Magenta lines on printouts = aaaarrrggghhhhh

[Blokeonabike]

Hi All

My first time on here

Don't know if anyone can help but i am at my wits end on this
i have looked at previous threads on this from 2008 i think but cannot seem to get to sort my problem.
I have: -
1/ changed all cartridges - (even returned some to store for replacement!)
2/ carried out repeated nozzle checks, cleaning, and head alignment.

Still got magenta lines on page
This happens on all printing photos documents screen dumps etc.
Please see attachments demonstrating problem
a) close up of photo print - on plain paper
b) head alignment check page

They are photos as no scanner avail. but you get the picture (No pun intended!)

Thanks in anticipation to anyone who can help.

Boab

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

which is the printer model with these problems ? What type of ink/cartridges are you using - non-Epson ?

I rather would think that it is the opposite - magenta is almost gone, and only printing a few lines/nozzles which are left working, can you please post a nozzle check . This is not an alignment problem.

 

[W. Fisher]

That head alignment looks odd. I'll guess it was the automatic one and not manually set, but it looks like #4 is off where it picked 4 and maybe manually selecting 2 or 3 would be a better fit?

I'd also try re-installing the printer drivers or see if there are newer ones. If those two don't fix it, then likely the head has gone.

Good luck running it down.

W.F.

 

[Blokeonabike]

which is the printer model with these problems ? What type of ink/cartridges are you using - non-Epson ?

I rather would think that it is the opposite - magenta is almost gone, and only printing a few lines/nozzles which are left working, can you please post a nozzle check . This is not an alignment problem.

Hi - thanks for your comments/Qus
It is an EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 300 - so obviously getting on a bit - but performs everything else fine.

Yes, I realise it isn't head alignment - was just going through all possibilities and noted that magenta lines still appear on the black alignment print so used it as an example

Using Epson Inks.
Have already performed several nozzle checks/cleans - all OK now

All inks virtually full (were changed recently)

B.o.a.b.

 

[Blokeonabike]

That head alignment looks odd. I'll guess it was the automatic one and not manually set, but it looks like #4 is off where it picked 4 and maybe manually selecting 2 or 3 would be a better fit?

I'd also try re-installing the printer drivers or see if there are newer ones. If those two don't fix it, then likely the head has gone.

Good luck running it down.

W.F.

Thanks for that - good point - it is an older printer now running on Windows 8 so will have a look

Cheers
B.o.a.b.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

can you please print a pattern like this , download it from here - color bars vertical so that we can see where and when, in which colors the lines show up. I still would like to see the nozzle check if that is possible at all.

 

[Blokeonabike]

can you please print a pattern like this , download it from here - color bars vertical so that we can see where and when, in which colors the lines show up. I still would like to see the nozzle check if that is possible at all.
View attachment 4420

Okeydokey,

Please see attached colour bar print and nozzle check print.
These are photos as i do not have a scanner at present

Hope these throw some light on the matter

Regards

B.o.a.b.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

'aaaarrrggghhhhh'

I'm concerned there are more than one problem, I see a single dot line across the nozzle check as if one nozzle is constantly firing as long as some others are printing as well. I'm afraid that this is a printhead problem, or something in the circuits driving the nozzles. The yellow field on the right in the nozzle check shows the stepping lines in both directions which as well is pretty unusual. I would try and clean the coding band, that gray plastic stripe going across the print range and through a sensor on the back of the printhead carriage, the sensor reads the positioning codes off the stripe, and the ink fog settles on this plastic band and darkens it. It is quite easy to clean that band, to wipe it off carefully with a piece of kitchen towel paper and windows cleaner. You power on the printer shortly, and pull the power cord as soon as the printhead carriage starts moving. You then can easily move the carriage left and right and out of the way where you want to clean that coding stripe.
There are many of the horizontal lines across the color bar print, regardless of the color printed, I currently don't have a simple solution to fix that.

 

[The Hat]

You could always try a firmware upgrade to see if that would wipe the EPROM chip clean, because there clearly seems to be a bug in the software somewhere..

 

[Blokeonabike]

Would just like to apologise to all here who replied. Had a lot of stress (about other things)
I did get printer working better but never quite right.
In the end Epson said i would need to return it to them - So i bought a new one!
Many thanks again
BOAB