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L26500 print head life
- Thread starter danno
- Start date
P Wagner
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HP Latex printheads for the L2 series (L25500/ L26500/ L28500/ Latex 260/ L280 etc) are warranted for 1 liter worth of ink. If they fail before that time (as determined by the printer) then HP will replace them as a warranty replacement. If they fail after that time, the cost of replacement is borne by the user. Typically, the printer maintains the printheads itself, with little user involvement. There is the ability to print a 'nozzle test print' from the Ink Menu on the printer's control panel, and this can be done at any time to review the nozzle performance of the printheads. If the majority of nozzles are firing, then any image quality issues you are experiencing would be from other causes (media profiles or something else). If you can upload images of the Image Quality issues that you are seeing, it might be helpful to diagnose from...
ProColorGraphics
New Member
I was going to say, mine are "past warranty" and still print the same.
I have printed more than 400,000 sqf in L25's and L26's.
head life usually go way past the one liter guarantee. I'm going to say my average head dies after 7 liters of ink. I had a couple go over 20 liters.
I think the key for long lasting heads is using high number of passes. We do mostly backlight so 12 pass is the lowest we go. I also think life of the head gets reduced alot if you don't use the printer often.
head life usually go way past the one liter guarantee. I'm going to say my average head dies after 7 liters of ink. I had a couple go over 20 liters.
I think the key for long lasting heads is using high number of passes. We do mostly backlight so 12 pass is the lowest we go. I also think life of the head gets reduced alot if you don't use the printer often.
Bill Modzel
New Member
I had just about all of mine just flat out quit during the first year. HP was very attentive and replaced them as they failed with overnight delivery.
They evidently had a bad batch and I was right in the middle of it. I have nothing but praise for the way they took care of this issue.
They evidently had a bad batch and I was right in the middle of it. I have nothing but praise for the way they took care of this issue.
P Wagner
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Longevity of the HP thermal printheads used in the L2 series machines seems to vary widely, for reasons that are difficult to quantify. Some users (like this one) get many liters of ink through heads before the printer requires them to be replaced, and in these cases, the image quality is terrific for the life span of the head. Other users have been struggling to get even one liter of ink through a printhad before the printer reports that it must be replaced. Some of this is likely to be due to faulty printheads that got into the channel earlier this year.
bikecomedy
New Member
Based on your considerable experience Coloradosigns what humidity works for your company to make them last longer? Replaced a head after just over 1 liter and it would be great to improve printer head life. My humidity reading are 27%-34%. Reading the HP site the desired range is 20% -80%.
Reading your thoughts it would be good to increase the humidity towards the middle or higher end of the allowable range?
Looks like consumer reports is suggesting 30%-50 but this is for humans.
Reading your thoughts it would be good to increase the humidity towards the middle or higher end of the allowable range?
Looks like consumer reports is suggesting 30%-50 but this is for humans.
danno
New Member
L26500 PH update. After several conversations with HP, they have told me that I am overheating the heads. I am attempting to get an answer from them on the desired maximum run length. They have told me that my runs are too long and that is causing the heads to overheat. Now, that sounds to me like this printer just went from manly to girlyman, if the girls would have it. Granted, my first set of heads lasted about a year, but since then they have gotten considerably worse. I am running from 1200ml to 2000ml on a set of heads at this time. I have even switched from custom built profiles to HP profiles provided by HP through Onyx. If you are wondering about the humidity of my room, usually in the am it's 45 to 55% then by late afternoon it's around 38 to 42% We are running 2 humidifiers constantly. The heat from this beast and the LX800 just kill me. The A/C attempts to keep the air at 72 degrees, but usually is mid to upper 70's by afternoon.
Well that doesn't make sense to me since I constantly print 50 meters rolls day and night sometimes for 4-5 weeks, 7 days a week without a problem. Also I'm printing backlight that uses tons of ink. And that's with 2 printers.
How many passes are you using? The lower the pass count to more you stress the heads.
How many passes are you using? The lower the pass count to more you stress the heads.
HulkSmash
New Member
we stay in the 50-60 percent range. I have a massive swamp cooler in the area of the printers. Really helps for better prints and overall longer heads.
C
ColoPrinthead
Guest
I am around a HP Latex for the first time and have experienced shorter than expected life on our heads. I had not worked with their heads in a long time and do not like having to swap them so often. I haven't seen head dropouts like this since I ran a handful of the 5000 series. I also realize that I am treating an entry level HP printer like a production machine. The last head I saw replaced was around 1400ml.
I have a feeling Coloradosigns is right about humidity as well (at least in my case).
HulkSmash
New Member
we have several latex machines. Hp told us we have way too much volume for the machines. We recently bought a flatbed, and LX is soon comin.
C
ColoPrinthead
Guest
What kind of humidity level are you running? Did HP suggest it or did you have to do some testing?
I look forward to seeing posts about the new toy when it arrives.
You obviously don't print as much as others. There is a finite life for these heads as they're meant to be disposables. We ran several of our machines at 4 pass bi for 10-12 hours a day, and could get 3-4 liters to pass before needing to change. On other machines where we would run 8-10 pass, we'd see better life. But at the end of the day, these heads are disposable, and as such are meant to be a part of your per square foot ink price.
HulkSmash
New Member
PM Sent. I don't know your email address.
This is incorrect. It is perfectly doable if you're willing to take the time. It's not going to work for all applications, like car wrap or banner, but for the application we use it for it works well. For this project we're more concerned with speed then beauty. That's what is so great about these machines-- they can really fly if you let them.