Before you start
SECTION (00:00:14) Identify Horizontal Lines SECTION (00:00:32) Clean Head Strike Sensors (Front Side) SECTION (00:01:02) Clean Head Strike Sensors (Opposite Side) SECTION (00:01:35) Clean Under the Printer Carriage SECTION (00:02:23) Horizontal Line Resolution SECTION (00:02:30) Identify Vertical Lines SECTION (00:02:49) Check Media Contact with Ink Bay SECTION (00:03:15) Clean the Tension Rod SECTION (00:03:38) Model Applicability SECTION (00:04:06) Inspect Media Roll for Defects SECTION (00:04:34) Media Documentation SECTION (00:05:02)
What you need
- Lines on prints can appear either horizontal or vertical
- Prepare a cleaning swab or lint-free cloth
- Wet the swab with 99% isopropyl alcohol
- Clean ink residue from the front and back of the head strike sensor
- Turn the printer off
- Open the front lid
- Rotate and hold the knob counterclockwise
- Move the printer carriage to the center of the bed
- Clean the head strike sensor on the opposite side
- Remove two top screws and two bottom screws
- Remove the capping station cover
- Turn the printer back on
- Wait for printer status to show idle
- Press the left arrow key once to disengage the capping station
- Clean around the print head using a clean swab
- Press the enter key to cap the print head
- Go to the back of the printer
- Inspect whether the media roll is contacting the ink bay
- Lower the feed reel by rotating both feet counterclockwise
- Feed the media forward to disengage it from the tension rod
- Use a lint-free cloth with 99% isopropyl alcohol
- Clean the tension rod thoroughly
- Remove the media from the pinch rollers
- Pull the media out of the printer
- Use a flashlight to inspect the media surface
- Identify where the lines begin forming
- Remove the media from the feed reel
- Take a photo of the label inside the media core
- Provide the batch number photo to your technician
- Identifying the direction of the lines determines the cause
- Horizontal lines relate to carriage movement
- Vertical lines relate to media feeding
- Horizontal lines form as the print carriage moves left and right
- Lines may appear as faint streaks or head strike marks
- Ink streaks near prints can indicate head strike issues
- Hold the sensor to prevent bending during cleaning
- Do not touch the print head face
- Clean up to the outer edges
- Clean both front and back sides through access openings
- Proper sensor and print head area cleaning should eliminate horizontal lines
- Vertical lines form as the media feeds forward
- Lines indicate something contacting the media during feeding
- Common sources include pinch rollers, tension rods, or feed reel height
- Contact can cause vertical streaks
- Clean left to right
- Clean front and back
- The cleaning process applies to multiple printer models
- The demonstration applies across different Prestige series printers
- Lines before entering the printer indicate a bad media roll
- Horizontal and vertical line issues should now be resolved
- If issues persist, contact DTF Station technical support