Epson Artisan 835 - What are causing these microscopic line streaks?

[rajhlinux]

what type and brand of inks are you using - a dye ink for the Artisan 835 and pigment inks for the P600 ?

Yes, the Artisan 835 came with a CISS system, not sure if it is using dye.

The P600 is using original ink cartridges for the test prints I provided previously. However, I will use refillable cartridges and use UV blocking inks while utilizing only one ink channel. All other channels would be empty, and I am wondering if I should completely purge the printhead ink channels to be clean and empty until needed. I am not sure if the printer allows this and requires each print channel to physically contain liquid inks, as if it does pressure testing within each ink channel to confirm. If this is true, then I would now need to find a liquid that does not dry and is safe to stay in the ink channels for long-term storage until the ink channel is needed to be used.

I would expect that you get would get a similar improvement if you would use a pigment black on the Artisan printer for a test .

I'll order some pigment ink and test it out.
I'm not sure what some ways are that I can legitimately test whether the current ink I have is dye or pigment.

I don't think that you get such an improvement just because it is a P600, and what would be better with a P700 ? Using more inks would not make a difference for your B/W printing.

The improvement is not specifically towards inks; I bought the P600 specifically due to the improved hardware and software involved with the sophisticated printing machine. There is a great deal of precision engineering involved, such as the greater mass of the printer alone, which brings better print quality down to the micron realm.

Greater mass brings higher mechanical stability, fewer deflections, higher stiffness and less vibration.
If your printer is vibrating, rocking or shaking I'll guarantee it will not produce precision quality prints down to the micron space.

The most accurate machines in the world are extremely heavy to reduce mechanical uncertainties.
The precision machines used to make the Epson printheads are extremely heavy, weighing as much as a car. The precision motion cylindrical guide rails used to guide the print head along its Y-axis should also be of much higher quality than its predecessors. This, in turn, will produce a higher quality print. The higher value of the printer brings high-quality parts used inside the printer. The P600 is super heavy, which is good; Epson did this so that it can produce ultra-accurate prints down to the micron level (which it clearly does).

The P600 print head technology is also far superior to its predecessors. This thread alone shows that the P600 produces, so far, the best quality precision PCB trace prints. I've been researching this topic for two decades and haven't seen anyone produce as clean, sharp, and nearly perfect PCB prints as the ones I've provided from the P600, which were made by an inkjet printer.

With the few examples provided above, the P700/P900 must also provide at least 20% better precision print quality. Their linear cylindrical guide rails should also be slightly better than the P600, and the same goes for many of the various precision parts used inside the printer. It is not possible to obtain truly high-quality prints without using high-quality precision mechanical parts.

Not to mention, the Japanese also produces the world's most precise mechanical parts, aiding in making ultra-precise machines. Examples are mechanical components like precision linear guide rails, precision ball bearings, precision gears, precision ball screws, precision shafts, precision springs, precision bushings, precision motors, precision encoders, precision sensors, precision actuators, precision fasteners, precision belts and pulleys, precision couplings and the list goes on. (I'm sure several of these components are inside my Epson printer).

Also it is not a coincidence that the world's most best transparencies (at the consumer level) is also made in Japan, I'm sure you've heard about the "Pictorico Ultra premium OHP Transparency Film".

It might sound funny and hard to believe, but the Epson printer (specially the professional stuff) is indeed a classification of high-precision machine, a machine which precisely produces perfect prints as intended.
So, it would make sense that Epson's engineering department is economically sourcing high-quality precision parts locally, buying in bulk to make their products. They should use higher-quality parts for the more expensive products they advertise.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I'm not sure what some ways are that I can legitimately test whether the current ink I have is dye or pigment.

Look to the yellow ink in the reservoir tank for the 835 - dye inks are translucent - pigment inks are opaque - like milk - yellow milk in this case

 

[rajhlinux]

Look to the yellow ink in the reservoir tank for the 835 - dye inks are translucent - pigment inks are opaque - like milk - yellow milk in this case

Thanks for the reply.

Based on your information, I can confirm that the Artisan 835 uses dye inks. I found the yellow ink to be very translucent, which was interesting to observe based on its chemical composition.

Out of curiosity, I did a Google search, and it seems dye inks are about 90% water, while pigments are powdered-based.

Could pigment inks provide a better and cleaner print because of their lower viscosity?

Now that I’ve narrowed down the ideal printer, the focus is on finding the right ink.
I’ll need to purchase perhaps a dozen of the market’s best UV-blocking inks to test which brand provides the cleanest, sharpest precision prints.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

it seems dye inks are about 90% water, while pigments are powdered-based.

You can look up the product safety data sheets which are published by Canon and Epson , they will tell you the chemical composition to the level as it is required by law.

Could pigment inks provide a better and cleaner print because of their lower viscosity?

The ink spread is less with pigment inks - the pigments spread less on paper than dye inks - the pigments are larger.
Epson printheads print dye or pigment inks alike - the viscosity should be very similar to do so.

 

[rajhlinux]

You can look up the product safety data sheets which are published by Canon and Epson , they will tell you the chemical composition to the level as it is required by law.


The ink spread is less with pigment inks - the pigments spread less on paper than dye inks - the pigments are larger.
Epson printheads print dye or pigment inks alike - the viscosity should be very similar to do so.

Thanks for the reply.

So, pigments are larger in their chemical composition compared with dye inks?

I think the viscosity might be greater in the pigment if it spreads less, and lower in the dye inks since they splatter too much.

Also, it seems the industry is using dye inks for UV-blocking inks, as I couldn't find a brand that sells pigmented UV-blocking inks. I would need to buy the original inks, but I wouldn't mind as long as they produce considerably better results than dyes.

My main goal is simply to get the best quality ink, which provides nearly 99% UV blocking with the greatest opacity so that I do not need to use multiple ink channels to do the job. Simply using one ink channel should do the trick since I do not want to degrade the other ink channels, which will be reserved as backups.

I would like to know if anyone has any experience in this regard. I've spoken with a professional screen printer, and he has told me that if using quality UV blocking inks, software such as "RIP" would not be required to tell the printer to use all ink channels to create a much more opaque print.

So far, I've found these UV blocking inks which are used by professionals in screen printing (similar application for PCB use case). I wonder if anyone has any experience with any of the brands below:

Film Direct - Original Dye Black Ink (Requires no "RIP" software) - 236 mL (8 oz) - $50:
https://filmdirectonline.com/products/FD-Dye-Black-Ink.html

CO Ink Distributions - UV-Blocking Black Dye Film Positive Ink (Requires no "RIP" software) - 250 mL - $42.50:
https://coinkdistributions.com/product/epson-all-black-dye-film-positive-ink-uv-blocking/

Screen Print Direct - Black-Out UV Blocking Ink Refill - 1 Liter - $90:
(Special Hybrid Blend of UV Blocking Pigments & Dyes)
https://screenprintdirect.com/products/black-out-uv-blocking-ink-refill-1-ltr-bottle

Dmax Dye Ink - 173 mL - $68.79:
States it has a high DMax of 5 but requires the use of "RIP" software; I'm confused...
https://solutionsforscreenprinters.com/product/d-max-dye-ink/

There is also the one which was recommended of 1 gallon:
UV45 black inkjet film dye ink - $293.80:
https://shop.inkjetmall.com/UV45-bl...html#attr=56562,36343,50139,15183,17842,17050

They also have UV blocking inks formulated specifically for Epson's "TFP" printheads' ink. Now, just for the sake of curiosity, what is so special or different about "TFP" printheads that it requires its own ink formulation? Should I use this ink for the P600? I couldn't find any differences between the "AMC" printhead used in the P600 and the "TFP" ones.

Anyhow, I am thinking of making a purchase of the UV blocking inks from "CO Ink Distributions" because they seem to be very knowledgeable, targeting professional customers, and giving explicit and specific specifications that suit the needs of precision.

However, it seems I might as well make my own blend of UV blocking inks. I did some Googling and found out that the following compositions block UV light of certain UV wavelengths:

Nano Zinc Oxide:
Nano ZnO particles are transparent in visible light yet provide strong UV blocking, which means they won’t interfere with the black ink’s opacity while blocking UV light.

Titanium Dioxide:
It is very efficient at blocking UVB and some UVA rays.

Benzophenone Compounds (e.g., Benzophenone-3):
These organic compounds absorb UV radiation, often used in sunscreens and coatings. Benzophenone-3 (Oxybenzone) can block significant amounts of UVB and some UVA radiation.

Avobenzone:
This is another UV-absorbing agent effective specifically for UVA protection, often used in conjunction with other ingredients to cover the full UV spectrum.

UV Absorbing Acrylics:
Some acrylic materials, especially those treated or blended with UV-absorbing agents like Cyasorb UV-1084, block nearly all UV light (typically over 99%).

Carbon Black Pigment:
Carbon black pigments are already UV-absorbent, making them inherently effective for UV-blocking in black inks.


So with the above research, I think I might give a try in mixing Carbon Black Pigment with Nano Zinc Oxide.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

It's all about colloid chemistry how pigments are formed from color molecules and how these colloid particles are kept afloat in the ink cartridges and bottles

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

,Apparently about all of the listed companies above claim to deliver the most UV density - that's quite interesting but does any test exist to support these claims ? I just remember claims by InkjetMall about their blackest black ever - it was just not much superior as claimed - some better black values could just be acheived on a particular Epson paper but not on arbitrary 3rd party papers. So I just can state - I think I already did it during this year - that good performance is not just a matter of the ink but always in combination of ink and paper - same for bronzing or gloss differentials - gamut - etc

As a side note - one of the above companies offer a printhead cleaning service

https://coinkdistributions.com/printhead-cleaning/

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Coinkdistributions states about the cleaning agent they use for printhead cleaning

We use a tech grade Epson specific 2-pyrrolidone printhead cleaning solution that we custom manufacture to meet our specific needs.

This may be an additive to other cleaning solutions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-Pyrrolidone

 

[rajhlinux]

It's been a while since I last touched base.

I've received all the required materials needed for printing transparencies and will continue to update on the progress. I've been extremely busy with university and life's obstacles.

I'm not sure if Propylene Glycol works similarly to 2-pyrrolidone. I was able to unclog an impossible clogged Epson 1400 printhead using Propylene Glycol (the marine antifreeze); the stuff is magic. I made a thread about that.

I have now bought a 99% pure grade Propylene Glycol, which is additive-free.