Magenta Cast on XC-540

[John A]

I believe I am having the same problem as the gentleman in this post from years ago.

http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?83528-Serious-magenta-cast-on-XC-540

My grays are printing with a magenta cast.

100%K - 10%K, 100%Y, 100%M, 100%C

He claims replacing the Cyan had fixed his problem because he noticed blowout in the cyan head. Apparently the problem progressed slowly over time.

Here are images of my cyan flood print. I noticed small white dots/streaks all over it where ink wasn't printed. Much like his, but not as severe. If it progresses over time like he had mentioned I imagine I will get the same result as his some time from now. Hopefully you can see the white in the Cyan file I've attached.

The Magenta/Yellow prints are solid with no visible white dots/streaks.

If anyone has any input on this issue or has encountered it before and help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
John

 

[P Wagner]

What RIP are you using to drive the job to the printer?

If it is Versaworks, did you attempt to print this file (which I assume is a CMYK file) with color correction off (choose the Density Control Only preset in the Color Management area of the Job Settings > Quality Tab?

That action will turn off all color management for this job, and see the colors in the file in a 'straight through' manner. I would expect it to send pure colors, without corrections being applied. Does the color cast show in this case? If the answer is no (as I would expect it to be if you have a CMYK file), then your issue is related to your workflow, more specifically the color management setup.

That is an entirely separate issue from the performance of your print heads. That is assessed from the Nozzle Test print from the printer's control panel.

 

[John A]

What RIP are you using to drive the job to the printer?

If it is Versaworks, did you attempt to print this file (which I assume is a CMYK file) with color correction off (choose the Density Control Only preset in the Color Management area of the Job Settings > Quality Tab?

That action will turn off all color management for this job, and see the colors in the file in a 'straight through' manner. I would expect it to send pure colors, without corrections being applied. Does the color cast show in this case? If the answer is no (as I would expect it to be if you have a CMYK file), then your issue is related to your workflow, more specifically the color management setup.

That is an entirely separate issue from the performance of your print heads. That is assessed from the Nozzle Test print from the printer's control panel.

Yes, I'm using versaworks.

I use density control when I'm doing black/white prints, and it does correct my problem, but on full color prints it does not correct it.

Here is a test print picture.

 

[P Wagner]

You have a number of nozzle outs in the light cyan head, but the Cyan head looks OK, with one nozzle out and few deflected nozzles.

The fact that the grays ramp prints neutral, without a color cast when you print using Density Control Only, definitively isolates your color management settings as the source of the problem with the non-neutrality. In other words, it is not an issue related to the printer or the printheads. The most relevant setting in this case is the Media Profile that is being used, and to what extent that media profile is consistent with the present performance of your printer, located in it's physical environment. The more consistent, the better your results will be.

If you are not pleased with the results you are getting, here are your options:

1. Test with various media profiles, that you procured from various places (Roland now has a new centralized media profile site):
http://www.rolandprofilecenter.com
This is purely a trial and error process, to determine which you prefer to use.

2. Have a color management consultant come on-site and profile your desired medias. This is a good option, but can be pricy.

3. Learn to do it yourself. This requires some instrumentation and software (maybe $2000 new, less used), and time needed to gain proficiency. There are some good and free white papers for doing this in Versaworks. You'll need a 3rd-pary ICC profiling package with VW, as this RIP lacks the ability to do this step internally.