Sp-540 Help!!!

[robcoker]

I was printing a banner and everything went fine. I started printing another banner just like the first and suddenly what supposed to be printed red started printing yellow. I checked my ink and the only one I found empty was the magenta, but the machine didn't stop or beep for a cartridge change. I changed the magenta anyway, it was so low it didn't even register on the machine for ink remaining. Since I changed it, I did a head cleaning, both by machine and manually and ran small versions of the second banner and it's still printing yellow instead of red. Any ideas?

 

[Mike Paul]

You ran the line dry, make a 100% magenta box to prime the head.

 

[Robert72]

Printing with the line dry can ruin the printhead, I would take the tube which goes from the capping to the pump and would suck with a syringe until you see magenta in the syringe.

 

[robcoker]

There is ink in the line but it will not pull the ink into the head. The line is full all the way to the little white plastic piece just above the head. I sent my girl to the drug store to get an insulin syringe to see if I can pull the ink thru the line. When I do a megenta print to see if is going to work, the ink isn't moving, just a little shuffle back and forth but doesn't seem to move toward the head. Almost like there is not enough suction or pressure to move the ink. I don't know if it has a clog in the line or if a pump has gone bad. The machine is only 11 months old.

 

[ChiknNutz]

Though not the problem, you might need to replace your cap tops to help it out. These really should be replaced about every 6 mos, at least that's been my experience. After about 6 mos., the heads seem to show nozzle drop-out, so I put in new cap tops and it's good again.

 

[robcoker]

OK, I disconnected the line at the cartridge and at the plastic part above heads, I blew the ink out of the line to make sure there was no clog. I tried to print again and the magenta is definately not flowing. The only thing that is coming out is a light blue when I print a solid magenta color. i don't know where the pumps are, but I'm thinking the pump has quit.

 

[ChiknNutz]

If you get cyan/black, then the pump is okay.

 

[robcoker]

It will print cyan/black. The magenta line is still empty.

 

[Robert72]

Empty? you have a new cartridge and the line is empty?

Have you taken off the residual tube and sucked with the syringe?

 

[robcoker]

I did that and it is now working. Thank you to all that helped.