color signature fading on mail merge on word doc.

[OMD-227]

I still cant comprehand how an image as small as a signature is causing so much toner/density loss.

The image file of the signature has been printed multiple times BY ITSELF and works fine. As soon as the signature image file is incorporated into the mail merge document, it fades out, while the rest of the document stays OK.

You have said that it is just the signature that fades away during the printing of the mail merge document. That rules out any consumables in the machine, as the rest of the document would also be affected in some way too. This is basic logic.

How can an image print OK by itself perfectly fine, but fade away once it is printed within another program or file.....??? Sounds like a software issue to me. If it was a hardware issue the whole document would be affected, not just an inserted signature image.
This surely cannot be the machine, but a problem with the way the file is processed. Did you try any of the driver changes I mentioned above while at this site? Was there any changes at all?
This has been going on for 2 weeks now. Why havent you changed the drums/devs just as a test, or at least swapped drum units around temporarily if you think it could be consumable related? You have had techs replace dev units, transfer belts, HV boards etc etc and its still there.
I understand that everything else is printing perfectly like you have said, so surely you understand that a problem with just one type of document cannot be caused by consumbles that are also being used for everything else.

Changing the Boot & Program roms is a complete waste of time. This has nothing to do with it. As long as the firmware is up-to-date on the roms already, and they are not giving errors such as 'Main Program Error' or firmware file loss, there is no need to replace these.

I really hope you guys work this one out soon. Its been hurting my head just thinking about it

[mansart]

You could (as a test) print the mail merge to PDF, then examine resulting PDF's for same fading of signature block...............

If not fading in PDF then print PDF to Sharp and see if fading occurs

[fanasa]

The problem was a spring in the shutter section of the laser unit. We removed the spring and it was fine. Apparently the spring would not keep the shutter open as long as it has to and that's why the signature (which was in color blue) desappeared.
thanks for your help

[Nachoman4life]

Uh, that is a return spring, its what closes the shutter, without it installed the shutter may remain open and a front to rear band should start appearing on the back side (when the lsu does a laser check) Similar to a tech bulletin when this series first came out about metal burrs in the base plate between the lsu and process units, that held the shutter open. There are a few other recent posts that have been shutter related, you may want to read up on them. And check the IDNC about the fixes for this.

Was the signature pure cyan? If it was "blue" there should have been traces of magenta still visible. If not both the cyan and magenta shutters may need a little attention.

Good habit - if you have one shutter showing problems, do the other three at the same time.

[fanasa]

All that was tried. Nothing seemd to work except when they removed the spring from the LSU shutters.
Thanks for your input though

[fanasa]

the main charge we replaced. (all of them) also a PM was done.
We actually ended up removing a spring from the LSU shutter and it seems to have been slowing down the shutter and it wouldn't stay open the whole time. It seems to be working fine now without the spring.
Thanks every one for your help.

[Lawrence]

As posted above, if that shutter stays open all the time you will get color bands front to rear frame (CMY). We forced the shutters to stay open once (we used a paper clip) to try and fix a magical fading color like you were having when these things were brand new. It fixed the problem until they started doing long runs in duplex. Every now and then pages had thin CMY lines front to rear. They were perfectly spaced apart drum to drum. Some times you only had 2 colors, depends when the laser did it's check. Maybe the shutters are closing when the solinoid deactivates but they added that spring for a reason.

Replace the solenoid and clean the white plastic part that you removed the spring from so it can slide easily. Add silicone spray which will help.