Digital BW, The Print

My 1280 has been working great...until my big show of course. Suddenly
it started printing a black squiggly line horizontally across the
photo about 1/8 down from the top on a horizontal image.

The squiggly line also appears vertically on text printing from word
files.

I tried several different ink carts.

I've used the cleaning utility and it almost just makes it worse.

I have no idea how to physically clean the print head if that's even
the problem.


Is this an easy fix or am I screwed?

thanks

Tim

Can you adjust the Platen width on that machine?? I'm not familiar with it.

 

On my old 4000 I'd get that kind of marking at the leading edge whenever I
switched to a thicker paper and forgot to set the Platen to "wide" instead
of "normal".

 

Alan

 

  _____  

From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Tim
Timmermans
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 1:36 PM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Digital BW] Why?

 

My 1280 has been working great...until my big show of course. Suddenly
it started printing a black squiggly line horizontally across the
photo about 1/8 down from the top on a horizontal image.

The squiggly line also appears vertically on text printing from word
files.

I tried several different ink carts.

I've used the cleaning utility and it almost just makes it worse.

I have no idea how to physically clean the print head if that's even
the problem.

Is this an easy fix or am I screwed?

thanks

Tim

 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Does your squiggly line look like one jet that just keep firing
continuously? Is it intermittent? Does it sometimes extend outside the
designated print area over to the edge of the paper? If so, too bad as
that indicates a non repairable electronic problem. I've heard that it
is a cracked PC board. But whatever is the cause of the problem, I do
know that no one has ever repaired one. 

So, I hope your answers to my opening questions were no. Otherwise,
it's time for a new printer. Faced with this same problem several
years ago, and a urgent need to print, I bought another 1280. It was
the right move at that time because of time constraints. Later I
bought a 2400, also the right move at that time as well. 

Bob Michaels

 --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Tim Timmermans"
<zenphoto7@...> wrote:

>
> My 1280 has been working great...until my big show of course. Suddenly
> it started printing a black squiggly line horizontally across the
> photo about 1/8 down from the top on a horizontal image.
> 
> The squiggly line also appears vertically on text printing from word
> files.
> 
> I tried several different ink carts.
> 
> I've used the cleaning utility and it almost just makes it worse.
> 
> I have no idea how to physically clean the print head if that's even
> the problem.
> 
> 
> Is this an easy fix or am I screwed?
> 
> thanks
> 
> Tim
>

I do not know if this has any bearing on your problem or not but for what it is worth.

My 1280 was having a very bad black over-spray and a shift to cyan.  At the suggestion of an CIS supplier, I took an empty ink/cleaner cartridge and filled it with Windex. I used a black purge print. You can take a step wedge and crop the max D section to create a black purge. I ran this several times and then installed the black ink cartridge and Volta..The black over-spray was cleared as well as the cyan cast.
You may have a clogged ink jet. 
See:

http://efillink.com/public/viewtopic.php?t=21

This worked on my 2400 as well

Good luck.

Charlie

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tim Timmermans 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 4:35 PM
  Subject: [Digital BW] Why?


  My 1280 has been working great...until my big show of course. Suddenly
  it started printing a black squiggly line horizontally across the
  photo about 1/8 down from the top on a horizontal image.

  The squiggly line also appears vertically on text printing from word
  files.

  I tried several different ink carts.

  I've used the cleaning utility and it almost just makes it worse.

  I have no idea how to physically clean the print head if that's even
  the problem.

  Is this an easy fix or am I screwed?

  thanks

  Tim



   


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Tim,
 
I suggest you post this question on the Epson printer forum.  There is a
gentleman there named Arthur Entlich who is fantastic at solving
questions like this.  I have a 1280 that had one jet that was randomly
firing the entire width of the paper.  He correctly identified it as a
bad head, pointed me to www.compassmicro.com where I could buy a new
print head, and told me about maintenance program to perform the
necessary factory tests.  I installed the head, replaced the ink pads at
the same time, reset the ink counter per the factory repair manual
purchased on eBay, and I was off and running with a "new" printer.  
 
Bob
 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]