What do I do If...

• + - I have Banding?
  • + - Light Banding?
    • Check the Nozzle Test Print.  
      Are there any missing nozzles?
      • + - Yes
        • + - Have the printer perform the
          self cleaning function 2 or 3
          times till all nozzles are recovered
          • If cleanings alone don't
            clear up the nozzles, soak t
            he printhead followed by
            printer cleaning.
          • With all the nozzles recovered,
            has the banding gone away?
            • + - Yes?
              • Great!  Get back to making money.
            • + - No
              • Decrease Feed adjustment Calibration
      • + - No
        • Decrease the Feed Adjustment Calibration
  • + - Dark Banding?

    • Increase the Feed Adjustment  Calibration

      Check heater settings as too high of heat
      under the platen (print area) can cause
      banding as well.  If you suspect this, try
      turning off the heater and letting the
      printer cool down to see if the banding
      continues.

  • + - Alternating Dark and Light Banding?

    • The first thing to do in this case is to perform the Bi-Directional
      Calibration for your printer.  Sometimes this will eliminate or at
      least reduce the effect to an acceptable level.  If it doesn't, then
      you'll have to switch to Uni-Directional printing.  There's always
      a trade off between speed and quality.

• + - I see drips in my print?
  • + - Drips are usually
    caused by a fiber
    on the bottom of
    the printhead.
    • + - Perform 2-3 Printhead
      cleaning cycles from
      the control panel.

      • If drips persist, examine
        the bottom of the printhead
        with a flashlight to see if
        there are any stray fibers
        under the printhead.  
        Carefully (do not touch the
        nozzle plate with the tweezers -
        avoid touching the nozzle
        plate with the swabs) remove
        any that you find with a swab or
        pair of tweezers.

• + - There's a halo or misting around my prints?
  • + - The halo is left and/or right
    (carriage or Y-axis) of the printed
    objects

    • This type of halo effect indicates that
      the bi-directional or head to head
      calibrations need to be performed.

  • + - The halo is on the top and bottom
    (paper movement or x-axis) of the
    printed objects

    • This type of halo effect indicates that
      the heads are not lined up with each
      other vertically.  This type of adjustment
      should be performed by a trained
      technician.  
      Please call Denco Tech Support for help.  
      888-336-8323

  • + - The halo surrounds the printed
    objects on all sides
    • + - This type of halo effect
      usually indicates that
      there are misdirected nozzles.

      • Have the printer perform the
        self cleaning function 2 or 3
        times till all nozzles are recovered     
        If cleanings alone don't  clear up
        the misting or halo effect, soak
        the printhead followed by  printer cleaning.     

• + - I get head strikes?

  • + - Head strikes occur when
    the media wrinkles or cockles
    enough that the printheads
    drag across the media
    when printing

    • Is the temperature set too high
      for the media being printed on?
      Test this out by running a print with
      the heaters turned down to 35c or
      lower.  Does this eliminate the wrinkling?

      • + - yes

        • + - Gradually increase the temperature
          of the preheater and the platen heater.  
          If you get head strikes again, go back
          down 5 degrees.  This is the optimum
          Temp for the media you are printing on.

          • Humidity can also be a factor
            related to heat on paper liners.  
            If the paper liner has absorbed
            moisture from the atmosphere,
            it is more likely to expand
            and cause headstrikes.
            Check the evironmental conditions
            of the printer area and media storage
            area.  It is a good idea to let media
            acclimate to the printer environment for
            a day before printing if possible - especially
            in the summer and winter when extremes
            in temperatures can be found in the backs
            of delivery vehicles.

      • + - no
        • + - The printer may have some malfunction
          • + - The supply roller could be misaligned.

            • Make sure that the media is
              loaded evenly and that there
              is even tension across the
              width of the incoming media.
              Make sure that this tension
              remains constant thoughout
              the print job.
              Try rolling off enough media
              to run the job and see if the
              wrinkling goes away.

          • + - One or more pinch wheels
            may be defective or misadjusted

            • Check all pinchrollers in the
              raised position and make
              sure that they roll freely.
              If they don't contact Denco Tech
              Support - 888-336-8323

        • + - The media may be defective

          • This is unusual, but happens from
            time to time. Examine the roll for
            obvious defects like wrinkled corners
            (indicating a drop) or puckers and
            wrinkles that are obvious even
            before the media is unrolled.
            Contact the media vendor's customer
            service.