What does this problem look like to you?

[ApexVinyl]

Printing on my CJV30-130 and getting anomalies in my green, yellow and black all of a sudden. Using solid colors directly from flexi, 12 pass unidirectional CMYK....orajet 3651 vinyl

I've done a nozzle wash for two hours separated with new fluid each hour....wiper is clean and in good shape. Print head is new.

Contaminates on vinyl maybe? Test print comes out good.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WLpABkgdKY2EmJtJ8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1NipkxVqkMQQ22Cd6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/T1gLHum1tLnmwa3R6

 

[TimToad]

Have you run out a few more feet of media and tried to print again? What about a different media?

Start with simple solutions before suspecting its the printer.

 

[ewded]

Too much ink + low heat. Try more passes or/and higher heat settings. What you see is ink gathering around dust particles as they are not absorbed by the media quick enough. You can actually see the dust in the middle of the patch.

 

[Saturn]

Looks like simple dust to me. Tim's suggestions are sound.

Keeping the shop relative humidity at 40-60% can help keep the dust out of the air too.

For solid colors/heavy ink coverage stuff I do try to run those jobs specifically a bit further into the day's workload so that any dust has already worked it's way out of things.

 

[ApexVinyl]

Hey everybody I appreciate the help on this. I've never encountered it this bad before....

I tried upping the heat to 40 40 50 and did 24 pass and it actually made it worse. Also precleaned the media and dusted it with a swifter in one direction before printing. It looks almost like a bit of water was in some places and then others I can see with dust. Really confused. Might just have to come back to it and try again tomorrow. It sucks because I just wanted to run off some bumper stickers and I have a big sticker order coming up and I'm hoping it doesn't end up looking terrible like this.

 

[Saturn]

I've never had good luck cleaning material unless it was do-or-die. I just make sure the platen and rollers are relatively clean and then go back into the roll until I reach virgin, never seen air, vinyl and try printing on that. The more you handle stuff the worse it gets generally.

 

[ApexVinyl]

I've never had good luck cleaning material unless it was do-or-die. I just make sure the platen and rollers are relatively clean and then go back into the roll until I reach virgin, never seen air, vinyl and try printing on that. The more you handle stuff the worse it gets generally.

I'll give it a shot but my only other thought is that the roll is contaminated.

But for kicks I printed a high quality photo and it printed just fine with no defects. So now I'm wondering if it's the color management...

 

[TimToad]

I'll give it a shot but my only other thought is that the roll is contaminated.

But for kicks I printed a high quality photo and it printed just fine with no defects. So now I'm wondering if it's the color management...

The photo was printed using the same media and same settings?

What are you "pre-cleaning" the media with?

The stuff comes off the roll about as "clean" as it will ever be. Any cleaner, wipe, etc.. we apply to it only risks contamination.

 

[ApexVinyl]

The photo was printed using the same media and same settings?

What are you "pre-cleaning" the media with?

The stuff comes off the roll about as "clean" as it will ever be. Any cleaner, wipe, etc.. we apply to it only risks contamination.

Yes the photos were printed at the same settings and same media. I can't find any issues in either of them (one at 12 pass and one at 24)

I used a new swifter duster and then hit it with a tac cloth, just rubbing it lightly with no pressure.

It's just strange that the spot colors are having such a hard time but I can print photos with the same settings either 12 pass or 24 just fine.
Heat is at 45 45 50 now. Doesn't seem to help either.

 

[Andy D]

Too much ink + low heat. Try more passes or/and higher heat settings. What you see is ink gathering around dust particles as they are not absorbed by the media quick enough. You can actually see the dust in the middle of the patch.

9 times out of 10 when people post pictures of problems with their prints, too much ink is at least part of the problem... I have posted that so many
times, I'm getting sick of seeing my own posts...

 

[rjssigns]

"Fisheyes" just like auto paint. Surface is contaminated. Wipe with 90% IPA. Make sure material is dry before printing.

I have some 4mil matte in stock that had did the same thing at the beginning of the roll. Just remembered I had some banner do the same thing. Cured both with an IPA wipe down.

 

[LED Signs & Designs Texas]

It’s simple static dust particles.

 

[MikePro]

i used to have this problem on my mimaki, and thought it was contaminated roll, but problem persisted throughout multiple rolls..... but it was actually flecks of debris being kicked-around by the carriage belt during operation, raining-down onto the print.

 

[rjssigns]

i used to have this problem on my mimaki, and thought it was contaminated roll, but problem persisted throughout multiple rolls..... but it was actually flecks of debris being kicked-around by the carriage belt during operation, raining-down onto the print.

That's a new one. But dust only collects on parts we can see.

 

[ApexVinyl]

It’s simple static dust particles.

I think so too at this point. Trying to eliminate the problem but I'm already a clean freak

 

[ApexVinyl]

i used to have this problem on my mimaki, and thought it was contaminated roll, but problem persisted throughout multiple rolls..... but it was actually flecks of debris being kicked-around by the carriage belt during operation, raining-down onto the print.

I'm actually starting to wonder if this is happening. I think you have confirmed my suspicions. I know for a fact the media was free of static and dust on my last run and I still got contaminates. I'm going to have to talk to my printer guy and see if this has happend before. The machine is 9 years old so the belt could be degrading. Thank you for that!

 

[Alan Menhennet]

I had this on my Chinese printer... After i flushed solvent through the head i had some more of them and then the head was clean. Looked like blotches of dried ink particles.

Dust on the vinyl is makes clear spots, what this looks like is blotches of ink.
What inks are you using?

 

[ApexVinyl]

I had this on my Chinese printer... After i flushed solvent through the head i had some more of them and then the head was clean. Looked like blotches of dried ink particles.

Dust on the vinyl is makes clear spots, what this looks like is blotches of ink.
What inks are you using?

It ended up being a combination of several things. Dirty encoder strip, static and the main carriage belt. All better now. Thanks to everybody that posted a tip! Hopefully this thread helps somebody in the future too.