Yea, that's pretty trashed. Just don't clean down inside where those screens are...but you can clean the screens themselves...and all around that capping station.
Got another problem....cleaned the capping station as you guys suggested. I also did the normal clean around the heads (not touching the heads) and it's banding pretty good....tried a strong clean....still doing it...replaced a fairly clean wiper with a new one...still doing it....what's my next step?
just put the screens back in but give them a good cleaning. My capping station looks pretty ratty too, although I follow a high maintenace proceedure every day. The black plastic around the caps starts to get pretty filthy over time but I am hesitant to try and clean it as I am not sure if I am making it worse with possibly damaging the rubber sides around each colour. Can I go in there with a lint free rag and solvent and give it a good rubbing? Jeez that sounds disgusting lol
do a nozzle test, take a close look at all of the little lines. Those are individual nozzles. Do more strong cleans (check your waste ink bottle first) and see if more of the nozzles reappear. If the nozzles are coming and going then it is air in the head, which may mean a bad damper. If they continue to slowly come back continue cleanings.
I've had a similar issue and took the head out, attached a hose with a syringe to the damper nipple and SLOWLY push mimaki cleaning solution through the head. You do not want to force solution through because it could damage the nozzles.