What does this nozzle check mean?

[AMartinez]

Started about a week ago, every single nozzle check looks exactly like this, dot for dot, the broken parts of the pattern never change or move, I've done nozzle cleaning with cleaning solution and with ink itself this results refuses to change, however as far as I can tell my prints still look great, if anything is wrong with them, I can't tell.  what does it mean?

[johnson4]

46 minutes ago, AMartinez said:

Started about a week ago, every single nozzle check looks exactly like this, dot for dot, the broken parts of the pattern never change or move, I've done nozzle cleaning with cleaning solution and with ink itself this results refuses to change, however as far as I can tell my prints still look great, if anything is wrong with them, I can't tell.  what does it mean?

Each small line that makes up each large slanted line represents one nozzle. Example- Magenta, top center- one nozzle missing. 2nd row in the right, one nozzle missing. Cyan 2nd row has two nozzles missing. Cyan top row has 4 nozzles missing. 
 

this is a nozzle clog, or a dead nozzle. 
 

it would appear as super tiny lines in the print at this point in those colors. If you are using a higher resolution like 1440x1440 it’s less obvious, but it’s there. 
 

Those magenta nozzles halfway down that look fuzzy or slightly out of place is called deflection. It’s a firing nozzle that is partially clogged, causing the ink to not fire in a straight line. Kinda like putting your finger over a water hose. 

Edited January 6, 2023 by johnson4

[AMartinez]

3 hours ago, johnson4 said:

Each small line that makes up each large slanted line represents one nozzle. Example- Magenta, top center- one nozzle missing. 2nd row in the right, one nozzle missing. Cyan 2nd row has two nozzles missing. Cyan top row has 4 nozzles missing. 
 

this is a nozzle clog, or a dead nozzle. 
 

it would appear as super tiny lines in the print at this point in those colors. If you are using a higher resolution like 1440x1440 it’s less obvious, but it’s there. 
 

Those magenta nozzles halfway down that look fuzzy or slightly out of place is called deflection. It’s a firing nozzle that is partially clogged, causing the ink to not fire in a straight line. Kinda like putting your finger over a water hose. 

Holy crap I didn't think it was a serious issue, so what's the protocol for unclogging it figuring out if the nozzles are dead?  I've done a few head cleanings with standard cleaning fluid nothing changed.  It's in an xp 15000

[johnson4]

6 hours ago, AMartinez said:

Holy crap I didn't think it was a serious issue, so what's the protocol for unclogging it figuring out if the nozzles are dead?  I've done a few head cleanings with standard cleaning fluid nothing changed.  It's in an xp 15000

That’s something that should be checked daily to make sure it’s perfect, then every 5-10 prints. If you run them while a bozzle

is clogged it can kill that nozzle. 
 

it’s a tiny piezoelectric crystal per nozzle. It “vibrates” when powered in, creating a pump like action firing ink out of the nozzle. They also get cooled by the ink, so something that once was a head clean to fix can become permanent within 5-10 prints. 
 

same goes for if air gets in there. 
 

that’s the million dollar question, sometimes you get them back, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes it gets better, sometimes it gets worse and you need a new printhead. 
 

could try cleaning the bottom of the printhead, then wet capping with cleaner for 10-15 minutes, followed by a head clean. 

Edited January 6, 2023 by johnson4

[AMartinez]

On 1/6/2023 at 3:40 AM, johnson4 said:

That’s something that should be checked daily to make sure it’s perfect, then every 5-10 prints. If you run them while a bozzle

is clogged it can kill that nozzle. 
 

it’s a tiny piezoelectric crystal per nozzle. It “vibrates” when powered in, creating a pump like action firing ink out of the nozzle. They also get cooled by the ink, so something that once was a head clean to fix can become permanent within 5-10 prints. 
 

same goes for if air gets in there. 
 

that’s the million dollar question, sometimes you get them back, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes it gets better, sometimes it gets worse and you need a new printhead. 
 

could try cleaning the bottom of the printhead, then wet capping with cleaner for 10-15 minutes, followed by a head clean. 

WELP!  I done did it now.  After cleaning and flushing and wet capping and more cleaning, I got the dreaded 031001 death code.  Mother Father!

Unfortunately I don't have $3k for a p800, and only refurbished ones below $2k.  I see p900 for about $1200 and a p700, what do you know about these, mainly the p900, will they dtf?

I thought about the et8550 but the ecotank makes me hesitant, and I'm not sure that it won't have the same sensitivity issues as the xp15000.

Edited January 14, 2023 by AMartinez

[johnson4]

22 minutes ago, AMartinez said:

WELP!  I done did it now.  After cleaning and flushing and wet capping and more cleaning, I got the dreaded 031001 death code.  Mother Father!

Unfortunately I don't have $3k for a p800, and only refurbished ones below $2k.  I see p900 for about $1200 and a p700, what do you know about these, mainly the p900, will they dtf?

I thought about the et8550 but the ecotank makes me hesitant, and I'm not sure that it won't have the same sensitivity issues as the xp15000.

That’s part of the reason Chinese machines are enticing. 
 

Crazy on those prices, I remember when refurb P800’s were $500 delivered and the ink was worth $400. 
 

P700/P900 I have no idea, they are new and don’t have Chipless or aftermarket chips- so to me won’t work. 
 

ANY ET printer is a waste of time and money in my opinion, but I’ve never used one for DTF. I have helped a few people with them, ultimately they are worse than the 15000. I’ve had 3 with dye ink, and I would never imagine using them for anything else. All 3 broke with normal OEM printing in less than a year. 
 

that’s why people are going with the P5000, still in production and has unlimited resettable chips. It’s about the only one left that seems worthwhile. That or a P6000 with a P6080 mainboard with ARC chips. 

beyond that, Chinese printers is the way to go. 

 

[AMartinez]

2 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

That’s part of the reason Chinese machines are enticing. 
 

Crazy on those prices, I remember when refurb P800’s were $500 delivered and the ink was worth $400. 
 

P700/P900 I have no idea, they are new and don’t have Chipless or aftermarket chips- so to me won’t work. 
 

ANY ET printer is a waste of time and money in my opinion, but I’ve never used one for DTF. I have helped a few people with them, ultimately they are worse than the 15000. I’ve had 3 with dye ink, and I would never imagine using them for anything else. All 3 broke with normal OEM printing in less than a year. 
 

that’s why people are going with the P5000, still in production and has unlimited resettable chips. It’s about the only one left that seems worthwhile. That or a P6000 with a P6080 mainboard with ARC chips. 

beyond that, Chinese printers is the way to go. 

 

Hmm ya the p5000 looks enticing, man but I really wasn't looking to drop $2k+ right now, but it looks like my real options are another xp15000 now that at least I definitely know what not to do, or a p5000, I love the roll printing option too.

Is the p5000 a pretty easy conversion? So by resettable chips then, I take it that it doesnt have chipless firmware available?  So how does that work, you have to reset it before the ink empties, then fill it and slide it back in?  Can we use OEM cartridges for p5000?

[johnson4]

18 minutes ago, AMartinez said:

Hmm ya the p5000 looks enticing, man but I really wasn't looking to drop $2k+ right now, but it looks like my real options are another xp15000 now that at least I definitely know what not to do, or a p5000, I love the roll printing option too.

Is the p5000 a pretty easy conversion? So by resettable chips then, I take it that it doesnt have chipless firmware available?  So how does that work, you have to reset it before the ink empties, then fill it and slide it back in?  Can we use OEM cartridges for p5000?

The P5000 is best for lots of daily printing. xp-15000  good for small scale in my opinion. 
 

Chipless firmware advancements has been dead since the xp15000 that I am aware of. 
 

the conversion is as easy or difficult as you would like. It can be as simple as loading refillable carts and being done. Long term usage on any printer is difficult, so if it’s not going to see at least 200-300 12” x 12”s a week I’d advise against it. 
 

just your basic chip resetter. Once it runs out, reset it and put it back in. They are 250ML carts so it’s not often needed. In theory you can do anything you want, as I’ve found. But you’ll ultimately exchange something for the experience and knowledge. Your best bet is to buy refillable cartridges.  
 

 

I am down sizing personally. DTF has become saturated and has started to get a bad name due to poor quality sellers. I ran 3 P400’s- then 3 P600’s- Then 3 P800’s, then 3 P5000’s. 
 

i am moving over to 1 P6000 and one P5000 DTF and bringing back 2 of my DTG machines. It’s become quite scarce, people are looking for DTG softness again so for the finished product side of the business that’s where I’m going. I converted a washer/dryer for bulk hassle free pre treating garments. Works very well. 

I have learned there is no best method or “ one for all”. It’s what’s best for the application and CMYK DTG is hard to beat. So I’m splitting it up between DTG, Screen printing, and DTF.
 

my point is be certain, otherwise it’ll turn into a regret and waste of money if you go with a bigger machine than the 15000. None of them will save the hassle of maintenance and repair costs. 
 

 

 

[AMartinez]

12 hours ago, johnson4 said:

The P5000 is best for lots of daily printing. xp-15000  good for small scale in my opinion. 
 

Chipless firmware advancements has been dead since the xp15000 that I am aware of. 
 

the conversion is as easy or difficult as you would like. It can be as simple as loading refillable carts and being done. Long term usage on any printer is difficult, so if it’s not going to see at least 200-300 12” x 12”s a week I’d advise against it. 
 

just your basic chip resetter. Once it runs out, reset it and put it back in. They are 250ML carts so it’s not often needed. In theory you can do anything you want, as I’ve found. But you’ll ultimately exchange something for the experience and knowledge. Your best bet is to buy refillable cartridges.  
 

 

I am down sizing personally. DTF has become saturated and has started to get a bad name due to poor quality sellers. I ran 3 P400’s- then 3 P600’s- Then 3 P800’s, then 3 P5000’s. 
 

i am moving over to 1 P6000 and one P5000 DTF and bringing back 2 of my DTG machines. It’s become quite scarce, people are looking for DTG softness again so for the finished product side of the business that’s where I’m going. I converted a washer/dryer for bulk hassle free pre treating garments. Works very well. 

I have learned there is no best method or “ one for all”. It’s what’s best for the application and CMYK DTG is hard to beat. So I’m splitting it up between DTG, Screen printing, and DTF.
 

my point is be certain, otherwise it’ll turn into a regret and waste of money if you go with a bigger machine than the 15000. None of them will save the hassle of maintenance and repair costs. 
 

 

 

Thanks for this break down, I 100% get what you're saying, which aligns with my original thought, that is, that I'm not ready for a big machine yet, the business isn't there yet.  So you still think the XP 15000 is a better machine over the et8550?

[johnson4]

13 minutes ago, AMartinez said:

Thanks for this break down, I 100% get what you're saying, which aligns with my original thought, that is, that I'm not ready for a big machine yet, the business isn't there yet.  So you still think the XP 15000 is a better machine over the et8550?

I absolutely do. 
 

If you haven’t ever had an eco tank printer- they are very poorly made. I have had 3 of them. 2 repaired under warranty. All malfunctioning with OEM use within a year. My WF series printers with aftermarket inks were running before I bought the ET printers- and still after those new ET machines broke. 
 

The price of them- you are paying for the “ upfront” cost of no ink cartridges mixed with a lower quality printer. 
 

everyone I have known to use them ultimately they end up disappearing after some catastrophic problem or end up with the 15000. 
 

You can buy one and love it, or buy one and learn why it was a bad idea. It’s like a game of financial Russian roulette.

 

it’s hard to find a good low volume machine, because the nature of the process, this low volume use is what breaks them. 
 

I’m telling you, this guy on here knows what he is doing with the xp-15000 machines. Check out his kit with the white ink management and all of the aftermarket controls including white ink circulation. About $450 I think it was for this machine. 
 

In my day, my “ low volume use” printer was the Epson P400 which worked well, I roll printed with it. Carts are real and not what the 15000 takes, so it’s easy and never leaked. Sucks they discontinued them. 

[AMartinez]

9 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

I absolutely do. 
 

If you haven’t ever had an eco tank printer- they are very poorly made. I have had 3 of them. 2 repaired under warranty. All malfunctioning with OEM use within a year. My WF series printers with aftermarket inks were running before I bought the ET printers- and still after those new ET machines broke. 
 

The price of them- you are paying for the “ upfront” cost of no ink cartridges mixed with a lower quality printer. 
 

everyone I have known to use them ultimately they end up disappearing after some catastrophic problem or end up with the 15000. 
 

You can buy one and love it, or buy one and learn why it was a bad idea. It’s like a game of financial Russian roulette.

 

it’s hard to find a good low volume machine, because the nature of the process, this low volume use is what breaks them. 
 

I’m telling you, this guy on here knows what he is doing with the xp-15000 machines. Check out his kit with the white ink management and all of the aftermarket controls including white ink circulation. About $450 I think it was for this machine. 
 

In my day, my “ low volume use” printer was the Epson P400 which worked well, I roll printed with it. Carts are real and not what the 15000 takes, so it’s easy and never leaked. Sucks they discontinued them. 

Ok sounds great, ya we have an et 15000 for sublimation, so far that thing has been a champ, 2 yrs old and no issues other than an occasional clog mostly from sitting.

I'll def just stick with an xp for now sounds like the wise idea, maybe I'll check that machine out on here.  Thanks again brotha.

[johnson4]

2 hours ago, AMartinez said:

Ok sounds great, ya we have an et 15000 for sublimation, so far that thing has been a champ, 2 yrs old and no issues other than an occasional clog mostly from sitting.

I'll def just stick with an xp for now sounds like the wise idea, maybe I'll check that machine out on here.  Thanks again brotha.

Not a problem at all. Sublimation ink is dye based and would work well in those types of printers I'd imagine.  

[AMartinez]

33 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

Not a problem at all. Sublimation ink is dye based and would work well in those types of printers I'd imagine.

Oh I gotcha.  One last question, what if I were to find a used p800 only ever used as intended as an ink printer, would it be worth buying and converting, for a low-mid volume printer and Are parts readily available for the p800 down the road?  Or even a used unconverted p400 for that matter

Edited January 14, 2023 by AMartinez

[johnson4]

26 minutes ago, AMartinez said:

Oh I gotcha.  One last question, what if I were to find a used p800 only ever used as intended as an ink printer, would it be worth buying and converting, for a low-mid volume printer and Are parts readily available for the p800 down the road?  Or even a used unconverted p400 for that matter

I had a lot of p800’s. They are good, but has very little room for error- the head is closer to the film so head strikes are often with it. One good headstrike, it’s done. 
 

If you can keep that from happening it’s a good printer, has a good ink system. Replace the dampers every 3-4 months. The ink settles in it, but shake the carts daily and do a heavy head clean and it’s good to go. 
 

there is nothing about the stock ink system to break in the P800 due to the white Ink except the dampers. 
 

all it ever needs part wise is dampers. I’ve only had to replace the capping station once on one of them. 
 

 

P400 was good too, especially if you ran good ink through it. I started with those. 
 

 

They are just as fragile as the others though. 
 

I have a fleet of dead printers, haha. 

Edited January 14, 2023 by johnson4

[johnson4]

18 hours ago, johnson4 said:

I had a lot of p800’s. They are good, but has very little room for error- the head is closer to the film so head strikes are often with it. One good headstrike, it’s done. 
 

If you can keep that from happening it’s a good printer, has a good ink system. Replace the dampers every 3-4 months. The ink settles in it, but shake the carts daily and do a heavy head clean and it’s good to go. 
 

there is nothing about the stock ink system to break in the P800 due to the white Ink except the dampers. 
 

all it ever needs part wise is dampers. I’ve only had to replace the capping station once on one of them. 
 

 

P400 was good too, especially if you ran good ink through it. I started with those. 
 

 

They are just as fragile as the others though. 
 

I have a fleet of dead printers, haha. 

Good luck with everything. 

[AMartinez]

8 hours ago, johnson4 said:

Good luck with everything. 

Thanks bud, as always I appreciate all of the wisdom!

[JasonConnectGO]

On 1/13/2023 at 9:27 PM, johnson4 said:

well. 

I have learned there is no best method o

 

On 1/14/2023 at 1:43 PM, johnson4 said:

I had a lot of p800’s. They are good, but has very little room for error- the head is closer to the film so head strikes are often with it. One good headstrike, it’s done. 
 

If you can keep that from happening it’s a good printer, has a good ink system. Replace the dampers every 3-4 months. The ink settles in it, but shake the carts daily and do a heavy head clean and it’s good to go. 
 

there is nothing about the stock ink system to break in the P800 due to the white Ink except the dampers. 
 

all it ever needs part wise is dampers. I’ve only had to replace the capping station once on one of them. 
 

 

P400 was good too, especially if you ran good ink through it. I started with those. 
 

 

They are just as fragile as the others though. 
 

I have a fleet of dead printers, haha. 

Do you have a YT channel or something? I notice you have a lot of knowledge, so just was wondering that.