HP Z3200

[ronpfid]

Got one that's doing something weird, hoping for some thoughts on this.
It seems to 'drag' something mostly on the left of the print. It leaves white lines but those seems to be from it dragging across the wet ink. You can see the line drags ink out into the empty area on the paper. Here is a print sample. Has new heads and new carriage assm with trailing cables. Before new carriage, it was non-functional so can't tell if this issue was there before also or not.

Z3200 print sample.JPG

Here is a zoomed up of one area

z3200zoom.jpg

Any thoughts? TIA

[ronpfid]

Oh oh 34 views, no one has seen this... eek

[Phil B.]

Not sure on this Brand... but on Epson and SOME Brother inkjets, there is a head gap adjustment you have to make.

Is it running plain paper or thicker stock?

I know on the epson plotters I work on you have to use a certain epson paper when doing the head gap calibration.

Just something to think about.

[ronpfid]

Not sure on this Brand... but on Epson and SOME Brother inkjets, there is a head gap adjustment you have to make.

Is it running plain paper or thicker stock?

I know on the epson plotters I work on you have to use a certain epson paper when doing the head gap calibration.

Just something to think about.

OK, thanks, I'll see if there is a calibration/adjustment for that on this plotter, thanks for the idea!

[Kiran Otter]

Looks to me like something is under the carriage and being dragged across the paper. Take out the print heads and see if you see anything down in the openings. With the left cover off you can move the carriage to the left to get a better look under it.

There is no printhead height/gap adjustment. However if you did have the carriage out or put one in, make sure you didn't break the rear bushing; this would cause the carriage to sit too low.

Kiran

[ronpfid]

Looks to me like something is under the carriage and being dragged across the paper. Take out the print heads and see if you see anything down in the openings. With the left cover off you can move the carriage to the left to get a better look under it.

There is no printhead height/gap adjustment. However if you did have the carriage out or put one in, make sure you didn't break the rear bushing; this would cause the carriage to sit too low.

Kiran

Thanks for the info., ok nothing under the carriage, cleaned heads, repleaced heads, but I did find something interesting.
I had the unit off with the carriage free to move, I slid a narrow piece of paper under it on the right and moved the carriage over it, it left no marks, then I slide the paper under it with the carriage a foot to the left and the heads rubbed on the paper and left marks. It's like it's only lower towards the left but not the last foot on the right side. I can't see what would make it lower from 1 foot on towards the left, but the right height for that last foot of distance on the right. Weird!

Could a damaged carriage bearing cause that? It seems like it would just make it always too low right?

[Kiran Otter]

Yeah, I would expect it to be even across the paper, but I would check the rear bushing nonetheless.

Kiran

[Kiran Otter]

I thought of something else. There is the 'full bleed foam'.. it's this black strip of foam pressed into the area between the roller and the starwheels. I had a problem with one machine that got left in a un-air conditioned trailer for about a year, and that foam seemed to swell up by absorbing moisture, like a sponge. If that is pushing the paper upwards, this could account for what you're seeing. In my case, it was causing a paper jam when the printer tried to switch rolls (it was a T2300.)

My solution was to simply pull the foam out. Unless the user is printing full-bleed, this foam strip doesn't come into play. If it is the cause of the issue it can be purchased from HP and replaced.

Kiran

[Kiran Otter]

I would also remove the starwheel assembly and check for broken starwheels. If the paper isn't being advanced under the starwheels evenly, it may be bunching up beneath the carriage. The starwheels often come off and end up underneath the entire assembly and could cause paper path issues. Though it sounds like your test with a sheet of paper rules this out.

Kiran

[ronpfid]

Cool, really good thoughts, thanks a ton!

I'm sure it's not the paper bunching though, since I replicated the issue by inserting a paper strip under the carriage, but the foam thing or the bearing, now those sound promising.

hey question, what about the metal channel that runs across above the carriage that the upper part rides in, does that have any effect on carriage height or angle?