Luminous Landscape Forum

Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: Butch Welch on June 12, 2015, 01:06:57 pm

Title: How many clogged nozzles does it take to show in a print?
Post by: Butch Welch on June 12, 2015, 01:06:57 pm

I have one persistent clogged nozzle in the LC that seems to have no effect in prints (see attached nozzle check).  I always print a nozzle check pattern before printing.  When todays check showed a single clogged nozzle in 5 different inks, I decided to try an experiment and printed a purge file (solid bars of each ink color) with the 5 inks still clogged.  All the bars printed perfectly.  Cleaning cycles fixed all of the clogs except the LC, which still persists.  I have made many prints with the one LC clog with no problems.  Should I still try to clear it (a power cleaning cycle did not clear it)?  Continue to ignore it and make prints?  I am printing on an Epson 4900.

Title: Re: How many clogged nozzles does it take to show in a print?
Post by: Mark D Segal on June 12, 2015, 01:21:46 pm

My policy is to clean-up completely to avoid trouble accumulating. Do repeated cycles of purge-print then clean on that one LC pair till the check pattern shows no breaks.

Title: Re: How many clogged nozzles does it take to show in a print?
Post by: elliot_n on June 12, 2015, 01:55:43 pm

One clogged nozzle will effect the color balance and tonal smoothness.

Title: Re: How many clogged nozzles does it take to show in a print?
Post by: DeanChriss on June 12, 2015, 02:08:38 pm

Quote from: elliot_n on June 12, 2015, 01:55:43 pm

One clogged nozzle will effect the print - color balance and tonal smoothness.

I agree. I once made a print starting with a perfect nozzle check. Then examining the print showed unevenness in what should have been an evenly toned medium gray area. Another nozzle check showed a single clogged LK nozzle. Cleaning for another perfect nozzle check and reprinting fixed the issue.

Title: Re: How many clogged nozzles does it take to show in a print?
Post by: disneytoy on June 12, 2015, 06:52:41 pm

In a nozzle check what is the cause of a nozzle being out of place. One line up or down a bit? All the actual nozzles are fixed aren't they?

Title: Re: How many clogged nozzles does it take to show in a print?
Post by: davidh202 on June 12, 2015, 09:46:07 pm

crooked lines are called deflections, and are usually due to crap on the nozzles.