On Sun, 2 Dec 2001 17:55:27 -0600, you wrote: >Hi, I am having an ongoing issue with my Epson C80 printer, and >am hoping that perhaps someone can help me determine the >problem. >Please see: >http://www.accesscomm.ca/users/wrobb/Artifact1.jpg > >The part circled in red is the problem. >Thanks >William Robb >-
Well, there's no red or blue in 45% black, which is the basic problem. Take a look at the shutter curtain on an LX. Ain't no red there, just good old 18% black... or is it 82% black... hmmm... Anyway, my guess is some sort of printer failure, which intermittently causes the head to fail to fire. If it was my printer, I'd be on the phone to Epson in a heartbeat. In my experience, Epson gives great customer service for their printers. Give them a call - they'll most likely walk you through a decent diagnostic, then if the problem still exists offer a replacement. Be sure to tell them you are using Epson inks and Epson paper (and maybe even use Epson inks and paper for the diagnostic routine.) And don't forget a good knock on the cabinet cures lots of machinery malfunctions. Read on for more silliness: I've been using a pretty good Epson inkjet for several years. Common problems in the image (in no particular order) are: 1. Paper: Crud/grease/impact damage/fingerprints/bad coating/coating incompatible with inkset. 2. Head failure (can't be fixed by cleaning - has to be fixed by Epson). 3. Dirty head (lint and such - using a cleaning sheet or just printing some test sheets clears up the problem). 4. "Clogged" head - using the printer's cleaning routine can help (but if it is really clogged, it becomes #2 Head Failure). 5. Voids, scratches, or smears caused by transport problems - usually very regular in pattern, and can be traced to a roller or other mechanical part of the transport mechanism). 6. Data loss - mysterious voids and patterns which are sometimes unfathomable, often small, and often almost but not quite regular enough to suggest transport smearing. My solution is to go back to the original scan, re-save it, sometimes at a slightly different resolution, and sometimes print from a different computer with more RAM. 7. Cheese and sneeze. Yep, that's what I said. Both invisible and ink-repellant. 8. Spitting heads - just like it sounds, only smaller. Sometimes (usually) it quits spitting all by itself or after a cleaning routine. 9. Operator error. Sometimes those big red spots on my print were on the original neg and scan, but I didn't notice them until I examined the print. -- John Mustarde - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .