| REPORTED ISSUE |
ACTION |
ROOT CAUSE / DESCRIPTION |
| Intermittent Clogging in Nozzles |
Manual Head Cleaning or Parts Replacement |
Nozzle condition becomes poor due to the foreign substance attached to the surface of the head or very slight drying of the ink. Flush if necessary. Captop or ink pump could be faulty. Environment could be out of specification. Print head could be near or at end of life. Ink damper or secondary tank could be faulty. |
| Dark Banding |
Calibrate Media Settings |
The amount of the ink which can be accepted is different between each media. If the ink amount is not proper, the printing image becomes blotted or dark banding appears in the printing image because of over inking. It is necessary to do the feed Calibration when printing on the media which has a different thickness. If the Calibration is not adjusted properly, white/dark banding appears because of the bad incorrect feed setting. Refer to user manual. |
| Light Banding |
Calibrate Media Settings |
| White Banding or Ink Drops in Image |
Clean or Replace Cap Station |
Cleaning is not performed efficiently and the white lines or ink drops appear in the printing image, caused by blockage, cross contamination of ink, or damage to the cap seal around the print head. Can also be Ink damper or secondary tank faulty. |
| Horizontal Banding |
Replace Wiper, Wiper Scraper, Check Vacuum, Environment, Print Head, Damper or Ink tank |
Wiper cannot remove the foreign substances that are present on the surface of the head, which may result in jet deviation or jet blockage. Vacuum could not be working properly or environment out of specification. Print head or damper/ink tank sensor may require replacement. |
| Foreign Substances |
Manual Cleaning |
When foreign substances are present on the surface of the head, ink cannot fire properly resulting in nozzle blockage/ deflection. |
| Ink can accumulate on the spit tray/pad over time and transfer onto the nozzle plate and media/substrate. Clean or replace spit tray or pad. |
| Ink Drops on Bottom of Print Head or Dry-Banding |
Pump Repair/Replacement |
Cleaning cannot be performed efficiently because ink is restricted within the purge system. As a result, banding occurs due to dried or wet ink over the nozzle plate. |
| Random Patterning in the Image |
X Encoder Cleaning, Print Head Alignments, Static |
The X encoder provides proper drop placement and may require manual cleaning with IPA and lint free cloth. Manual and electronic print head alignments may be required. Static can also produce random images 0.60 kV or higher on media can cause this. |
| Banding / Starvation |
Replace Ink Cartridge, Fill Main Ink Tanks, Replace Filter, Bleed of Air, Vacuum System May be Faulty |
When the ink cartridge/ink reservoir is approaching to its empty, the negative pressure of the ink increases resulting in the scratchy printing or missing dot due to ink starvation. Air can be introduced to the ink delivery system. Ink filters or dampers may need to be replaced. Print heads or ink system may need to be bled of air. Vacuum may need to be adjusted or ink over flow challenge. Vacuum tubing may be faulty. |
| Colors are Not Printing on Top of One Another |
Perform Head Alignment |
When either the Bias or Vertical adjustment is not adjusted properly resulting in light or dark banding appearing in the printed image. When the Horizontal or Bi-direction adjustment is not performed properly, banding/ghosting appears in the printing image. |
| Overspray |
Set Head Rank, Print Head Voltage Adjust, Static, Environment |
Head rank/voltage setting affects the amount of the fired ink. If it is not set properly, the printing image becomes light, dark or deviated. The lifespan of the print head may also be shortened due to not jetting the correct amount of ink. Print head may require replacement. Static may be present. Environment may be out of specification. Printing on non-approved media. |
| One Print Channel is Not Printing |
Print Head Replacement, Ink Damper Replacement, Manifold Replacement |
Ink cannot be fired correctly and results in missing dot or starvation when the print head is broken or reaches its end of life. When the head is electrically/Physically broken, it sometimes prints unnecessary lines. Ink damper can be faulty. Print head manifold may be faulty. |
| Print Head(s) Not Printing |
Inspect the Electronics System or Any Reported Error Messages, Replace Parts if Needed, Monitor Input Power |
Results can produce poor quality printing, electronic interference and/or no output.
Root Causes
Printhead, head cable, electrical interface boards, communication lines, fuse, mainboard, input power etc.
(Liaise with qualified/certified engineer) |
| Banding from Air |
Inspect Ink Delivery System for Signs of Air Introduction and Repair |
Signs of issues: air bubbles in ink lines, ink dropout, starvation, light banding, no ink present in printhead.
Possible cause: (O-rings/seals, cracked ink line, low ink in primary tank, damage to printhead, etc.)
Possible solutions: Perform powerful cleans, pulling ink through manually. Remove and replace faulty part. Bleed system of air. |
| General Printing Challenges |
Ensure Environment Temperature & Humidity is Within Specification |
Keep to recommended Environment:
Temperature 65-85°f (18-30°c)
Humidity 35%-65% - Non Condensing |
| Banding from Print Bed/Path, Color Shift in X Direction |
Adjust accordingly with operating guidelines |
Signs of issues: Color shift, banding, filming of nozzle plate, incorrect dot gain, etc.
Action: Adjust print bed heat according the calibration of media, inkset, machine operating settings and environmental conditions.
|
| Spotting, Cratering, Visual Signs of Incompatibility |
Change Ink or Media |
Surface tension or contamination of either Ink or media will/can result in cratering. Heat temperature can also cause related issues. Insure recommended Ink/flush is correctly used, to clean contaminated substrate use a suitable alcohol, i.e. IPA or flame treat. |