Re: Need advice on ImageWriter printer ribbons

[ggonter@together.net (Geof Gonter)]

In article <57g0ql$7p7@news.bconnex.net>, jefbla@bconnex.net (Jeff
Blakeney) wrote:

>Just a quick note to thank everyone who sent me their thoughts on my
>printer ribbon venture.
>
>I was going to pass up on the offer because of the prices that MEI has
>but when I went back to pick up some for my own use, they gave me a
>much better deal than we had originally discussed.
>
>This means that I now have over 300 black printer ribbons for use with
>the Apple DMP, ImageWriter and ImageWriter II and that I will be able
>to sell them for much less than I had originally estimated.
>
>I still have a few things to work out (price, estimated shipping cost
>and whether I will be able to deal with US cheques) and will post a
>for sale message once I have everything figured out.
>
>BTW, I opened one up and tried it out and it worked very well.

Just remember MEI's ribbons use a water based ink. I use them, their
retail arm, Micro Center, sells them as well. They do dry out extremely
fast when opened and you need to run a ribbon with a lubricant in it
occasionally. One article, in an old NAUG publication recommended using a
better ribbon every fourth time. However, you can extend the life of the
ribbon and the print head by 
1. Prying the cover off when the print gets light
2. Spray ribbon with WD-40 or CRC 656
3. Replace cover and place in a sealed plastic bag for a few days (it'll
equalize the concentration of ink)
4. It'll mix with the ink and make it darker for a while and lubricate the
print head!

BTW, I have been doing this on My ImmyII for over 4 years (use about three
boxes (2500 sheets) of paper a year) and I am still running the same print
head.

  ---Geof Gonter---
In the shadow of Vermont's Mount Mansfield.
Visit Burlington, VT's Mac Users's Group "MacChamp" at http://www.sover.net/~gm7234/macintosh.html