Z3100 and Matt Black Residue on print head.

[mvandenbos]

Recently I've noticed my matt black head is clocking up quite frequently on my Z3100. When I took it out there actually appear to be thick chunks of the black stuff lining the side of the head cartridge ... I've changed ink cartriges and print heads and purged a lot of black ink and the problem persists. Advice on what I should look into next?

Many thanks

[stuartf287]

Sounds like it might be the belt failing.  I have a Z3100 and am very concerned about this happening to me.  Apparently there is a drive belt that disintegrates in the Z3100s and begins to leave pieces of the rubber (or whatever it's made of) on prints as they pass through the printer.  I also understand that it is very difficult to replace, requiring disassembly of a major portion of the printer -- likely not something a non-technician can do.  Ugh!  I hope this isn't your problem. 

[Colorwave]

As someone who has had two printers experience disintegrating belts, this does not sound like the problem to me.  I wouldn't rule it out, but don't really see how they would be accumulating under the printhead without being a bigger problem elsewhere that you would have been complaining about first.  The bits of belt fall on the print before the ink hits, then leave white spots as soon as they fall off.  To have enough to build up on the printhead, you would have a ton of ruined prints with white specks all over them.

[mvandenbos]

Hi guys

I should explain that the black residue is matt black ink only under and along the side of the Red/MB print head. My belt is likely fine.

MAny thanks

Mehdi

[Damir]

This well konown problem, just clean the head and everything will be allright. I clean my on regular basis since I mostly do printing on matt surface. Search this forum for more info, this subject was here several times.

[mvandenbos]

Many thanks.

Just wondering how I can activate the cutter replacement mode so I can clean the print head docking station of residue.

Thanks!

Mehdi

[a.lorge]

Easiest way to access the docking station is to initiate the print head replacement mode and then pull the power cord from the back of the printer.  Then you can move the print head carriage freely.

[Colorwave]

If you aren't going to be pulling the heads, I suggest that you just turn the power off in back while the carriage is in motion.  Initiating a head swap with the control panel will require you to do a printhead alignment, which is good if you need it, but wasteful if you don't. 

I have issues with random drops that originate with the cover for the service station on the right, and have my own method worked out.  For some reason, even though I have a new service station and new print heads, the ink that collects on the lid to the service station is transferred to the bottom of the carriage and then to my prints as random drops.  Before and after changing heads and service station, it was more magenta than other colors, but it is a bit of all colors that are deposited on the lid.  I have the sensor that detects when the cover is open disabled with a small wire that pushes the contact down, and regularly wipe the lid as it is printing.  I have my timing perfected and never get my hand clobbered. 

I think the design is that the lid collects excess ink and it runs off of the hinged lid to the sponges below, but it doesn't seem like a brilliant design it its execution.  If the lid is not wiped often, I have seen thick gunk deposited there on mine and other machines.  A field tech told me about a Kinkos with a puddle of ink on the floor (with a similar Z6100), where the ink had filled the waste tank, run down the leg, and made a 3' diameter puddle in the carpet.  I still marvel at the slow pace that these printers sip ink, when compared to Epsons, given how much ink is wasted at the end of the carriage travel when printing.  I think that is far greater than what is used for automatic head cleaning cycles every 8 hours and tests of the heads in the NEDD slot.

[Rocco Penny]

use the change printhead option-
it's built that way-
there is a tech menu but I forget how to bring it up and initiate the command to park the head off the well
but assuming you can park the head somehow without fraying your sensibilities,
all you need is distilled water,
make up removal sponges,
coffee filters,
a bright light,
& latex gloves
clean the plastic piece that the carriage parks over using only the sponges, a small almost minute bit of distilled water, and use the coffee filters for bulk ink and moisture removal
clean all other ink in the machine, watch out with the light, the ink can be well hidden,
there is something wrong with your machine if it keeps blowing out ink like that,
but start with cleaning the hoggin and floggin out of it
then run a diagnostics print-
see if you have bands and so on,
I would just clean it up then in this order from the front panel choose,
purge ink,
clean printheads,
calibrate paper advance,
allign printheads,
print diagnostic image again and see what you have now.
All free and you may use a bit of ink for the purge and clean heads, but
hey
whatchagonnado?

[Colorwave]

I'm on my third formatter, so I don't have full accounting for the life of the printer, but the current statistics I have show that I have run 10,606 square feet of media, and used 7,405 ml. of ink.  That works out to .7 ml. per square foot.  I mostly print full coverage, high ink use images. Very minimal white space or high key images.  I don't think those numbers indicate higher than normal ink usage, unless I'm off base.  I have a second Z3100 that seems to lay down just as much ink on the service station cover, it just doesn't transfer it to the carriage.  I'm not sure what the difference is, but think that the design of these printers includes a little ink lost to the service station lid.  How much ink do you use, Rocco?

[dajaka]

One thing I do every now and then is carefully remove the pad next to the drop detector and clean it under warm running water. I pull it out and reinstall it with tweezers being careful to get the top of the pad level and even with where it was before I removed it. It accumulates a lot of ink over time and I know this causes random drops on the prints.

[deanwork]

All I know is that mine has run cleanly for 4 years. All I do is clean off that plate beside where the head rests after doing big jobs, especially when large amounts of total black are used on large volumes of work. It was always really easy to do and very easy to get to.  That and cleaning the bottom of the print heads with a damp cloth is all I've ever had to do.

With all my Epsons I end up sooner or later having to go in there and do major cleaning of the cap station area and everything else when black marks end up on the surface of rolls of prints and ink is smeared all over the head unit, rollers, etc. That was always a super headache and was usually seen when doing a lot prints with heavy backgrounds especially. Not only that, it is very easy to short out the Epson heads when using a lot of cleaning fluid back there that can get on that head board and blow it. I've done that twice.

john

[Rocco Penny]

Hi Colorwave,
  I had my formatter replaced, so I too haven't an accurate accounting of the total paper and ink usage.
When I mess around in the colorcenter I get odd responses and just have about given up on that software.
I simply cannot get into the job accounting screen-
I often think I'll delete then reload colorcenter from HP's website, but here in the country my dialup would take maybe about a day to do it.
Interruptions in my phone connection, lady friend messing with the comp, any other # of circumstances has kept me from doing that-
so,
the only thing I need and care about is profiling and calibration and that still works
back to the ?
about 10 rolls of media mostly 40-50 footers,
and 5 or so boxes of mostly 17" or letter sized harman matt
The printer was a mess the first time I cleaned it,
in the ensuing 2 years I find it only needs rudimentary attention to keep up with the ink spillage.
Very little ink gets lost, and it always seems a mixture of colors- although I use yellow PK and MK more than others.

[Roscolo]

All I know is that mine has run cleanly for 4 years. All I do is clean off that plate beside where the head rests after doing big jobs, especially when large amounts of total black are used on large volumes of work. It was always really easy to do and very easy to get to.  That and cleaning the bottom of the print heads with a damp cloth is all I've ever had to do.

Same here, except I use a coffee filter on the bottom of the print heads.