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Fred A
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« on: June 07, 2014, 06:23:59 PM » |
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It would be interesting and enlightening to hear results from those who have tried UNCLOG So far we heard from Jeff in the UK with positive results, and I have two emails from from people who don't like to post but cleared their nozzles in one try. (I might even suggest that one UNCLOG print a week if the printer is otherwise not being used as maintenance) It's just a print and not a cleaning cycle. OK gang... Tell us what you did and what you saw. Fred |
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Jeff
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« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2014, 07:33:49 AM » |
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It would be interesting and enlightening to hear results from those who have tried UNCLOG So far we heard from Jeff in the UK with positive results, and I have two emails from from people who don't like to post but cleared their nozzles in one try. (I might even suggest that one UNCLOG print a week if the printer is otherwise not being used as maintenance) It's just a print and not a cleaning cycle. OK gang... Tell us what you did and what you saw. Fred Restated - very positive results, I will run unclog regularly and see how it performs long term, for me it could be a 'must have' feature. I have always found it a bind to have to do a regular head clean, but, I must say that with a CIS system I have not noticed a vast amount of ink go to waste, but to waste it must be going. Another recycle possibility  Jeff |
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Grumpy
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Owen Glendower
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« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2014, 01:38:50 PM » |
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(I might even suggest that one UNCLOG print a week if the printer is otherwise not being used as maintenance)
It's just a print and not a cleaning cycle.
Fred
Good suggestion, Fred. From what I've read elsewhere, "maintenance" printing is especially important for pigment-ink printers. My basic inkjet printer at work has a finicky printhead, so I'm sure that I'll be running an unclog print at least once a week. |
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Mack
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« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2014, 05:14:51 PM » |
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I have 4 printers running off a USB hub. What I noticed was if I run the unclog print, I need to delete it and reload it rather than just changing the printer in the "Printer/Page Setup" button above the Edit window to print. If I don't remove the image, the name within the printed test/unclog image keeps the previous printer's (or first printer called up) name. That is, if I start using the Canon 9000 II as first unclog test, second printer will also show Canon 9000 II in the test image even though I called up the Epson and the Epson printed the image. All tests from the Epson's show Canon 9000 II unless I delete and reload each time I test. I would think calling up the "Printer/Page Setup" would also change the name in the image? I don't know about printers that use a "clear" ink or gloss optimizer. HP uses one on some printers, and K7 piezo inks use their clear in the Epson LLK ink cart position. I ran one through the K7 printer and don't know where the LLK Gloss Optimizer ink is at in the pattern or if it is mixing with some other black which it shouldn't do? I did use some old Costco cheap glossy over normal typing paper and the color is more vivid and maybe easier to see if something isn't firing right. Typing paper is sort of a wet rag to print on to show anything. At least none show any banding so I guess everything is working so far - at least for this week. Mack |
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Fred A
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« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2014, 08:49:13 AM » |
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What I noticed was if I run the unclog print, I need to delete it and reload it rather than just changing the printer in the "Printer/Page Setup" button above the Edit window to print. If I don't remove the image, the name within the printed test/unclog image keeps the previous printer's (or first printer called up) name. That is, if I start using the Canon 9000 II as first unclog test, second printer will also show Canon 9000 II in the test image even though I called up the Epson and the Epson printed the image. All tests from the Epson's show Canon 9000 II unless I delete and reload each time I test. I would think calling up the "Printer/Page Setup" would also change the name in the image? Mack, Good morning. The one thing you need to do in order to smooth your routine and remove the stumbling blocks is to use the SETUP BUTTON from the unclog screen even when changing printers. Fred |
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« Last Edit: June 09, 2014, 02:20:27 PM by Fred A »
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admin
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« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2014, 02:17:10 PM » |
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I think Fred means the "Setup" button. The Print Unclog Pattern dialog is your "pattern designer". That's where the pattern gets formatted for the printer/paper which is why you should perform the printer setup step there. If you click the main printer setup button on the top right of the main window after you queue/print the pattern, you're just changing the printer without changing the pattern. That's why you get the wrong pattern: the pattern was still designed for the printer you used in the unclog pattern dialog. So use the Print Unclog Pattern dialog each time and with the new printer unclog setups available there, it should be easier to pick the right setup there anyway.
Regards,
Mike
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Mack
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« Reply #6 on: June 10, 2014, 12:42:09 AM » |
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Quick question: Which selection is for the LLK only? That's the one that has clear ink in it and I cannot tell if it is clear and flowing if it is mixing with another color or shade of black?
K7 piezo inks in a Epson 3880 if it matters.
Tia.
Mack
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« Reply #7 on: June 10, 2014, 02:07:02 PM » |
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Quick question: Which selection is for the LLK only? That's the one that has clear ink in it and I cannot tell if it is clear and flowing if it is mixing with another color or shade of black?
K7 piezo inks in a Epson 3880 if it matters.
Tia.
Mack
The black/gray selection is for K, LK, and LLK. You cannot separate them and do only one shade of gray/black. That box is designed to do all the blacks/grays so any time you're dealing with a neutral color ink, that's what you select. It's of little consequence that all the blacks are handled at the same time. You might get ink from nozzles other than the ones that need to be unclogged but you can be sure that the affected nozzles are firing. It's not always obvious which color you would need nor is it always obvious which pattern in the nozzle check goes with which black! Regards, Mike |
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Mack
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« Reply #8 on: June 10, 2014, 04:51:55 PM » |
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Quick question: Which selection is for the LLK only? That's the one that has clear ink in it and I cannot tell if it is clear and flowing if it is mixing with another color or shade of black?
K7 piezo inks in a Epson 3880 if it matters.
Tia.
Mack
The black/gray selection is for K, LK, and LLK. You cannot separate them and do only one shade of gray/black. That box is designed to do all the blacks/grays so any time you're dealing with a neutral color ink, that's what you select. It's of little consequence that all the blacks are handled at the same time. You might get ink from nozzles other than the ones that need to be unclogged but you can be sure that the affected nozzles are firing. It's not always obvious which color you would need nor is it always obvious which pattern in the nozzle check goes with which black! Regards, Mike Got it. However, the ink in question is "Clear ink" and not a black. Looks like water in the Epson LLK ink cart position. How can I tell if the "clear ink" is firing if it is mixing with the other black inks? Can't tell if a "clear ink" and black ink is mixing or not, or if the clear ink nozzle is firing right. Same also applies to the HP printers that also use a "clear ink" in their OEM carts (i.e. Their "Gloss Optimizer" coatings that minimize bronzing.). One sure way I can see if it is firing is when the LLK Clear ink prints a full page (This is a second-pass print with that LLK cart with "clear ink" being the only one printing. It's sort of like spraying a lacquer coat afterwards). The Gloss Optimizer overcoat lands near where the borders do and leaves an edge like when one paints clear lacquer over masking tape and pulls off the tape. Definite mark as to where the lacquer (or clear ink) and uncoated is. Actually, if the QU "Unlogged print" image were to print an only LLK square, or whatever HP also uses for their clear, right next to a unprinted area or edge it might be telling if the clear ink is blocked or not. Mack |
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« Reply #9 on: June 10, 2014, 10:58:40 PM » |
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If you print just the black/gray pattern, you'll notice there are three stripes in each column. Have you looked closely at the column on the right (the lightest one of the three)? The LLK should be firing in that column. It might not be firing exclusively LLK but the LLK should be "exercised" in that column.
Mike
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Mack
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« Reply #10 on: June 11, 2014, 12:43:23 AM » |
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If you print just the black/gray pattern, you'll notice there are three stripes in each column. Have you looked closely at the column on the right (the lightest one of the three)? The LLK should be firing in that column. It might not be firing exclusively LLK but the LLK should be "exercised" in that column.
Mike
hmmm.... That makes sense. I'll try it. Thanks! Mack |
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Jeff
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« Reply #11 on: June 13, 2014, 03:38:26 PM » |
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To update
I have just done another nozzle check and an Unclog, still getting good result.
I resized the unclog pattern to print under the nozzle check result.
I presume resizing does not reduce the effectiveness of the unclog greatley
Jeff
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Grumpy
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Owen Glendower
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« Reply #12 on: June 21, 2014, 04:22:42 PM » |
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It's incredibly convenient to be able to use the Quimage unclogger on just one ink color.
I bought an HP Deskjet 3520 last year just so I'd have a basic printer to use at my n. Wisconsin cabin during the summer months. Works fine, no problems. Because it's just a 3-season cabin, I brought the printer back home when I closed down the cabin at the end of September last year.
Haven't used it since. Kinda forgot about it, literally, until I read the rave reviews of the Qimage unclogger and updated my copy of Ultimate. Ran the printer's built-in "print quality report." Essentially no black ink being used. Only a few skips in the other colors. Not too surprised, since I've had the same problem with my HP Photosmart B209 at the office, which uses the same 564-series ink cartridges as the Deskjet 3520 (and my home printer, a Photosmart B8550). From what I've read, the blank ink in these cartridges is a pigment ink. It certainly gives me more troubles than any of the other colors.
The B209 at the office has a removable printhead. Not so for the Deskjet 3520. But just two or three black-only unclogger pages and I was back up & running, no problems. Ran the printer's ink-wasting "print quality report" again just to make sure--but I NEVER HAD TO RUN the "clean printhead" utility on the 3520.
Also printed a couple of unclogger pages on the Photosmart B209 at the office, which is lightly-used except during tax season. Everything A-OK. Previously, of course, when I was having trouble with the black cartridge, I had to run the printer's quality report...which printed bands of ALL colors...when all I wanted to do was check the black. I had actually cobbled up a Word document which was nothing more than several rectangles filled with various shades of gray so I could test only the black ink. What a waste.
Based on this experience, I'm sure I'll be running the unclogger utility every week or two on the 3520 and the B209. A great addition to Qimage, Mike, thanks much.
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« Last Edit: June 21, 2014, 09:46:13 PM by Owen Glendower »
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admin
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« Reply #13 on: June 21, 2014, 10:29:04 PM » |
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Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad to hear from so many people (here and via email) that the unclog pattern is working well. It seems to do the job the majority of the time from the feedback I've been getting. I'd avoid resizing the unclog print just because it is designed to pulse with certain on/off patterns that might be adversely affected by resizing the print. It will still work, but resizing it may reduce the effectiveness a bit. Instead of printing the unclog pattern under the nozzle check, you could always flip the paper over and print the pattern on the other side of the paper.
Regards,
Mike
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Jeff
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« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2014, 07:09:23 AM » |
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Thanks for the feedback. Instead of printing the unclog pattern under the nozzle check, you could always flip the paper over and print the pattern on the other side of the paper.
Regards,
Mike
Yes, done that also, I expect best way would be to run a nozzle check, turn sheet over and do the unclogger print the put sheet back in other way up and print a nozzle check again. I will keep checking. Thanks for all recent upgrades, you must be 'burning the midnight oil' Regards Jeff |
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Grumpy
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