HELP! SP 300 Printing a foot or so then printing going blurry

[SuncitySigns]

Hi Everyone

Got a bit of an issue with my old faithful SP-300.

Has never missed beat but all of a sudden its printing a foot or so of media then the print goes quite blurry.
I have attached a photo of print I started then cancelled due to watching it start to go blurry.

I have tried different media, settings, different files/images and not much changes it.
Could it be the rollers playing up at all?

As you can see in the photos the printing starts of perfect on the right and as it goes to the left it becomes blurred......

 

[player]

Have you ever cleaned the encoder strip?

 

[SuncitySigns]

No I haven't actually and I wouldn't know where to start, I know how to clean everything else though.

Googling how to clean I now.

 

[SuncitySigns]

Well cleaned with no luck...prints are actually worse now. So there has to be a problem there somewhere. I seen a few people actually take them and turn them over?

 

[player]

If it prints worse, maybe the encoding sensor is dirty or perhaps you never cleaned it properly?

 

[Biker Scout]

I'll bet it's the round encoder strip that's attached to the drive roller on the left hand side of the machine.

(I sure hope you aren't using acetone to clean the encoder strip? That would basically erase all the little micro fine hash marks and your printer would be confused)

 

[SuncitySigns]

No not using actone ( Or acid, as we call it downunder ) haha

I took the strip out completely and cleaned it again then flipped it as well now it is printing totally perfect! Happy days again

Thanks fore the heads up about the encoder strip

 

[player]

Good on ya mate!