Nozzle check - recurring very small "break" in a line

[JonnyP]

Hi, I’ve got a very new SureColor P8000. Since installing 7 or so months ago, beginning with the Epson startup ink I received, there has been a very small break in a line in the PK channel. I communicated with the vendor who sold me the machine and shipped it to me. They thought the problem would go away with an ink change, and I have seen a perfect nozzle check pattern once or twice, however, a recent check provided the same break as in the first few checks I did.
This machine sees very little use – one or two large-size prints per week max. I run nozzle checks frequently. The machine is never turned off, but is rather set to do a timer cleaning at a 36 hour interval. I’m attaching images of nozzle checks from November and from this past week.

It is not possible to see this error in the prints I’ve made, but of course I’m concerned.

[walkerblackwell]

I think it’s actually a dried pigment deflection and probably not a delamination problem. We had something similar in our P9000 at cone editions (in VLM) and it went away with use.

-Walker

[JonnyP]

Thanks! That’s helpful. So strange, then, that it appeared maybe five days or so into the use of the printer. But, since I’ve seen in the past some fairly sad explorations of what these nozzle checks might mean (“buy another printer”), this sounds like a good prognosis. Will report back in the fall, when the machine will get more use.