SG-540 on TR2 Inks - Blotchy Reds/Magenta

[Ray1212]

Hi All,

I'm having some issues with printing solid red colors (see screenshot) and noticing that the default white 0.01" thick line between the each print is blurred on the vertical path (horizontal is sharp).

I've done the following while trying to troubleshoot:
Calibration
Bi-directional
Media Gap Adjustment
Manually cleaned heads/cap tops
Changed various heater temps ranging from 35c-45c
Refill Dampers
Swapped all inks
Tried changing Bi/Uni-directional printing settings
Head position on low and high
All nozzles on M/Y/K are perfect. I have a 3-4 drop outs on C that I cant seem to fix even with a head soak. Blue colors print fine though. Magenta has a little spotting but not as bad as when I print Red.

Any suggestions on what else I can try to fix the issue?

TIA

 

[weyandsign]

My first guess would be not enough heat, or a problem with the vinyl. When did the problem start? Are you using roland ink and cleaning fluid?

 

[Ray1212]

My first guess would be not enough heat, or a problem with the vinyl. When did the problem start? Are you using roland ink and cleaning fluid?

Yes im running original TR2 inks and CL.

The heater is normally at 40C which tried setting it to the max 45C and also as low as 35C just to see if its a temperature issue. On a test print of solid colors, only the more red hues have this issue. Even on a busy abstract art print, only the reds show up this way while all other colors are fine.

As for the media, we used a local inhouse brand vinyl for most our stuff. I've tested this on 3M and Arlon materials with the same results so that rules out media as well.

I'm truly dumbfounded with this issue. Hoping it doesnt require replacing a print head. Especially since these machines require a tech to service now.

 

[Sean@CedarHouse]

What's your head height set at?

Also, if you printed this on Unidirectional then I'm thinking ICC profile issue...? Have you tried another red solid to see if it looks the same?

The blur on Vertical lines usually means then bi directional is off. There is a test print and adjustment for that in the menu.

 

[Ray1212]

Oh forgot to mention, on the 3M and Arlon tests, I used the provided print profiles provided by Roland profile center website to match brand/media models. For my generic vinyl, I normally use the default generic vinyl profile. This started happening about a couple weeks ago and we typically use the printer ever few days. Manual cleans bi-weekly and print a random colorful picture every few days in between no use. +-

What's your head height set at?

Also, if you printed this on Unidirectional then I'm thinking ICC profile issue...? Have you tried another red solid to see if it looks the same?

The blur on Vertical lines usually means then bi directional is off. There is a test print and adjustment for that in the menu.

Head Height is on Low. But I've also tried printing on High.

It's typically on bi-directional. I tested with uni-directional with same results.

I already did all the Calibration/Bi-Directional/Media Gap adjustments in the printer's menu.

 

[Sean@CedarHouse]

Was there any change in your shop? New A/C heater unit? um.... air cleaner etc? I almost looks like something has been sprayed into the air and settled on the material.

Does the test print look good? Sorry man, reaching here...

 

[weyandsign]

Could be temperature or humidity changes in the shop.

 

[Joe House]

What profile are you using? This could be just too much ink. It's hard to tell from the picture what is really going on.
Can you post a picture of your nozzle test print? They can reveal more than just missing nozzles if you know what you're looking for.

 

[Ray1212]

Thanks for your time all!

Nothing in the shop has changed. It's pretty dry here in Southern California so I don't think it's humidity. Attached is the test print.

Im currently using the generic vinyl 1 default profile and I also tried the 3M and Arlon profiles that match the media I tested on. The blotchy issue seems to also be affecting cyan colors as well. I gave in and contacted my local tech and they suspect it's the print head. But obviously I don't want to resort into spending that $2K.

 

[Ray1212]

A little update after a visit from a tech... A print head wasnt needed at this time. After a ~$700 visit later this is what I was told I needed to do:

1) Set print speed to 800mm/s (SLOW as heck on an already slow printer)
2) Set to true color 3 in the quality settings
3) I was told this is a room temp issue which isnt allowing enough time for the reds to dry while printing?
4) Set it to print full width instead which slows down production significantly along with the print speed decrease

Mind you, I've had this printer for going on 6 years and this hasn't EVER been an issue printing on a 60 degree winter day in Southern California until I swapped to TR2 inks this year. Also, the blurred 0.01 lines on the print could ONLY be corrected by going into the service menu to adjust the Horizonal Print calibration settings. Which we have been locked out of sine TR2 upgrade. So every time this machine is going to need that adjustment along with "Service mode only" media gap/bi-directional adjustments which I was told, if it's a bad setting in service mode, the user end mode adjustments wouldnt make much of a different????.

I'm going to have to spend $300+ on a service call to make these adjustments. What in the heck?! How is this even a solution. Never buying another Roland again. That's for sure.

Also, the issue is a bit better after these adjustments but still not back to normal. It's still not a quality print what so ever for solid red/cyan colors. But the MA print head is completely fine. I'm dumbfounded.

Rant over.

 

[Ray1212]

***deleted to add into previous post

 

[Joe House]

So the recommended environment from Roland's website is:
Temperature: 68 to 89.6 °F (20 to 32 °C), humidity: 35 to 80 % RH.
If you want to print outside the recommendations, I don't think you should be blaming the manufacturer if you don't get good results. The tech found a way around the poor conditions in your shop. If you keep consistent conditions, within the recommendations, you probably won't need to recalibrate at a service level.

Good Luck

 

[weyandsign]

60 degrees is kind of cold for the printer. Our print room is typically around 67-72 degrees and so far the TR2 inks are much better than the old TR. The heads stay clean with TR2, where TR kept gunking up the heads constantly. Environmental conditions definitely effect the printer.