Epson 3800, cats and spots

[MichaelWorley]

More than two years ago Eric Chan tried to help someone on dpreview who reported that his 3800 deposited spots on his prints. Eric asked the OP if he had pets. And where the spots appeared, I think. No response to Eric's question, so the world has been left in ignorance.

Well, we have pets. Two cats. They don't get on or near the 3800, but you just have to check the top of the ceiling fans to realize that their presence is left everywhere.

And I have spots. Inconsistent ones. If I print on paper larger than 8.5 x 11" I may get a string of spots in the upper left quadrant of the image, about two inches in from the image's top edge. The spots may be bluish and an inch apart. Or they may be smaller and red and half an inch apart. Or there may be just one red blob in the upper left corner, about an inch in from the top an left edge of the image. These "spots" are not dry and will smear if touched. They are really drops.

If I print the same print on the same paper immediately after the first print, the spots are different in their color and spacing. Honest.

Eliminating the cats is not an option. Probably be too late anyhow. Can someone tell me what Eric was getting at and what I can/should do?

Mike

[Lisa Nikodym]

I also have two cats (one of them fluffy), and the top of my 3800 is their favorite launch pad to and from the closet shelf above (they even accidently hit the power switch and turn in on sometimes...).  Like you, I've had intermittant spot problems.  At one point I sent an email to Epson customer service, and their suggestion was to do a head cleaning or two when that happens.  That usually fixes the problem for me, for awhile at least.  It usually starts up again every couple of months, but then a pair of head cleanings fixes it once again.  Not too bad.  I presume the loose cat fur is gumming up the heads, and the head cleanings remove it.

Lisa

[raysem]

I have a 3800 and two hairy beasts in the house (both Toms - both VERY active).

From the day I unpacked and set up the 3800 (on an old kitchen table), I've covered it with a sheet of 6-mil poly plastic sheeting when not in use.  I bought the poly at a local building supply store (it's used as vapour barrier in the building trade).

Whenever the printer is NOT in use, I have it covered with the plastic sheet.  I'm very careful not to leave the printer powered on for extended periods while covered (lack of air flow to the power supply is a sure way to kill the printer, not to mention a fire hazard).

I've had my 3800 in the same place for almost 3 years now, and I've cleaned the area around the printer (under the plastic sheet) VERY little in that time.

The 3800 still performs VERY well.  I've printed everything from 4x6 glossies to 17x22 canvasses and it's still going strong.  A light cleaning after using media that "sheds" (like canvas and some rag papers) is all I've really done to maintain the printer.

Try giving your 3800 a good cleaning and cover it when not in use.  You may find it works better......

[MichaelWorley]

I presume the loose cat fur is gumming up the heads, and the head cleanings remove it.

Lisa

Thanks, I'll give that a try. It is odd that this problem never occurs with 8 1/2 x 11" paper. But, with cats, I'm prepared to believe anything.

Mike

[MichaelWorley]

Try giving your 3800 a good cleaning and cover it when not in use.  You may find it works better......

Thanks, covering sounds like a good idea. The problem has to be hair flying around in the environment, and a cover should minimize how much lands on or in the printer. Can't hurt.

Cheers,

Mike

[MichaelWorley]

I also have two cats (one of them fluffy), and the top of my 3800 is their favorite launch pad to and from the closet shelf above (they even accidently hit the power switch and turn in on sometimes...).  Like you, I've had intermittant spot problems.  At one point I sent an email to Epson customer service, and their suggestion was to do a head cleaning or two when that happens.  That usually fixes the problem for me, for awhile at least.  It usually starts up again every couple of months, but then a pair of head cleanings fixes it once again.  Not too bad.  I presume the loose cat fur is gumming up the heads, and the head cleanings remove it.

Lisa

Welp, did a cleaning and printed a test pattern. Pattern was perfect. Printed a 10x15 of the problematic image on a sheet of Epson Premium Luster 11.7" x 16.5" [297mm x 420mm for those who have thrown off the Imperial yoke the Brits imposed on us, or never had it to begin with] and no spots, runs, dribbles or errors!

A head cleaning never occurred to me since I'd done one recently and, except for the spots, prints looked fine. But cat hair, especially the really fine stuff, is ever present and, for all I know, has worked its way into the printer as I type this. So a cover may be in order as well.

Cheers,

Mike

[MichaelWorley]

The image in question:

http://www.pbase.com/image/131534613

You can see where red and blue blobs across the upper left could spoil the effect. The sky in the downsized image isn't quite right. The full-sized image prints fine. After a head cleaning, anyhow.

Big Bend N.P. Shot after sunset. At f/22 by accident. But the 10 second exposure allowed the ever-present Kleenex package to serve as a scrim to hold back the moon. Didn't even know there was going to be a full moon. One should research this sort of stuff before travelling so far and heading off across a difficult field.

Regards,

Mike

[AWeil]

Do these spots occur on the same paper or the same size of paper sheets?

I have two cats, one likes to sleep on the printer since the printer is covered with a heavy cotton tarp when not in use. I have spots on the edges of prints occasionally but only if I use the thicker Baryta type papers that tend to have a slight curl at the edges. When I flatten the sheets (Spray a thin coat of water on the back, press down with a few large books and absorbent paper for an hour), I don't have spots.
So, maybe the furry friends are not the culprits?

Best

Angela

[MichaelWorley]

Do these spots occur on the same paper or the same size of paper sheets?

I have two cats, one likes to sleep on the printer since the printer is covered with a heavy cotton tarp when not in use. I have spots on the edges of prints occasionally but only if I use the thicker Baryta type papers that tend to have a slight curl at the edges. When I flatten the sheets (Spray a thin coat of water on the back, press down with a few large books and absorbent paper for an hour), I don't have spots.
So, maybe the furry friends are not the culprits?

Best

Angela

I hope my furry friends are not at the bottom of all this, but I don't have enough data to say for sure. What I can say for sure is that I've never had the issue with 8 1/2" x 11" paper. No matter the type. If I go bigger, the issue may raise its ugly head. But I've printed 36" panoramas without a problem.

Today, a head cleaning produced pristine results on Epson Premium Luster. The only other paper I print on regularly, and recently, is Red River 60lb Polar Matte. Same problem, occasionally. But that's the paper I used for the 36" panorama, which came out just fine.

I can't report what I did, if anything, between prints that were "just fine" and those that were not. As I said, insufficient data.

Not being trained in the scientific method, I will probably do a head cleaning when the issue arises. Seems to work now.

But, rest assured, the kitties are safe. To date, all my photographic issues have been due to my own shortcomings. If the kitties' hair should be the issue, well, I invited them in.

Cheers and best regards,

Mike