Yahoo Groups archive

Digital BW, The Print

Index last updated: 2026-04-28 22:56 UTC

Thread

Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2014-07-19 by climballday@...

Like the subject line says, I've started getting severe banding at the leading and tailing edges of my prints. Everything through the middle is fine, but 1/2" to 1" on the front and trailing edge act like the printer is skipping lines or something.

Epson Artisan 1430 printer
Eboni 6 inks with cartridges from MIS.
It happens on both Moab Arches 300 and hahnemuhle bamboo papers (the only two I have tested since it started)
Settings are at 2880 and uni-directional, which have always worked well for me, until now.
the nozzle test print looks fine.

I can do more experimenting, but in searching this group, I saw a message from Paul from several years ago that said something to the effect of "except at the leading edge of the print, there is no reason you should get banding" which made me think this might be some sort of a known issue. Unfortunately, further searching didn't turn up any messages referring to it specifically.


So... is this something that happens consistently under certain circumstances? If so, what's the solution to eliminating it?


Thanks to everyone... this group has been invaluable as I've started off on this little adventure.


Stephen

Re: [Digital BW] Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2014-07-19 by Andrew Sharpe

Clear the feed rollers; my 1400 does that when it isn't feeding properly.

Andrew


On 7/18/14, 10:53 PM, climballday@...
[DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint] wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>  
> 
> Uploaded an image on flickr so you can see what I'm talking about.
> Ignore the color and poor detail (I just snapped it with my phone) - you
> can see the lines I'm referring to.
> 
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/seamonkey78704/14708615483/
>

Re: [Digital BW] Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2014-07-19 by Jacques Caron

Hi

I'm using QTR and Eb6 on my 1430 and, from Roy Harrington, banding can be eliminated if you stay clear of the first inch or so; actually, I'm printing on 13x19 and the borders are at 1 1/4 each. No banding at all.

Good luck

Le 2014-07-19 à 01:59, Andrew Sharpe asharpe@... [DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint] <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com> a écrit :

> Clear the feed rollers; my 1400 does that when it isn't feeding properly.
> 
> Andrew
> 
> On 7/18/14, 10:53 PM, climballday@yahoo.com
> [DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint] wrote:
> > 
> > 
> > Uploaded an image on flickr so you can see what I'm talking about.
> > Ignore the color and poor detail (I just snapped it with my phone) - you
> > can see the lines I'm referring to.
> > 
> > https://www.flickr.com/photos/seamonkey78704/14708615483/
> >
> 

Jacques Caron
Photographe
jacques.caron@...

Re: [Digital BW] Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2014-07-19 by Paul Roark

The 1400 series needs both paper transport rollers to be engaged to be perfectly smooth. So, both ends can suffer. The leading edge is usually the worst, probably due to the bend of the paper going in.

I don't think the 1400 series is the only modern printer that suffers from this, but it may be that the 1.5 pl models are more sensitive to it. Also, I think QTR shows the paper transport weaknesses of the printer more than the Epson driver. Additionally, the more inks you have firing, the less likely you'll see the problem.

It sounds like you didn't used to have the problem. That makes it sound as if the rollers may also need cleaning. Sometimes running paper through the printer using the paper transport button, where the paper has some Windex on it's middle part, will help clean them.

Thick paper, of course, has more problems than thin paper.

With fine art matte papers I try to leave ample margins to get the top image quality. On a letter size print a 9x7 may be it.

Hope this helps.

Paul
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Fri, Jul 18, 2014 at 10:43 PM, climballday@... [DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint] <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Like the subject line says, I've started getting severe banding at the leading and tailing edges of my prints. Everything through the middle is fine, but 1/2" to 1" on the front and trailing edge act like the printer is skipping lines or something.

Epson Artisan 1430 printer
Eboni 6 inks with cartridges from MIS.
It happens on both Moab Arches 300 and hahnemuhle bamboo papers (the only two I have tested since it started)
Settings are at 2880 and uni-directional, which have always worked well for me, until now.
the nozzle test print looks fine.

I can do more experimenting, but in searching this group, I saw a message from Paul from several years ago that said something to the effect of "except at the leading edge of the print, there is no reason you should get banding" which made me think this might be some sort of a known issue. Unfortunately, further searching didn't turn up any messages referring to it specifically.


So... is this something that happens consistently under certain circumstances? If so, what's the solution to eliminating it?


Thanks to everyone... this group has been invaluable as I've started off on this little adventure.


Stephen


Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2015-09-22 by paulmwhiting@...

This is an old thread, I know, but here goes:

My faithful 1400, using C6 inkset, is finally giving me a bit of trouble. Am getting some banding at beginning and end of print, was using 1/2' margins. The banding consists of two lines, one about 1/8" wide and one much narrower. With .95" margins, I'm ok. But I've been using 1/2" margins since the day I got it (May, 2013) with no banding, ever.

I also tried .95" margins but with bi-directional printing (I've been using uni-directional) but got narrower banding throughout the whole print, not just top and bottom.

And a final question: you mentioned "both" transport rollers. I am not seeing a second one. The only one I see is on the lower right, quite thick, with a flat section to let the paper pass once it's been grabbed. I cleaned it but that didn't help. (I do need to clean it periodically when the paper feeds right through without printing, but this is rare.)

One thing I've noticed... I generally do a nozzle check before a printing session and invariably the black cart has a pattern with several gaps. All other carts, the ones with various dilutions, are perfect . I do one cleaning and the black cart is just fine. Is it normal for the black cart to show a bad pattern almost every startup?

My DMax is not quite as deep as it used to be either.

Thanks for any thoughts,

Paul W.

PS: I haven't tried spraying Windex on a blank sheet and running it through, I must admit. Will do so.


---In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, <roark.paul@...> wrote :

The 1400 series needs both paper transport rollers to be engaged to be perfectly smooth. So, both ends can suffer. The leading edge is usually the worst, probably due to the bend of the paper going in.

I don't think the 1400 series is the only modern printer that suffers from this, but it may be that the 1.5 pl models are more sensitive to it. Also, I think QTR shows the paper transport weaknesses of the printer more than the Epson driver. Additionally, the more inks you have firing, the less likely you'll see the problem.

It sounds like you didn't used to have the problem. That makes it sound as if the rollers may also need cleaning. Sometimes running paper through the printer using the paper transport button, where the paper has some Windex on it's middle part, will help clean them.

Thick paper, of course, has more problems than thin paper.

With fine art matte papers I try to leave ample margins to get the top image quality. On a letter size print a 9x7 may be it.

Hope this helps.

Paul
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Fri, Jul 18, 2014 at 10:43 PM, climballday@... [DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint] <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Like the subject line says, I've started getting severe banding at the leading and tailing edges of my prints. Everything through the middle is fine, but 1/2" to 1" on the front and trailing edge act like the printer is skipping lines or something.

Epson Artisan 1430 printer
Eboni 6 inks with cartridges from MIS.
It happens on both Moab Arches 300 and hahnemuhle bamboo papers (the only two I have tested since it started)
Settings are at 2880 and uni-directional, which have always worked well for me, until now.
the nozzle test print looks fine.

I can do more experimenting, but in searching this group, I saw a message from Paul from several years ago that said something to the effect of "except at the leading edge of the print, there is no reason you should get banding" which made me think this might be some sort of a known issue. Unfortunately, further searching didn't turn up any messages referring to it specifically.


So... is this something that happens consistently under certain circumstances? If so, what's the solution to eliminating it?


Thanks to everyone... this group has been invaluable as I've started off on this little adventure.


Stephen


Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2015-09-22 by paulmwhiting@...

Some progress to report:

After searching the site pretty thoroughly on "1400 banding" I saw some references to head alignment. So I tried that... it went through the routine ten times, the last few times the readings were closer and closer to the number 5, so I stopped. How many times does it run that routine? I began to wonder how many routines it would call for.

Ran a print and the banding was noticeably better at the top, and not present at all at the bottom. This leads me to believe I'm on the right track. Shall I run the utility again?

It's difficult to judge sometimes which square has the least lines or none at all. Strange that misalignment would cause banding.

Any comments would be most welcome - thank you!

Paul W.

Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2015-09-23 by homershannon@...

I, too, recently started getting banding with my 1400, though it was full page, not at the margins. Nothing I did with alignment or cleaning would resolve the issue. All nozzle tests were perfect. I finally settled the problem by up-rezzing all prints to 720dpi at the final image size and printing in Photo RPM mode, high speed setting off.

This results in very slow printing but, so far, the images have been completely band free.

Homer Shannon

Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2015-09-23 by paulmwhiting@...

That was indeed helpful,Brian, thanks for the tip. I check that group every day (as I do this one and Digital BW) but somehow I missed that thread.

Particularly helpful was that these non-Pro printers (such as the 1400, 1430) do not have in their firmware a way of handling the beginning and end of a print. The Epson driver makes up for that somehow but not QTR. Am I understanding this correctly? (Roy, would it be possible to tweak your excellent program and add that feature? Probably a lot easier said than done!). And should I print at 1440 dpi or 2880?

Perhaps you can help with a couple of other issues I raised:

Paul pointed out that since our printers did not have that trouble when new indicates a need for roller cleaning. He said "both rollers". I only see one, down on the lower right, it's thick and has a notch in it to allow the paper free to pass once the paper is grabbed. But on closer examination, I see another roller beneath the big one. Is this what is meant by "both rollers"? And how do you get at that one to clean it? I know how to clean the big one.

And what is meant by "transport rollers"? Are these I just mentioned the transport rollers?

Finally, my blacks are not as rich as before. I am due to a new mix of C6, maybe my DMax will improve then.

Thanks again,

Paul

RE: [Digital BW] Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2015-09-23 by Edward Wiseman

Great Idea Homer!..

 

I’m now  doing that with not only my B&W, but with my color 1400 as well.. the extra time and ink is  a small price to pay for this increase in overall quality (IMHO!!)

 

Eddie
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 11:00 AM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Digital BW] Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

 

  

I, too, recently started getting banding with my 1400, though it was full page, not at the margins. Nothing I did with alignment or cleaning would resolve the issue. All nozzle tests were perfect. I finally settled the problem by up-rezzing all prints to 720dpi at the final image size and printing in Photo RPM mode, high speed setting off. 

 

This results in very slow printing but, so far, the images have been completely band free. 

 

Homer Shannon

Re: [Digital BW] Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2015-09-23 by Paul Roark

Just a quick responce --

Your nozzle checks should be perfect. Eb v. 1.1 should have deeper blacks than the original. The end of the original run got weak; may want to toss it if that is what you have.

The epson driver compensates for the poor paper transport at the paper ends better than QTR. However, I've found with QTR how many jets are firing is a variable. I often now have some of the inks in a QTR "toner" category that may help with this.

What I call the transport rollers are on either side of the area where the head goes back and forth. The exit roller is famous for the pizza wheels it likes to leave on glossy pigment prints. The original feed roller that does most of the work and is seen from the paper feed area does not affect microbanding. It just leaves a big mark on some papers & images.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 9:22 AM, paulmwhiting@... [DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint] <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

That was indeed helpful,Brian, thanks for the tip. I check that group every day (as I do this one and Digital BW) but somehow I missed that thread.

Particularly helpful was that these non-Pro printers (such as the 1400, 1430) do not have in their firmware a way of handling the beginning and end of a print. The Epson driver makes up for that somehow but not QTR. Am I understanding this correctly? (Roy, would it be possible to tweak your excellent program and add that feature? Probably a lot easier said than done!). And should I print at 1440 dpi or 2880?

Perhaps you can help with a couple of other issues I raised:

Paul pointed out that since our printers did not have that trouble when new indicates a need for roller cleaning. He said "both rollers". I only see one, down on the lower right, it's thick and has a notch in it to allow the paper free to pass once the paper is grabbed. But on closer examination, I see another roller beneath the big one. Is this what is meant by "both rollers"? And how do you get at that one to clean it? I know how to clean the big one.

And what is meant by "transport rollers"? Are these I just mentioned the transport rollers?

Finally, my blacks are not as rich as before. I am due to a new mix of C6, maybe my DMax will improve then.

Thanks again,

Paul


Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2015-09-23 by paulmwhiting@...

Thanks Paul,

My nozzle checks are perfect... we can rule that out. I'm still on a pint of Eb v.1 that I bought in Dec. 2013, and its expiration date is this coming December - doesn't look like that would be the end of the run. I may use some after the expiration date. I'm going to mix up a fresh batch of C6 the next couple of days. My 125ml bottles are empty As for putting some of the inks in the Toner category, that's over my head! And there are two such categories, right? I think I'll pass on that option till I get to know QTR better! My black is ok now, don't know what turned the trick there.

Boy I wish we could do photos on this group... some folks use Dropbox. Anyway, I'm sorry but I can't find those transport rollers. I've looked in that area thoroughly with a bright flashlight but I can't see the transport rollers. I do see a row of very thin rollers, say 1 or 2 mm in diameter, across the whole width of that area, on the other side of the "well" from the pizza wheels.

As for exit rollers: When I look down below, into the exit area of the printer I can see a row of small rubber rollers, one under each pizza wheel. So when we say "both rollers" that would include the ones I can't find and and what's under the pizza wheel rollers? I've never cleaned those, never noticed them till now. Even though it's cramped quarters, I'm sure I can clean those. But how would you clean the pizza wheels?

I do know what you mean by the large original feed roller... I've found that one needs cleaning every so often when it doesn't grab the paper and lets the paper shoot right on through without printing. And if doesn't quite grab, yes, it does leave a big mark on light portions of the print.

The reason I'm zeroing in on cleaning the rollers is because apparently if I wasn't getting banding top and bottom when the printer was newer, so, all else being ok, the banding points toward the rollers. Right?

Thanks for putting up with all this... there ought to be a book with illustrations - how about "Epson printers for Dummies"?

Paul W.

Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2015-09-24 by homershannon@...

Paul:

The up-rezzing is done in Photoshop. Go to Image>Image size. Set the size of the print you want, say 11 x 14 and then with the resample box checked, set the resolution at 720. This creates an image that is going to print at 720dpi at the size you are printing.

If you are doing output sharpening, do it after you up-rez.

I normally print out of Photoshop and the setting there for Photo RPM is in the printer settings, third box under the Paper and Quality Options. I don't know how this will work with QTR. I would guess that you would want to set the Resolution to 2880dpi.

Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2015-09-25 by brian_downunda@...

Can I respond to a couple of points raised in recent posts?

It's possible to have what appears to be a perfect nozzle check, and still get banding from misfiring nozzles. I've had this at least once. Take a look at this InkJetMall article:
http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?167-Evaluate-a-Manual-Nozzle-Check-to-Determine-the-Health-of-Your-Printer

In the discussion on resizing, it's not clear who is working on Windows and who on MacOS, because this makes a difference. As Roy Harrington has explained on the Y-QTR group, QTR expects 720dpi. If it doesn't get it on Windows, then QTR will do the resizing / resampling. I've recently compared one print where QTR did this, and another where I resampled to 720dpi using Qimage, and the Qimage image was slightly better, but I had to look really carefully to see it. Certainly no signs of banding either way.

However on MacOS, which I rarely use, it's my understanding that the resizing is done by the printing pipeline, and it's also my understanding that this resizing is not all that high quality. So that may be a cause, and if so, resizing in Photoshop should fix it. But if you are on MacOS (10.6.8 or later), in general you shouldn't be printing direct to QTR from PS, because in addition to the resampling issue, there's also a colour management issue. Use Print Tool to print.

Re: Banding at start and end of the print - Epson 1430 + Eboni inks

2015-09-26 by paulmwhiting@...

Good news... just ran a print with not only a 1/2" margin, but 1/4" - with no banding. I don't prefer that width, I just mistakenly entered 0.25". I prefer 0.50".

Sometimes you'll see the advice here, "just let your printer sit overnight". Seems to work for a variety of problems. Worked for me this time! Actually it was a couple of nights.

I didn't check my nozzle checks as closely as Brian's link suggests, that may have been my problem. The link suggests banding can be the result of all this. And if it was air in the cartridge, that can dissipate by itself after a day or two. Next time I'll use that tip from IJM.

Thanks, Brian!

Paul

Move to quarantaine

This moves the raw source file on disk only. The archive index is not changed automatically, so you still need to run a manual refresh afterward.