Possible Reasons for Poor Print Quality/Missed Droplets w/Inkjet Serial Board?

Zoot

See attached. I'm getting missed/bad droplets pretty consistently. I only have a few possible explanations so any other possibles are welcome, plus of course, solutions:

- bad bitmaps loaded onto inkjet board EE ($00-$7F are the preloaded font, $80-$FF are a font I downloaded), but problem is same when using either

- clogged print head / bad print head? If so, how to clean?

- poor contact between print head and cartridge holder? (but I checked this, wiped contacts, reseated)

- poor contact(s) with ribbon cable? (checked it, ditto)

- bad pin (or bad contact) on driver pin on board? (seems really really unlikely, but it's possible, I guess)

▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST

1uffakind.com/robots/povBitMapBuilder.php
1uffakind.com/robots/resistorLadder.php

Zoot

Checked HP site. *First* explanation for missed rows on inkjet heads is either clogged nozzles or bad electrical contacts between cartridge and carrier. Their solution -- clean contacts on both carrier and cartridge with lint-free cloth (like the cloth that comes with eye glasses for polishing), then use tiny bit of water on cloth to buff, then buff again w/dry cloth.

Cleaning of nozzles by wiping gently with lint-free cloth is either recommended or specifically discouraged depending on cartridge, type of ink, etc. So I cleaned nozzles very very gently with lint-free cloth (nothing to lose, really).

Works much better -- much better contrast, no missing rows.

▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST

1uffakind.com/robots/povBitMapBuilder.php
1uffakind.com/robots/resistorLadder.php

LoopyByteloose

HP does have a 'cleaning proceedure' to clear up print heads.

In concept, it merely runs a lot of ink through each nozzle until the problem clears up.

Another contributing factor maybe that you are either too far or too close to the surface for proper resolution.
And yet another, is non-linear motion and jitter during the actual printing will somewhat degrade the results.

It looks like you may have all three.

Regarding misfires, each dot has a tiny heater that fires the ink. If you burn out a heater, it is gone for good and you must use another cartridge. At least it is replacible. The documentation is very careful to explain how to avoid this and if you are using the 'stock programs', I don't think you show be worrying about it.

▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
PLEASE CONSIDER the following:

Do you want a quickly operational black box solution or the knowledge included therein?······

···················· Tropically,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan

Vermonter

Pop out the cartridge. Dampen a paper towel. Scrub the nozzles on the cartridge. I also see streaking, which is caused by ink being built-up on the cartridge, or in the docking area, or somewhere in the paper path. Again, damp paper towel. Fold it a few times and slide it in those areas.

If the nozzles on the print cartridge appear clean, but they are still not squirting properly - fill a small cup with 1/4 inch of rubbing alcohol. Place cartridge in cup so the nozzles can soak. Should be fine after 15 minutes. First few prints might have poor quality, but it should darken back up quickly.

Be glad you have an HP. Much easier to clean than Epson.

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

Paper towels are pretty linty and can shed stray paper fibers. Coffee filters are lint-free and a possible alternative, though not as soft. (Beware any sharp creases.) For more money, there's always Kimwipes.

I also wonder if the alcohol-saturated lens-cleaning tissues like the Bausch & Loumb "Sight Savers" that Costco sells would work.

-Phil

Vermonter

Paper towel works fine. I've cleaned hundreds of inkjets. Just be careful not to snag it on edges.

Bagel crumbs WILL cause problems