banding on my i960

[davey_fl]

Hey guys,

I scanned the forum as I was having banding problems on my i960. It hadn't been used in almost a year and was barely ever used before that. Anyway, PC and PM were banding. I bought all new cartridges for it, cleaned the ehad with Windex/Ammonia (soaked several times for quite awhile) - used running alcohol and q-tips, did a number of deep cleans, and PM has cleared up. But my PC is still banding quite bad. I really don't want to have to buy a new print head as they're expensive, are there any other suggestions?

thx

 

[Osage]

To Davey_fl,

First, don't be too deep clean happy---use once in awhile but never twice in a row. You simply toss lots of ink into your printhaed and if it can't get out--then you got problems.

But you are on the right track---I would recommending flushing the printhead again with water to wash out the excess ink--then work some with the PC nozzles. You have some dried ink in there that will simply take time to dissolve. Don't expect instant results---and try heating the solvent to about 120 to 140 degrees F which will speed the dissolve process.

Then reasseble and do a nozzle check------if you are getting all colors through--even if one or more are banding---its safe to do some light printing. And just that process of printing will run fresh ink and fresh solvents in the ink through and past the clog. And just that process may get the last of the dried ink dissolved away.

BTW, the i960 is an excellent printer--well worth saving---but any inkjet will have problems if not used for four months or better---get the clog slowly dissolved away---but as long as the electronics on the printhead aare not burned out---the printhead can be saved with TLC.

 

[davey_fl]

thanks for the quick reply and advice. It's good to hear because I don't really want to spring for a new head. I've included a couple of pictures of the banding I am speaking about. Currently the head it sitting soaking in windex (that I heated) and I'll leave it like that for a day or two and keep trying.

http://www.kulkarnicorp.com/images/banding1.jpg
http://www.kulkarnicorp.com/images/banding2.jpg

 

[Osage]

You don't want it soaking too long or too deeply immerced in the windex. The trick is to keep the solvent flowing through. But at least the nozzle check shows the clog is not complete in PC.---as the solvent flows through--it should get the rest. But too much soaking and too deeply immerced can also cause some damage.

 

[davey_fl]

ok thanks. what are the PC nozzles?

 

[Osage]

The nozzles are where the ink exits the printhead---the i960 has many thosands of them--they are very small and hence easy to clog---and you want to concentrate in the area below where the photocyan cartridge snaps into the printhead--and don't forget the spongelike opening below the photocyan cartridge ink outlet hole is. Clogs can also develop there and then the ink is restricted before it even gets into the printhead. Some recommend getting a small can of compressed air, saturating the ink inlet hole on the printhead with something like windex administered by something like an eyedropper--leave sit awhile--and then giving a small blast from the can of compressed air---you should see some results from that very low pressure blast of compressed air.--never use compressed air from something like an air compressor.

But best guess is that some of your photocyan nozzles are clogged---instead of straight overnight soaking, many recommend just setting the printhead on a paper towel saturated with windex and water--with solvent debth in the pan is no more than 1/4 inch deep. Let capillary action and time dissolve the clog. You can lift out periodically and let it drip out a bit---then set it back.

Meanwhile cap the inkoutlet holes on your cartridges or they will dry out.--and mimic printhead clogging.

 

[tyamada]

Have you tried the compressed air trick? http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=241

You might also download the color purge file and print it out a few times after a deep cleaning, I've had to do deep cleaning and print the purge file several times to get my Photo Cyan jets unclogged.
Here is the link for the purge files, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the purge files.
http://www.inksupply.info/?_a=downloads

 

[Craigg64]

HI davey_fl
Looking at your original post and pics I tought I was looking at my problem with my i950. Banding on Photo Cyan.
I was wondering how you are going with your problem? I have tried most of the methods and have had no success.

 

[Smile]

Have samo problem trying to clean using ammonia now