Too much ink - splattering on an 9600

InkjetMall Customer Support Piezography Inks & Printing
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Hi Dana:
So this is my problem on an Epson 9600. Do you think this could be a bad cartridge? a bad damper? a bad print head?

Events
• The machine was idle for a few months. In december I printed 15 40x50 prints. I had the same problem then, and I changed the left 3 dampers [left from the front, right from the back] and the problem seemed to have disappeared.
• To prepare for this session, I removed each cartridge, lightly swirling/shaking each one and filling them to 3/4 full and replacing. Then 3-4 kk2 cleaning cycles to remove air bubbles. Then, in service mode, 6 “adjust-nozzle checks” to get a clean print. Then I removed the capping station, cleaned the wiper rubber seal around the cap with distilled water. Then, locked the ink lever and with a soft makup sponge and more distilled water cleaned the print head face and underneath, and all around.
• And then in regular print mode, a couple of more nozzle checks and cleaning cycles, I had a goodl print and I thought I was ready.

I made one print, and this is the result.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-I’ve been trying to figure out how to upload pictures but I just get an exclamation point.

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Here is a picture of the print head


3

Here is a picture of the results.


4

The left most damper… leaks when I detached the dampers from the print head. Now I replaced this damper in December, but now that it’s leaking, I’m thinking that may be the refillable cartridge is pushing too much. That there might be too much pressure being created? Is this possible?

5

The 7600/9600 carts aren’t pressurized, this printer model use a vented cartridge system, and suck ink with the pump from the print head end, so carts do not push ink like in pressured ink feed systems. It’s possible the damper is damaged or not working as it should for some reason. Have you replaced the pier blade and/or flushing box within the past few years?

~Dana

6

I don’t know that the pier blade is. But the flushing box, I’m always washing this and putting cotten oval makeup wipes so the spray from the print head is absorbed in the pad. Since I last posted I replaced the left most damper that was dripping ink, I really cleaned/soaked the face and bottom of the print head without the dampers in place.
I use Swispers makeup sponges that really absorb liquid. I don’t have to worry about any scratching, they are so soft and absolutely lintless. I hold a sponge underneath and soak the print head face with a stream of distilled water till the water runs clean and the sponge is relatively clean. I’m ready to reprime the machine. Unless there’s something else you can think of.

But I did this in December, I didn’t think I would need to do this again so soon. So I’m looking for another cause of this.
I brought up the issue of cartridges because I read a link from Americaninkjetsystems.com about a cis system with that ensured even ink flow and I thought that may be that would have something to do with it.

Anyway, my head is clean, granted without removing it. Is it a big deal to remove the printhead to wash it? does the head have to be re-calibrated afterwards? That’s why I’ve never done that.

7

So the left most damper. Does that represent cartridge 1? are they liniear cartridge 1-7 - damper 1-7?
I understand that the cartridges aren’t pressurized, but isn’t there a vacuum inside the line going from the cartridge to the damper?

8

Damn ago-spell correction… I meant “wiper blade”

We no longer have a 7600/9600 printer for me to check on, but believe I remember with that model, the inks printed in the same order as the carts from left to right, but I also believe the lines are labeled with the color position, so you can check that way.
The print head is held in place with a few screws, though it’s best not to remove it unless you have to.

As far as the carts, I can’t think of anything that could make a gravity fed cart push ink thru the line, and it’s the damper that mainly controls ink flow thru the line/head.

~Dana