I hate printers (anyone good with inkjets? any advice?)

[julianf]

Please dont tell me to get a laser. Its not suitable for my application (i use this for work, with photo sensitive materials - the process is dependent on the ink type)

This happens -

The feed in the photo is from bottom to top. You can see the first few inches are fine, and then it seems that it, incrementally, looses orientation.

The problem only happens on full(er) width prints. I could print a line down the middle of that sheet and it would be fine, but, once the print starts to use more of the width of the sheet, the problem occurs all the time.

The sheet in the photo is 329mm wide. 13". A3+.

Printing a4 etc on the same printer isnt an issue.



Epson do a fixed price repair service, but its frustrating as it seems like its a specific fault, but i know so little about how these things opperate.

Is anyone here an expert on them?


This specific machine is an epson ecotank 14000. But i imagine the mechanism on most inkjets are pretty much the same?


Again, the machine is specific to my work. I do not want to change the machine.

Thank you.

 

[gaz1]

i wonder if your getting a fake paper jamming that they have with the next model up

as both lights are on saying low ink and also paper jammed

 

[Barking Mat]

Does the printer head run on a rubber belt ?

 

[julianf]

Does the printer head run on a rubber belt ?

Some sort of belt. The yellow thing in the photo -

 

[julianf]

i wonder if your getting a fake paper jamming that they have with the next model up

as both lights are on saying low ink and also paper jammed

both lights come on once the head has wandered right off course

ill watch the video, but i suspect its unrelated. i hope its not though!

 

[julianf]

Some sort of belt. The yellow thing in the photo -

View attachment 486535

In the photo i just posted, there is a grey band above the belt.


Is this some sort of, umm, carbon track (?) like digital verniers use for positioning data?

The track has some very light marks on it. I wonder if they may be to blame?


(my digital verniers work though far worse though!)

 

[julianf]

It seems that cleaning the "encoder strip" is a "thing" -

Cleaning the Encoder Strip (Carriage Scale) and Replacing the Air Filter

It seems that its more a "fuzzy print" thing though, rather than random and catastrophic misalignment error.

 

[mike 109444]

It's worth checking the toothed belt AND it's drive gear. Check for worn teeth on the belt and gear, aslo slop of the gear on its shaft.
How well does it print on a full sheet of plain A3 paper?
There should be an aligment "test" that should give an indication of where it is "going out of aligment" and if it is consistant. That way you have a reference to see if anything you are doing is improving the fault.
The encoder strip should be fairly easy to replace as it will have a spring on one end and as can be seen in pic it just hooks on at other end.. If faullty would give poor aligment horizontaly.
Worth checking all the feed rollers are seated and that non have lifted out/up.
A test print should be your starting point!

 

[julianf]

I run test prints all the time - again I use this for work, not just printing address labels.

Alignment is fine - until it isn't.

But...


Im just printing the 3rd or 4th A3+ tester and it's not failed yet...

My last "meddling" was to run a cotton bud up and down that encoder strip. There was enough residue on it to leave a dusting to if contaminants on the cotton bud, but not much at all.

But, again, it seems to be working for too long now for it to just be a coincidence.


Prior, it would go out of alignment, and then, eventually, halt, mid job, with all the lights on.

Now it seems to be running the job.

I've only done 3 or 4 tests as I'm using my usual profile, which is slow, as I don't want to introduce other variables.

I'm going to bed in a moment. It will probably break itself again before the morning!

 

[frank horton]

we used ours so infrequently...always dried ink n head wanted cleaning or what ever.......
went and bought another, Cannon....
replaced the ink cartridge as it wouldn't clean......another 40 euro's....
Same thing again within 6 months.....
an emergency 3 page print job was needed so in the end went to the local print /photo shop.....
10 cents a sheet, both sides....
went home binned the new printer...
now just get em done while u wait....