Roland SP-300V Print Issue

[calliegraphics]

Had an odd problem come up with my printer yesterday. On some print jobs, light yellow bands are being printed. It's not in the artwork, and usually when I print again, they won't show up. This is appearing randomly on my print jobs. Any idea what the problem is?

 

[Scott at Roland]

Hey Calliegraphics - You say the issue is intermittent? Based on the image it looks like digital noise, does that sound right? My guess would be that you have a failing ribbon cable somewhere. This would be true if you could nail down a location on the platen - say the issue only occurs on the left side or right side of the print. But either way, I would take a close look at head cables and carriage cable. Might need to change them. That's where I would start first.

 

[calliegraphics]

Yes, it is intermittent. Some print jobs will be fine, others will have some yellow streaks. It does seem to usually be in the center of the print job, about 15" in.

 

[Scott at Roland]

Yes, it is intermittent. Some print jobs will be fine, others will have some yellow streaks. It does seem to usually be in the center of the print job, about 15" in.

Based on the image, it looks like digital noise. I think cables would be the way to go. Probably just the yellow, but you can inspect them closely, looking for either burn marks, cuts in the lines, or even ink buildup that has eaten through the cable housing. Or, you may not see it at all. I have seen cables that basically wear out over time from bending and unbending of normal printer movement.