Multitude of 3200 questions

[dagoof]

I've had a 3200 for a couple of years now - I use it solely for running business cards on 300gsm stock (110lb cover?) but it's a daily battle of wills! Sometimes it'll sit for long periods without use (can be as long as 3-4 months) - between this and running the heavy stock I don't get long life out of the drums (typically about 70% before I'm getting bad background toning - yellows often less).

I've just fired it up after another period without use and right enough, the Y was toning so I put in a new drum but, for the first time, the new drum is leaving similar levels of toning despite gradiation adjusts. The K is doing likewise at only 40% but I'm also noticing that text from the centre of the page is off-setting at the rear edge of the sheet. So first off I'd like to get to the bottom of the off-set - I pressume this is coming off the ITB or is the K just done too?

2nd, I was wondering if there's anyway to set the machine up permanently for the heavy stock?

3rd, regarding the grad adjusts, does a 'plain paper' adjust have any effect when printing under 'heavy 1', or should I always just run the 'heavy' adjustments? Should I run my heavy adjusts with the 300gsm stock I'm using or something lighter?

4th, is there a definite way to identify if a drum is expired (as the life% readouts don't serve me much good)? How do I output the test patterns the service manual mentions (e.g. type 5), as when I go into copier>test>pg>type, hit "5" then ok, nothing happens.

Lastly, I've tried doing nip checks and the nip's running about 8mm at the top which leaves a lighter patches trailing behind the top 75% of the roller. The bottom is about 10.5mm and leaves almost no trail behind to the lower 25% of the roller. I've tried adjusting but can't seem to get a balance - tried to reduce the nip on the bottom, but it's not having an effect, even backing it off a full turn.

[Fer]

I've had a 3200 for a couple of years now - I use it solely for running business cards on 300gsm stock (110lb cover?) but it's a daily battle of wills! Sometimes it'll sit for long periods without use (can be as long as 3-4 months) - between this and running the heavy stock I don't get long life out of the drums (typically about 70% before I'm getting bad background toning - yellows often less).

I believe the official specs say that 256grm is maximum, Maybe with high quality, not to stiff paper u can get away with it.

I've just fired it up after another period without use and right enough, the Y was toning so I put in a new drum but, for the first time, the new drum is leaving similar levels of toning despite gradiation adjusts. The K is doing likewise at only 40% but I'm also noticing that text from the centre of the page is off-setting at the rear edge of the sheet. So first off I'd like to get to the bottom of the off-set - I pressume this is coming off the ITB or is the K just done too?

Do u mean u get a ghost copy of the text on the trailing edge of your paper, maybe the Fixing unit cannot cope anymore with the 300grms. It could also be K drum, but ghost copies from the ITB, would only be vissable on the second page, since the ITB is long enough to hold 2 complete A3 sized images.

2nd, I was wondering if there's anyway to set the machine up permanently for the heavy stock?

Yes u can, just go to common settings, there u will find an option to set the stack bypass size fixed.

3rd, regarding the grad adjusts, does a 'plain paper' adjust have any effect when printing under 'heavy 1', or should I always just run the 'heavy' adjustments? Should I run my heavy adjusts with the 300gsm stock I'm using or something lighter?

Calibration on Heavy should be enough, u could use lighter paper as long as it has the same "whiteness". I recently discovered that calibrating an IR ADV C5035 with 200grms gives a better result when printing on 250grms. Less color clipping in dark areas.

4th, is there a definite way to identify if a drum is expired (as the life% readouts don't serve me much good)? How do I output the test patterns the service manual mentions (e.g. type 5), as when I go into copier>test>pg>type, hit "5" then ok, nothing happens.

To output a testpage the selected papertray should contain paper. Default it is using tray 1, but u can select another with option "PG-PICK" stack bypass would be "6". For drumlife is check 10 to see max density and lines on the drums. Then i check 4 with K disabled to see if CMY gray is still grayish and white lines in the lighter outputs. Since you are abusing the machine with 300grms getting 50% life is really not that bad.

Lastly, I've tried doing nip checks and the nip's running about 8mm at the top which leaves a lighter patches trailing behind the top 75% of the roller. The bottom is about 10.5mm and leaves almost no trail behind to the lower 25% of the roller. I've tried adjusting but can't seem to get a balance - tried to reduce the nip on the bottom, but it's not having an effect, even backing it off a full turn.

300 grms, just increase fixing pressure to the max, but release the pressure with the green handle if your not using the machine. To prevent flat spots on the rollers.

[dagoof]

Hi Fer,

Thanks very much for the info, very helpful. I realise I'm running the machine quite far beyond spec (even sometimes run heavier!) but 90% of the time it handles it without major issues, especially with new drums.

Yes, the ghosting is on the trailing edge of the same sheet, so I guess it must be a fixing issue? Edit - tightening down the fuser has helped eliminate this and also helped the toning issue (assuming from excess residual toner).

When I mentioned setting the machine up permanently for heavy stock I was thinking more in terms of possibily tweaking or tricking grad adjusts to get the best result on heavy stock (primarily to avoid background toning), even if it meant it could no longer run lighter stock.

[Fer]

For optimal performance on heavy paper and for good deep black image keep the ITB in condition. Replace the ITB and primary transfer rollers in time.

[teckat]

U CAN NOT HAVE DRUMS INSTALLED AND NOT USED FOR A 3/4 Month time period.

Those Drums need to be slid back in those plastic bottom covers & put back in protective sheet sleeves

they will sit in machine and absorb any moisture in your present environment

[SCREWTAPE]

This is a business color machine.

300gsm, that's alot for this kind of unit.

[dagoof]

Thanks Teckat, I'll know for future!

[SCREWTAPE]

Thanks Teckat, I'll know for future!

We live and learn.

[dagoof]

I've managed to pick up a fair bit of knowledge regarding 3200 over the last couple of years but there's still little (and not so little) things that elude me.

For example, how to I get decent colour reproduction with the postscript drivers? They're always way off, and so far I haven't managed to find the settings to adjust.

[teckat]

I've managed to pick up a fair bit of knowledge regarding 3200 over the last couple of years but there's still little (and not so little) things that elude me.

For example, how to I get decent colour reproduction with the postscript drivers? They're always way off, and so far I haven't managed to find the settings to adjust.

go buy a X-Rite densitometer

[dagoof]

Thanks Teckat, how is the adjustment made though? Only one that seems to have any impact is 'brightness'! I'm happy enough with the colour repro using the PCL5 driver, so if there was anyway of adjusting the PS settings I could run 1 copy on PCL5 then adjust the PS accordingly.

[Fer]

U know how to calibrate the machine right? Did u know u can also calibrate the RIP to the machine also. This should give more accurate output.

From "Printer" select the functions, second page "calibration" and "setup calibration" Then u can select a way of calibrating the machine by using the reader (glassplate), densitometer or visual. Densito is the best, but if u don;t have on glassplate can be pretty accurate for mid-density colors. I used visual cal several times to improve output on lighter and darker edges of the color spectrum. More punchy colors and more headroom, less saturated.