Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: jaq on July 12, 2018, 07:52:04 am
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Hello,
the printhead seems to mix two colours internal when the carriage sits on the service station. Looks like the Printhead soaks the dirt ink up from the service station. Had this issue with two different printheads.
After Printing a while the fault disappears continously because the mixed ink is used and new clean ink flows through the printhead.
Can it be the vacuumpump of the service station? What is the use of this pump?
Thank you
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In 10 years of 3100/3200 printing, I've had several printhead failures that resulted in two channels mixing, which were always solved by a fresh printhead. I suppose that it is possible for a printhead to pick up ink from the service station, but IME it is more likely to be the carriage itself. I don't think that there is a vacuum pump in the service station. The odd noises are mostly the pumps pressurizing the ink (supply vs. waste).
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I had a problem with this on my old Z3100, particularly in the MK-R printhead (furthest to the right). Turns out that the rear carriage bushing had broken off, and so the carriage was "dropping" onto the service station when it was parked there and picking up old ink. "No wonder my reds are so muddy and nothing seems to be fixing it!" The "official" procedure for replacing the rear carriage bushing has you taking apart half the printer to replace tiny little part, but poke around YouTube; there are ways to sneak it in there that "only" require taking off the right cover.
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Just had the same problem with my z3200ps with the green. It was either printing nothing or a muddy teal colour which I think was a mix of green and blue. No drastic mechanical problem in my case, just a defunct printhead. I tried a few cleans and even syringed some ink into the printhead without success, a new head solved it. I think there is some weak point inside the head which can fail and allow the inks to mingle, when I have the time I'll try "autopsy" this one up and see what's inside.
William.
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I tried a few cleans and even syringed some ink into the printhead without success, a new head solved it.
There's a reason why the Z-series printheads are relatively cheap and replaceable...
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still no solution. I tried it now in the HP Forum.
ink contamination in printhead (https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/DesignJet-Large-Format-Printers-Digital-Press/ink-contamination-in-printhead-z3100/m-p/8265964#M31380)
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Solution is to get a new print head!
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Yes. Got already four new printheads. This helps just for some days.
My opinion is: the printhead is soaking up slooowly the dirty ink from the service station.
Same problem here:
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/DesignJet-Large-Format-Printers-Digital-Press/First-part-of-print-dark-after-downtime/m-p/8047991
and here
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/DesignJet-Large-Format-Printers-Digital-Press/first-inch-of-print-in-red-comes-out-pink/m-p/8247988#M31289
and there
https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=54667.msg446199#msg446199
and one more
https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=137894.msg1211892#msg1211892
cheers, Jaq
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i think you mix up two problems:
1 a true mixing of the two inks inside the printhead: for instance blue-green.
This problem stays because of the printhead failure.
remedy: new printhead
2
an offcolor start of the print: that could be some pollution coming from a dirty station.
remedy: print some of all colors first before doing an actual print, to clean the heads.
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Thanks Kers, it is your number 2. Pollution from the service station.
In my case is it very visible because the gloss enhancer is affected. That means every white part in the print gets a grey cast. After a while printing its getting better but still visible the the next two squaremeters.
I never had this issue with an other printhead. Only gloss/gr. But 4 printheads up to now. The printer is only usable when i take the glossenhancer/gr printhead out of the machine after printing.
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Thanks Kers, it is your number 2. Pollution from the service station.
In my case is it very visible because the gloss enhancer is affected. That means every white part in the print gets a grey cast. After a while printing its getting better but still visible the the next two squaremeters.
I never had this issue with an other printhead. Only gloss/gr. But 4 printheads up to now. The printer is only usable when i take the glossenhancer/gr printhead out of the machine after printing.
At some point you need to clean the station, otherwise more problems arise. Don't know your situation, but cleaned mine after 12 years ( am not a heavy user). You can see the situation by removing the right cover. …
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Service station is totally cleaned.
But the unavoidable ink on top of the service station must be the reason for the contamination. Maybe the head sits too close on top of the service station and ditches in the ink while the printer is in sleep mode??
cheers, Jaq