Latex 800W White ink overflood (WOF) issue

I have a strange issue with White Overflood modes (no matter the white ink density). As seen in the attached images, the printout appears grainy (seen from the adhesive side of the media). I used our microscope to see the ink particles in more detail and it appears that the CMYK ink is "repelled" from certain areas and the white layer becomes visible underneath it.

I have this issue when printing in WOF (100, 160 and 260) and 5LWSW mode, but only on the adhesive side of the 2-sided stickers. I tested WUF and CMYK only modes on the same media (transparent sav monomer/polymer) and the printout was perfect.

Can you suggest ways for further troubleshooting?

Here are the attached images.

Attachments

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   WOF_NOT_OK.jpg

   WUF_OK.jpg

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Hi @marian359,

The following are our recommendations to troubleshoot the issues you are facing:

1. The media is the main component that may be creating the issue. The settings used vs. the loaded media must be correct to achieve the best performance free of IQ artifacts. In this case, you didn't mention the media reference which is crucial.

2. To troubleshoot this issue, we recommend changing de Optimizer value. Decreasing for instance. Reviewing the photos seems that the OP value it's too high for this media.

3. We can see some grain also. We recommend reinforcing the printer's set-up instructions as per the below.

Steps:

1. The substrate preset is correctly selected in FP. For these checks and calibrations, we recommend a Generic SAV or similar.

2. Perform a Nozzle Check print - Printhead status plot.

   • If PHs are in bad condition with a lot of nozzles out, perform a PH Hard Cleaning in Optimize Print Quality - Advanced Calibrations > tap in Optimize Print Quality -> Clean Printheads -> Clean all. If only are necessary to clean LM-LC, clean only by selecting LM-LC. PH cleaning prevents or responds to small/medium print-quality degradations.

• Perform a Nozzle Check print status again. --> If the PHs are still bad, you can clean a printhead manually with a soft, fiber-free cloth dampened with de-ionized water. Clean gently, with minimal pressure. Replace the one that is in bad shape.

3. Perform a Manual Printhead Alignment in Optimize Print Quality -Advanced Calibrations. Insert the correct values per each letter in FP.

4. Perform a Media Advance Calibration. This calibration corrects repetitive lighter or darker bands on printed output, especially for banding/grain issues you are facing.

5. Perform Color Calibration in Optimize Print Quality. The correct color management workflow to achieve good color consistency and avoid banding issues (running a CLC before beginning the job. Note the CLC is media dependent).

I hope these help.

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