Lines on your prints? It is a potential issue with dye sub printers similar to a clogged nozzle on an ink jet printer. Here are some causes and fixes.
Bad media. Switch both paper AND ribbon and see if the next roll of media works correctly. This is the reason why you should always have an open roll of media and 2 rolls of replacement media at each event, just in case. If replacing the media fixes the problem, it could just be dust on the media or bad media. Either way, contact the media manufacturer for replacement instructions. All media returns start with the manufacturers. Here are their numbers: https://www.imagingspectrum.com/support-resources/
Dirt or dust in the printer. For heads that are accessible, an alcohol swap like you use before a shot is an excellent start to cleaning the head. Open the printer to get access to your print head a use a back and forth method with a clean alcohol swab to clean the head. If something is stuck on the head you can sometimes feel it as you wipe back and forth. It may take several times cleaning it for the debris on the head moisten and be removed. After cleaning the head be sure to whip the platen roller and other rollers in the printer just to keep them clean. For heads you cannot reach like the HiTi 510 and Sony CX1, you may need a long Q-Tip or other long cotton swabs and a drop of alcohol to clean the head. ISI sells the DNP Head Cleaning Kit that can be used to clean ANY and ALL print heads when just alcohol cannot. They come with the DS40, DS80, 620 and 820 printers but are available from ISI here: https://www.imagingspectrum.com/cleaning-kit_print-head-all-ds-rx-models.html. This video shows how to clean a CX1 head with the cleaning pen since it has to be partially disabled to clean it. However it shows how to use the cleaning pen on a head.
Print head out. Think of a dyesub print head as 300 tiny light bulbs an inch that depending on the heat generated on them they turn the ink in the ribbon into a vapor and rub the vaporized ink into the paper to create the image. If one of those bulbs go out, they will leave a line in the print. If you try new media and the cleaning methods above and there is still a line in the print, your print head is probably out. Contact your manufacturer for print head replacement.
Still having issues? Don’t hesitate to send me a message at bill@imagingspectrum.com or call, 214-342-9290.
