VinylLabSF
New Member
Just wanted to check in with the experts before I pull the trigger on replacing the print heads.
Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of misting/overspray on all my prints. (see attached).
I know this photo is only showing black, but it also happens with cyan as well.
The nozzle test print is usually almost perfect minus a few missing lines here and there, which end up correcting itself after a standard clean cycle.
Disregard the 2 huge missing sections on the LC (it went away after a manual maintenance cleaning). I'm using this photo to show all the random lines where the white ink used to be. (currently have a cleaning cartridge in that slot). This is the worst case I’ve seen. 3/5 times there's nothing and normal, 2/5 I’ll get some random lines here and there.
So, does anyone have any suggestions I should try first before I spend a huge chunk of money? Thanks in advance.
- Printer is 6 years old.
- 1 print head was replaced end of 2021 when the white ink stopped working. Had a service call for a tech to come out and fix it, tech replaced the print head and damper, charged me over $3k only to tell me he doesn't know why it still doesn't work. Gave me a small bottle of cleaning solution and a syringe and told me to flush the line because maybe the ink dried out in the line and left. He told me because white ink is thicker, I needed to shake the white ink cartridge every week and if I’m not constantly using it I should just put a cleaning cartridge in the slot.
- Cap Tops replaced beginning of 2024.
- Wiper and Felt gets replaced maybe every 2 months.
Also just to note. I will admit I don't do weekly manual maintenance cleanings. Typically I'll do a manual clean once every 2-3 weeks or when I can't get a clean test print using the standard clean cycle.
Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of misting/overspray on all my prints. (see attached).
I know this photo is only showing black, but it also happens with cyan as well.
The nozzle test print is usually almost perfect minus a few missing lines here and there, which end up correcting itself after a standard clean cycle.
Disregard the 2 huge missing sections on the LC (it went away after a manual maintenance cleaning). I'm using this photo to show all the random lines where the white ink used to be. (currently have a cleaning cartridge in that slot). This is the worst case I’ve seen. 3/5 times there's nothing and normal, 2/5 I’ll get some random lines here and there.
So, does anyone have any suggestions I should try first before I spend a huge chunk of money? Thanks in advance.
- Printer is 6 years old.
- 1 print head was replaced end of 2021 when the white ink stopped working. Had a service call for a tech to come out and fix it, tech replaced the print head and damper, charged me over $3k only to tell me he doesn't know why it still doesn't work. Gave me a small bottle of cleaning solution and a syringe and told me to flush the line because maybe the ink dried out in the line and left. He told me because white ink is thicker, I needed to shake the white ink cartridge every week and if I’m not constantly using it I should just put a cleaning cartridge in the slot.
- Cap Tops replaced beginning of 2024.
- Wiper and Felt gets replaced maybe every 2 months.
Also just to note. I will admit I don't do weekly manual maintenance cleanings. Typically I'll do a manual clean once every 2-3 weeks or when I can't get a clean test print using the standard clean cycle.
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