SP-300V Cut Misalignment

[IShakeMyFist]

Our SP-300V just recently went on the fritz. We use it to print stickers, and the cut is about 1/4" off. I tried doing the Env. Match and then the Auto Print-Cut Adjustment, but it said it failed when it was finished. I also tried doing it manually by printing the test pattern, but the cut is off by twice the distance than the test pattern goes to in the Scan direction. Fortunately the Feed direction is dead on. The strange thing is, some jobs we print cut fine, and then we send the job again and it'll be off. Any ideas?

 

[chopper]

you need to clean the encoder strip, it tells the printer where it is
//chopper

 

[CS-SignSupply]

Do not use solvent cleaning fluid to clean this part !

Alcohol or Windex works fine with a lint free swab.

 

[Gino]

If it's printing fine, I don't believe its the encoder strip or eye. I would sooner think it's the roller holders under the carriage. I don't remember the technical name. Our printer had this problem about 6 months ago and we tried just about everything and then the tech said it's rare, but sometimes these holders work themselves loose and when it goes back to cut... it cuts precisely what is called for, but just not where your print is and crop marks don't really help much.

It a job for a tech. Y0u cannot fix it on your own and it does involve a lot of patience and it cost us about $700. On a 300 it might be less, but I doubt it.

It still does it... to a small extent, but so small it's not noticeable in almost every case.

 

[IShakeMyFist]

$700... yikes!! Yeah, the print quality is just fine, but I'll try cleaning the encoder strip anyway though since I've never cleaned it before. What does it look like and where is it?

 

[sardocs]

I had a problem with the contour cut getting mis-aligned and it turned out that on one of the pinchrollers the rubber "tire" piece had come unglued and was slipping on the bearing.

 

[chopper]

if you lift the front cover and look at the top of the belt, just under that there is a plastic strip clamped in place on edge that runs all the way down the machine that is the encoder strip,
I was told to clean it with alcohol and a lint free towell and wipe it in only one direction,
and to do both sides, my printer was doing the same thing and it fixed it
mine is a sp300V, I do not know of what Geno is talking about, it could also be that part but this is easy to do so I would try it first, and it is free....
after cleaning it I would do an environmental match and a cut alignment...
I also took the top cover off my machine for better access but it is not necessary
//chopper

 

[ova]

If cleaning the encoder strip doesn't help, try turning it over. Some times it will get damaged from a crash and leave a mark that can't be removed. If you have to flip it, don't turn it end to end. I did this waiting for the new strip to arrivre at my shop.Another problem might be the head not reading where home is everytime. Move the head to the left side of the machine and check the encoder strip where the head sits in the home position. You might find a speck of dust or lint that gets moved around when the head passes it.