# Ink Not Drying



## Kazzx (Jun 26, 2014)

Hello people....

I am running a Epson WF-7110 with the Cobra Ink CIS. Paper is TexPrint XPHR. 

Recently the ink has not been drying before it hits the little rollers on top at exit. The rollers are picking up ink and is causing little dots in a strait line all the way down the sheet of paper. Tried to talk to Richard at Cobra and he said it may be my paper and to get something else or its the weather. Ive used this paper for a year and never had this problem during any kind of weather. And it get huuuuuuumid in Mississippi. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

Example on scrap fabric.


----------



## Viper Graphics (Mar 28, 2009)

Kazzx said:


> Hello people....
> 
> I am running a Epson WF-7110 with the Cobra Ink CIS. Paper is TexPrint XPHR.
> 
> ...


Hi Billy, I have the same machine and ink but use the refillable carts instead of the CIS, I also have used several types of paper including having run a couple hundred of the TexPrint XPHR last week with no problems....So many questions come to mind though....first one being have you changed your print settings/cobra profile that may have you laying down more ink than usual?...


----------



## john221us (Nov 29, 2015)

Kazzx said:


> Hello people....
> 
> I am running a Epson WF-7110 with the Cobra Ink CIS. Paper is TexPrint XPHR.
> 
> ...


Hmm, I hadn't put two and two together, but I have been getting some dots on the last few batches. These are mugs, so it isn't as obvious, just some residual ink at the edge of the page and then more recently, I had one print that looked more like yours. It is warming up here and maybe that is it. We don't have much humidity in Sacramento. Also, I did just recently refill with some new ink bottles and it might have started after that (refillable cartridges, not CIS). I use Cobra as well.


----------



## chamberlain (Apr 30, 2017)

Kazzx said:


> Hello people....
> 
> I am running a Epson WF-7110 with the Cobra Ink CIS. Paper is TexPrint XPHR.
> 
> ...


Hi Kazzx,

I have same problem with my printer before. Try to check what kind of paper you are using. If you are using a somehow glossy paper try printing on a bond paper first Then compare it to what you are using now. If you encountered same problem with the bond paper try to check the ink waste. Maybe its full.

Regards,


----------



## Dekzion (May 18, 2015)

This was covered some months ago. But I can't remember what the solution was. Hopefully Mike is reading this and can advise.


----------



## john221us (Nov 29, 2015)

In my case, I don't think it is the paper. I am using the same transfer paper. I could turn off saturation, but I am finally getting good colors.


----------



## Kazzx (Jun 26, 2014)

Its a brand new printer so waste gate isn't the issue. Its like it just started out of nowhere. Hopefully Mike will chime in.

Another thing i don't understand is why does it lay down all 4 ink colors on a black only print. Why not just use black ink?


----------



## Dekzion (May 18, 2015)

Aha, I can answer that one. because black is made up of very dark something, usually red or blue and the programme recognises that, and adds colours together including a splodge of black.
If you just need black you'll have to export or save as greyscale.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> Hello people....
> 
> I am running a Epson WF-7110 with the Cobra Ink CIS. Paper is TexPrint XPHR.
> 
> ...


This is a bit of a known problem.

If you are using "Premium Presentation Matte" setting on the Epson driver this will lay down more ink than the "Plain paper/Inkjet paper setting" (or whatever it is called I'm not at my home computer).

Try the plain paper setting and then turn of "High speed printing" option in the Epson driver.

If in doing this and you are getting too weak of a black then perhaps you are using the older ink. The latest ink with the latest profile solved this for some.

Printing at a higher resolution will also slow down the printer giving it more time for the ink to dry.

You also have to resolve (clean) the inks off those rollers otherwise you fix the problem but the residual ink still remains.

Just print a few characters enough to get a paper thru the printer with cheap paper and keep repeating until the lines are gone. You might also have to get in there and clean as well.

Also, try the rear feeder.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> Its a brand new printer so waste gate isn't the issue. Its like it just started out of nowhere. Hopefully Mike will chime in.
> 
> Another thing i don't understand is why does it lay down all 4 ink colors on a black only print. Why not just use black ink?


Anything other than RGB 0,0,0 will result in a composite black, unless you force grayscale B/W printing in the Epson driver, which will kill CMY and only use the K inks.


----------



## Kazzx (Jun 26, 2014)

We are using Cobra 4.1 Inks and what ever profile Richard sent me last year, seems to be the same one they show online. 

I know its not the norm but I have had a steady flow of issues from this Cobra set up. The support guys Brad and Richard are great and are always helpful but seems I have had issues out of the box. This is my second CIS system (they replaced a faulty one) and am on my 2nd Epson WF-7110 (my pocket). This new setup is only a week old and here we go again. Its not just the rollers, Cyan started dying out out mid print and cannot get the lower right Cyan on the pattern test to get right no matter what I do (prime and reprime the cartridge, clean the head multiple times, blow the head out, wipe the head, etc. 

I know Cobra makes a good product and have great customer service. Which is why it makes it more aggravating to me.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> We are using Cobra 4.1 Inks and what ever profile Richard sent me last year, seems to be the same one they show online.
> 
> I know its not the norm but I have had a steady flow of issues from this Cobra set up. The support guys Brad and Richard are great and are always helpful but seems I have had issues out of the box. This is my second CIS system (they replaced a faulty one) and am on my 2nd Epson WF-7110 (my pocket). This new setup is only a week old and here we go again. Its not just the rollers, Cyan started dying out out mid print and cannot get the lower right Cyan on the pattern test to get right no matter what I do (prime and reprime the cartridge, clean the head multiple times, blow the head out, wipe the head, etc.
> 
> I know Cobra makes a good product and have great customer service. Which is why it makes it more aggravating to me.


Check your capping station, even though the printer is new it could be that doing a lot of head cleans has gunked up the capping station pads and cleaning the head on top and underneath won't solve that as the issue could be the capping station just gunks up the head again underneath when parked. So you can use 50/50 Simple green and distilled water to clear the pad.

For all new users I always recommend refillable carts and not CIS.

Put in your OEM carts and see if your heads go to good nozzles again.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> We are using Cobra 4.1 Inks and what ever profile Richard sent me last year, seems to be the same one they show online.
> 
> I know its not the norm but I have had a steady flow of issues from this Cobra set up. The support guys Brad and Richard are great and are always helpful but seems I have had issues out of the box. This is my second CIS system (they replaced a faulty one) and am on my 2nd Epson WF-7110 (my pocket). This new setup is only a week old and here we go again. Its not just the rollers, Cyan started dying out out mid print and cannot get the lower right Cyan on the pattern test to get right no matter what I do (prime and reprime the cartridge, clean the head multiple times, blow the head out, wipe the head, etc.
> 
> I know Cobra makes a good product and have great customer service. Which is why it makes it more aggravating to me.


Thinking on this a bit.

The ink change was for the K Black, it didn't solve the pizza wheel problem leaving the ink artifacts. Recalling when this first came up the solution was to reduce the printer speed and/or the paper type setting from Premium Presentation Matte paper to Regular inkjet paper to reduce the amount of ink laid down. 

But the problem was the black was not very dense at this setting so as I recall Cobra boosted the black density and did a new profile in the latest version of the inks so that the black was improved at the lower ink saturation.


----------



## Viper Graphics (Mar 28, 2009)

mgparrish said:


> Thinking on this a bit.
> 
> The ink change was for the K Black, it didn't solve the pizza wheel problem leaving the ink artifacts. Recalling when this first came up the solution was to reduce the printer speed and/or the paper type setting from Premium Presentation Matte paper to Regular inkjet paper to reduce the amount of ink laid down.
> 
> But the problem was the black was not very dense at this setting so as I recall Cobra boosted the black density and did a new profile in the latest version of the inks so that the black was improved at the lower ink saturation.


That would seem to make sense, but I use the Premium Presentation Matte paper settings all the time because I get better results. I tried using plain white paper, and took off high speed so it would maybe put a little more ink down but I was never satisfied with the saturation..... Crossing fingers, I have been using for over a year now and never this problem....(gotta get lucky on something)


----------



## beerrubio (Dec 20, 2016)

I agree that it is a capping station issue.


----------



## djque (Feb 5, 2013)

Looks like you need to clean the inside where the paper slides out at.that where that comes from or at least when I had them lines from the paper not flat.


----------



## Kazzx (Jun 26, 2014)

Sorry for my ignorance...is this the capping station pad?


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> Sorry for my ignorance...is this the capping station pad?



Yes. It looks gunked up too. These need cleaning on a routine basis.


----------



## Kazzx (Jun 26, 2014)

mgparrish said:


> Yes. It looks gunked up too. These need cleaning on a routine basis.



So i just use 50/50 simple green/water and squirt it on there and let it drain to the waste tank?


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> So i just use 50/50 simple green/water and squirt it on there and let it drain to the waste tank?


Yes, the water should be distilled water.

You can use a syringe without a needle to help apply the solution, let it soak down and keep repeating until the pad is clear.

If you move the printer to the park position (like you're changing carts) then put the power plug the carriage will be free. While you're cleaning the pads you can place a folded bounty towel soaked with the solution and place under the print heads as well. It will clear underneath the print head.


----------



## adriatic (May 5, 2011)

Kazzx said:


> So i just use 50/50 simple green/water and squirt it on there and let it drain to the waste tank?


Please could you send us your test image again after this cleaning.

Please Please

Do not run a way.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> So i just use 50/50 simple green/water and squirt it on there and let it drain to the waste tank?



Note that cleaning the capping station will not fix your pizza wheel issue.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

mgparrish said:


> Note that cleaning the capping station will not fix your pizza wheel issue.


One mistake people make with CIS is that repeated head cleans just make the problem worse, hence your capping station will gunk up and then gunk up underneath the print head.

The problem is that poor vacuum or in a CIS line or a cart will appear as the same symptoms as clogged nozzle(s) do. So people naturally think it's clogged heads, but exasperate the problem by keeping cleaning the print heads. The issue with the CIS must be resolved first.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> So i just use 50/50 simple green/water and squirt it on there and let it drain to the waste tank?


Also, I would suggest once you are cleaned that you pop in a cart of OEM carts to see if the print head nozzles are clear if you have any issue with nozzles printing with the CIS.


----------



## Kazzx (Jun 26, 2014)

I am going to let the waste pads soak overnight and try again tomorrow. I tried to soak them in the solution a few times and Cyan still won't pull through right. 

This thing is driving me insane and want to throw it in the middle of the parking lot.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> I am going to let the waste pads soak overnight and try again tomorrow. I tried to soak them in the solution a few times and Cyan still won't pull through right.
> 
> This thing is driving me insane and want to throw it in the middle of the parking lot.


Everything has to be clean, but if CIS if the problem due to vacuum or incorrect setup you can clean till the cows come home and still will have bad nozzles.

*Highly suggest you use OEM carts for troubleshooting. *

That eliminates the CIS. Simplify when you troubleshoot.


----------



## Signature Series (Jun 11, 2016)

Kazzx said:


> I am going to let the waste pads soak overnight and try again tomorrow. I tried to soak them in the solution a few times and Cyan still won't pull through right.
> 
> This thing is driving me insane and want to throw it in the middle of the parking lot.


CIS was designed by ink resellers to increase sales as you will use 5X the ink just trying to keep it working. Refillable cartridges will suit most people much better.


----------



## Kazzx (Jun 26, 2014)

Signature Series said:


> CIS was designed by ink resellers to increase sales as you will use 5X the ink just trying to keep it working. Refillable cartridges will suit most people much better.


I am starting to think you are right. Nothing but issues.


----------



## Kazzx (Jun 26, 2014)

Here is the pattern with the stock cartridges and one head cleaning after soaking the waste pads over night. Still no Cyan.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> Here is the pattern with the stock cartridges and one head cleaning after soaking the waste pads over night. Still no Cyan.



At this point it could be either the cyan print head is damaged or here is a true clog in the cyan head.

The print head can be damaged by doing too many head cleans over a short period of time, probably you originally had vacuum issues with the CIS and if that wasn't resolved then if you tried a lot of head cleaning it gunked up the waste pad and clogged the head from underneath.

Watch this video first ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUysQFDH6u0


1. Do the waste pad clean and also the saturated paper towel under the print head cleaning first. It has the least risk. The video pitches their cleaning solution but the 50/50 solution is fine for this cleaning

2. Check the printer for good nozzles with the OEM carts.

3. If that doesn't work then you need to inject a cleaning fluid designed for print heads to proceed. Here you will inject the print head from the top reservoir with the carts pulled. The video shows how and any cleaning fluid designed for cleaning inkjet print heads is OK. This is really the last resort fix you can do, so only do this if nothing else works, you can't force the cleaner thru the head, it has to be done slowly when pulling down the syringe.

4. If that doesn't work then looks to be damaged print heads, either from too much air sucking thru the heads from the poor CIS vacuum or too many head cleans in a short period of time but the root cause was from the poor CIS vacuum. 

As I mentioned before, CIS vacuum issues look like clogs but aren't. But when you go to do the head cleaning thinking that is the problem (which isn't the problem) you eventually could have a clog from underneath since the inks coagulate at the capping station if not given time to soak down or if not cleaned out. 

So you do end up really clogging the printer from the underneath, you end up with 2 problems if the CIS vacuum isn't corrected. You shouldn't do more than 2 - 3 head cleans over a period of a few hours.

My 2 cents ... CIS suck.


----------



## Signature Series (Jun 11, 2016)

mgparrish said:


> My 2 cents ... CIS suck.


100% correct. I am not sure how the ink resellers sleep at night selling that garbage. They clearly know after all these years that for the great majority of people it is a disaster.


----------



## Kazzx (Jun 26, 2014)

I blew 2 35ml syringes of the liquid through the cyan print head into the paper towels and gave the under carriage a rub a dub dub while it was saturated. Cleaned the heads two times and it started flowing right with the stock cartridges. Switched to CIS and had to clean the head once to get it going. So far have had x20 13 by 19 sheets printed through it with no color issues.

I have no idea why a one week old machine with a brand new Cobra CIS system would gunk up the head within 4 days BUT am guessing something got in there. ill be sure to soak the pads every other weekend or so from here on out. Probably going to switch to refillable cartridges once I get my production log back on schedule.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Kazzx said:


> I blew 2 35ml syringes of the liquid through the cyan print head into the paper towels and gave the under carriage a rub a dub dub while it was saturated. Cleaned the heads two times and it started flowing right with the stock cartridges. Switched to CIS and had to clean the head once to get it going. So far have had x20 13 by 19 sheets printed through it with no color issues.
> 
> I have no idea why a one week old machine with a brand new Cobra CIS system would gunk up the head within 4 days BUT am guessing something got in there. ill be sure to soak the pads every other weekend or so from here on out. Probably going to switch to refillable cartridges once I get my production log back on schedule.


Multiple head cleans depositing on the waste pads from trying to clear a CIS "bubble" will gunk up a brand new machine real fast from underneath, I'm sure that is what happened. The good news is that your heads are OK.

Often you need to do the pad cleaning and underneath the print head as part of a preventative maintenance routine. Don't inject into the print head except only as a last resort, that shouldn't be part of your preventative maintenance.


----------

