Digital BW, The Print

Just another cry for help ...

I just had a new black prinhead installed on my 3000 because of
severe 
banding with small black lines.  When I got the printer back, it 
immediately showed signs of those pizza wheel marks, which I had
never 
seen before.  The Epson guy offered to take off the wheels, so I had 
them removed.  Now the printer sort of works (Cone plug-in, MIS FS 
inks, Somerset Velvet) except that there is subtle but noticeable
white 
banding, especially in the middle gray tone areas.

The heads align perfectly with the paper, the nozzle check pattern 
prints perfectly, and the problem doesn't respond to the overnight 
Windex treatment.

Do I

1) have the wheels put back on?
2) try the overnight Fantastik treatment?
3) have the color heads replaced?
4) go back to the darkroom?

I would *really* appreciate suggestions.

Thanks,
Jan Becket

If you're using Somerset Velvet I strongly recommend you try feeding 
through the rear banner port. The paper path is straightest that way 
and less likely to suffer from 'creep.'

I feed SV from the front only up to A4. Anything bigger goes through 
the banner port.

Andrew McIntyre

Hi Jan,

> The heads align perfectly with the paper,

Sorry to say, but that means nothing.  There are other print head alignment
procedures besides the one built-in the driver utility.  I would STRONGLY
suggest you take it back to whomever replaced the printhead (I assume it was
an Epson authorized service center) and have them run a FULL alignment on
it.  They (Epson) do NOT release this alignment software to the general
public, and as such, ONLY they can do this alignment (unless you happen to
have the ability to have written your own alignment utility, or know someone
who has, and they are willing to let you use it).  They should not return it
to you until they can see NO banding in their own test images.

Austin