Epson L1800 issue with printing (horizontal lines) SOS!

[Anastassia]

Hello everyone! I am quite new to the forum. Could not find relevant info and struggle to figure out the issue with my printer. Think it might be the ink but used genuine EPSON ink. Or color mixing is incorrect.

I have noticed that I started to get print outs with horizontal lines in the very start of the print and on specific colors(orange and magenta probably other as well)

Multiple head cleaning does not give me any result.

And Nozzle check printout gives a completely different color for magenta (have not topped it up still using ink from previous top up also genuine Epson)

I have attached few images. Completely lost , not sure what could be the cause any advice would be really helpful

Thanking you!

Ana

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

(have not topped it up still using ink from previous top up also genuine Epson)

I'm not clear from your description about the inks - are you doing refill in any way - with genuine Epson inks ? Are you using dye or pigment inks ?

 

[Anastassia]

Thank you for your reply! Using genuine Epson inks for L1800. But bought new set of them recently and refilled 4 containters ( bk, y, c, lm)

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Which paper are you using - the one with the flame - glossy ? Which driver settings are you using - paper selection - quality ? Since when do you observe this problem - suddenly ? Sis y<ou do a printhead alignmen at the time you installed and started off the pinter ?

 

[Anastassia]

I use Epson matte and standard quality. I did printhead alignment quite a few times think it should be ok. I was told that from nozzle check magenta nozzle looks perforated. and " This means ink from your Cyan channel is flooding into the magenta nozzles causing discoloration. You can tell by the purple hue in the nozzle check." and that print head is dead basically.
What I have also noticed that the printing head moves slightly up and down (no matter if printer on or off) not sure if that supposed to be this way..

 

[Anastassia]

I did have few issues for the past 4-6 month but usually nozzle clean resolves them , never have that nozzle check prints out wrong color

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

The color cross contamination is a probable cause but rather rare overall. I remember some earlier reports in this forum about similar problems at the lading/trailing paper edges with the L1800 but cannot find back if and how the problems got solved. Please let me search some more for it.
Please try other settings like glossy instead of matte and as well the high quality setting.
(We may have 2 different issues - the wrong colors and the banding - I don't know yet - we have to test and will see)

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I find several reports about printing problems - banding - other colors with the L1800 printer, and even a remark that the user manual would mention decreased print quality at the edges for borderless printing.

I find these options to test

- disable borderless printing or

- disable bidirectional printing - this is an option called 'high speed' printing in the driver, printing will run
somewhat slower, here a link to a posting from 2017

https://www.printerknowledge.com/th...rint-bottom-page-color-issue.11599/post-97560

Give these options a try and see if you can work with them. I hope this will fix one of your problems with the L1800, and we should have a look to the magenta banding when the above problem is fixed.

 

[websnail]

Just a somewhat quick look at the nozzle check and I can't help wondering if there's ink contamination from one of the cyan channels into the magenta channel. That points to a potential fault in the head itself. Or if the cyan, light cyan and magenta share a capping station (separate from the BK, Y, LM) could it be waste ink contamination.

One question I have is with regards to the first image with cyan mixed in... Is that being printed at the start or the end of the print run? If it's the start, the problem could be waste ink contamination, but if it's towards the end I'd lean towards the fault..

I reserve the right to be completely wrong but just some thoughts.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Yes, cross contamination is possible but I just hope it's not - it would not be repairable - let's see if the proposed options make a change or not.