Many of you may be wondering what is going on with U.S. Screen Print & Inkjet Technology or Usscreen. The bad news is that this economy that we currently live in got the best of another one. The assets of the company are being sold at auction and the employees have moved on. That is the reason that your calls and emails to them aren’t answered. Now for the good news! There are still people to take care of your printer and printing needs. The “Printer Doctor” or “Dr. Karl” is still here to take care of your printer repair and service needs. Just so that you know who I am, I have been involved in the repair of T-Jet and DTG printers since the beginning of the dtg printing era as a repair tech and repair department manager at Usscreen. Certified Fast T-Jet repair and experienced in other Epson based printers. If you need any help at all with your printer issues I would love to help you, just let me know.
To supply you with parts, ink and supplies, talk to Fred or Shannon at American Screen Supply. They have all of the supplies that you would normally have purchased from Usscreen but with lower prices than anyone else, which in this day and age is very refreshing.
Please let us know how we can help you or help you be successful in your printing endeavors.
Happy Printing,
Dr. Karl
“The Printer Doctor”
Steeletec LLC
Karl Steele
480-760-3882
Phoenix, AZ 85040
steeletec@cox.net
www.steeletec.com
American Screen Supply Inc.
Fred or Shannon Hess
602-437-5231
4141 E. Raymond St. STE G2
Phoenix, AZ 85040
fred@americanscreensupply.com
www.americanscreensupply.com
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
T-Jet Maintenance Tip #1 - Is your printhead clogged?
Printhead clogged? Check the capping assembly!
If you are experiencing a clogged printhead there may be underlying reasons for the clog. The reason that Epson-based direct to garment printers can print detailed and colorful prints is the Epson printhead. The nozzles in the bottom of the head are very small and only allow a small drop size to pass through them which is the reason that you can achieve such detail in your prints. Because of this, the printhead is prone to clogging not only in your direct to garment printer but in a normal Epson printer. For this reason it is very important that the head cleaning components are in very good working order. A simple thing that you can do on a daily basis is to be observant. What I mean by this is to perform a head cleaning before printing every time that you turn on your printer and watch for two important things;
1). Initiate the head cleaning and watch the cap and wiper assemblies. When you observe the operation of the wiper you simply want to make sure that it is either moving back and forth or rolling up and down (depending on which printer you have). Just make sure it is moving it’s full distance, but it does not matter when. If it is moving properly the printer will time itself or will move it at the proper time. If it is not moving, that is an indication that something is wrong and will have to be corrected (usually a capping assembly replacement).
2.) Watch the cap (the sponge looking thing) under the printhead when the printer is turned off or on the right side as you are looking at the front of the printer. Normally you will see the printhead spray ink into the cap and then move across the wiper. When it moves across the wiper, you should hear the pump turn on and see the ink being pulled from the cap into the waste ink container. The key in this observation is to make sure that the ink is indeed being pulled and not pooling up on the cap. If the ink is pooling or not being pumped out, this is an indicator of a problem that may be as simple as a clog in the waste ink line or an indication of a pump malfunction of the pump assembly. If you are experiencing either one of these two issues, they will need to be resolved quickly or you will be replacing a printhead within hours not days. The operation of these components is often overlooked but is as important to the operation of the printer as the printhead is.
Happy printing and remember that a well maintained machine is a happy machine.
Good Luck,
Dr. Karl, The Printer Doctor
If you are experiencing a clogged printhead there may be underlying reasons for the clog. The reason that Epson-based direct to garment printers can print detailed and colorful prints is the Epson printhead. The nozzles in the bottom of the head are very small and only allow a small drop size to pass through them which is the reason that you can achieve such detail in your prints. Because of this, the printhead is prone to clogging not only in your direct to garment printer but in a normal Epson printer. For this reason it is very important that the head cleaning components are in very good working order. A simple thing that you can do on a daily basis is to be observant. What I mean by this is to perform a head cleaning before printing every time that you turn on your printer and watch for two important things;
1). Initiate the head cleaning and watch the cap and wiper assemblies. When you observe the operation of the wiper you simply want to make sure that it is either moving back and forth or rolling up and down (depending on which printer you have). Just make sure it is moving it’s full distance, but it does not matter when. If it is moving properly the printer will time itself or will move it at the proper time. If it is not moving, that is an indication that something is wrong and will have to be corrected (usually a capping assembly replacement).
2.) Watch the cap (the sponge looking thing) under the printhead when the printer is turned off or on the right side as you are looking at the front of the printer. Normally you will see the printhead spray ink into the cap and then move across the wiper. When it moves across the wiper, you should hear the pump turn on and see the ink being pulled from the cap into the waste ink container. The key in this observation is to make sure that the ink is indeed being pulled and not pooling up on the cap. If the ink is pooling or not being pumped out, this is an indicator of a problem that may be as simple as a clog in the waste ink line or an indication of a pump malfunction of the pump assembly. If you are experiencing either one of these two issues, they will need to be resolved quickly or you will be replacing a printhead within hours not days. The operation of these components is often overlooked but is as important to the operation of the printer as the printhead is.
Happy printing and remember that a well maintained machine is a happy machine.
Good Luck,
Dr. Karl, The Printer Doctor
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