Z3100 leaving ink marks

[casterle]

Hi all,

I printed a banner on Breathing Color premium vinyl for a friend. The banner came out great, but my Z3100ps left what looks like black ink marks on the page. Here's an image:

http://www.ccltd.com/BannerMarks.jpg

These are not wheel or roller marks - they're perpendicular to the direction the media moves through the printer.

I hope someone can suggest what might be causing these marks, and how I can correct the situation.

TIA!

[Mark Lindquist]

Hi all,

I printed a banner on Breathing Color premium vinyl for a friend. The banner came out great, but my Z3100ps left what looks like black ink marks on the page. Here's an image:

http://www.ccltd.com/BannerMarks.jpg

These are not wheel or roller marks - they're perpendicular to the direction the media moves through the printer.

I hope someone can suggest what might be causing these marks, and how I can correct the situation.

TIA!
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=150759\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Those looks like head scrapes (like the beginning of zebra stripes I think they call them).  I think the head is just a tad to close to the media to do right.  Maybe you need to profile the media with a higher setting for the head.  Tricky business getting the right setting for color AND head positioning.  You can make a custom profile (Breathing Color offers the service - check it out on they're website).
You could profile the media at the highest level and print their target I guess, send it to them, then have a custom profile for their material, made by them.

[Colorwave]

I have not had anything quite like that with my printer, so it is only a guess, but it looks like smudges from the bottom of the printhead carriage.  Perhaps there is some excess ink there that can be cleaned off?  A full head strike would look white and more scalped, but it seems to be a similar pattern to the more familiar zebra stripe of a head strike.  You might also look for a piece of lint or something similar that could be on the bottom of the carriage.  You will have a tough time really accessing the bottom of the carriage to clean or inspect it, but will find it easier to get to if you have it parked in the position if moves to for printhead replacement.  Tell it that you are replacing the heads via the control panel on the front.  It will only stay there for about two minutes unless you lift the light blue handle to access the printheads, whether you remove them or not.  Lift that lever and it will stay put indefinitely.
Good luck,
Ron H.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Hi all,

I printed a banner on Breathing Color premium vinyl for a friend. The banner came out great, but my Z3100ps left what looks like black ink marks on the page. Here's an image:

http://www.ccltd.com/BannerMarks.jpg

These are not wheel or roller marks - they're perpendicular to the direction the media moves through the printer.

I hope someone can suggest what might be causing these marks, and how I can correct the situation.

TIA!
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

It could still be the rollers that clamp the media to the paper transport ax. Ink offset from the capping station (the felt part especially) to the head or head carriage and from there offset to the transport rollers. Hardly visible on the rollers as the offset process goes along with the print passes. Touches just a small section of one roller that protrudes a bit more to the front. Clean the capping station and the heads + carriage as far as possible.


Ernst Dinkla

try: [a href=\"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/[/url]

[casterle]

Maybe you need to profile the media with a higher setting for the head.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=150770\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Mark, can you tell me how I can change the head height setting?

[casterle]

Ron and Ernst, thanks for the cleaning suggestion.

I called HP today and asked them if there was an official procedure for doing this. Here's what I was told.

1) Tell the printer that you want to change printheads.
2) The printer will park the carriage.
3) Unplug the printer - the carriage can now be moved freely.
4) Remove the printheads.
5) Position a white coffee filter on the platen.
6) Move the carriage over the coffee filter so you can see it where the printheads were installed.
7) Grab both sides of the filter and 'floss' the bottom of the carriage.

I asked if I'd have to recalibrate the printheads afterwards, and was told that I wouldn't. The tech said to cancel when prompted.

I'm not sure about this part - it seems to me that when I reinstall the printheads that they may not be in exactly the same position as they were previously and so recalibration may be necessary. What do you all think?

[Colorwave]

Mark, can you tell me how I can change the head height setting?
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

casterle-
I know you did not ask me, but I have your answer for you.  The paper preset you choose determines the head height, as well as ink limiting, black ink type and other variables.  This is where HP keeps the secret code (the information about head height begins on page 5):

[a href=\"https://h41186.www4.hp.com/hpp/Data/working_with_nonhp_papers_fw_5.pdf?pageseq=260246]https://h41186.www4.hp.com/hpp/Data/working...?pageseq=260246[/url]

-Ron H.

We just cross posted.  Regarding recalibration, I didn't know that canceling the recalibration was even possible, but it doesn't really use much ink and seems like good insurance to me. After all, we are seeking a pretty discriminating level of precision.  Just make sure you don't waste any expensive paper!

[Ernst Dinkla]

Ron and Ernst, thanks for the cleaning suggestion.

I called HP today and asked them if there was an official procedure for doing this. Here's what I was told.

1) Tell the printer that you want to change printheads.
2) The printer will park the carriage.
3) Unplug the printer - the carriage can now be moved freely.
4) Remove the printheads.
5) Position a white coffee filter on the platen.
6) Move the carriage over the coffee filter so you can see it where the printheads were installed.
7) Grab both sides of the filter and 'floss' the bottom of the carriage.

I asked if I'd have to recalibrate the printheads afterwards, and was told that I wouldn't. The tech said to cancel when prompted.

I'm not sure about this part - it seems to me that when I reinstall the printheads that they may not be in exactly the same position as they were previously and so recalibration may be necessary. What do you all think?
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Realignment will be needed anyway when you take out the heads. If they stay in the carriage it will be different.  I have done it recently together with the firmware change as I had to calibrate for that anyway. I can imagine that recalibration isn't needed, it is about dirt clinging to the heads and carriage etc and not a blocked nozzle or nozzle deflection.

Ernst Dinkla

try: [a href=\"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/[/url]

[casterle]

I know you did not ask me, but I have your answer for you.

I'm glad to get answers from whoever has them :-).

https://h41186.www4.hp.com/hpp/Data/working...?pageseq=260246

Thanks, Ron. Interesting information, thanks for pointing it out. I don't think my problem was caused by head strikes, but I'm glad to have all the information I can get!

Regarding recalibration, I didn't know that canceling the recalibration was even possible, but it doesn't really use much ink and seems like good insurance to me. After all, we are seeking a pretty discriminating level of precision.  Just make sure you don't waste any expensive paper!
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=150827\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

As Ernst pointed out, what I meant to ask about was realignment rather than recalibration. I think he's right, I'll have to realign the heads.

-Leroy

[casterle]

Realignment will be needed anyway when you take out the heads. If they stay in the carriage it will be different.  I have done it recently together with the firmware change as I had to calibrate for that anyway. I can imagine that recalibration isn't needed, it is about dirt clinging to the heads and carriage etc and not a blocked nozzle or nozzle deflection.

Ernst Dinkla

try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=150860\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Thanks, Ernst. Realignment is what I had intended to ask about.

-Leroy