# Need help, how to clean foggy printhead? (picture)



## danbeaulieu (Oct 7, 2012)

Hey everyone,

I was printing beautifully last night, wiped the machine down. Woke up and my underbase is almost non-existent.
I've been at it for hours... so far i've tried.

1. Cleaning sides of Printead with windex
2. Head Cleaning (ink)
3. Clean capping station & tube
4. Nozzle Checks (looks ok)
5. Head Cleaning (HD Solution)
6. Ink Charge

All with no improvement, so I pulled the head off and this is how it looks.

Any advice?


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## shughey (Jul 22, 2010)

Just a qucik clarification.

You said your white underbase is weak?

However you said your nozzle check is fine. SO.....all 3 of your white ink channels have a 100% good nozzle check?


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## danbeaulieu (Oct 7, 2012)

shughey said:


> Just a qucik clarification.
> 
> You said your white underbase is weak?
> 
> However you said your nozzle check is fine. SO.....all 3 of your white ink channels have a 100% good nozzle check?


Thanks for your response,

Exactly. I have done several nozzle checks and I have all 3 white boxes. I think for some reason they are just being inhibited somehow, perhaps by the white ink on the head's surface.

Also I should mention I have tried on several different types of garments using the same pretreatment method I was using last night which went well.


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## danbeaulieu (Oct 7, 2012)

Here's a composite image of whats my last print looked like along with the capping station during my print. 

Notice there are white bands on the capping station, although they seem a bit narrower than usual.

This is a new printhead so I am kind of at a loss.


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## shughey (Jul 22, 2010)

O.k. Have you actually let the print head soak in a shallow bath to try and loosen the white ink. You would only need a few mm of solution in a shallow dish.

Then try a foam swab to wipe the ink off. Unless it is hard dried on there you should be able to get that off without further damage to the head.

It is entirely possible that the white ink issue on the shirt has nothing to do with the splattering on the head...but certainly need to get it off first.

Maybe what is causing your poor ink flow is causing the splattering too...verses the other way around. That is possible.

It is odd that you get a good solid nozzle check but not a good white ink layer.
Now....does it start to lay down a solid underbase and then quickly fade off or is it a weak underbase to begin with ( ink starvation verses....not).

Possible you have an ink restriction somewhere that allows enough white ink to do a good nozzle check but not a good print.

Have you tried a nozzle check immediately after you do an actual print? If not try and see what the nozzle check looks like. You could do just an all white print and not color....see how well it lays the white down and if it is weak...do an immediate nozzle check.

If that is good...not to be a tardo but...you did not accidently change any settings in the RIP on the density or percentage of white ink underbase?
Always look at the simple and obvious first..


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## shughey (Jul 22, 2010)

danbeaulieu said:


> Here's a composite image of whats my last print looked like along with the capping station during my print.
> 
> Notice there are white bands on the capping station, although they seem a bit narrower than usual.
> 
> This is a new printhead so I am kind of at a loss.


Well the capping station looks like poop. Is that after a head cleaning etc....or did you just move the head away while the power was off. There is alot of ink in the capping station!!!
There is alot of ink around the rubber seals...that all needs to be clean and free of ink. You need a new capping station...also you need to see why it is so wet with ink...even mid cycle of a head cleaning it sucks the ink clear almost immediately. Unless there is a pump issue.....or..another cause is iff the little hose from the pump fell off the bottom of the capping station.

But that ink issue...is an issue.

After a head cleaning cycle the faom in the capping station should not be wet with ink....it will be stained with the color but not wet.

Now the print on the shirt, to me, looks like two problems. 

First it looks like a poor pretreat issue....there is a flaky look to the underbase and it is less dense on the right side then the left. If the ink was starving you should see it top to bottom usually.

Second may be an ink issue but until the pretreat layer is better hard to say on the ink. 

Now I say pretreat because unless you had a bad or old batch of white ink it would be pretreat methodology that would cause that flaky look or scaly look to the underbase.
Could be preatreat not layed down properly...not enough....or could be during curing....like pulling the pretreat off the shirt etc. by too much pressure...or maybe wrong type of parchment sheets? Could be a few things I am just saying.

But to me..looks like not enough pretreat...or an inconsistent amount layed down. But whatever looks like pretreat issue.


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## shughey (Jul 22, 2010)

Oh...I would look at the wiper blade. It should have been able to wipe that white off the head ( unless that is some other thank ink).

The blade may be old...worn...or usually...caked with dried ink. All keep it from wiping the head clean.
I have seen so many crazy printing issues from poor wipers, dripping inks, bad capping stations etc. Simple things causing weirdo issues.
Scott


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## danbeaulieu (Oct 7, 2012)

shughey said:


> Well the capping station looks like poop. Is that after a head cleaning etc....or did you just move the head away while the power was off. There is alot of ink in the capping station!!!
> There is alot of ink around the rubber seals...that all needs to be clean and free of ink. You need a new capping station...also you need to see why it is so wet with ink...even mid cycle of a head cleaning it sucks the ink clear almost immediately. Unless there is a pump issue.....or..another cause is iff the little hose from the pump fell off the bottom of the capping station.
> 
> But that ink issue...is an issue.
> ...



The capping station looks like "poop" because I had JUST plunged the tube clear and when I placed the reservoir behind the Tjet I accidentally pinched the line and caused a temporary overflow which I chose not to prioritize cleaning as I had bigger issues to attend to. The reason it looks "wet" is, like I said, because I took the picture while it was printing and the head had JUST visited the capping station. I wanted to catch it in mid print to give everyone the best idea of what was going on.

As for the pretreat I am following a pretreat guide I found on this forum. 1. shake and then heat shirt for 8 seconds at 330. 2. spray pretreatment in a side to side motion taking about 3 seconds a pass. 3. Place shirt on platen matt and use a bristle brush to lay down fibers and spread pretreatment. 4. press shirt for 12 seconds with non-stick paper, remove paper and hit for 8 seconds. Print

Perhaps I need to shake my pretreatment up real well.


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## danbeaulieu (Oct 7, 2012)

@shughey Also I haven't tried soaking the head in a dish of shallow cleaning solution yet.

How long should I soak it for and is Equipment Zones HD Cleaning Solution ok?

Thanks for your help btw!


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## shughey (Jul 22, 2010)

danbeaulieu said:


> @shughey Also I haven't tried soaking the head in a dish of shallow cleaning solution yet.
> 
> How long should I soak it for and is Equipment Zones HD Cleaning Solution ok?
> 
> Thanks for your help btw!


Soak for as long as it takes. The EZ solution is fine. I use Distilled water with about 10% ammonia dded to the water ( 90% distilled water and 10% ammonia) for a soak also.

Anyway the EZ is mild and won't cause a problem. Just deep enough to get the head a few mm deep but not so much that you come close to the ribbon connector.

Try soaking for 20-30 minutes and then take a foam swab and try and wipe it off. Now kind of bugger as you don't want to push that splatter into a nozzle so just a sideways swabbing.

If it takes longer than try an hour.


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## shughey (Jul 22, 2010)

Ahh...that explains the mess.....well o.k. 

As for pretreat. 

The methods recommended are a basis to go by BUT....you have to test and adjust to get it down to a perfect application.

You may do it the way it says and so would I but...each of are using a different hand sprayer...and different strokes etc.

So the guidelines are just that..a starting point.

I wrote up a way that I used to find the proper amount of pretreat to get the best coverage.

Can't find it but will write it again.

What I did was this.

I took a black shirt. I sparyed the entire printing surface with one application of pretreat. Just a tad less than recommended...and I mean just a tad.

Next I took a piece of cardboard and used it to block of the top thrid of the shirt.

Next I sprayed the bottom 2/3 of the shirt with another pass of pretreat...actually two light passes but that was me.

Next I moved the cardboard down 1/3 more so that the top 2/3 of the shirt was covered.

Now I spayed one more pass on the bottom 1/3.

Obviously I now hav 3 "zones of pretreat.

I used the brush to LIGHTLY brush the pretreat in the shirt....using one directional stroke down the shirt.

I then pressed the shirt...now obviously you have a shirt with different amounts of pretreat on the shirt so you will have to press the shirt and check when each area is dry. I had to move the shirt out of the press when the lighter top area of the shirt was dry and repressed the bottom 2/3. Not reaaly needed but did not want to scorch the shirt.

make sure you use a new sheet of parchment ( not silicone just regular quilon).

O.k.....so now you go into photoshop and create a simple white artwork that is made up of 3 white lines...or two or whatever you want. But make them run top to bottom. I made mine about 2" wide and a few inches apart.

I used wide lines as I did not want to just print a huge white block and waste ink.

So now when you print through your rip you will have 3 lines that a few inches wide and a few inches apart running top to bottom of the print area.

these lines will pass through each "zone level" of applied pretreat.

You will now DEFINATELY see what affect each level of pretreat has on the ink.

The top zone should look like poopage...the middle one should be close to perfect and bottom one should be the best.

Depending on how much you spray the middle may look great and so may the bottom in which case the amount of pretreat needed is the amount that it takes to get an even amount of whit to stick...even if the white is not laying 100% white it should still stick evenly.

Now it may be that the bottom looks best and the top and middle look less than great.

if so you may need to try a second shirt and spray the amount you did on the bottom and then increase it more down the shirt.

At some point you will see where there is no gain...and you are now simply applying too much...and you will see cracking.

Anyway...you get the point. You have to test to find out how much is perfect and how much is too little/too much.

Relying on directions on a bottle is a shot in the dark...they just get you close...but this ain't horseshoes so close don't count.

Then...you can fiddle with press pressures and times....but get the proper amount needed down first then fiddle with other things next. NEVER make multiple changes at once or you don't know what fixed what.


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## danbeaulieu (Oct 7, 2012)

So I soaked the head for 30 minutes in HD solution, a ton of ink came out including white. I put the head back in the carriage and I also shook my pretreatment up before using it this time. I used the same pretreatment method that has been successful for the past month and my underbase still looks crappy.

This head is only about 3 weeks old and I've run my machine daily since I got it.


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## danbeaulieu (Oct 7, 2012)

Well I've come to a strange conclusion and I wonder what the possibility is of this being the case. The previous night of successful printing saw the end of a bottle of pretreatment... in the morning I woke up cracked open a new jug and used it. So every test I have done has involved the contents of the new container.

So at a last ditch effort I decided to use a waste or "make ready" shirt which was sprayed a few weeks ago with the old container of pretreatment. It printed the white successfully. 

Is it possible that the new container of pretreatment is bad? I should note that i have shaken it well.


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## shughey (Jul 22, 2010)

danbeaulieu said:


> Well I've come to a strange conclusion and I wonder what the possibility is of this being the case. The previous night of successful printing saw the end of a bottle of pretreatment... in the morning I woke up cracked open a new jug and used it. So every test I have done has involved the contents of the new container.
> 
> So at a last ditch effort I decided to use a waste or "make ready" shirt which was sprayed a few weeks ago with the old container of pretreatment. It printed the white successfully.
> 
> Is it possible that the new container of pretreatment is bad? I should note that i have shaken it well.


Most definately.
Whenever something "was" working great and "then" suddenly NOT.......then you go back and look at anything that could have changed.

Since swapping to a new bottle of pretreat was changed....it could be.

Is it the exact same pretreat from the same vendor etc etc?


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## danbeaulieu (Oct 7, 2012)

Ok, I've tested the theory a few more times, seems conclusive. I ordered a new gallon of pretreatment from Equipment Zone and will be able to tell for sure.

Sucks that I didn't consider this possibility first. Although the head seems to print fine I feel like I put it through a lot of unnecessary stress. Oh well, you live you learn.

I'll report back here once I know for sure.

Thanks for your help Shughey!


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## danbeaulieu (Oct 7, 2012)

It turns out it was a bad jug of pretreatment for sure, thanks to Equipment Zone for exceeding my expectations and making this experience as painless as possible.

To make this thread useful to other newbies I'll add in closing: don't leave anything, including the possibility of a bad jug of pretreatment, out of the question.

Thanks again.


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## shughey (Jul 22, 2010)

danbeaulieu said:


> It turns out it was a bad jug of pretreatment for sure, thanks to Equipment Zone for exceeding my expectations and making this experience as painless as possible.
> 
> To make this thread useful to other newbies I'll add in closing: don't leave anything, including the possibility of a bad jug of pretreatment, out of the question.
> 
> Thanks again.


Cool.....well kinda cool in that you figured it out.

I have heard of people having bad pretreat before but never ran into it myself.

One to remember huh...!!


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