve is right for you... and also consider the following important information:

When you remove the tabs, you are also removing the mechanism that prevents you inserting the cartridge into the printer in the wrong colour position. So, when you remove the tabs, you must be absolutely certain that the cartridge is clearly labeled, and that from then on, it is you that correctly checks and double checks you are inserting the cartridge into the correct colour position.

When you try to use certain cartridges in a 7500 / 9500 printer, you may experience a failure in that the printer is expecting to detect a black square on the printer cartridge. To turn this checking off, see here.

Using ‘Universal’ Style Cartridges

Some manufacturers now supply inks in ‘Universal’ style cartridges that are provided with only the single tab necessary for correct insertion into all of the 3000, 7000, 7500, 9000 and 9500 printers. It is vital when using these cartridges that you check each cartridge is clearly labeled, and that from then on, it is you that correctly checks and double checks you are inserting the cartridge into the correct colour position.

Mistakes here could be costly in terms of time, cleaning fluids and wasted inks.

We covered above the procedures for setting 7000 and 7500 type printers to understand that they were running with larger 220ml cartridges. However, a printer like the 3000 does not have this option. This is covered in Running Large Cartridges in an Epson 3000.

9000 Printers also apparently detect the lack of a tab at the top-left position, and this can be reset following instructions here.

Running Large Cartridges in an Epson 3000

The Epson 3000 does not have a facility to change it to know it has larger cartridges in place. As such, when the ink-out light goes solid, remove the cartridge (with the printer powered on) and then reinsert it straight-away. This fools the printer into thinking that you have inserted a new cartridge.

Do this just once. When the printer next shows the ink-out light flashing, and then solid, you really have run out of ink and the cartridge should be replaced and disposed of.

Turn off the 7500 / 9500 ‘Black Square’ Test, and the 9000 Tab test

1. Ensure that the printer is off;
2. Hold down three buttons <Paper Source>, <Paper Feed> and <Cut/Eject>, keep these buttons held down whilst you turn the printer on... and keep them held down until...
3. The printer display reads ‘Init All = EXEC’
4. NOTE - DO NOT hit the Enter button! This would reset everything to factory default setting;
5. Toggle through the menu by pressing the ‘Paper Feed (+)’ button... until the display reads ‘DETECT INK LABEL=OFF’;
6. Press ‘Enter’ to make the change;
7. Exit the ‘init.’ menu by turning the printer off.

Please note that MWORDS has closed. We aim to retain these support pages in the hope that they may benefit our past customers, but regret that we can no longer offer further comment or support in relation to the information above.