I called Epson support today regarding MNT REQ 0088 - apparently it was the first call relating to maintenance codes Epson Australia have had for the 4800, lucky me! Great service from the tech guy, who called back promptly with the details.

0088 refers to the printer clock/clock battery/clock time, the resulting effect being the printer cannot keep track of time and that is why it continues to ask for a power clean - not that it is detecting any blockages, but because it doesn't know how long it has been since the printer was last used.

The problem could also have been caused by a power surge. I use a good surge protector as we are at the end of a line here which gets reset by the power company regularly (we gave up on digital alarm clocks a long time ago). The surge protector is reporting everything is AOK.

The solution initially is to reset the printer clock, either via the LFP Remote Panel or via the printer itself. I've done that today. If the problem persists a tech will need to come out and replace the clock battery.

While talking to the tech guy I checked on a few other related things:

* He recommended turning the printer off when not in use so the head is capped (not inbetween prints, but when you are done for the day). There is no reason from Epson's point of view to leave the 4800 turned on when not in use. This makes sense to me and is something I always did with the 2100 which never skipped a beat in three years.

* He said changes to the ink tanks in the 4800 should address air bubble problems users experienced with the 4000.

* He said leaving the printer off for a week or two shouldn't cause any significant problems (it is definitely fine to leave for a few days e.g. the away for the weekend scenario). But he also said turning the printer on every now and then when you're not using it is a good thing to do. Not necessarily print anything, but let it cycle through the checks etc it does on startup and go from there as needed.

It is interesting to note that Jack Flesher reported an air bubble after his 4800 sat idle for a couple of weeks, and 4000 users have mentioned doing a nozzle check print each day to keep everything running smoothly. I think this is something to watch - there's bound to be a significant number of 4800's that end up sitting idle for long periods - so we'll know soon enough what the real deal is.

If/when I speak to tech support again I'll check more on the Power Clean request - as it seems to be based on both how long it has been since the printer has been used as well as the printer detecting a blockage/problem that needs fixing.

If the 4800 turns on tomorrow without the 0088 code problem fixed. If it displays the code I'll get the battery replaced.

I do intend to be a little more mindful of the printer though - and will probably make sure it's turned on every now and then during idle periods.