Will do Ken! 
Hi
I am printing on a Epson 9900 with K7 ink and GO.
The promblem is that the printing itself is fine, but the GO-print stops in the middle of the printing so that only half the image is covered.
Sometimes the print will go through, but not very often.
Does anybody have a solution to this problem? How can we make sure that the GO covers the entire print every time?
There have not yet been any solid answers to this strange problem, but some people have reported success when leaving about 3" margins on the side, so the printer sees white paper on both sides on the image as it passes over, and continues printing GO Over the entire sheet. Here is what I’ve been telling others recently:
[FONT=ArialMT]We have done extensive testing since discovering this issue, and gathered info from several customers using the x900/x890/x700 printers for Piezography gloss. We concluded the printer sensor is detecting what it thinks is the end of the paper when it sees dark ink area, and stops printing. There is no solid “fix” that is consistent and works in all cases, though some people have experienced success by printing a white image the full size of the paper they’re printing on (as you’re doing), leaving 2-3” white margins around the image (so the sensor “sees” white paper and doesn’t stop printing), and one customer feels he gets good results by selecting the 9800 printer model in his QTR window, but as I said none of our thoughts or customer reported “solutions” have been consistent or worked in every situation. This issue has been difficult to trouble shoot (and we’ve spent a great deal of time trying to figure it out), because results are random, and can not be duplicated from one printer to the next. I called and spoke to Epson to try figuring out how we can get the printers to print over an existing print, and they told me they’ve received many calls about this (because it’s always been possible up until these models), and it’s caused by the paper sensor on the print head. This sensor also controls other things like detects paper skew and size, as well as reads auto nozzle checks and alignments. The printer will not work if the sensor is removed or disconnected. I even tried tricking the sensor by applying a piece of white paper over it, but that didn’t work either. The only help Epson could offer is to suggest getting a new T-series printer, which doesn’t have this sensor, and is actually designed to print over prints- but, that’s not a realistic solution because those printers are MUCH more expensive. [/FONT]
[FONT=ArialMT]
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[FONT=ArialMT]We are testing a new RIP that may be able to bypass the paper sensor, and provide consistent overprinting for these models. I’m sure we’ll be very excited to announce the results if it works as we’re told it will. Although getting a T-series printer is out of the question because of the expense (not to mention we don’t even know if it can be run by QTR or another RIP to have individual channel control), a good solution is to get a decent working 7800/9800 or 7880/9880, which have NO problems printing Gloss Overprint. It will speed up your production to have a separate printer for applying GO, and give you smooth, consistent results every time. We have six 7880/9880 printers, with five set up with different Piezography ink tones, and all print matte and gloss using the “P2” ink configuration- they are fantastic machines.
Best regards~ Dana [/FONT]
Hi Dana,
Did you ever get that RIP up and running? Is it now possible to print glossy on 7890/9890 printers? I’ve still got 9 cartridges for Special Edition inks & bottles gathering dust…I’m currently reviewing my printing flow and I thought I’d check…
Regards,
Bill
[QUOTE=BILL;8726]Hi Dana,
Did you ever get that RIP up and running? Is it now possible to print glossy on 7890/9890 printers? I’ve still got 9 cartridges for Special Edition inks & bottles gathering dust…I’m currently reviewing my printing flow and I thought I’d check…
Regards,
Bill[/QUOTE]
Hi Bill,
No it did not work to our satisfaction.
It is possible to print GO on the 7890/9890 printers for many. Have you tested your printer to see if its capable of double printing (meaning make a color print and then feed it back in and print over itself again.) Try different margin sizes if you are unable to - most people have a sensor that picks up the error based upon margin size. The printer thinks the paper has run out. So having wide margins seems to help those with that type of sensor. Others are totally unaffected.
Jon
Thanks Jon,
You got a ball park figure for a margin size which works?
Regards,
Bill
Try 2" all the way around. If it balks straight at the beginning - then increase only that from margin.
…that means an A2 sheet would have a border that takes up more than one third of the paper, A3+ would be nearly half and A4 would be…three quarters of the paper as border! Yipes!
have you tried to double print with only 1" yet?
you can not bleed print with Piezography - so you must use some border.
what have you tried ?
The last time I went through this I tried lots of combinations although I’m quite sure that I didn’t try such a wide border…I just realised that if I use the 2" border you recommended earlier, if I want an A2 print I’ll have to use A1 paper! Yipes! (I’d have to get a roll in…)
I just noticed that this thread has got lots of views (over 9100!)…perhaps someone out there is quite happy printing away on Glossy with a 7890 or 9890 and could chip in and tell us hope they are doing it??? What do you reckon Jon?
I can tell you that we do not have 9100 7890/9890 users.
And those methods that users have discovered have worked have been populated onto this forum. Did you try them all? We do not have any magic solution to the sensor issue and the sensor issue appears to act differently often for those with sensors that do not allow double printing. I have heard recently that someone discovered another sensor that if it is just covered - it can’t see one way or the other and just allows the printer to run out of paper. But I was traveling and did not have an opportunity to write the sensor location down. Was just a chance meeting with someone who double prints color fine art prints and solved the issue that way. Perhaps you can google the different sensor locations on your printer and try blocking them by taping a piece of white paper over them.
I’ve gone through the various posts and the only “method” which seems to work is to leave a 2"-3" margin. Are there some other working methods which I didn’t see?
I’ve been told that taping white paper over the sensors may prevent them from stopping the printer
Bill,
If you find yourself printing lots of smaller prints it may be more economical to purchase a smaller printer dedicated to printing GO on those prints. Given the cost of paper, it may not take too long to pay for itself. Just a thought.
Good luck,
John
It’s a very good thought because you only need a printer with one working channel to configure it for GO! Should be able to find one like that for free.
John - thanks for the suggestion. I quite often print test prints on A4 and then final prints on A2. With a 2-3" border on A4 paper, the test print would become tiny.
Jon - you say "I’ve been told that taping white paper over the sensors may prevent them from stopping the printer ". Dana seems to disagree - she’s written in this forum more than once: “I even tried tricking the sensor by applying a piece of white paper over it, but that didn’t work either.”
Dana knows
Bill, but that’s the whole point. You can make your test print on A4 (approx. letter size) with minimal borders then run it through a separate printer to apply the GO. Were you fortunate enough to find a used 3880 or 3800 printer you could use it to print GO on both A4 and A2 (16.5x23.4 for we Americans) with minimal borders.
Good luck,
John
John,
I’m afraid I didn’t yet find a used Epson 3880 or 3800 hanging around…I hope I get that lucky. I’ve just got the Epson 7890, a couple of 1400s, a 1500W (plus a Durst 138 Laborator!). I’ve also got a set of 7890 carts filled with Special Edition inks which I’d love to use as they were designed to be used…
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