epson 9800 printing schmutz

[false_Aesthetic]

Hey,

I'm running some prints on a 9800 all was going fine UNTIL

I started getting schmutz on the print. But not the normal kind've schmutz (image is attached).

I've done a head cleaning, changed platen gap, increased suction.

What else can I do?

[Keith S. Walklet]

There sometimes can be a buildup of ink on the "wiper blade," a rubber piece that acts like a squeegee to remove excess ink from the print head. When the build-up occurs, the ink can sometimes transfer to the print head transport carriage and end up smearing on the surface of your paper. Looks to me from your jpeg that you have a gob of ink that has adhered to the print transport carriage, or in the paper path somehow that is ending up on your paper.

I'd start by checking and cleaning the wiper blade with a damp q-tip. I'd also look for ink gobs on the print head transport carriage edges, and perhaps hung up in the paper path.

In my experience, the excess ink typically is transferred to the rollers in the paper path, and show up as black dashes the width of a roller at regular intervals along the right edge of the paper. I sometimes have to clean the wiper blade and then spend some time getting the ink off the rollers.

[Bruce Watson]

Hey,

I'm running some prints on a 9800 all was going fine UNTIL

I started getting schmutz on the print. But not the normal kind've schmutz (image is attached).

I've done a head cleaning, changed platen gap, increased suction.

What else can I do?

I'd ask on the yahoo EpsonWideFormat group. Lots of people using that printer. Tell 'em what substrate you're using, and where on the substrate this occurs in relation to head travel. Include your settings (DPI, bi-directional/mono-directional, all the normal stuff) for completeness.

You could also research the archives there (it's a big group) as it's unlikely that you're the first person to have this problem.

[Harley Goldman]

Per the Yahoo EspsonWideFormat group, it seems that Windex is the prefered solution, strange as that might sound. Look into it there. It is the recommended fix for frequent print head clogging. I was just researching it yesterday.

[Tyler Boley]

Look at it under a loupe. If it's clearly a smearing of some kind the above posts are relevant. If it has a dot pattern as though it were actually printed (and I've seen that look just like a smear) you'd better contact Epson. It'll even do that out in the margins.
When I had that it required head replacements, with older models anyway. Hopefully not in your case.
Tyler