z3100 edges bleeding

[EvoM]

Hi, I have a worrying problem where edges in a print that go from paper white back to a strong colour, as in an 8 pixel white keyline then back to a background colour, show an "overspray" in both directions the head travels (left & right).

I hope I am explaining this clear enough but it's like the heads at these abrupt "ink to no ink" areas don't shut off and I get a "overspray edge".
I'll try and post images to show this but has anyone else had this happen?

The heads are all out of warranty on the Z3100 but seem to be printing as per normal apart from...so maybe they aren't normal!
Would a head calibration help? I recently upgraded the firmware...couldn't be that could it?

Any suggestions?

Evo

[EvoM]

Okay here's a quick pic of what the problem is. It happens in both directions the head travels.
Any ideas?

Evom

sorry it's grainy had use a high iso but hopefully you can see the issue I'm having.

[neil snape]

I've seen this on other printers when close to the edge.  What I don't know is : if it is the screening or is it hardware. IF you do a tes in the middle of the page does it do the same thing?

That would say a lot, but if it does the same would not say if it is hardware or screening.

[EvoM]

Hi Neil, thanks for responding.

Yes it happens all over as this job had a main background with a lot of small pics with white keyline strokes.
It was evident on all apertures so it's not specific to the outside of the paper etc.
I'm thinking it's heads related.
I have noticed it a little bit in the past but on this particular print is is more obvoius.
Do you think a head calibration would help?

Also, it seems that the "overspray" is a dark ink so I wondering if say the matte black, which we hardly aver use is involved in some way.
I'm going to pull the heads and do the general clean and see if that helps.

Do you think symptoms of head wear might cause this? The Z3100 heads are all out of warranty.
Also we always put gloss enhancer "whole page" on all prints (HP ID Satin) and we all know that the gloss can make it's way over the heads area maybe contaminating the blacks...maybe ??

Evom

[Ernst Dinkla]

Okay here's a quick pic of what the problem is. It happens in both directions the head travels.
Any ideas?

Evom

sorry it's grainy had use a high iso but hopefully you can see the issue I'm having.

I have seen this before and I think it has been discussed before.

As far as it can be judged on the image you put here, it looks like the head being idle on the blank parts gathers more ink in that stage or in other words is suffocating on ink flow when it is printing. On an Epson I would say replace the dampers with new ones. On the Z3100 with the ink sieve probably integrated in the head a replacement of the head is the thing to do. One way to check this theory is reducing the print speed by selecting the highest resolution possible for that media. Increasing drying time in a custom media preset would extend that even further. If it gets better it is most likely the ink supply. One Z3100 head = two sieves, pricewise not bad if compared to the replacement of dampers on some Epson models. It was cheap on the Epson 9000 though, 12 Euro a piece if I recall it correctly.

One other possibility, more unlikely: a new slightly overfilled cart for that color loaded just before the job?  HP isn't cheap in filling its carts, there's more in it than the official 120 ML to compensate the ink left in the cart which is again little in my experience. Maybe this time they overdid it. Paul Roark emptied Z3100 PK carts to make yet another quad ink set for an Epson and noticed the ink "surplus" too.


Met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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[neil snape]

It could be the print heads. The matte black shouldn't be changing anything on a photo paper run as there is no signal to MK. GE on the other hand can but it doesn't make the print go dark   So it may be the cyan head as it is in a blue area . I don't think it is in the range of the violet (blue) head so first place to look is the cyan head.   The heads wear but normally they have a minimum life way over 6 cartridge changes.