Digital BW, The Print

I have recently jumped in with a set of the latest MIS VM Ultratones 
PLUS a set of the Ultra'clone' colour inkset - I am running two 
Espon 1290s, both with CFSs and new carts.
After 4 long days of trying everything I know (windex, purges, 
leaving-well-alone, re-installing CFS / carts....) I STILL have yet 
to get a decent print out of either system.  Both are using the 
Eboni black and it just clogs and clogs.  Halfway through a page it 
will dump black ink on the edge of the page, or band, or just give 
up all together.  I can get a perfect nozzle check and then 2 inches 
into the print I've lost it, clogs again.
I am desperate- I know there is a caveat on the MIS site regarding 
the ultratones being in 'betatest' and that if you don't like them - 
tuff, but I can't even get a print out to tell if I'm happy with 
them! Plus, the colours act the same and I thought that Eboni was 
now the 'standard' black?  I did get a few step wedges out and my 
1290 curves seem off compared to the old VMs which were perfect - I 
did the dirty and knocked on Pauls door for some advice on this, 
either way, it seems academic at the minute.  All the other inks 
seems fine, the coloureds and the greys - it's just the black in 
both....
I have switch the bottles on the VM system, now to try the PK 
black.  I have done about 20 purge pages but I still have got all 
the Eboni out yet - I guess this is a long process (anyone tell me 
how long it takes to purge a cart of old ink just by switching 
bottles?)
So, sorry for the rant - I spotted some posts about clogging eboni 
earlier but the issues seem to have dried up.  Is anyone still have 
issues (or successes - that would be even better news!!!)?
Please drop me a reply - advice or sympathy - don't really care 
which!

Steve

>>Both are using the Eboni black and it just clogs and clogs.  Halfway
through a page it
will dump black ink on the edge of the page, or band, or just give up all
together.  I can get a perfect nozzle check and then 2 inches into the print
I've lost it, clogs again... Is anyone still have issues (or successes -
that would be even better news!!!)?<<

Sorry to hear you are having problems but don't give up.  FWIW, I am using
the Ultrachrome VM + Photo Black + CFS system.  It took extra effort to get
the black cart initially charged during installation but it has worked fine
after that.  My system had been sitting unused for 7 days as of this
morning.  I just ran a quick 1/4 inch section of purge pattern to "warm it
up" and then did a nozzle check.  The nozzle check appeared perfect without
any clogs and the purge patterns didn't show any problems.

Hi Steve;
I hope you've had some improvement since your original post; if not, 
perhaps yhis will help, or at least eliminate one possible culprit.
 The new inks have a higher pigment load, right? that makes them 
more viscous and therefore more difficult to draw up out of the 
bottle to the head, so you may be experiencing 'head starvation' 
rather than clogging. Try (starting with a clean nozzle test) 
raising the K ink bottle progressively higher in 1 inch increments. 
At some point you would get better results if it is starvation-
related. The other possiblity is that the K cart and line have a 
vacuum leak somewhere. The only way I can think of to test for that 
is to take the cart out, pull the line from the bottle, plug it 
securely, and apply a syringe to the cart ink port. You'll know 
fairly quickly if you're losing vacuum. I think it unlikely however, 
that both yoor new CIS systems would have an identical malfunction 
like that.

Best Luck,

Steve K --- In 
DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "scrber" 
<stephen.bate@m...> wrote:
> I have recently jumped in with a set of the latest MIS VM 
Ultratones 
> PLUS a set of the Ultra'clone' colour inkset - I am running two 
> Espon 1290s, both with CFSs and new carts.
> After 4 long days of trying everything I know (windex, purges, 
> leaving-well-alone, re-installing CFS / carts....) I STILL have 
yet 
> to get a decent print out of either system.  Both are using the 
> Eboni black and it just clogs and clogs.  Halfway through a page 
it 
> will dump black ink on the edge of the page, or band, or just give 
> up all together.  I can get a perfect nozzle check and then 2 
inches 
> into the print I've lost it, clogs again.
> I am desperate- I know there is a caveat on the MIS site regarding 
> the ultratones being in 'betatest' and that if you don't like 
them - 
> tuff, but I can't even get a print out to tell if I'm happy with 
> them! Plus, the colours act the same and I thought that Eboni was 
> now the 'standard' black?  I did get a few step wedges out and my 
> 1290 curves seem off compared to the old VMs which were perfect - 
I 
> did the dirty and knocked on Pauls door for some advice on this, 
> either way, it seems academic at the minute.  All the other inks 
> seems fine, the coloureds and the greys - it's just the black in 
> both....
> I have switch the bottles on the VM system, now to try the PK 
> black.  I have done about 20 purge pages but I still have got all 
> the Eboni out yet - I guess this is a long process (anyone tell me 
> how long it takes to purge a cart of old ink just by switching 
> bottles?)
> So, sorry for the rant - I spotted some posts about clogging eboni 
> earlier but the issues seem to have dried up.  Is anyone still 
have 

> issues (or successes - that would be even better news!!!)?
> Please drop me a reply - advice or sympathy - don't really care 
> which!
> 
> Steve

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Doug Fisher" 
<dougfisher@e...> wrote:
> >>Both are using the Eboni black and it just clogs and clogs.  
Halfway
> through a page it
> will dump black ink on the edge of the page, or band, or just give 
up all
> together.  I can get a perfect nozzle check and then 2 inches into 
the print
> I've lost it, clogs again... Is anyone still have issues (or 
successes -
> that would be even better news!!!)?<<
> 
> Sorry to hear you are having problems but don't give up.  FWIW, I 
am using
> the Ultrachrome VM + Photo Black + CFS system.  It took extra 
effort to get
> the black cart initially charged during installation but it has 
worked fine
> after that.  My system had been sitting unused for 7 days as of this
> morning.  I just ran a quick 1/4 inch section of purge pattern 
to "warm it
> up" and then did a nozzle check.  The nozzle check appeared perfect 
without
> any clogs and the purge patterns didn't show any problems.


Well that is some relief Doug, thanks for the info - how are your 
prints looking?  When my nozzles were not choking I did try some step 
wedges - the curves I have don't seem to suit the new inks.  The 
prints on glossy paper were literally blue in the midtones.  Have you 
compared prints to the old VM?

Thanks

Steve