Worst Printer Ever

I have been using an HP3000 for the past 2 years, I would have to say it is the worst printer I have ever used. Every second day I have a new issue with it. Colors are never the same, colors shifts as it prints (see images attached) Print heads go in it all the time, heater fans & boards have been changed many times. Nothing a Sledgehammer wouldn't fix. So today's issue is: I'm trying to print a solid color C:37 M:36 Y:29 K:0 (our color) 3000mm wide x 30 meters - banner media. What I get is a color close to it that shifts from (our color) to grey then back. See images. Why is it doing this? the rip I use is onyx thrive 18.5

Hi @Blind Concepts Australia,

I am sorry you are having these issues. Based on the information provided, my suggestion would be to check the User's guide, pages 189 to 191, where the color workflow is explained.

#2 found it when you download the pdf it is on a different page... and yes have done all that

Hi @Blind Concepts Australia.

I'm sorry that you are facing these issues. Whilst there are several things that may cause defects like those you’re seeing, the most common causes are aged or expired consumables, and may also be impacted if the printing environment is outside the recommendations from HP. I encourage you to check the current condition and expiry dates of the inks and printheads in your printer, and ensure your environment is meeting the recommendations in the Site Preparation Guide for your printer. If these are all in order, and you’ve followed the steps in the user guide as recommended by Daniela, then I suggest consulting with your HP reseller/service partner to review your printer.

You may also find this colour management course that we created useful: https://learn.www.printos.com/#/Learn/Courses/:all?courseid=2835.

Here is a replay of a colour calibration and consistency webinar: https://learn.www.printos.com/#/Learn/Courses/:all?courseid=7144

I trust these tips and links can offer some assistance.

#4 thanks for the information, I will look into what you have suggested. one other thing I was looking at this (What is the difference between using 4 colors and 6 colors on the HP Latex 3000 Series printers? Printing with 4 colors is referred to as the ink efficiency mode. Printing with 4 colors uses less ink and is suited to situations where image definition is less of a requirement. Printing with 6 colors delivers better image quality, especially in light color transitions. For example, a better definition in skin tone areas.) we have Onyx Thrive 18.5 I can't seem to see any options in the icc profiles for CMYK LM LC, Is this something the program changes itself?

how do I delete this post?

#5 Hi Shane.

To print with a 4-colour mode, you first need to create that mode on the printer. You can then sync that printmode back to your rip, create an ICC profile in the rip and print using this new printmode.

Printing in 4-colour mode will typically save a small amount of ink, but as you mention, it does reduce the transition detail in lighter tones. We have a small number of our customers that use this, but mostly we find that their is a preference towards better image quality over the small saving in ink.

Hope that helps clarify.

Jeremy.

#1 Hi Shane, not sure if our problems are the same but for info:

We have had similar issues for the past year and eventually worked out that the problem was with the Lm and possibly Lc inks, which were not remaining homogenized in the cartridge. This lead to the color being light when the "Water" component was being used predominantly, when the cartridge was new, and then getting darker as the ink with much higher pigment was coming through, as the carriage emptied.

This heavier ink eventually starts blocking the print heads but if you change the printhead it only cures the problem until the ink supplied in the head is used and the ink from the cartridge arrives.

We worked around the problem by shaking the Lc & Lm cartridges weekly and the printheads cleared after a while but were never 100% after being used with the end of cartridge ink.

We had 2 cartridges that were 50% full but felt like bricks when we shook them which suggested to me that the majority of the liquid component was no longer present.

We queried with the agents and got the normal run around and told that it was not possible but eventually I sent the 2 cartridges back demanding they look at them.

After a few weeks we were advised that there had been a manufacturing defect on the Lc ink and that a number of batches had been affected.

I was advised that batches with expiry dates of 15 Feb 22, 22 Mar 22 & 18 Apr 22 were faulty but I suspect there were earlier batches as the one cartridge returned was an earlier date with the same problem and they refused warranty on it.

It doesn't seem that anyone was told. We bought both of the returned cartridges in late 2020 when I would have expected the defective ink to have been withdrawn by that time. Our dealer claimed he had no idea of the problem.

Sorry for the long story but try shaking the cartridges and see if the color stabilizes over a few days and this should confirm if this might be the problem. We have always printed gutters on Onyx which were also very helpful in identifying the problem.

I suspect the the ink is not homogenized when we received the cartridge and no amount of shaking will get it back into its correct state even before using it, so the color from those cartridges will never be correct and you will be chasing your tail as we did.

Hope this helps

Correction: After a few weeks we were advised that there had been a manufacturing defect on the Lm ink and that a number of batches had been affected.