Digital BW, The Print

Hi group,

just want to let you know about my efforts to eliminate the 
microbanding on my Epson 1290 with MIS VM-Hextones CFS. After having 
done everything that you guys suggested (including realignment of the 
printheads, windex-trick, cleaning the paperfeed, checking the 
nozzles with new, unpunctured aftermarket-cardrigdes...), the banding 
got better (especially after installing new aftermarket-
colorcardridges that had absolutely no microbanding), but is still 
there. So it has something to do with the ink-flow inside the CFS, I 
guess. Since the bandingproblem started after having flushed the 
cardridges with a syringe from the bottom, I guess I must have done 
something wrong during that step. Since I get perfect nozzlechecks 
and good alignment-patterns, perhaps there are airbubbles inside the 
CFS-cardridges that cause the microbanding? If so, how to get rid of 
them (perhaps I should flush the cards one more time)? Is there a 
less messy method of achieving this? Please help- I'm just about to 
dump the CFS and buy a HP 7960 or the MIS UT-cardridges...both quite 
expensive alternatives in comparison to the CFS.

Thanks a lot!

PEter

Ok, try a 'gravity purge' to prove your theory.
Increasing the height of the bottles increase the pressure in the 
lines and the inkflow.
Try printing the MIS 6 colour purge pattern, but hold the bottle rack 
6-12 inches higher than normal.
Watch out for ink spillage though, any spitting or overspray and you 
should lower the bottles.  
If you still get banding after this, I can't believe it's line 
pressure, unless you have a cart/air leak....

Steve


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "flabes23" 
<peter.bongard@t...> wrote:
> Hi group,
> 
> just want to let you know about my efforts to eliminate the 
> microbanding on my Epson 1290 with MIS VM-Hextones CFS. After 
having 
> done everything that you guys suggested (including realignment of 
the 
> printheads, windex-trick, cleaning the paperfeed, checking the 
> nozzles with new, unpunctured aftermarket-cardrigdes...), the 
banding 
> got better (especially after installing new aftermarket-
> colorcardridges that had absolutely no microbanding), but is still 
> there. So it has something to do with the ink-flow inside the CFS, 
I 
> guess. Since the bandingproblem started after having flushed the 
> cardridges with a syringe from the bottom, I guess I must have done 
> something wrong during that step. Since I get perfect nozzlechecks 
> and good alignment-patterns, perhaps there are airbubbles inside 
the 
> CFS-cardridges that cause the microbanding? If so, how to get rid 
of 
> them (perhaps I should flush the cards one more time)? Is there a 
> less messy method of achieving this? Please help- I'm just about to 
> dump the CFS and buy a HP 7960 or the MIS UT-cardridges...both 
quite 

> expensive alternatives in comparison to the CFS.
> 
> Thanks a lot!
> 
> PEter

Congratulations on discovering your banding problem was an ink feed
problem related to the CFS and can stop working with cleaning the
heads. I think too many people won't put in EOM carts to diagnose if
their banding is caused by clogged nozzles or ink feed. 

I recently learned from an ink swap in my MIS CFS that the amount of
air in the CFS carts is not overly critical but there can be too much
or too little. And foam can cause the banding. I had exactly your
problem: banding, 1280, MIS CFS, problem went away with OEM carts. 

Starting over by filling virgin carts (keeping the tubing and ink
bottles) is a sure fire way to solve the problem. But it's a bit
expensive expecially if you have MIS overnight the new carts. However
sometimes frustration gets to us and we just want to solve the problem
even at that cost.

What Bob at MIS suggested, and worked for me, was to disconnect the
carts from the tubing and suck the ink out from the bottom. Empty the
carts. Of course you can save it back into the bottles. Refill the
carts from bottom with 10cc's of ink. (the 10cc's is important
according to Bob) That leaves a bit of air in the cart. Reconnect the
tubes (it seems to make no difference if the tubing is full of ink or
empty as the volumne is miniscule)Wait a few hours or even better
overnight to let the bubbles disappate and see if the banding goes away. 

I was impatient and couldn't wait so kept checking every hour and
found the banding was getting better each time. After a few hours, I
did another bottom purge while connected to the bottles and it solved
the problem. 

I did find that if I didn't use rivets in the other chambers while
bottom purging that I would clean up that color but cause problems
with adjacent colors. This is probably from flexing of the inner
chamber walls sucking in air from the bottom. But once I began to use
the rivets, I could bottom purge the problem color until they all got
working. 

I was never sure if I had too much or too little air in my carts. I
think it was too little as I also had micro splattering, an indication
of not enough air. But I managed to solve the problem.  

Anyway, the above solved my identical problem. Hope it works for you. 

Bob Michaels

 --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "flabes23"
<peter.bongard@t...> wrote:

> Hi group,
> 
> just want to let you know about my efforts to eliminate the 
> microbanding on my Epson 1290 with MIS VM-Hextones CFS. After having 
> done everything that you guys suggested (including realignment of the 
> printheads, windex-trick, cleaning the paperfeed, checking the 
> nozzles with new, unpunctured aftermarket-cardrigdes...), the banding 
> got better (especially after installing new aftermarket-
> colorcardridges that had absolutely no microbanding), but is still 
> there. So it has something to do with the ink-flow inside the CFS, I 
> guess. Since the bandingproblem started after having flushed the 
> cardridges with a syringe from the bottom, I guess I must have done 
> something wrong during that step. Since I get perfect nozzlechecks 
> and good alignment-patterns, perhaps there are airbubbles inside the 
> CFS-cardridges that cause the microbanding? If so, how to get rid of 
> them (perhaps I should flush the cards one more time)? Is there a 
> less messy method of achieving this? Please help- I'm just about to 
> dump the CFS and buy a HP 7960 or the MIS UT-cardridges...both quite 
> expensive alternatives in comparison to the CFS.
> 
> Thanks a lot!
> 
> PEter

my shots in the dark
1. i had problems with microbanding with VM ink in my
1200, i switched to UT and it went away, i also use a
MIS CFS.
2. okay this is a longshot, i use QTR to drive my
printer and in my first attempts to profile my papers
I found some microbanding in my prints. when i
increased the amount of ink coming out i eleminated
the problem. QTR lets you control this stuff. but if
you use a curve system i think you can more or less do
the same thing. MIS has a tutorial on curve generation
and that may help, maybe you just need a touch more
ink hitting the page.
just some thoughts
john e

--- flabes23 <peter.bongard@...> wrote:
> Hi group,
> 
> just want to let you know about my efforts to
> eliminate the 
> microbanding on my Epson 1290 with MIS VM-Hextones
> CFS. After having 
> done everything that you guys suggested (including
> realignment of the 
> printheads, windex-trick, cleaning the paperfeed,
> checking the 
> nozzles with new, unpunctured
> aftermarket-cardrigdes...), the banding 
> got better (especially after installing new
> aftermarket-
> colorcardridges that had absolutely no
> microbanding), but is still 
> there. So it has something to do with the ink-flow
> inside the CFS, I 
> guess. Since the bandingproblem started after having
> flushed the 
> cardridges with a syringe from the bottom, I guess I
> must have done 
> something wrong during that step. Since I get
> perfect nozzlechecks 
> and good alignment-patterns, perhaps there are
> airbubbles inside the 
> CFS-cardridges that cause the microbanding? If so,
> how to get rid of 
> them (perhaps I should flush the cards one more
> time)? Is there a 
> less messy method of achieving this? Please help-
> I'm just about to 
> dump the CFS and buy a HP 7960 or the MIS
> UT-cardridges...both quite 
> expensive alternatives in comparison to the CFS.
> 
> Thanks a lot!
> 
> PEter
> 
> 

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