540SP Printing Problem - Black Only

[Chad.]

See the attached image. I took a proof to a customer today and they rightfully pointed out that my black looked very dull. So i come home and print a few test prints and sure enough, the lines are all over the place ... Anyone care to help diagnose the problem / solution ... It figure the machine is 1 week out of warranty

Thanks for any help.

 

[javila]

I think the minor nozzle problem, and the picky customer were a coincidence. Your dull blacks are probably due to improper setup, not that little deflection going on.

 

[Chad.]

I think the minor nozzle problem, and the picky customer were a coincidence. Your dull blacks are probably due to improper setup, not that little deflection going on.

Not a picky customer, the black was not rich at all, and i have all my color management setup for "Rich Black" ... this is the first time i have experienced this ... i have another image i will attach that shows the "banding" and fuzzy edge that i never used to get.

 

[Chad.]

help...

 

[jasonx]

What file format are you printing? Is the fuzzy edge a vector or a jpg image?

Banding, how is your feed setup?

Have you tried printing those two squares to see if it needs adjusting?

 

[Mason]

Do a manual cleaning, replace the wipers and run a couple of medium clean cycles, if the problem persists then the bad news is the black print head is toast, I just had the one on mine replaced last friday, I was getting the same conditions you are.

 

[Brendan]

The deflection doesnt look that bad. Mine were WAY off. Id be interested to see how you remedy this. I struggle a bit with blacks.

 

[Chad.]

What file format are you printing? Is the fuzzy edge a vector or a jpg image?

Banding, how is your feed setup?

Have you tried printing those two squares to see if it needs adjusting?

Printing using a PDF file from either Illustrator CS or CS3, i rarely print raster images unless photographs.

As far as the banding, fill me in on "feed setup" are you implying the banding could be cause from the machine not "feeding" far enough due to pulling the large roll of the material ?

And what 2 squares can i print ?

 

[Chad.]

Do a manual cleaning, replace the wipers and run a couple of medium clean cycles, if the problem persists then the bad news is the black print head is toast, I just had the one on mine replaced last friday, I was getting the same conditions you are.

I have done the manual cleaning and 2 "Powerful cleanings" with the same results. I hope its not a print head but that would not surprise me considering i am 1 week out of warranty. I swear this crap is programmed to fail on que.

 

[woolly]

several things can affect the black.
but i think that the profile is letting you down, the head could be better, but i don't think its the whole story.
try adding 30% cyan 15% mag to your 100% black and more passes, if that cures the problem, start looking at whats altered in the profiles or find a new one.
the export filter may have a profile on or a incorrect one. as the vinyl is not having enough ink layed down.


woolly

 

[Chad.]

several things can affect the black.
but i think that the profile is letting you down, the head could be better, but i don't think its the whole story.
try adding 30% cyan 15% mag to your 100% black and more passes, if that cures the problem, start looking at whats altered in the profiles or find a new one.
the export filter may have a profile on or a incorrect one. as the vinyl is not having enough ink layed down.
woolly

I have not changed anything in any profiles ... i have been printing the same way using the same materials and profiles since day one ...

I know how to setup the files and use profiles, what i don't know is why the output has all the sudden changed. CMY are great, but K leaves fuzzy edges, banding, and poor overall richness.

 

[wes13]

yeah on our Roland sp540v we sometimes have issues printing solid blacks, esp. when rockin' stuff out on high speed, usually in the profiles I make sure W-PASS is on it helps out with banding. You sure you don't have bunch clogged up nozzles on the part of the head that prints black?.

 

[wes13]

on your test print they look like there not clogged just fuzzy, I would call Roland or your distributor and raise hell.

 

[LittleSnakey]

I have done the manual cleaning and 2 "Powerful cleanings" with the same results. I hope its not a print head but that would not surprise me considering i am 1 week out of warranty. I swear this crap is programmed to fail on que.

Warrantee won't help you with print heads, they are not covered.

 

[Chad.]

Warrantee won't help you with print heads, they are not covered.

Not sure who told you that, but mine are ... well, were ... but the good news is there is a 30 day buffer period on the warranty extension, so i may be OK after all.

 

[Chad.]

yeah on our Roland sp540v we sometimes have issues printing solid blacks, esp. when rockin' stuff out on high speed, usually in the profiles I make sure W-PASS is on it helps out with banding. You sure you don't have bunch clogged up nozzles on the part of the head that prints black?.

Honestly, im not sure where to look here ... where would i check the nozzles of the print heads ?

 

[cinemasign.grafix]

Black print heads

Not true - I had 2 black print heads replaced . 1 under warranty(1 @ two months past. @ 6 months after first). Black print heads are a known problem. Print usage will be taken into consideration IE nozzle fires (weather it it has reached it's expected life)

Warrantee won't help you with print heads, they are not covered.

 

[Chad.]

Not true - I had 2 black print heads replaced . 1 under warranty(1 @ two months past. @ 6 months after first). Black print heads are a known problem. Print usage will be taken into consideration IE nozzle fires (weather it it has reached it's expected life)

What is the expected life of a print head ... and how do i print the system report that shares the nozzle fire information ?