Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Problems with kink in nozzle check pattern on Epson 9890 and related banding  (Read 671 times)

pawass

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2

Looking for some advice.
My Epson 9890 seems to be stuck with a weird kink in the Light Light Grey nozzles of the nozzle check pattern. I have tried a gazillion cleaning cycles and wasted at least $200 worth of ink and tried all the head alignments twice already and it still prints like the attached image every time.
Also any print with light grey gradations has a slight amount of banding in it that seems to relate to this issue.
Does anyone have any advice what this might be?
I somehow assume that the print head needs to be replaced which means I will just trash the whole damn printer because I am not willing to spend $1400 on a print head for a printer that has been nothing but nightmarish clogs and other issues.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2018, 08:48:49 pm by pawass »
Logged

Garnick

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1229

Looking for some advice.
My Epson 9890 seems to be stuck with a weird kink in the Light Light Grey nozzles of the nozzle check pattern. I have tried a gazillion cleaning cycles and wasted at least $200 worth of ink and tried all the head alignments twice already and it still prints like the attached image every time.
Also any print with light grey gradations has a slight amount of banding in it that seems to relate to the.
Does anyone have any advice what this might be?
I somehow assume that the print head needs to be replaced which means I will just trash the whole damn printer because I am not willing to spend $1400 on a print head for a printer that has been nothing but nightmarish clogs and other issues.

I will say I'm rather amazed that the two channels seem to be printing as expected except for the bulging edges and a couple of dropouts in the Yellow.  The bad news is that in my opinion you are indeed looking at a new print head.  I have seen this twice and in each case there was nothing to be done except to install a new head.  In my last experience with a SC9900 it was the green channel that started dropping nozzles and eventually exhibited the same bulging edges, which convinced the tech that the head was toast.  In my case I did have a new head installed and it was still working very well when I sold it in early '17, after almost 7 years of use.  It seems that you have already decided against another print head for this vintage of printer, and I agree with that approach.

Gary     
« Last Edit: October 09, 2018, 10:52:47 am by Garnick »
Logged
Gary N.
"My memory isn't what it used to be. As a matter of fact it never was." (gan)

dgberg

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 2753
    • http://bergsprintstudio.com http://bergscustomfurniture.com

In the same shoes again here. My 9890 has about 1/4th of the lines gone on the PK/MK. Multiple cleans plus all the other tricks and no dice.
I am still printing with it as we speak. In Lightroom I have output resolution set to 2880. high speed unchecked, Finest detail checked and color density set at +10.
No banding and a perfect print. (For now.) Before I tried these settings I had terrible banding in the blacks.
I am probably just lucky but will keep using it as long as I can.
2 years ago I lost the yellow channel on my 9900 and replaced the head and some other items and it is still going strong.
Just have too much K3 inks here to off load these older models. Believe it or not it is almost cheaper to replace the head in the 9890 then get a new P9000.
I did it once, just not sure I want to do it again.

pawass

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2

Thank you for your replies.
Yeah, it sounds like I might just have to get rid of this broken printer because part of my business is making fine-art prints for artists and I can't deliver anything but perfect prints.
It's just sad to think that the whole 300 lbs of printer might end up in the trash since I don't know if anyone would want to buy it and fix it up seeing that there are so many issues with this model in general.
I'm considering buying the Canon Pro-4000 since my faith in Epson is all but gone.
Logged

Wayne Fox

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4237
    • waynefox.com

Well, they all end up in the trash eventually (just like everything else). I’ve tossed several printers, including a couple of Canon’s over the years, due to wearing out. They aren’t engineered to last forever.

 The 9890 was replaced a decade ago, to me 10+ years is pretty good for any printer.  There’s been two major updates to both the inkset and the head technology, and the now 3 year old p9000 has been around long enough to make some reasonable conclusions and it’s proven to be substantially better.  Yes there are still times it cleans and yes it still uses some ink to do that, but so do all of these types of printers.    The new Epson inkset has improved longevity, and Canon has actually regressed in that area.  I assume that’s pretty important based on the type of work you are producing.

Certainly there are pros and cons to both brands, and both produce beautiful prints, so it seems to “lose faith in Epson” because your 10+ year old printer has worn out is a little illogical. 

Don’t forget about HP.  Their new printer is certainly worth considering as well.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up