black only printing??

[robert fallis]

I'm trying to set up my epson stylus d88 for black only printing, I use Ubuntu 7.4
when I set the printer to black only I get thin stripes down the picture as if one bit is missing, but when I set the printer to RGB, (still printing BxW)the stripes vanish,
anyone know what to do? or where to look?

bob

[paradoxbox]

one thing you could try is making sure you are using the correct paper profile in your software or rip when sending the job to print. this will make sure the right amount of ink goes down and also that the grip rollers are moving the material forward by the right amount per pass (the paper thickness in the profile can cause the symptoms you're describing). but be advised that some printers just can't handle blacks.

a picture of the problem would help make it more understandable. it sounds to me like you're describing banding though.

your printer may not be able to print well with black only, i'm not sure of the specifics of your printer, but in general to print good solid blacks you need at least 2 different blacks i.e. black and light black or a grey.

[Jon Shiu]

Hi, how does the nozzle check look? Are all the black jets giving a perfect pattern or could one be blocked up?

Jon

[robert fallis]

Thanks for the advice. I adjusted the paper thickness in printer setup. changed the ink
which I think was running out, and then still stuck I found the grey scale control and inverted that which for some reason did the trick, don't ask me why.
but the black and white prints are now of good quality

thanks
bob

[3312easy]

it sounds to me like you're describing banding though.