Digital BW, The Print

My 7500 seems to be spitting ink on the left edge (as I face the printer) of
usually large prints with increasing frequency.  Is there a good way to stop
this?

 

Paul

www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.paulroark.com/>  

 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark" 
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:
>
> My 7500 seems to be spitting ink on the left edge (as I face the 
printer) of
> usually large prints with increasing frequency.  Is there a good 
way to stop
> this?
> 
>  
> 


Are these "large" drops of inks? It might be that you have a 
partially clogged nozzle. As the inks spray a small portion is held 
back and starts to form a drop, when the drop is big enough... SPLAT! 
Can also be caused be hair or paper fibers stuck to the head. A 
thorough cleaning of the nozzle side of the head, and the sides of 
the head might be in order. Replacing the head cleaner (wiper) might 
help too. Are you seeing an increase in the number of clogs? If you 
are seeing an increase, might be time for a new capping station and 
ink pump. Tearing the covers off might be the hardest part of all 
this work. Running cleaning fluid through the lines and heads might 
be a good idea too, do that before tearing the machine apart as it 
will help to prevent the ink inside the heads from drying while you 
are messing around cleaning the other parts.

The other thing that could be causing it (less likely) is the 
pressure in the ink lines. Too much pressure and you start to get 
drops forming on the head. As those drops accumulate more ink from 
the spraying nozzles, the drop gets bigger, until SPLAT! Since you 
refill carts, that is much less likely than goop on the heads.

You do have a service manual for that printer right? Last time I 
checked, the entire maintenance kit (head cleaner, capping station, 
ink pump, waste ink pads, flush box left and right) was only $125

Paul, you are going to get the best help for this on the yahoo large
format Epson group.It seems the best tech guys hang out over there.

However, if I were you I would check to see if one of your dampers is
loose. The dampers are the little clear filters that attach to each
line of ink and fit directly into the two print heads. You have one
print head for each of the three sides of ink, 3 dampers for the the
lights and three for the darks. Do you have a 7000 series manual? If
not I might be able to help you there to lean how to remove the head
cover and check the heads.

John


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark"
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:
>
> My 7500 seems to be spitting ink on the left edge (as I face the
printer) of
> usually large prints with increasing frequency.  Is there a good way
to stop

> this?
> 
>  
> 
> Paul
> 
> www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.paulroark.com/>  
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Paul Roark wrote:
> My 7500 seems to be spitting ink on the left edge (as I face the printer) of
> usually large prints with increasing frequency.  Is there a good way to stop
> this?
> 
>  
> 
> Paul
> 
> www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.paulroark.com/>  

Usually the wiper blade at the capping station that isn't 
effective. Clean it + the capping station, both with Windex 
and dry the blade with a small cloth. Check the rubber edge, 
look for a sharp edge and abrasion marks. Replace it if it is 
not sharp or has ragged edges. ( I once got a "refurbished" 
9000 that had the wiper blade reverse mounted so the felt side 
had to wipe the head, didn't work :-)  Check the rubber edges 
around the sponges in the capping station. Remove any paper 
lint. Check whether that wiper blade goes still up down, the 
same for the capping station.  Windex will clean the mechanism 
as well. Vacuum clean the surrounding area so no new paper 
lint can get in. Do a capping station alignment.

Better clean the head as well. Found a new method that's 
easier and better than the wet cloth etc. At the left side of 
the 9000/9500 is a kind of rectangular spitting hole. Cut a 
sponge so it can be inserted in that hole but sticks out 
approx 1/4 inch. That can soak more windex/warm water and is 
flexible enough not to harm the nozzle surfaces. Size has to 
be about 65 mm long, 14 mm wide, 30 mm high. The head can be 
moved over the sponge and the dirt will be soaked and get in 
the sponge. There may be some water + ink on the printer but 
it can be cleaned easily and it is outside the paper transport 
area. The head can be parked again and a cleaning done to wipe 
the surface again. Remove the sponge and clean it for the next 
time.  Making a  kind of toothbrush surface on the sponge and 
also add an extra rim at the top to take away the dirt that 
accumulates around the edge at the top of the head (usually 
offsetting dirt to the grey paper pressure rolls) would make 
an even better washer sponge.  So far I take that dirt off 
with a soaked shoe lace.

                    --
           Ernst Dinkla


www.pigment-print.com
(         unvollendet         )

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Ernst Dinkla 
<E.Dinkla@c...> wrote:
> So far I take that dirt off 
> with a soaked shoe lace.
> 

I'll have to try that, it's about time to do that type of work on my 
9500 again.

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Greg" <dfaprinting@y...> wrote:
>
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Ernst Dinkla 
> <E.Dinkla@c...> wrote:
> > So far I take that dirt off 
> > with a soaked shoe lace.
> > 
> 
> I'll have to try that, it's about time to do that type of work on my 
> 9500 again.
>

I find that cleaning the wiper blade and capping station, is something that should be done 
after  every print run, or whenever you have trouble getting a good nozzle check.

Pigmented inks cause many build=up problems, which didn't happen with dye inks.

John Nollendorfs

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "sinar001" 
<jnolly@a...> wrote:
> 
> I find that cleaning the wiper blade and capping station, is 
something that should be done 
> after  every print run, or whenever you have trouble getting a good 
nozzle check.
> 
> Pigmented inks cause many build=up problems, which didn't happen with 
dye inks.
> 
> John Nollendorfs
>


The third party pigment inks seem to cause more build up than the Epson 
inks, or at least the "thicker" pigments that I've been using. 
Sometimes I find a buildup on the flush box - right which is just ink 
stuck to itself to form a large glob, same happens to the cleaner, but 
I normally keep that wiped off more often.

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Greg" <dfaprinting@y...> wrote:
SNIP
> The third party pigment inks seem to cause more build up than the Epson 
> inks, or at least the "thicker" pigments that I've been using. 
> Sometimes I find a buildup on the flush box - right which is just ink 
> stuck to itself to form a large glob, same happens to the cleaner, but 
> I normally keep that wiped off more often.
>

The large vinyl tube (from the Flush box) on the older 9000/9500's is prone to "backing 
up" because it rests flat on the waste ink pads. I generally cut it off on a diagonal to 
prevent such back ups!

John Nollendorfs

Success -- thanks to you guys.  The 4 foot print for the museum came out
without a spot after a thorough cleaning of the printer, especially the
wiper blade that had dog hair on it. 

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

Hair of the dog is suppose to be good for you the next day.

On Dec 16, 2005, at 2:21 PM, Paul Roark wrote:

> blade that had dog hair on it.

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "sinar001" 
<jnolly@a...> wrote:
> The large vinyl tube (from the Flush box) on the older 9000/9500's is 
prone to "backing 
> up" because it rests flat on the waste ink pads. I generally cut it 
off on a diagonal to 
> prevent such back ups!
> 


All the new ones in the kit are cut at an angle. The build up I was 
describing is happening in the rigid plastic part, it's catching on the 
places where the "anti foam" pad used to be. They removed the pad, but 
left the projections that held it. I might need to adjust tyhe position 
a little too, but as long as the ink goes into the flush box and not 
all over the printer, I don't care so much.