Head Strikes?

[FrankG]

As the print reaches the end I hear a "clickety-clack" kinda noise and when it exits there is a bit of an ink mess - a kinda smudge near the edge of the image and the white paper border.

I am using Epson Exhibition Fiber - sheets that are cut off a roll, on a 3880.
I roll them the other way on an empty paper core to un-curl them.

My Paper thickness is set to 4 and the Platen Gap set to Wide.

I hold the end up as it exits rather than letting it lie flat on the printer's paper support.

Any thoughts - is this the dreaded head strikes that i hear about ?

[Mark D Segal]

First of all, for that printer you should use sheet paper. Secondly, follow the instructions in the manual for adjusting the paper thickness number to use. 4 may be too low. You may need 5 or more. Thirdly, you can widen the platen gap further to allow for the additional paper curl associated with using the wrong media for the printer.

[FrankG]

I cut off a roll so that i can get 16x 24 inch prints or wider.

The thickness was figured off Eric Chan's faq - 13ml=3.3 rounded up to 4
"Paper Thickness in the 3800 driver is specified in tenths of a millimeter. For example, a value of 3 means 0.3 mm.
Most paper specifications will list the thickness of the paper in either mils (i.e., thousanths of an inch) or mm. If the paper thickness is specified in mm (e.g., 0.27 mm), multiply by 10 and round up to the next integer (e.g., 0.27 x 10 = 2.7 -> 3). If the paper thickness is specified in mils (e.g., 19 mils), multiply by 0.254 and round up to the next higher integer (e.g., 19 x 0.254 = 4.826 -> 5). In general, thinner RC papers use a Paper Thickness of 3, thicker fine art matte papers use a Paper Thickness of 5, and the new F-type papers use a Paper Thickness of 4."

He also recommends Wide platen gap, but i guess I could try Wider.
It doesn't happen all the time though so I'm wondering if a humid day (Toronto) has an effect.

[Mark D Segal]

OK, for more than 17*22, you need to cut from a roll. In that case I would recommend cutting and flattening the paper under weight for a couple of days before printing with it.

As for humidity affecting performance in this respect, I'm als in Toronto and for the level of humidity we're experiencing I doubt it.

Eric's advice was most likely pitched at the more usual use of sheets.

Experiment with settings higher than what you are using to see if it improves things.

[FrankG]

will do, thanks.

[FrankG]

question....is it possible that going from Wide to Wider may produce a less sharp print (viewed through a loupe) ?

[Mark D Segal]

No.

But I don't look at prints through a loupe. They aren't meant to be looked at that way.

[FrankG]

I don't look at prints that way either but was just wondering what the trade off might be for increasing 'paper thickness' number or 'platen gap width'. I incorrectly assumed it may be sharpness. Is there a trade off. If not, why even have the choices.

[Mark D Segal]

I've never seen trade-offs, and the choices are there to help solve the problem you are having. Different papers under different conditions need different settings.