HP FB750 Printhead Replacement Repair

[Andrew Hodgson]

Hello, I have had some issues with my HP FB750 printer for some time. I have tried manually calibrating the printer or doing the automatic calibrations and cannot get better results. After talking with HP support, they recommend that I replace the printheads. The repair cost for the labor seems very high. Are there repair providers other than HP that can do this service?

I have attached a couple of calibration tests. The photo with the words "Act" show the print quality, cyan is bleeding around any sharp edges.

 

[Michael-Nola]

Lots of variables here.

1. Yes, there are lots of private companies that do service on all FB series. Not sure your local area but definitely ask around - ask your major vendors, ask your material suppliers, ask your ink suppliers - these people know people, or are people!
2. Yes, it looks like you have several heads out. DO NOT BUY PRINT HEADS ONLINE FOR A DISCOUNT PRICE! YOU WILL BE SCAMMED! You've been warned!
3. Changing the heads IS "easy", but of course anything is easy once you know how to do it! If it's worth a day of your time to learn how to install and then align the heads, then you can do it if you're mechanically inclined. If it's not worth your time or not your inclination, then definitely pay a local professional to do it.

As far as pricing goes? I'd say you have at least 9 heads out. Common dealer pricing on those Gen III (from memory) heads is like $2000 per.
Try as you might, there's NO way around that cost. You need $18k worth of heads, that's a fact.

Next, you need to know WHY you need all of those heads replaced. In my experience, that's damage. Those heads aren't a beautiful design, but they sure are durable. You can hit them, fill them with air, rub them with chemicals, head strike them, etc. Something happened or is a practice that is hurting them and you definitely need to know what that is before moving forward. I have worked on tons of those printers and I have never seen head failures like that which suddenly caused a print quality issue.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

Lots of variables here.

1. Yes, there are lots of private companies that do service on all FB series. Not sure your local area but definitely ask around - ask your major vendors, ask your material suppliers, ask your ink suppliers - these people know people, or are people!
2. Yes, it looks like you have several heads out. DO NOT BUY PRINT HEADS ONLINE FOR A DISCOUNT PRICE! YOU WILL BE SCAMMED! You've been warned!
3. Changing the heads IS "easy", but of course anything is easy once you know how to do it! If it's worth a day of your time to learn how to install and then align the heads, then you can do it if you're mechanically inclined. If it's not worth your time or not your inclination, then definitely pay a local professional to do it.

As far as pricing goes? I'd say you have at least 9 heads out. Common dealer pricing on those Gen III (from memory) heads is like $2000 per.
Try as you might, there's NO way around that cost. You need $18k worth of heads, that's a fact.

Next, you need to know WHY you need all of those heads replaced. In my experience, that's damage. Those heads aren't a beautiful design, but they sure are durable. You can hit them, fill them with air, rub them with chemicals, head strike them, etc. Something happened or is a practice that is hurting them and you definitely need to know what that is before moving forward. I have worked on tons of those printers and I have never seen head failures like that which suddenly caused a print quality issue.

Thank you for your reply Michael! It's very informative. I have been quoted around $2000 per head, so I expect to pay that per printhead. I will check with my print vendors to see if they know anyone that can repair, I didn't think about that.

Another question, do you think the print quality issues will persist even after installing the new print heads? Over several years, the printhead carriage has made slight contact with rigid media going through a couple of times.

 

[Michael-Nola]

Thank you for your reply Michael! It's very informative. I have been quoted around $2000 per head, so I expect to pay that per printhead. I will check with my print vendors to see if they know anyone that can repair, I didn't think about that

Another question, do you think the print quality issues will persist even after installing the new print heads? Over several years, the printhead carriage has made slight contact with rigid media going through a couple of times.

New printheads will restore your factory print quality. If you DON'T strike the heads in the future, those heads will last many years. Occasionally a headstrike will occur, the goal is to just avoid it at all costs!

In a perfect world, if you are operating the printer as intended and your media is flat, there's no way the heads should strike the sheets since the printer measures the media height. I understand media doesn't come in perfect, but you can see the high cost of replacing these heads. I change vendors and brands constantly to always make sure I'm getting the best sheets. I hate fighting media on a job and I am NOT putting a press out of commission because of crappy substrates! Just do the best you can with it, that's all any of us can do.

Good luck!

 

[Michael-Nola]

I'd add that now that you're in repair mode, take this time to be sure your print belt is clean and clear of notable overspray. Make sure all of your belt holes are unclogged.
The belt holes clogging and overspray is a common weak point in that design. It doesn't take much to render the vacuum fans useless since they are pretty weak.
The overspray on the belt is a bigger problem on this printer compared to others - the carriage has a little wobble to it as it runs and those belts don't get tuned perfectly flat. The extra ink can easily add up to 1/16" of variable height that contributes to head strikes.

If your belt is particularly oversprayed, the trick to cleaning that belt is to douse it in alcohol and then smother that section with saran wrap. Give it a bit until the ink starts bubbling up, then it scrapes right off without damage to the belt! It can take a while to do the whole belt, but it's necessary.

I find the "Paint Scraper Multi-Tool" style works best - gives you the strength to scrape without damaging the belt unless you really go after it too hard.