Mark on Edge of Z3100 prints

[deanwork]

All of you HP Z3100 experts, I have an issue that I can't solve.

I am getting these black track marks across the printed edge of the paper, using all kinds of media, thin, thick, matte, and gloss fiber.

I have see this kind of situation in the past and it has always been resolved by replacing an out of warranty head. However this time I've replaced all the heads, and even have going back and forth testing other older heads and the same marks are remaining.

I have checked and cleaned all the area on the bottom of the head module assembly and have checked all the pinch rollers and advance gears for ink or damage many times.

I just can't figure this out, where it is coming from.

Enclosed here is a jpeg of the mark that I scanned and uploaded. It is always occurring  on the edge of the image, sometimes on one side of the paper and sometimes on both sides. It is not contingent on where the print is in the length of the printer or what size the print is. It must be coming from the head assembly as it is printing, I just don't know how or where.

John

[deanwork]

Could it be my waste tank ( they call it spittoon ) needs replacing? I am seeing a build up of ink back where the head sits and after I clean it thoroughly it comes back. But down below it I don't see it filled up or anything?

john

[Mark Lindquist]

Dean - Why don't you try a paper advance calibration.  Easy to do from the front panel and it might be an easy fix.

See if it is.

-Mark

[deanwork]

Hi Mark,

That's a good suggestion, but I've tried that three times along with head alignments, head cleanings ( even though it didn't need it ) total head replacements etc.

In the past when I"ve seen any kind of mark like this I would pull out a head and see some kind of ink buildup on the bottom of one head. But that is not happening here. The only place I see any ink at all is on the flat station on the far right side where the printer head sits, and the waste tank in under that. It doesn't seem to be full by any stretch but I don't know if it needs to replaced or not. It was replaced at one time during a comprehensive servicing,  but that was about 3 years ago.

john

[Justan]

Put the print head carriage in the replace a print head position, power off the printer then remove a print head. Then use some lint free towels or bent q-tips and distilled water or isopropyl alcohol and carefully clean the underside of the print head carriage around where the print head goes. Start at one end and work your way across. Also look inside the print head socket with a flashlight to see if there is any ink there. While the color of the goo on the paper will lead you to the print head culprit(s), in any event, it is a good practice to clean the underside every few months as it avoids this problem. It is also a good practice to carefully clean the top of the spittoon buckets and nearby periodically.

After you do this procedure, put the printer through a print head calibration and it should have squeaky clean results plus the printer should be good for several months without a recurrence of this problem.

[deanwork]

Thanks, I'll try it. I have cleaned underneath with scanner lint free wipes in the replace heads position several times, but not with the print heads out and from the inside. All the ink color seems to black, either black or dark gray. No colors.

I will try that.

Should there always be ink on the cap platform where the heads rests when not in use? If I clean that thing within a couple of prints it is coated with ink again. I"m a little concerned that maybe ink is transferring from there to the bottom of the head assembly.

john

[Ernst Dinkla]

Thanks, I'll try it. I have cleaned underneath with scanner lint free wipes in the replace heads position several times, but not with the print heads out and from the inside. All the ink color seems to black, either black or dark gray. No colors.

I will try that.

Should there always be ink on the cap platform where the heads rests when not in use? If I clean that thing within a couple of prints it is coated with ink again. I"m a little concerned that maybe ink is transferring from there to the bottom of the head assembly.

john

There will always be ink on that cap but when fluid enough it drips into the maintenance tank. If it builds up better clean it, the wipers and especially the small wiper that goes along the edge of the heads when the carriage runs from the capping station to the print area. I try to keep the total moist (with windex) so everything goes downwards instead of sticking to the heads + carriage.

Is the head height still alright, no broken bearing and the up/down switch working?  I had similar issues with thicker papers like Museum Etching/German Etching, the bearing is still alright but the switch did not work properly. Exchanged the one from the Z3100 with the Z3200 and both work properly again. I guess the small connector on the board did not make proper contact to let the solenoid do its job.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
December 2014 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[deanwork]

To me the head module seems normal,  but I wouldn't know how to check  the bearings on that. There is always some play in the movement up and down of it but it doesn't seem loose or crooked to me. The print output is perfect with no resolution or banding issues on any paper, straight graphic lines are printed precisely. I have a local service guy coming sometime toward the end of the week, maybe he will know what is up.

The star wheel assembly that adjusts for various paper thickness seems to be working normally.

Interestingly the thick William Turner rag is showing the least of the mark, and the thin Canson Satin and papers like that seem to show it the most, but it is on all of them matte and gloss. It is visible in all the maintenance targets printed also, like the head alignment and nozzle check targets. The odd thing for just ink on the heads is this skipping line it lays down, like a dotted line of sorts.

john

[deanwork]

Thank you Justan and Ernst. I really appreciate you guys taking the trouble to share your knowledge.

I'm all cool now. Everything is totally clean and great.

I removed all the heads and cleaned the entire bottom of the head module. It was all clean except for the far right side where the cutter blade is, and where there was some gunk. Then I sprayed some pressurized air back in there and guess what? One of those star wheels flew out. So that was it. There was a dislodged star wheel trapped where the cutter blade is and it attracted ink buildup.

Which begs a question, how do you replace the cutter blade? My printer is 8 years old and still cutting 300 gsm media perfectly but with all the media that has gone through it, I'm sure I'm going to have to replace it and the waste tank eventually.

I don't have a service manual ( this printer has been SO trouble free all this time ) but I should download one to have around.

This site is such a great resource with all these dedicated people contributing. Thanks guys.

John

[Ernst Dinkla]

John.

If my memory serves me right you seem to loose star wheels quite frequently. With the first star wheel bar on the Z3100 and a dumb experiment I lost some wheels but distributing them equally on the length of the bar solved it before the new one arrived (together with pinch wheel replacement set). After that I can not recall any wheels getting off. I still have the old one around for any replacement of wheels needed though. BTW, if you need a wheel repair source the desktop models like the B9180, the Pro Officejet, etc have the same wheels, many of the printers are abandoned now. The spring axles of the star wheels are different though.

On cleaning the maintenance station, removing the right hand cover is way easier when the screw behind the front panel is not used anymore. I even do it as follows, push cart replacement on the printer panel, take out carts, remove the 4 screws of the right cover, pull the cover off, put the carts in again, let the carrier move in several ways: top lid open/close, head exchange-top lid open-but no head exchange done. That way all parts of the maintenance station show themselves for some seconds or longer, Windex spray and a cloth to take away the ink build up and paper lint (though vacuum cleaning the print path makes the last less a problem). If you are afraid of the moving parts there is no other choice than power off which limits access to the maintenance station parts. Anyway when ready I push the cart exchange button again, pull them out, put the cover back, put the carts back in.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
December 2014 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[deanwork]

Good to know.

I assume the best time to do this is when you are replacing the belt. A tech once did that for me.