Magenta Head banding

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So what does this mean...
I made a file with each cmyk color and test printed it after seeing banding on a red print.

there is only banding on the magenta print head...does that mean its going bad or what?

Roland Versa art 640

 

[MikePro]

banding can come from a lot of things unrelated to a "bad head".
best way to tell if it is related to the printhead itself is to print a test pattern (and post it here)
hopefully you've just got alignment or media comp issues, which would be indicated by a perfect test print and confirmed by printing a crosshair with 100%cmyk.

 

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Update

After a medium cleaning, I ran the test again and it looked like the magenta was running out toward the end of the 4x4 square
Took it apart and the damper is 3/4 full and the Cartridge should be at least half full...
hmmmmm

 

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make a full 100% cmyk crosshair?

 

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The pictures...sorry our camera isn't that great at closeups

The crosshair looks perfect

 

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No takers?

 

[sfr table hockey]

You could do the artbot test. Swap the mag. damper with another color and do a couple cleanings to recharge the head and do the same test prints. Where the mag will now be printing another color you can see if that color looks like it did when the magenta was printed. If that new color prints fine on that head you know it's not the head and most likely a damper or line issue. If that is the case then you should have seen the banding move to the other head.

May need several test prints to see the results. Once you change dampers back it only takes a bit of printing to get the heads cleared again and back to normal.

This is a very good way to tell if it is that head or the line.