and now something completely different: Z3100 problems

[Jakobus]

hi,

I own a z3100 since 2009 with the original printheads. It works fine until I moved to a new city and left the printer unplugged for 1,5 years, I know, this wasn't a good idea :-(. After this period, the printer said the heads and the ink  were outdated, but I could still use them. The first thing I did was doing a printhead cleaning manually with cotton swabs and distilled water, then the automated procedure through the menu, also I shooked the cartridges for a while but carefully. All heads except the red/mk one were doing fine on the test print. I cleaned this one again and again with no better result, then I bought a new one. Then it worked, I made 2 large prints succesfully. After that I tried to calibrate a new paper, this failed because of an error in the color sensors, I ran the ESP diagnotics which failed also by displaying a DeltaE-error. Switching OFF the ESP didnt't help. I thought ok, I only use this machine for prints which are not color-sensitive (like most of mine).

Then the wheel-axis of the belt assembly and the belt itself broke, I replaced it but had to wait for theese parts for 3 months. Now, after installing them, the odyssey began again. The printer doesn't accept the printheads (including the new one) anymore, the mk ink would be empty (not true), the blue ink leaks a bit during the startup on the starwheel assembly, the yellow ink leaks a bit on the supply station. At this point, I think I made a mistake, I started the replace-printhead procedure, and this I cannot stop. When I cancel this, the printer returns to the same point and wants to continue the process. Now I was ready to call a technician. He tells by phone, the main problem after that long period of downtime would be the ink supply tubes and I would have to replace them (and the heads and the ink and the sensor...).  Now I'm considering if it's worth doing all this, I don't know what is coming up next, and all the parts asking me to be replaced will cost nearly 1000 Euro.

regards, jakobus

[Ernst Dinkla]

The returning fact in your message is the delay in time at every step. The Zs are patient enough to wait a week for another job if you keep them on power. They are easy to maintain if you do that on a regular base. They can be repaired by the user but should have the heads parked at the maintenance station when the repair parts are delivered a week later.

A 1000 Euro for what has to be replaced is not that much compared to what the Epson repair threads here tell about costs. But if your future use of the printer will mirror that of the past I would not recommend a repair or a replacement of the printer at all. Canon or Epson printers will have even more issues I think with irregular use. Buy a smaller desktop model and have the larger jobs done somewhere. Or your new city lies on an island and there is no other choice and spare parts do arrive 3 months later.

The calibration and profiling issues are not always the result of a bad ESP, sometimes a restart of the printer helps. There are other flaws like driving the calibration/profiling from XP works better than from Vista in my experience. I believe all that replaced the belts on the Z3100 and Z3200 got a failure report on the ESP diagnostics but use the ESP nevertheless and see no issues in the prints. It is the same here.

It is strange to see the belt break if you did not see it loosing its teeth first. If it was never replaced before it should have been near its degradation phase. A paper jam could cause a break of a bad belt but you should also keep the carriage rod mildly oiled and check the cutter whether the wheels etc turn without much friction. The wheels need the friction to have the cutters rotate but the total should not be too heavy to pull and cut. That will reduce the wear on the belt.

--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
July 2013, 500+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

[Jakobus]

Ernst, thx for your reply. You are right to point out the future use of the printer, I can't say that I will do some prints every month. Maybe it's better to outsource this.

But - the 3100 is IMHO an excellent thing, especially for my b/w. Hmmm...

[Justan]

There is another option. You can buy a HP extended warranty. Other companies that are not HP often also sell service warranties. Usually an HP warranty will require you to wait about a month or so after the warranty purchase before the warranty becomes effective, but at that point, virtually all problems will be handled under warranty. Do not tell the warranty provider that the printer has problems at the moment.

The warranty isn’t inexpensive but will cover the cost of anything that isn’t a typical wear item. Of course, if no one is around to do the survive that may not be such a good option.

Regarding the belt, the belt on my printer has come off the left side pulley 2x. the first time it tore and it happened again about a year after I replaced the first belt. It didn’t tear the 2nd time. Still don’t know why that happened 2x, but since then I check it for proper alignment with every new roll of paper

[Mark Lindquist]

I also had issues with my Z3100 44" at one point after a time.  The dreaded degrading belt issue was primary.  After weighing all my options, particularly doing what the poster just before me suggested, I gave serious thought to looking into a Z3200ps.  Ultimately, I thought about getting the Z3200ps, and eventually fixing the Z3100 and possibly selling it.

My youngest son finally talked some sense into me by telling me that the goal was to keep working, to actually keep making art.  I listened (he's 38-) and realized he was right.  We got a new printer, the Z3200ps, and man oh man, am I happy about it. Whatever you don't like about the Z3100 has been fixed in the Z3200 - it is a joy to use.

Think about productivity.  Consider buying a new printer, experience the difference and start working again.

Let the other printer sit in the corner and sell it for scrap or get it fixed eventually and then sell it.  You just might be waaaaaay ahead in the long run.

IMHO ....

-Mark

[brianrybolt]

My youngest son finally talked some sense into me by telling me that the goal was to keep working, to actually keep making art.  I listened (he's 38-) and realized he was right.  We got a new printer, the Z3200ps, and man oh man, am I happy about it. Whatever you don't like about the Z3100 has been fixed in the Z3200 - it is a joy to use.



IMHO ....

-Mark

Aren't sons (or daughters) great when it comes to making sense.  My sons still astound me when it comes to questions like this.
brian

[Mark Lindquist]

Aren't sons (or daughters) great when it comes to making sense.  My sons still astound me when it comes to questions like this.
brian

Yeah, no kidding.  Sometimes what comes out is very surprising.  Especially in a tech sense...