Epson R3000 printhead (?) issues

[nertog]

Hi experts,

I recently refurbished 3 old Epson R3000 printers. No problems in getting complete nozzle checks, but that clearly didn't mean artefact-free printing. Does anyone know what is causing the very uneven printing seen on the picture below? The print itself is a 1440x1440dpi, unidirectional print of pure cyan (through a rip) at 5% of the maximum density and the printhead traveled from top to bottom on the shown page. 2 of the 3 printers I checked had the same issue in the cyan channel, other channels print fine.

Looking closely at the scan, it seems as if a single nozzle fires intermittently....and that behavior does not show up on the nozzle check. Has anyone seen this before?

Thanks in advance,
Wim

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

What is the printing direction - horizontal ? Which type of RIP - does the same happen with the Epson driver ? The coding strip is cleaned ?

 

[nertog]

What is the printing direction - horizontal ? Which type of RIP - does the same happen with the Epson driver ? The coding strip is cleaned ?

The printhead traveled from top to bottom on this particular scan. Both the Epson driver and QTR (in calibration mode) show the same artifacts. In fact, in noticed it first in prints done with the Epson driver. The coding strip is clean, paper, feed encoder as well.

It really seems as if single nozzles sometimes fail to fire properly. I have tried different inks with a full ink initialization procedure inbetween...no difference.

Could this be a failure mode of the Epson printheads? Both printers pumped about 600ml of ink through each channel...not too much I would think.

 

[The Hat]

Could this be a failure mode of the Epson printheads? Both printers pumped about 600ml of ink through each channel...not too much I would think.

I’d try cleaning the purge unit with window cleaner and pay particular attention to the little wiper area..

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I rather think it could be a mechanical effect - more slack for the printhead when moving along; I remember some 'microweave' option in older printer drivers but don't see that anymore with current models. I (barely9 remember similar patterns from long time ago. Do the printers feel differently when you move the printhead back and forth manually ?

 

[nertog]

Thanks for the suggestions.
@ The Hat: the printers are squeeky clean, and the purge station and wiper blade work as intended.
@ ISF: this was my thought as well, but I had a closer while printing and you can actually see the thin white lines in one single pass of the printhead, so it is definitely not a weaving issue. I guess it's either wear of the piezo actuators or maybe a power supply issue.

 

[The Hat]

but I had a closer while printing and you can actually see the thin white lines in one single pass of the printhead, so it is definitely not a weaving issue. I guess it's either wear of the piezo actuators or maybe a power supply issue.

I just hate it when a printer does that on you after all the time you’ve spent on it..

 

[Stuart21]

Hi experts,

I recently refurbished 3 old Epson R3000 printers. No problems in getting complete nozzle checks, but that clearly didn't mean artefact-free printing. Does anyone know what is causing the very uneven printing seen on the picture below? The print itself is a 1440x1440dpi, unidirectional print of pure cyan (through a rip) at 5% of the maximum density and the printhead traveled from top to bottom on the shown page. 2 of the 3 printers I checked had the same issue in the cyan channel, other channels print fine.

View attachment 14123

View attachment 14124

Looking closely at the scan, it seems as if a single nozzle fires intermittently....and that behavior does not show up on the nozzle check. Has anyone seen this before?

Thanks in advance,
Wim

I rather think it could be a mechanical effect - more slack for the printhead when moving along; I remember some 'microweave' option in older printer drivers but don't see that anymore with current models. I (barely9 remember similar patterns from long time ago. Do the printers feel differently when you move the printhead back and forth manually ?

Did you clean the tanks, also rod out the ink lines? I found that the inlet to the reervoir could have a blockage, with some colours. Run some fine wire (like fuse wire) through the lines & make sure you have good flow through all line bits -

I just hate it when a printer does that on you after all the time you’ve spent on it..

 

[nertog]

Yeah, the ink tanks are clean. The R3000 uses a stationary cartridge system with ink supply lines and dampers, so the actual ink tanks do not influence ink flow that much. The dampers are also clean, btw.

In the end, I sold the printer for parts. On my last R3000 now...time to look for a good replacement.

What's the consensus on using the Epson P700? Anyone in EU with experience (good or bad)?

 

[The Hat]

What's the consensus on using the Epson P700? Anyone in EU with experience (good or bad)?

If your tinkering around a new printer why don’t you look at the Canon Pro 300..
It’s not an Epson, but it will surprise you what it can do without any issues..