Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "frankg_photo 
<fh.gross@s...>" <fh.gross@s...> wrote:
> 1160 printer.
> MIS vm-s inks with CFS system.
> 
> Symptoms:
> Poor prints that look like the inking system has to be checked.
> Bad nozzle check pattern with missing bars and sometimes an entire 
> segment is missing (the bottom row, centre pattern). On one occasion 
> I also had a pattern where some bars were out of position.
> Run cleaning cycles which have resulted in a Good nozzle check 
> pattern, but after doing a print it's clear to see poor print inking 
> again (lack of depth/tone/deensity etc). Run another nozzle check 
> after the print - Bad nozzle yet again. The Good nozzle check 
doesn't 
> last
> I also printed a 4 col purge pattern (MIS) after getting a good 
> nozzle check, which printed successfully.
> Do another cleaning cycle and get a Good nozzle, do a print, check 
> nozzle, bad again - recurring over and over.
> 
> Attempted cures:
> 1.Paper towel with Windex under the print head path.
> 2.Drops of Windex on the parking pads.
> 3. Three cleaning cycles in quick succession, without a nozzle 
check, 
> and let stand for a couple of hours.
> 
> What else can be done ?
> 
> I searched old posts and it seems that replacing the CFS with Epson 
> ink carts is also recommended - correct ?
> If so, how do I do this - I can see if I were using carts presently, 
> but with a CFS ?
> thanks,
> Frank


You don't say how long you've had the CFS, the ink, and what 
humidity/temperature/elevation/clean environment you're in.

The nozzle jumping up or down out of position is a giveaway that the 
bottom of head is gobbed up and needs the paper towel trick. Usually 
this is accompied by the symptom of random blobs of ink splattered on 
print, but you don't mention this...and you also say you have done 
this trick to no avail.

I would assume that since you're ink is printing badly (even with a 
good nozzle check) that your ink has gone bad through evaporation thru 
tubing or has just broken down over time. So it is time to cut your 
losses and discard the rest of the ink. Start over with fresh ink. If 
this assumption is not correct than my recommendation which follows is 
not correct as well...but it sure sounds like that ink is gone bad.

First put Epson carts back in and clear up as much as the old stuff in 
there as you can. Run it for a few days.

Then decide whether you want to continue using a CFS or CIS at all. 
This will depend on your climate and how long your previous CFS/ink 
worked without problems. Also on how much hassle you want to go thru. 
If say, it had been working a year before this arose you may decide to 
continue using a CFS. In this event, simply buy the carts with tubing 
attached from MIS and stick it in a new bottle. You will pay around 
$40 (maybe less, thats price for an 1280). Then expect problems to 
reoccur within another year. Do not use your old CFS tubing/ carts 
under any circumstances. Or the ink.

Since you would toss your old CFS/ ink, changing it out is not a big 
deal. Just swap it for the Epson carts and throw the CFS/ ink away. 
Keep the bottle holder and the vacuum pump, etc.

If like me you get ink caking inside the bottle after only 3 weeks or 
so, give up on the idea of CFS and use carts. You can fill them 
yourself. I used to fill a set of 1280 carts for $27, I suspect the 
1160 would come in around $15-$18 or so.
Jim H.