Nozzle check printing 3800

[Harry Briels]

When I print a nozzle check, the print I get is very vague and it is difficult to see the nozzle (see attachment) checks. Is there a way of printing more solidly and clearer these checks?
Harry

 

[martin0reg]

You can try a sort of thin but coated inkjet paper, 100-120g, like epson "photo quality inkjet paper", for better contrast than plain paper

 

[turbguy]

Why not just open your scan in irfanview, crop the nozzle check, then hit "auto adjust colors? Here's what I get...

 

[3dogs]

Looking at the nozzle check Harry, I have never seen such light Print at the bottom of the nozzle check sheet. @turbguy has given you a good solution to get bolder print from the test, but I am thinking that you need to use the printer more, and take the printer back to basics like @martin0reg is hinting at. I think he is on the right track for you. Swapping threads and simply asking the same question over and over is not going to get you a result. These printers will print on papers from the lightest Japanese rice paper to board, canvas and more...............if they are set up correctly, and that includes volume use, and proper maintenance (i'm not saying you are not doing that) but it MUST be there for your printer to give good results.

I am starting to suspect that you may need to be looking at your printer settings, have you fiddled with something and not changed it back when you swap paper, did you slow or decrease ink density and not change that back? any number of things can be the cause

YOU need to do some detective work of your own so we can figure how to help, so get your printer settings back to Epson Standard get, a small quantity of Epson paper, and set that up as your profile then using OEM ink do a nozzle check.

Too much thrift will kill a printer, as fast as abuse, as @The Hat has said elsewhere, refilling has a set of rules attached to it, failure to follow them is as near to a guarantee to kill a printer quicktime as you can get.

BUT if you have not done ALL that has been suggested so far, you are not helping yourself to set things up so the really smart users on this forum (not me) can zero in on a cause for you, and ultimately identify a solution that will suit your printing needs and allow you to have a trouble free workflow for your long term usage.

Good luck,

Andrew

 

[Harry Briels]

Hello Andrew,
When reading your advise, for which I thank you, I may have given the impression that I am wrestling with clogging problems with my 3800?
But that is not the case.
When you read what I am writing I explained that I had cloggs and what I did to find a solution outside the cleaning operations in the 3800 manual that consume a lot of ink.
This to learn what other members do in such a case.

I did not really swap threads but had a different question about why the print I get when doing a non auto nozzle check, is that vague and can hardly be checked.
I did an auto nozzle check (attached) which is clear and in my view, doesn't show serious problems.
Just the magenta can be improved on, but is far from problematic (I think).

If I re-read the thread that I started about clogging, I can not really find "All that has been suggested" to me.
Most has been about Qimage which I can not use on a iMac.

 

[Mowerman90]

When I print a nozzle check, the print I get is very vague and it is difficult to see the nozzle (see attachment) checks. Is there a way of printing more solidly and clearer these checks?
Harry

Try printing your nozzle check on glossy paper. That's what works for me.

 

[3dogs]

Harry,

Re read your original post above... I don't actually see any of this on the original:
I did not really swap threads but had a different question about why the print I get when doing a non auto nozzle check, is that vague and can hardly be checked.
I did an auto nozzle check (attached) which is clear and in my view, doesn't show serious problems.
Just the magenta can be improved on, but is far from problematic (I think).

Even in the face of your additional information I will say it is still worth going back to basics.....these printers do not have internal gremlins.....we, you and me are the real gremlins, we just have to find what it was that we did wrong or did not reset.

The enhanced image by @turbguy shows a few breaks............!!

And switching back to your other post about 3800 nozzle checks, there is a goldmine of advice there related to preventive maintenance.

Keep trying and good luck.

 

[Harry Briels]

Thanks for your patience with me and for your suggestions.
I translate "going back to basis ("3 dogs") in to: un- and re-installing the Epson software.
Before doing so I would like to make sure I do this in a proper fashion.
I have an iMac with OSX 10.9.5

I plan the following:
1. Click on the Apple Menu and select System Preference.
2. Select Print & Fax.
3. Select the printer and click the "-" icon at the bottom of the printer list. This will remove the printer from the list.
4. Close out of the Print & Fax window.
5. Open the Hard Drive and go to Library>Printers
6. After opening the Printers folder, look for the Epson folder.
7. Drag the Epson folder to the trash. NOTE: If you have any other Epson printers, you will need to reinstall the software for those printers.
8. Download the Epson software from the Epson site and install the software.
9. After installing click on the Apple Menu and select System Preference.
10. Click on Print & Fax.
11. Click on the "+" icon at the bottom of the list to add the printer.
12. Under the Default Browser section, you should see the Stylus Pro 3800 with the USB designation to the right of it. Highlight the printer.
13. At the bottom of the window you should see a section that says "Print Using". The information on this line should read SPro3800.
14. If the correct printer is being display click on Add.
15. Close out of the System Preferences and try a test print.

Did I miss out on something?
Thanks for your help!

 

[3dogs]

Thanks for your patience with me and for your suggestions.
I translate "going back to basis ("3 dogs") in to: un- and re-installing the Epson software.
Before doing so I would like to make sure I do this in a proper fashion.
I have an iMac with OSX 10.9.5

I plan the following:
1. Click on the Apple Menu and select System Preference.
2. Select Print & Fax.
3. Select the printer and click the "-" icon at the bottom of the printer list. This will remove the printer from the list.
4. Close out of the Print & Fax window.
5. Open the Hard Drive and go to Library>Printers
6. After opening the Printers folder, look for the Epson folder.
7. Drag the Epson folder to the trash. NOTE: If you have any other Epson printers, you will need to reinstall the software for those printers.
8. Download the Epson software from the Epson site and install the software.
9. After installing click on the Apple Menu and select System Preference.
10. Click on Print & Fax.
11. Click on the "+" icon at the bottom of the list to add the printer.
12. Under the Default Browser section, you should see the Stylus Pro 3800 with the USB designation to the right of it. Highlight the printer.
13. At the bottom of the window you should see a section that says "Print Using". The information on this line should read SPro3800.
14. If the correct printer is being display click on Add.
15. Close out of the System Preferences and try a test print.

Did I miss out on something?
Thanks for your help!

NO not that at all.
Check all your PRINT settings, make sure that they are right for the paper, get some Epson paper and if you have it still OEM carts and ink, THAT is the next step BEFORE anything as drastic as you are thinking. We want to find out how the printer behaves with the standard settings, paper and ink. It has already been suggested that the real cause can be as simple as bad flow from the modified carts, it can be air getting into the line from the cart outlet valve- so try an OEM cart and see if it persists. Remember tho Air in the lines can take a while to clear...it can be not enough flow caused by an improper mod to the outlet valve.
However, why it would print one way in auto and another in manual needs input from a GURU