ACHI 1390 DTF Printer Not Printing Any Ink: When to "Park & Prime," What to Check (F1 Fuse/Driver), and Repair Options

Question: I love your YouTube videos-they've been incredibly helpful. But I'm stuck with my DTF printer and it's making me feel defeated.

I work at a junior high school in Mississippi and I have two questions:

1. Do you accept purchase orders?

2. Can I ship my ACHI 1390 DTF printer to you for repair?

Also, my printer will not print any ink at all. I've followed your videos for unclogging the capping station. I replaced the printhead cable, the printhead, and the cap top, but nothing has worked. I bought three printheads from Amazon and each arrived with at least one clogged channel. I tried flushing with a syringe but couldn't clear them. At this point I'd rather have someone experienced look at it.

Answer:

1) Purchase Orders (POs)

At this time, we do not accept purchase orders. Payment needs to be made up front; otherwise, we won't be able to accept the printer for repair or begin work.

2) Can you ship your ACHI 1390 DTF printer to us?

Yes-we do accept mail-in repairs for DTF/DTG/EcoSolvent machines (when availability is open). The service listing you shared is the correct place to start:

• DTF/DTG/EcoSolvent Whole Printer Diagnostic Fee + Repair Labor Deposit (Limited Opening) (https://bchtechnologies.com/collections/printer-repair-service/products/dtf-dtg-ecosolvent-whole-printer-diagnostic-fee-repair-labor-deposit-limited-opening)

Because demand is high and spots can be limited, it's important to follow the instructions on that page closely.

Why "no ink at all" happens even after replacing the head, cables, and cap top

When a DTF printer produces zero ink output, the issue is usually bigger than a normal clog. The most common root causes cluster into two categories:

A) Ink delivery / suction failure (cap station seal, waste line, clog downstream)

Even with a new cap top, ink won't move if:

• the head isn't truly sealed to the cap top (parking/alignment issue)

• there's an air leak at the capping station seal

• the waste line path is blocked

• the cap station is internally clogged and cannot pull suction

B) Electrical failure preventing firing (mainboard, fuse, head driver, or data path)

If the ink system is fine but the head never fires, you can see "no ink" even when everything looks wet and primed. Common culprits:

• F1 fuse on the mainboard (often protects the printhead power rail)

• printhead driver IC/chip on the mainboard (can fail from shorts, incorrect head installs, or ESD/static)

• wrong/failed printhead(s) (sadly common with marketplace heads)

• ribbon cables partially seated or damaged pads/connectors

Because you've already replaced the printhead cable, printhead, and cap top-and tested multiple heads that arrived clogged-your next best "self-help" move is to confirm suction/priming first, then look at the board-level protections.

Try this before shipping: "Park and Prime" (suction test) to confirm ink path and sealing

This is the fastest way to learn whether the printer can pull ink through the head, which is a required first step before any cleaning routine will work.

Step 1 - Park the printhead correctly on the capping station

• Turn the printer on and let the carriage move normally until it settles naturally onto the capping station.

• Parking with the power on is generally safe because the machine controls the alignment.

• If the head isn't parked squarely, you won't get suction-everything after that will fail.

Step 2 - Connect a syringe to the waste line and pull vacuum gently

• Attach a syringe + tube to the printer's waste line.

• Start by gently drawing about 4-6 ml.

  • At this stage you should feel slight resistance.

What the results mean (this is the key diagnosis)

• If you only draw air (no resistance):

  • The printhead is likely not parked/sealed properly, or

  • There is a leak in the capping station seal, cap top seating, waste line connection, or cap assembly.

• If you feel complete resistance and can't draw anything:

  • The capping station or waste path is likely clogged, which will prevent priming until it's cleared.

Step 3 - Pull to prime (DTF ink needs a gentler, patient approach)

DTF ink is thicker than standard aqueous ink, so it often needs a little extra help to "start moving."

• After the first 4-6 ml, you may hear the damper membrane crinkle, which often indicates the nozzles are opening and ink is starting to respond to suction.

• Slowly draw further until the syringe reaches the 2 ml mark (make sure the black rubber plunger passes the 2 ml mark).

• Hold steady for 10 seconds.

Step 4 - Run normal cleaning (but avoid over-cleaning)

• After priming, use the printer's regular cleaning routine.

• Avoid aggressive/strong cleaning for 12 hours afterward.

• Do not do back-to-back cleanings without rest time. Repeated cleaning can overheat components, flood the cap system, or accelerate failures.

If "Park & Prime" works but you still get no ink: check the mainboard (F1 fuse and driver chip)

If you successfully get suction and ink movement through the waste line (meaning the seal and flow are functioning) but the printer still prints nothing, the next likely issue is electrical.

1) Fuses: check the F1 fuse

The F1 fuse on many Epson-based DTF/DTG boards is a common failure point. If it's blown:

• the printhead may not receive proper power

• the printer can behave "normal" mechanically but never lay down ink

2) Printhead driver chip (mainboard head driver IC)

If the printhead driver chip has failed:

• the head may not fire at all (or certain channels won't fire)

• this can happen after shorts, a bad head, moisture, incorrect installation, or ESD/static

This is also why marketplace printheads can be risky: a defective head can sometimes take other components with it.

A note about printheads arriving clogged (very common with third-party sourcing)

Unfortunately, you're not alone. Printheads from third-party marketplaces often:

• arrive with dried channels from storage conditions

• have inconsistent QC

• may be returns/resold stock

Trying to syringe-flush can help in some cases, but it can also fail if:

• the clog is hardened internally

• internal filters are blocked

• the head is damaged rather than clogged

So your frustration makes perfect sense-and at a certain point, it becomes more efficient to stop buying parts repeatedly and move toward a structured diagnostic path (flow first, then electrical).

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair because the problems are hands-on and often involve physical sealing, suction, electronics, and component-level failures. Because of that, we're not able to provide remote troubleshooting, detailed repair directives, or repair support for printer fixes. We do offer an in-person evaluation and repair service through our local diagnostic facility: BCH Technologies Printer Repair Service (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service). Due to high demand, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so it may take a few weeks before you can drop the printer off. Our services are structured to repair either a whole printer or specific parts, with clear instructions on how to proceed. We also understand our rates aren't the most economical, so we strongly recommend self-help research first.

You can start by checking YouTube or visiting our channel homepage: BCH Technologies on YouTube (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). Use the search icon next to "About" on the right-hand side of the menu bar to search for terms like "park and prime," "capping station seal," "waste line syringe," "F1 fuse," and "printhead driver chip." I receive dozens of questions every day asking for specific videos, and after nine years of uploads it's difficult to remember every single one-YouTube's search tool is by far the fastest way to find the closest match. Plus, YouTube may recommend relevant videos from other channels that can help as well.

Thank you again for reaching out-and thank you for supporting our work and our videos. I'm sorry you've been dealing with this for so long, and I truly hope the park-and-prime test helps you quickly confirm whether this is a sealing/flow issue or an electrical (F1/driver) issue so you can choose the most efficient next step.