Remapping of K7 on an Epson 3800

InkjetMall Customer Support Piezography Inks & Printing
1

Hi,
I’m running ConeColor Pro on my 3880 but recently acquired an used 3800 which I plan to use with Piezo inks. I have some nozzles out on Magenta (on the auto nozzle test 3 squares). How bad would this be for the result? cleaned already the head from underneath, will get some dampers next week. But I believe the problem is with the printhead itself. Is it possible to remap the M channel? (I plan to only print mat so I have 2 channels available right?
Thanks

Jan Ronken

2

Hi Jan~

If you have 7 good working channels in your 3800, then yes, we can remap the curves to make a custom shade placement to set it up for Piezography matte printing. To keep it as easy as possible, I would install the ink shades in the normal positions for the 3800/3880 Piezography setup, but put PiezoFlush in the M channel and shade 4 in the LLK channel. What paper(s) do you print on? Curve remapping is tedious, so if you only use a few specific papers, we’d rather just do the ones you’ll use to avoid spending time remapping curves that won’t be used.

Warmly~ Dana

3

Hi Dana
Thanks for the quick reply, I plan for now only to use Hahnemuhle Rag and Epson Velvet Fine Art. How much would the quality be affected if I want to use Glossy too (see the image of the M nozzles).


If too bad, I will only do mat, I have 8 good channels… would using PiezoFlush make a difference in these cases? I’ve cleaned with warm distilled water for extended time.
thanks and have a great day!
Jan

4

I would not try to use a channel missing 4 nozzles for Piezography printing, it will add obvious banding to your prints.
You can try cleaning the channel by following our manual cleaning procedures, here: http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?133-Printer-Cleaning-and-Preventative-Maintenance, and if you’re going to replace the dampers anyway, you could also try flushing the magenta channel of the print head using our PiezoFlush print head cleaning kit (but this needs to be done directly on the print head, following instructions for desktop printers, after disconnecting dampers from the print head). It would be great if you could get it printing well again, to be able to use the printer for matte and gloss printing.

~Dana :slight_smile:

5

Ok… changed the dampers, cleaned the printhead with Piezoflush… and now it’s a big mess :frowning: Black is leaking from the printhead (i checked all the dampers and tubes again and there all seems OK, no leaks). I did a auto nozzle check, cyan is totally out (needs purging or powercleaning I think to get ink to the printhead). My maintenance cardridge (replaced last week) is now at 30%! black ink is all over the printer (paper path).
Do you have any idea what can cause the black ink leaking (it’s both with PK and MK)??
If anyone has any idea I’m happy to give it another shot, if not I think my Piezography project will go to sleep mode for some time and this 3800 to the trash (waste of ink, dampers, 300 USD for the used printer, maint cart) but not too happy to spend another 600-800 USD with epson (better buy a second 3880).
any advice is very welcome!

Jan

6

Sorry for all your troubles. B&H has R3000 printers for less than $700 and then you get a $250 rebate. The R3000 is being discontinued. I wish you luck.

7

Hi Jan~

I’m sorry to hear of your ink dripping problem after replacing the dampers! :frowning:

Did you replace the whole ink system (cartridge chambers, lines and damper assembly- all as one unit), or the individual dampers themselves?
Was there resistance when you flushed the print head with PiezoFlush?
Did you flush all channels in the print head, or just the magenta channel you were having trouble with?
Did you clean the bottom of the head after flushing? If so, did the paper towel come out whole after cleaning (and there’s not a piece stuck to the bottom of the head)?
This dripping could be caused by a few things, including a bad connection, damaged print head, defective or damaged damper, etc…
It’s hard to say if this is fixable (not knowing the cause), or if it’s batter/easier to buy a new printer.

The R3000 is mechanically very similar to the 3800/3880, though the R3000 uses totally different carts.

Best~ Dana

8

Hi Dana
I only replaced the dampers (all of them). I flushed the M channel (and that one now looks OK on a test print with 8 colors). heavy banding in C, K, LK and Y. Leaking only in K,
I did clean the bottom and all came out in one piece… I switched the K damper back for the old one (I suspected the damper to be defect) but that did not solve it.
Where could the bad connection occur? This might be something worth checking.
Would it make sense to replace the whole Ink system or is the symptom more looking like printhead?
The problem with the R3000 is that it is only 13"… I need 17" minimum
Thanks for your help!
Jan

9

one more thing… a normal nozzle test does not leak. the leaking starts with the autonozzle test and then after it scans the pattern (not seeing all nozzles, it starts doing a cleaning. and then the drips start…
maybe that helps in diagnosing. the capping unit and wiper have been cleaned but not replaced. it almost looks like the cleaning starts with the printhead in the wrong position or capping unit not draining (but piezoflush on the sponges goes down immediately)

10

Does it drip when you make a print, or only when it prints an automatic nozzle check?

11

I did not print yet, but with a manual nozzle check it did not drip. only with the automatic one.
I’ll have to get a new maintenance cartridge which will arrive late today or early tomorrow and then I can test again.
Is there anything I need to check in your opinion?
thanks for your support Dana!

jan

12

Hi Dana
I just made a test print (only one) and then there are no drips (although a lots of banding due to nozzles out). Tried an automatic nozzlecheck, first blocks OK no leak, then it starts the cleaning part and the drips start… hope this helps in diagnosing.
thanks

jan

13

Sorry Jan, There’s not much I can do to help. I’m not an Epson tech, though I have a lot of experience with different Epson printers over the years, which helps me offer advice or guidance in some situations.
I personally never use the auto nozzle check, and recommend you print the manual nozzle check, do regular cleaning cycles if needed, followed by another manual nozzle check and make a test print.

I hope this helps.
Warmly~ Dana :slight_smile: