Printing Blues revisited

[Canyongazer]

I have been having an odd problem of late. This problem came on suddenly for no apparent reason.
Dark blue shadows in B&W and color prints, always in the same areas., occurring in all different files.

I have tried several suggested cures with no improvement.
It did SEEM to be ok briefly but after two good prints blue shadows returned.
I've had this printer since 2007 (!) with no issues (Mated with various LightRoom versions)
I print exclusively on Epson Exhibition paper.
Epson says bring it to their service center. The closest one to me would entail two 340 mile round trips. Epson, of course, cannot guarantee to find a fix nor a price "without seeing it."


It has not had extensive use, perhaps 1,500 13x19 and 17 x 22's but it IS almost 12 years old, which, I believe, is about 184 in human years.

I am frustrated and ready to buy a new printer.

What would you do?

 

[nightfly]

My printer, an Epson 3800, was being a pain in the *ss and I needed to do some prints for exhibition. Adorma Pix has their printing facility about a 10 minute bike ride from my house so I printed them there. The came out pretty good, not as good as my Epson when the stars (and print heads) are aligned and one of the ink cartridges isn't out of ink, and it doesn't need some sort of care and feeding, but they worked. It was cheaper than purchasing the ink cartridges and paper I would have needed but I did loose some sense of craftsmanship.

 

[Swift1]

I have gotten blue shadows when the print head needed cleaning.
What rendering Intent are you using?

 

[Canyongazer]

Sorry Colton, don't follow you w/ "rendering intent."
I have gone through head cleaning protocol more than once with no change.

 

[plummerl]

So, I give up! Which Epson printer?????

 

[Swift1]

Sorry Colton, don't follow you w/ "rendering intent."
I have gone through head cleaning protocol more than once with no change.

In the software (printer software and/or Lightroom) when you go to print, one of the settings you can change is Rendering Intent.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

In the software (printer software and/or Lightroom) when you go to print, one of the settings you can change is Rendering Intent.

It is a color management issue. It isn't your problem, its a hardware issue. Go buy a new printer. Yours is 12 years old, its way past its normal lifespan.

 

[Canyongazer]

Larry :
3800

 

[PRJ]

Start with printing a nozzle check to see if you have any clogs.

 

[plummerl]

Larry :
3800

My 3880 died last year (glossy black only, matte black still works great) and I surrendered and picked up the P800. Fabulous replacement.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

My 3880 died last year (glossy black only, matte black still works great) and I surrendered and picked up the P800. Fabulous replacement.

I love my P800, too. I bought it to replace an aging r2400 that died.

 

[Canyongazer]

plum,

Yesterday was the annual "Bring Your Big Stuff" junk collection day here in rural Texas Hill Country.
Despite being raised in New England by a mother whose motto was "Use it up, Make do" I brought the 3800.

Looks like there is a P800 in my future, or since I've mostly retired from showing 17x22 framed prints in galleries, perhaps a P600.
Sorry, Mom.

 

[robert blu]

plum,

Yesterday was the annual "Bring Your Big Stuff" junk collection day here in rural Texas Hill Country.
Despite being raised in New England by a mother whose motto was "Use it up, Make do" I brought the 3800.

Looks like there is a P800 in my future, or since I've mostly retired from showing 17x22 framed prints in galleries, perhaps a P600.
Sorry, Mom.

If you print large and/or make many prints the P800 is a good choice, in the long term less expensive in term of ink cost.
If you, like me make mainly small prints or print on large paper but with large white border around the P600 (which I own) is an excellent printer.

I had a few problems in the beginning which now seems to be solved, fingers crossing !

robert
PS: my previous printer an HP9180B worked well for almost 11 years...now I think times are different...

 

[Canyongazer]

Hi Robert,
Nice to hear from you!
Yes, you'd think each generation of printers would become more reliable and less finicky but is it just the opposite?

Oh-oh...Epson offering rebates makes me wonder if the P800/600 may be on the way out...akk!
Ciao mio amico.

 

[Godfrey]

plum,

Yesterday was the annual "Bring Your Big Stuff" junk collection day here in rural Texas Hill Country.
Despite being raised in New England by a mother whose motto was "Use it up, Make do" I brought the 3800.

Looks like there is a P800 in my future, or since I've mostly retired from showing 17x22 framed prints in galleries, perhaps a P600.
Sorry, Mom.

I've been very pleased with the P600. My R2400 was working well, still, when I ordered it but was over ten years old.

I gave the R2400 to a friend who needed a printer desperately; she managed to make the one set of prints she needed desperately, then it went belly up and into the garbage.

And my HP multifunction office printer/scanner, now just about 8 years old, has just gone to "I want to be fussy" mode. It's next out the door...

Printers never last beyond a certain point. They're disposable things with a pretty clear service life.

G

 

[kbb]

Hi Robert,
Nice to hear from you!
Yes, you'd think each generation of printers would become more reliable and less finicky but is it just the opposite?

Oh-oh...Epson offering rebates makes me wonder if the P800/600 may be on the way out...akk!
Ciao mio amico.

Epson offers rebates/instant discounts/etc for about 48 weeks a year.
Oh, and on your original question: your print shows a classic example of a clogged ink nozzle, probably one of the blacks (MK, PK, LK).

 

[Canyongazer]

...Oh, and on your original question: your print shows a classic example of a clogged ink nozzle, probably one of the blacks (MK, PK, LK).

Yes, that's what I thought at first, too
Multiple cleanings, nozzle checks made no discernible change. 🙁

 

[kjrslr]

My first reply so I'll give a quick background. Have been printing both analog and since about 2004, digital. Currently have a pair of Epson 4800's that have a custom ConeColor set in one and Piezography Pro in the other. I got the 1st one in 2006 so I've got some experience with it. i took the plunge a few years back and invested in a 3rd set of carts that only use the Piezo flush to clean everthing every 6 months or so.
Multiple nozzle checks and still clogged usually indicates that the dampers need to be changed. Epson recommends that this be done every couple of years or so depending on how much you print or how long between printing that the printer sets.