# white areas are turning pink



## racewayphoto (Feb 7, 2010)

I am printing black and white images on mouse pads. 400 degrees for 60 seconds. The white areas are pink. What is the problem and what can I do to solve this?


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## racewayphoto (Feb 7, 2010)

AS far as black and white, these are only black and white, no shades of gray. Looks as if the black is bleeding out into the white areas.


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## racewayphoto (Feb 7, 2010)

After a bunch of testing, I got it to work. Tried changing time, temp and pressure and nothing worked. Changed the color settings of the file. Set it to a monochrome image in Photoshop (black and white only) Still getting the pink tint. Ended up changing the printer settings. Changed it from printing with color to black ink only. That was what worked.


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## racewayphoto (Feb 7, 2010)

I thought that fixed the problem, but not quite. Instead of getting black and white, I am getting very dark brown and white (but no pink). Back to the drawing board.


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## RSNJ19 (Apr 15, 2011)

Did you try running a full cleaning on your printer head?


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## racewayphoto (Feb 7, 2010)

Nozzle check is just fine. What it looks like is happening when printing in color mode is either the magenta or light magenta print nozzle is leaking or not closing all the way. I can't see and ink on the sublimation paper, but there is pink streaking on the final product. I attached two pics. Pink is a little hard to see but the mug I just did OMG the image on the paper looked fine at first to the human eye. But the pink after sublimating is ridiculous.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

racewayphoto said:


> Nozzle check is just fine. What it looks like is happening when printing in color mode is either the magenta or light magenta print nozzle is leaking or not closing all the way. I can't see and ink on the sublimation paper, but there is pink streaking on the final product. I attached two pics. Pink is a little hard to see but the mug I just did OMG the image on the paper looked fine at first to the human eye. But the pink after sublimating is ridiculous.


If this is an Epson, try this ... _carefully_. 

Refer to only the first part of the article and you can ignore anything else once it gets to the part "Cleaning a clogged CIS aka bulk ink system:"

The windex pad will remove any junk that is traveling with your printhead.

Cleaning Epson Print Heads and CIS aka Bulk Ink System

You should also clean the wastepad as well, blot it with a windex pad.


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## racewayphoto (Feb 7, 2010)

Yes, it is an Epson 9600. I finally got it to work correctly. Did another nozzle check and everything looked good. I had a mouse pad image that is about 90% pink, red and magenta colors. I printed out a couple of those images and went back to my black and white images and all was good finally. My thinking was there was something causing the magenta nozzles to not close properly so I figured I would overwork these nozzles and break it free. Seemed to work. Will still look at your link. THANKS!!


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

racewayphoto said:


> Yes, it is an Epson 9600. I finally got it to work correctly. Did another nozzle check and everything looked good. I had a mouse pad image that is about 90% pink, red and magenta colors. I printed out a couple of those images and went back to my black and white images and all was good finally. My thinking was there was something causing the magenta nozzles to not close properly so I figured I would overwork these nozzles and break it free. Seemed to work. Will still look at your link. THANKS!!


That link is for Epson Desktop. So not applicable. I have a 4880 that is designed more like the 9600 but never had the problems you mention.

You need to search (or ask a wide format dealer) how to do on your large format printe for future reference.


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## racewayphoto (Feb 7, 2010)

I've never had this problem until this weekend. Have a big order to be ready for next weekend and everything went to crap. Was hoping it wasn't the print head going bad. That would have been about a $500 repair.


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## dt (Aug 12, 2007)

It happen to me two times in 5 years

I opened my image in photoshop
took the color tool and the background was
a little pink and don't know why

but changed it and it was perfect.

I don't know if it's your problem but tried to help.

DT


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## RSNJ19 (Apr 15, 2011)

I had the same problem you describe on a R1900 this past summer. Only I would describe my problem as a rust color appearing in the white areas when I sublimated. It is just as you said, the image was perfectly white in Photoshop. Nor could you see any discoloration with the eye on the transfer paper. However when it came off the heat press, some (not all) portions of the white area looked, as I said, rusty. 


At first I thought the heat press was overheating and causing the material I was sublimating onto to burn. I tried everything I could think of with the heat press but could find no fix.


When I did a standard nozzle check on the printer everything looked good so I couldn’t imagine it was a fault with the printer. But when I did a deep cleaning cycle the R1900 prints a more
elaborate print pattern. It was than that I could see some gaps in the print (not many but a few).


Finally I ran three deep cleaning cycles to clean the print head and the problem went away.
I don’t understand why gaps in the print pattern (signaling some blocked print nozzles) would effect the white areas which is not supposed to have any ink deposited. But cleaning the head did the trick.


I am certain this was the problem because about a month and a half later it happened again. This
time I knew what to do. I did a head cleaning and again everything was fine. 


I bring the problem on myself because I don’t run enough prints thru my printer often enough to avoid clogged print heads.


I hope this helps anyone who may experience this phenomenon


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

RSNJ19 said:


> I had the same problem you describe on a R1900 this past summer. Only I would describe my problem as a rust color appearing in the white areas when I sublimated. It is just as you said, the image was perfectly white in Photoshop. Nor could you see any discoloration with the eye on the transfer paper. However when it came off the heat press, some (not all) portions of the white area looked, as I said, rusty.
> 
> 
> At first I thought the heat press was overheating and causing the material I was sublimating onto to burn. I tried everything I could think of with the heat press but could find no fix.
> ...


Sometimes blocked nozzles are like what happens when you take a running garden hose and put your thumb over the end constricting the stream and you get a spray effect.


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## RSNJ19 (Apr 15, 2011)

mgparrish said:


> Sometimes blocked nozzles are like what happens when you take a running garden hose and put your thumb over the end constricting the stream and you get a spray effect.


 
Thanks mgparrish, What you describe makes perfect sense. That explains exactly what I was experiencing.


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## racewayphoto (Feb 7, 2010)

Went to do some more printing and the pink streaking is back with a MAJOR vengeance. No matter I have tried it won't go away. I think I did about 6 power cleanings, did a head alignment adjustment, printed the 'mostly magenta' prints I did the last time that cleared it up, checked the nozzle check pattern several times and it looks PERFECT. I don't know what to do!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can anyone do some printing for me cheap so I can get some product made.


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