Posted on 30th Apr 2014 @ 10:10:20 PM

Since the inception of the Printer Potty waste ink kits we've tried hard to identify what works best as a guide while balancing access to the information.

After a lot of trial and error we have now opted for a mix of approaches depending on what specific printers (or groups of printer) require.

Printed Instructions

Where possible we're now creating printed installation guides in A5 booklet format with the option for customers to request a larger (A4) version (poor eyesight, etc..). To date we have created printed guides to cover these kits/printers:

• Photo R3000 (Duo Max)
• Photo R1800/R2400 (Duo)
• PX700 - PX830FWD, Artisan 700->837 (Solo/Duo-X kits)
• WF-2350 (SoloL20)
• XP600 - XP950 (Solo XP2)

Additional guides are already close to completion for the Photo 1400, 1500W (Artisan 1430), and R1900/R2880 and should be available soon.

Finally we're working on a generic guide for other common printer types such as the rear trap door (eg: R285), front right access hatch (eg: R360). This coupled with other inserts to deal with specific printer model quirks should cover the bulk of Epson printer models.

Slideshow Guides

After making a few videos we quickly realised that while they provide a great way of advertising what can be done and also an overview of the process, customers quickly get annoyed if they have to stop, start, rewind the video to see what the next step is/was.

The solution was to provide a slideshow option that details parts, tools and the process for each stage. This approach also utilises icons rather than relying on lots of speech or text to communicate what needs to be done. For non-English customers this has made a significant difference and makes things much easier to understand.

Video Guides

While we are still shooting video footage for installation guides we're not focusing on these due to the amount of time required to edit and produce them. Some installations like the WF-7015, really benefit from a video to explain and/or demonstrate complex parts of an installation so we're still using this approach where it makes sense.

Limiting Factors

While we wish we could produce and share all our installation guides in all formats we've learned the hard way that this encouraged lazy competitors to steal and rebrand our resources as their own while undercutting our products with their reduced costs (no printer to buy, no detailed investigation or editing to worry about). Easy to do if someone else is doing all the work for you but it's not how we roll.

So, by selectively releasing some guides to the public domain, or providing instructions with the kits themselves we hope to strike a balance between supporting customers, extending printers lives and not bankrupting ourselves in the process.

So, to summarise...

The Printer Potty brand and product offering is maturing considerably and coupled with suitable distribution partners we're looking forward to saving a lot more printers and customers money in the process. Exciting times ahead and, as ever, feedback is welcome.