# Lines when printing



## dazziep (Sep 30, 2012)

Hi,

I have recently decided to add sublimation printing to my services and gone out and bought a cheap epson xp-212 and a CISS system.

I've followed the instructions, purged, cleaned the nozzles, aligned my print heads... everything I could possibly do and whatever I do I can't seem to get rid of these lines..

I've attached image to show what I'm getting...

has anyone got any ideas??

Cheers

Daz


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## ole Jobe (Jun 16, 2009)

Looks like you've answered you question: a cheap printer. Some low end printers just aren't designed to do high end work. If you plan on doing any volume of quality work, a used Epson 1100 or 1400, or the current model, 1430, shouldn't be prohibitively expensive. God Bless.


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## skdave (Apr 11, 2008)

Your issue is called banding . . You will waste a lot of ink cleaning to try to fix it.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

dazziep said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have recently decided to add sublimation printing to my services and gone out and bought a cheap epson xp-212 and a CISS system.
> 
> ...


 Your CIS might need to be primed if you haven't done that. It removes air bubbles from the system. This is a common reason for banding and head cleaning and alignment won't resolve that. Consult your CIS vendor.

For future reference you should keep OEM Epson carts and swap those out for troubleshooting. It let's you isolate issues, for example are the heads really clogged and causing problem or does CIS the reason for the banding.


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## Mdrake (Aug 2, 2013)

I had tons of problems with this when I first began printing. I realized after countless testing that my CIS was the problem.

I honestly didn't want to try another one so I ended up getting refillable cartridges instead. It's been MUCH less of a headache doing it this way.


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## dazziep (Sep 30, 2012)

Cheers all for your responses..
@ole Jobe
yeah I know it's a cheap printer, but I'm a bit skint at the moment and wanted to learn the ropes before splashing out on a really good machine..

Still I don't think the printer is the problem.. it prints fine with normal cartridges in and I don't see it being needed just yet for high end work.. just a few cups now and then 
@skdave
yeah your right.. I've cleaned it loads and I can see my ink levels going down  and that stuffs not cheap.
@mgparrish
I have primed it twice, but still not 100% sure I've done it right.. 1st time it had loads of air bubbles in the tubes and I had rubber bungs blocking the air holes and second time I installed the air filters and did it again and this seemed to clear the air bubbles.. do you think I should do it again?? I guess it wouldn't hurt..
@Mdrake
oh dear.. that doesn't sound too promising.. I hope I don't have to give in as I quite like the idea of the CISS, it's just a pain 

again thanks all

Daz


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## Mdrake (Aug 2, 2013)

dazziep said:


> Cheers all for your responses..
> 
> @ole Jobe
> yeah I know it's a cheap printer, but I'm a bit skint at the moment and wanted to learn the ropes before splashing out on a really good machine..
> ...



dazziep...if you get it right with this CISS, I say stick with it. It becomes a bit annoying refilling the ink every 2-3 days with the refillables, although it only takes a maximum of 3 minutes unless I'm having a bad day (took at least an hr when I first did it though).

It's much more efficient to fill up your CISS just once in a while. The only reason I didn't try other CISS systems was because of the price. I bought 2 of the hotzone360 ones and when they worked they were fine, but when they didn't, it was hell. When I get the time, money, and volume in sales, I'll have to find a better company to buy it from.


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## dazziep (Sep 30, 2012)

Last night I took the CISS out, 
took out the air filters (2 of which were upside down.. I guess that didn't help),
put them back the right way, 
purged it again,
put it back in, 
cleaned the heads(again),
print....

and.... woo hoo, no banding.. 

I'm hoping that's it it's fixed, but I get a feeling that it was a one off and next time I print it will be back to normal.. I'll let you know how I get on


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