GS6000 Inconsistent Color

[Reaction GFX]

HELP!!! Our GS6000 has some serious color consistency problems. For example, I'm currently printing a 4x8 with a solid orange background--it starts out the correct shade of orange, but the color is gradually shifting as it's printing and by the end of the print it's a completely different shade of orange (usually lighter). We're blowing through media and wasting tons of time--IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS. This is happening regularly with all colors. I basically can't print large solid areas of color at all because of this. This is our only printer and other than this one print quality issue, the thing still prints great. The problem is only noticeable on very large areas of solid colors. We're trying to squeeze as much life out of it as we can, but I'm starting to have my doubts we're going to be able to rely on it much longer.

My intuition says it's some kind of ink starvation issue--if the flow of a particular color is reduced, obviously the color is going to change. But I really have no idea what could be causing it. Test prints looks great with no missing nozzles and only a few deflected nozzles. I like to think I take pretty good care of this machine. We recently had the dampers replaced for the first time possibly ever (we bought it used in 2011), but that didn't fix the problem. Not to mention we had some serious issues with Decision One, who seem to be the ONLY folks willing to work on this machine any more because they are the only people who can still get parts from Epson. That's my understanding, anyway.

If anyone has ANY ideas what may be causing my problems, I'm all ears! We just don't have it in the budget right now to even think about purchasing another printer...but it also doesn't make sense to throw a bunch of money at an almost 9 year old machine...we're kind of in a pickle, hence my plea for HELP!

Thanks guys!

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

Sound to me like you are starving the ink supply. What pass rate are you printing this at? Bi- or Uni-?

Let me know. We run GS6000s here too.

 

[ColoPrinthead]

The 6000s suck when it comes to consistent color with the Green and Orange inks.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

Never had a problem with ours.....

 

[ColoPrinthead]

I lost the photo from my gallery, but I had a picture of the same green from the same machine only half the saturation of what it should have. I used to work with 2 of the 6000s in a controlled environment.

 

[Reaction GFX]

Sound to me like you are starving the ink supply. What pass rate are you printing this at? Bi- or Uni-?

Let me know. We run GS6000s here too.

I commonly print 720x720, 8 pass, Bi-directional. I've had this issue with greens, oranges, AND purples, blues... I just printed this orange 4x8 again and it actually starts out with the correct orange, by the middle it's printing a noticeably lighter shade, then it starts to darken again towards the end. It's a subtle and gradual shift, but when looking at the entire print it is definitely noticeable to me. Funny, though, after printing the orange 4x8, I printed some similar 4x8s for the same customer (different business) that had a 15" x 96" area of solid dark red and it looks fine.

What would be possible causes of ink starvation/irregular flow? Anyone? Quality is fine otherwise, prints with no large areas of solid color look great (or maybe it just isn't as noticeable?).

 

[Michael-Nola]

Hey DTS, I've run a GS6000 for years and I can say I've had all these issues. This is definitely an mechanical problem of sorts. When in perfect condition, they print flawlessly. Unfortunately though they didn't design much in the way of allowances because one small issue and your quality goes in the trash. Yes the fading in and out issue is ink flow somewhere. I've had it happen many times.

Here's the order of items I check for this problem, I've never had a starvation issue I couldn't fix working from this list.

1. Cartridge level: Must be high! - Common problem
   • Whether using the OEM cartridges or aftermarket bulk, these printers need full(er) cartridges to reliably run huge swatches of solid or heavy coverage with any consistency.
   • I run the Bordeaux bulk ink package - Due to it being a weight managed system and not perfectly calibrated, any time my ink goes below 15% it starts to starve.
   • Try putting in some new cartridges on the lines being used.
   • Look at your actual output ink mix if you can - orange is not just orange on that printer! You're likely running a mix of orange, yellow, LM, and Mag. It could be the magenta starving and the only way to know is to know exactly what ink ratios you're printing with and compare that to your ink levels.
2. Nozzle Check: Simple, but just make sure your head looks good. If the nozzle check looks good after a purge, move on to the next number.
3. Spitting pad: Check for quality.
   • The new spitting pads direct from Epson are absolute trash - they will trash your prints.
   • A BAD spitting pad is hard and non-absorbent. Run a light clean and look carefully at the top of the spitting pad, if there is a pool of ink present then you know it is bad. That ink pile is contaminating your freshly cleaned head and gives you terrible prints.
   • Fast solution is to just pull the spitting cap out.
   • You can't run with no spitting cap forever as the spit "misting" will also contaminate the head and dirty the inside of your printer. I find very loose mesh synthetic padding works well.
   • I just bought 2 new pads direct from epson and they wouldn't absorb any ink from the minute I put them in. Don't waste your money.
4. Ink flow to the waste tank: If your prints drop out as you run, you're likely losing vacuum or consistent flow between the head and the waste tank. That's why your nozzle check looks good but your print quality doesn't.
   1. Capping Stations:If these are not seated correctly or are clogged, limited ink flow or vacuum will cause dropouts. With the head seated on cappers, use a bright flashlight to carefully check you're getting a solid seal on the 3 sides you can see.
      • As a precaution, use an eye dropper to squirt solvent cleaner into the top of the caps. Let it sit to clean out any clogs.
      • Disassembling the capping station and cleaning out each line will ensure that no clogs are present, but I'm warning you, it's a few small parts and hard to reach hoses. It's an all day project. It may be necessary, but you need to know what you're getting into.
   2. Check hoses for clogs: This is a common issue on the GS6000!
      • Each capping station has 2 hoses running to their pumps, and one large hose running to the waste tank. Squeeze these lines carefully and check for any clogs. This is often where my clogs are if I let my printer sit up.
      • The waste/wiper station has a large tube running to the waste tank, check this line to ensure it is not clogged.
      • DO NOT pull down on the two small hoses attached to the caps! They are only "pushed on" and held by about .125" of plastic. If you pull it out you're back to taking out the whole cap or station to fit your hands in for reassembly.
   3. Check waste tank main line for clogs.
      • I've had the 3 pronged waste tank tube (before the line exits the printer) clog several times. The backup in this line causes the pumps to be unable to move ink and so all the way back up to your capper you're not getting ink flow or vacuum.
5. Air bubbles in lines: If you've never disassembled anything, it would be unlikely to get air in any of your lines, but it is worth checking. Bubbles will cause ink dropout and inconsistency. If you trace the lines through the machine, you can see most of the entire tubing length without disassembly. If you just take off a few panels you can get to the whole machine. Carefully check the entire length and ensure no bubbles are present. If so, suck them out.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

Try unidirectional or step up to 16 pass

 

[Reaction GFX]

Hey DTS, I've run a GS6000 for years and I can say I've had all these issues. This is definitely an mechanical problem of sorts. When in perfect condition, they print flawlessly. Unfortunately though they didn't design much in the way of allowances because one small issue and your quality goes in the trash. Yes the fading in and out issue is ink flow somewhere. I've had it happen many times.

Here's the order of items I check for this problem, I've never had a starvation issue I couldn't fix working from this list.

1. Cartridge level: Must be high! - Common problem
   • Whether using the OEM cartridges or aftermarket bulk, these printers need full(er) cartridges to reliably run huge swatches of solid or heavy coverage with any consistency.
   • I run the Bordeaux bulk ink package - Due to it being a weight managed system and not perfectly calibrated, any time my ink goes below 15% it starts to starve.
   • Try putting in some new cartridges on the lines being used.
   • Look at your actual output ink mix if you can - orange is not just orange on that printer! You're likely running a mix of orange, yellow, LM, and Mag. It could be the magenta starving and the only way to know is to know exactly what ink ratios you're printing with and compare that to your ink levels.
2. Nozzle Check: Simple, but just make sure your head looks good. If the nozzle check looks good after a purge, move on to the next number.
3. Spitting pad: Check for quality.
   • The new spitting pads direct from Epson are absolute trash - they will trash your prints.
   • A BAD spitting pad is hard and non-absorbent. Run a light clean and look carefully at the top of the spitting pad, if there is a pool of ink present then you know it is bad. That ink pile is contaminating your freshly cleaned head and gives you terrible prints.
   • Fast solution is to just pull the spitting cap out.
   • You can't run with no spitting cap forever as the spit "misting" will also contaminate the head and dirty the inside of your printer. I find very loose mesh synthetic padding works well.
   • I just bought 2 new pads direct from epson and they wouldn't absorb any ink from the minute I put them in. Don't waste your money.
4. Ink flow to the waste tank: If your prints drop out as you run, you're likely losing vacuum or consistent flow between the head and the waste tank. That's why your nozzle check looks good but your print quality doesn't.
   1. Capping Stations:If these are not seated correctly or are clogged, limited ink flow or vacuum will cause dropouts. With the head seated on cappers, use a bright flashlight to carefully check you're getting a solid seal on the 3 sides you can see.
      • As a precaution, use an eye dropper to squirt solvent cleaner into the top of the caps. Let it sit to clean out any clogs.
      • Disassembling the capping station and cleaning out each line will ensure that no clogs are present, but I'm warning you, it's a few small parts and hard to reach hoses. It's an all day project. It may be necessary, but you need to know what you're getting into.
   2. Check hoses for clogs: This is a common issue on the GS6000!
      • Each capping station has 2 hoses running to their pumps, and one large hose running to the waste tank. Squeeze these lines carefully and check for any clogs. This is often where my clogs are if I let my printer sit up.
      • The waste/wiper station has a large tube running to the waste tank, check this line to ensure it is not clogged.
      • DO NOT pull down on the two small hoses attached to the caps! They are only "pushed on" and held by about .125" of plastic. If you pull it out you're back to taking out the whole cap or station to fit your hands in for reassembly.
   3. Check waste tank main line for clogs.
      • I've had the 3 pronged waste tank tube (before the line exits the printer) clog several times. The backup in this line causes the pumps to be unable to move ink and so all the way back up to your capper you're not getting ink flow or vacuum.
5. Air bubbles in lines: If you've never disassembled anything, it would be unlikely to get air in any of your lines, but it is worth checking. Bubbles will cause ink dropout and inconsistency. If you trace the lines through the machine, you can see most of the entire tubing length without disassembly. If you just take off a few panels you can get to the whole machine. Carefully check the entire length and ensure no bubbles are present. If so, suck them out.

HOLY COW!! Thanks so much for the super in-depth reply! I'm going to go down your list and check everything...once I actually have some free time! I know my spitting pad isn't in the best of shape and I've been meaning to replace that for some time now, so I'll just replace that with some polyester batting or something similar. I'll check capping stations and waste ink lines as well. Hopefully I can get this sorted out.