strange happenings with a VJ1204

[InstantMurals]

Hello all. I just returned from being away for a week. My asisstant has been using the printer all week successfully. When I went to print something today the color was bad. Did a nozzle check and lo and behold the nozzles were perfect but the cyan was black. Checked the tubes going to the print head and they are now black as well. all the print carts were in their proper position, nothing I know of has changed. Does anyone have the faintest idea of how this could and/or would happen? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[J Hill Designs]

ink siphon - perhaps the capping sponges have swollen to the point of making contact with the heads when parked

 

[jhanson]

What's the level of the cyan cartridge? That can also happen if the cart gets sucked flat; it siphons ink from the cap as a result...

 

[InstantMurals]

Thanks for the responses. The ink level was 15 on the display. I have since replaced it with a fresh one and have been doing a strong cleaning on it every 15 min or so to see if I can get any results. I even opened up the old cart and looked at the ink. It looked normal. I've deleted and reinstalled all my profiles on the RIP side. The only thing I can think of is a hardware issue. Which I am checking all the cables and such now.

 

[InstantMurals]

What's the level of the cyan cartridge? That can also happen if the cart gets sucked flat; it siphons ink from the cap as a result...

Turns out you must be right! I just put her back together (all cables were ok) did a strong cleaning and the cyan was back at full throttle! Must have been something with the ink cart and the counter or either one. Again, thanks for the responses.

 

[FatCat]

Turns out you must be right! I just put her back together (all cables were ok) did a strong cleaning and the cyan was back at full throttle! Must have been something with the ink cart and the counter or either one. Again, thanks for the responses.

That may or may not be the case. Many times when you get cross contamination it is due to a poor seal around the head and capping station. Check to make sure your drain lines are not plugged/blocked and that everything is squeeky clean around the head and capping station. This can also happen to a capping station that is getting too old. Usually need to replace them and/or the maintenance station every 2-3 years....