Scratch on prints Z3200. Why???

[Bas Stekelenburg]

I just noticed that at four out of seven A4 prints from my Z3200 there's a surface scratch exactly 32 mm from the front edge of the paper, in the movement direction of the heads.
I printed a Print Diagnostic Image on the same paper (but A3), without any problem.
After that the scratch is there again.
What am I supposed to do?
Physical head cleaning? All heads?
Other details: the scratch start at the edge of the paper, so at the non-printed part, continues to the very end of the printed part (only) en stops. The paper movement is about 300 mm but the one and only scratch is at 32 mm from the start.

Help appreciated!
Bas

Sorry, I made a mistake: the scratch comes at 32 mm from the END of the paper. Please read END where I wrote "front" or "start"! I've noticed, by opening the front cover, that the paper is then just out of the paper grip / transport mechanism. Can it "lift"a little coming out of the grip and touches the heads?

[Ernst Dinkla]

Help appreciated!
Bas

Sorry, I made a mistake: the scratch comes at 32 mm from the END of the paper. Please read END where I wrote "front" or "start"! I've noticed, by opening the front cover, that the paper is then just out of the paper grip / transport mechanism. Can it "lift"a little coming out of the grip and touches the heads?

That is the likely cause of your problem. My best guess is that the sheets have an inward curl (humidity?), one way to solve it is by given the sheets a reverse curl before inserting them. There are other ways like lifting or lowering the starwheel bar at the front (the new model has that possibility) but when the head distance is correct for the paper thickness (media preset correct ?) it is better to solve the problem where it exists and not adapt the machine to the problem. The paper path itself at the printing area has a slight inward curl, from the paper transport axle + pinch rollers to the star wheel passage the back of the paper is pressed against the black plastic bed. As soon as the pinch rollers let the sheet go the starwheels at the front are the only factor to keep the sheet flat enough so they have to be set right but with paper that curls or gets a curl in printing that may not be enough.


Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

[Bas Stekelenburg]

Thank you Ernst, I hoped you would reply.

I was able to simulate the paper transport, by lifting the big left hand lever, and carefully pushing an A4 size paper through from the back, until I could touch it from the front and pull it through. With the cover opened, I did NOT see the paper coming up after leaving the transport rolls. Maybe it is not possible to notice, due to the very small upward distance. The tiny starwheels rolled nicely, without leaving any mark (which would have been in the opposite direction of course).
The scratch is quit deep. I can feel it with my nail. I looked closely how the last part of a photo (any photo) is printed: the paper does not move any more and the print heads repeatedly pass the paper, time after time, until the photo is finished. Might a little dried ink spot under one of the heads cause this? If maybe so, how do I clean that?

Regards,
Bas

[Ernst Dinkla]

Thank you Ernst, I hoped you would reply.

I was able to simulate the paper transport, by lifting the big left hand lever, and carefully pushing an A4 size paper through from the back, until I could touch it from the front and pull it through. With the cover opened, I did NOT see the paper coming up after leaving the transport rolls. Maybe it is not possible to notice, due to the very small upward distance. The tiny starwheels rolled nicely, without leaving any mark (which would have been in the opposite direction of course).
The scratch is quit deep. I can feel it with my nail. I looked closely how the last part of a photo (any photo) is printed: the paper does not move any more and the print heads repeatedly pass the paper, time after time, until the photo is finished. Might a little dried ink spot under one of the heads cause this? If maybe so, how do I clean that?

Regards,
Bas

I find it hard to imagine dried ink doing that without leaving a trace of color. If your nail records it, it should be something as hard and colorless. I would take out the heads and check their surface with a loupe, check the head slots with a torch. Pull a thin strip of paper underneath the head carriage from left to right and back while the heads are still out and see if there are marks made that way.


Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

[neil snape]

Definitely is possible and when releasing the paper it is touching something sharp on the print head carriage.
I am still not clear though if it is indeed the trailing edge, or not.

IF so maybe a piece of plastic or worse metal fell into the carriage. Why it doesn't on a A3 is beyond me.

[Bas Stekelenburg]

I find it hard to imagine dried ink doing that without leaving a trace of color. If your nail records it, it should be something as hard and colorless. I would take out the heads and check their surface with a loupe, check the head slots with a torch. Pull a thin strip of paper underneath the head carriage from left to right and back while the heads are still out and see if there are marks made that way.


Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

Definitely is possible and when releasing the paper it is touching something sharp on the print head carriage.
I am still not clear though if it is indeed the trailing edge, or not.

IF so maybe a piece of plastic or worse metal fell into the carriage. Why it doesn't on a A3 is beyond me.

Thank you, gentlemen!
I will carefully investigate and report later.
I do not  feel alone in this; calms me down.

Bas

[tived]

A stab out in the blue, based on my own experience, could it be one of the star wheels that have gone loose and is not sitting in place? Happen to me on the Z3100

hope you get it sorted

regards

Henrik

[deanwork]

I had the same issue with the 3100. Often when loading sheets into this printer if the sheets are not flat they can become jammed. We've all experienced that. When the paper ends up crammed in the printer removing it can knock off some of those tiny star wheels. If you look carefully inside the printer with a flash light you might find some of those wheels jammed inside and scratching your media.

john

A stab out in the blue, based on my own experience, could it be one of the star wheels that have gone loose and is not sitting in place? Happen to me on the Z3100

hope you get it sorted

regards

Henrik

[Bas Stekelenburg]

Dear Ernst, Neal and others,

New information about the scratching A4 paper.
Just to be complete, I am talking about Canon PR 101 Photo Paper Pro, of which I had a lot in different sizes to finish; old stock used with the former i9950 Canon printer and, of course, for the Z3200 calibrated and profiled.
First I took all the heads out, cleaned them carefully, reloaded the heads and aligned them, forced by the printer firmware.
I looked with a flashlight and a mirror carefully inside the machine, counted each and every starwheel: nothing. Completely clean, no loose objects or paper particles (I never had a paper jam).
The scratch is still there.
Then I overruled the front cover safety device to be able to look into the printer with the cover opened while printing.
I noticed something important: when the heads are printing the very last part of the print, time after time,  THE PAPER IS STILL IN THE CARRIAGE GRIP, although it is the last millimeter. There is NO scratch! After finishing, the carriage transports the paper another two or three millimeters and the paper pops out of the carriage, WHILE THE HEADS ARE STILL ABOVE THE PRINT. (The front panel display reads now something like “CHECKING PRINTER”.)
NOW THE HEADS GO BACK INTO THERE REST POSITION AND WHILE GOING BACK THEY SCRATCH THE PRINT!!!

Dear Gents, now what….

Bas

[neil snape]

Okay this is where it gets interesting. The paper is released but not ejected. Something is wrong with firmware as the paper must move beyond the carriage before checking printer should be happening.

I'm currently experiencing many if not consistent out of paper errors after the sheet is printed. IS this a coincidence? I think not. Time for HP to change the firmware so the paper is ejected before the printer sets the heads to parc. I could be wrong, but I can well see this is the possible cause.

I have been dismissing the out of paper errors without worrying about it. I haven't used any non scratch resistant media to notice any scratches. Since I usually cut down the prints after I didn't notice any scratches or marks from the trailing edge. I will on future prints.


In the mean time maybe a try at increasing the dry time may just change the reset parc position between the eject and head parc. Strange though that you said it is only on one size of paper.

[Ryan Grayley]

I have been dismissing the out of paper errors without worrying about it. I haven't used any non scratch resistant media to notice any scratches. Since I usually cut down the prints after I didn't notice any scratches or marks from the trailing edge. I will on future prints.

I had also been ignoring the A4 out of paper errors on my Z3200 - until I found this thread.
I will keep an eye on this and report back anything useful I find.

Cheers,

Ryan

[Bas Stekelenburg]

(...)

In the mean time maybe a try at increasing the dry time may just change the reset parc position between the eject and head parc. Strange though that you said it is only on one size of paper.

Problem solved.
Although not the exact solution Neil, you guided me in the right direction.
The paper weight is with 245 g/m2 under the Normal limit of 250 g/m2 (manual page 38), but I tried to change the Paper Thickness from Normal to Thick, in the Paper Preset Management menu. I was there to change the drying time, but I tried this first. And it worked! HP should check or change this figure from 250 to 220 or so, would have saved me (us) a lot of time, trouble and paper.

I work three months with the Z now (I love it) and with a lot of different papers and sizes; so far this Canon paper gave no reason for complains but I worked with A3+ more often.
I double checked with the cover orderly closed and to my relief, everything still O.K.

THANK YOU Neil, Ernst, and other helping hands and warm at hearts!

Bas