Digital BW, The Print

A couple questions about roller marks...

1.  How do I know if a "band" on the paper is from a roller?  
- i have a band on one side of the paper, about half an inch wide and 
20% from the edge, that looks like the paper is compressed and maybe 
there is some ink there than can be rubbed off with some brisk rubbing 
from a t-shirt.  if there is a print on the paper (the example above 
was when the paper was rolled through the printer without printing) 
there appears to be a scuff type mark within that same half inch band, 
most noticably in the darker tones. 

2.  Is that fixed by this? http://inksupply.info/index.php?
_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=75&nav=+%26gt%3B+%3Ca+href%3D%
27index.php%3F_a%3Dknowledgebase%26_j%3Dsubcat%26_i%3D1%27%3ETips%
2C+Tricks%2C+and+Terms%3C%2Fa%3E

3.  Will pinning the roller up harm the ability of the printer to feed 
certain types of paper?  

4.  Is it better to clean the roller rather than pin them up as 
described in #2?  If so, is there an article with instructions on 
cleaning the roller(s)?  

Thanks,

Brian
http://www.brianchapmanphotography.com

FYI, 

I was able to fix (mostly) the roller mark issue by selecting the
thick paper option in the printer driver.  For museum etching,
however, I still had to bend the leading edge of the paper so it would
feed properly.

It also looks like part of the feed mechanism is like a rubber
band/belt and that's what was leaving the "treads" on the print.  

Brian
http://www.brianchapmanphotography.com

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@...m, "Brian Chapman"
<brianechapman@...> wrote:

>
> A couple questions about roller marks...
> 
> 1.  How do I know if a "band" on the paper is from a roller?  
> - i have a band on one side of the paper, about half an inch wide and 
> 20% from the edge, that looks like the paper is compressed and maybe 
> there is some ink there than can be rubbed off with some brisk rubbing 
> from a t-shirt.  if there is a print on the paper (the example above 
> was when the paper was rolled through the printer without printing) 
> there appears to be a scuff type mark within that same half inch band, 
> most noticably in the darker tones. 
> 
> 2.  Is that fixed by this? http://inksupply.info/index.php?
> _a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=75&nav=+%26gt%3B+%3Ca+href%3D%
> 27index.php%3F_a%3Dknowledgebase%26_j%3Dsubcat%26_i%3D1%27%3ETips%
> 2C+Tricks%2C+and+Terms%3C%2Fa%3E
> 
> 3.  Will pinning the roller up harm the ability of the printer to feed 
> certain types of paper?  
> 
> 4.  Is it better to clean the roller rather than pin them up as 
> described in #2?  If so, is there an article with instructions on 
> cleaning the roller(s)?  
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Brian
> http://www.brianchapmanphotography.com
>

I'm also having roller marks problems from the rubber belt on the right 
side of the R220.  The roller marks are on the printable surface of the
paper, unfortunately.  Switching to the thick paper option didn't make 
a difference.  I also tried running a few plain sheets through, but 
they don't have a problem.  I also tried to use a Q-tip with isopropyl 
alcohol, and that made the bands lighter, but they're still there, and 
I'm having a hard time getting thicker 8.5x11 paper to feed. Any advice 
before I try opening up the printer a bit?

>
> FYI, 
> 
> I was able to fix (mostly) the roller mark issue by selecting the
> thick paper option in the printer driver.  For museum etching,
> however, I still had to bend the leading edge of the paper so it would
> feed properly.
> 
> It also looks like part of the feed mechanism is like a rubber
> band/belt and that's what was leaving the "treads" on the print.  
> 
> Brian
> http://www.brianchapmanphotography.com
>

Hi,
I've got what seems an insoluble problem with my Epson 2100.

On night shots I'm getting pale roller marks in the black skies.

It is definitely NOT the exit rollers because the marks do not align with them (and anyway I've tried lifting them out of the way with ties).

So it can only be the rear feed rollers.

I've tried cleaning them with the foam roller cleaner that came with the printer and I've tried using cotton buds with window cleaner.

Nothing works.

It's ok with day shots or shots without large black areas.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

I suspect I might have to send it off to get new rollers fitted.

thanks,
Richard
--
http://smallfield.vze.com
http://photos.smallfield.vze.com (Photos web site)
http://warkworth.vze.com/ (Warkworth photo essay)
http://picasaweb.google.com/rsmallfield/ (Recent work) 

   "I am damn unsatisfied to be killed in this way." 
   --English subtitles used in a film made in Hong Kong
   (Newsgroup signature)

Hi Richard:

Do the marks line up with any of the rollers, are the marks wide or  
really thin?

AFAIK there are only three sets of rollers in my 2200, the white ones  
before the inkhead, the wide rubber ones after, and the thin metal  
ones also after the inkhead. I know the wide ones will mark and I  
also have them disabled, except for a couple on the far ends. I know  
the metal ones will make a mark on black solids, usually a line of  
white pin pricks. What do you mean by rear feed rollers?

What paper are you running, I assume some kind of glossy?

Leslie Otterbein

On 16-Sep-07, at 3:34 PM, Richard Smallfield wrote:

> Hi,
> I've got what seems an insoluble problem with my Epson 2100.
>
> On night shots I'm getting pale roller marks in the black skies.
>
> It is definitely NOT the exit rollers because the marks do not  
> align with them (and anyway I've tried lifting them out of the way  
> with ties).
>
> So it can only be the rear feed rollers.
>
> I've tried cleaning them with the foam roller cleaner that came  
> with the printer and I've tried using cotton buds with window cleaner.
>
> Nothing works.
>
> It's ok with day shots or shots without large black areas.
>
> Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
>
> I suspect I might have to send it off to get new rollers fitted.
>
> thanks,
> Richard

Hi Leslie,
thanks for getting back to me.

At 01:07 PM Monday 9/17/2007, you wrote:
>Do the marks line up with any of the rollers, are the marks wide or 
>really thin?

The marks are about 1mm wide and are paler lines running through the black.

They seem to line up with the wide pale grey rubber rollers that are at the back of the printer behind where the print head passes.

>I know the wide ones will mark and I 
>also have them disabled, except for a couple on the far ends.

How did you do that?

>I know 
>the metal ones will make a mark on black solids, usually a line of 
>white pin pricks. What do you mean by rear feed rollers?

I've not had the pin pricks on this printer for memory. But have with other printers.

I mean the wide rubber pale grey ones.

>What paper are you running, I assume some kind of glossy?

I've been using PremierArt Matte BW but have tried EEM with the same result. I then tried some Entrada Natural and got the lines but they were fainter.

Does anyone know where to download a service manual for the 2100 printer? I tried one site but Internet Explorer told me that the security certificate pointed to another site and I shouldn't use the site as a result.

This site has a platen cleaning spray that looks interesting but I don't know if they are going to be able to ship aerosoles overseas. http://www.marrutt.com/inkjet-cleaning.php

thanks for your feedback,
Richard

--
http://smallfield.vze.com
http://photos.smallfield.vze.com (Photos web site)
http://warkworth.vze.com/ (Warkworth photo essay)
http://picasaweb.google.com/rsmallfield/ (Recent work) 

   "Logic:  The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with
   the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding."
   --Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"

Hi Richard:


On 16-Sep-07, at 9:52 PM, Richard Smallfield wrote:

> Hi Leslie,
> thanks for getting back to me.
>
> At 01:07 PM Monday 9/17/2007, you wrote:
> >Do the marks line up with any of the rollers, are the marks wide or
> >really thin?
>
> The marks are about 1mm wide and are paler lines running through  
> the black.
>
> They seem to line up with the wide pale grey rubber rollers that  
> are at the back of the printer behind where the print head passes.
>
Are the marks as frequent as these wide rollers? The only possibility  
that occurs to me is that they have something on them that changes  
the chemistry of the paper, but why only 1 mm when the rollers are 5  
or 6 mm wide? If you have not already, try cleaning them with  
something designed to clean rubber. Rubber Rejuvenator comes to mind  
but it is very aggressive and might damage the plastic parts that  
this rubber roller is installed on. Make sure these rollers are  
running freely.
> >I know the wide ones will mark and I
> >also have them disabled, except for a couple on the far ends.
>
> How did you do that?
>
These are the rubber rollers that help guide the paper out of the  
printer, right after the little metal ones. I have left the first one  
by the print head on, and the far one on the other side. The rollers  
ride on a flexible metal pin which I have pulled up with a bent paper  
clip. The pin is left to rest on top of the frame, still supporting  
the roller but keeping it above the paper. There are other techniques  
that give the same result.
> Does anyone know where to download a service manual for the 2100  
> printer? I tried one site but Internet Explorer told me that the  
> security certificate pointed to another site and I shouldn't use  
> the site as a result.
>
Will send you a copy off list.

> This site has a platen cleaning spray that looks interesting but I  
> don't know if they are going to be able to ship aerosoles  
> overseas.http://www.marrutt.com/inkjet-cleaning.php
>
> thanks for your feedback,
> Richard
>