T-Shirt Forums banner

Epson 1390 white ink issues

[DIY DTG] 
6K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  DecalAvenue 
#1 ·
Yes another white ink thread!

I've been reading a lot on white ink issues on this forum who have similar DTG printer as mine and can't seem to get it resolved.

I have a Epson 1390 print head machine bought from China and I've tried so many different things to try and solve this white ink issue but having no luck at all!

As you can see my white inks become "fluffy" and very grey.

Things I've read and tried.

Ink: DuPont

Pre-treatments - Different amount, both heavy and light with roller to make sure it's set into the shirt.

Heatpress - 167 degrees (332f)

Trying to improve the white i've tried the following settings

White resolution: 1440 x 1440 dpi small dot & large dot
White resolution: 1440 x 1440 dpi small dot & large dot run through twice.
White resolution: 2880 x 1440 dpi small dot & large dot
White resolution: 2880 x 1440 dpi small dot & large dot run through twice.

For the 2880 x 1440 when I run it twice it slightly gets more white but doesn't improve that much more.

Head clean a bunch of times before I begin printing, nozzle checks seems fine. Even flushed out the white heads to see the cleaning liquid spray through the bottom so no clogs there.

I've tried a few different shirts also, Gildan, AS Colour which I prefer printing on AS Colour.

The fluffy issues doesn't always occur but it's happening more frequent. The main issue is the greyish colour of the white.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? What am I doing wrong?
 

Attachments

See less See more
3
#2 ·
We have an Epson 4880 based printer and have gotten better color results since switching to an ink designed for use with Epson print heads. We've been using Image Armor E-Series inks and pre-treatments for years now and haven't been disappointed. The machine cleans easier with less ink buildup and fewer printer issues.
 
#4 ·
We previously used DuPont ink as that is the type supplied with the printer and probably the best option at the time.
I do recommend Epson E-Series ink. Been using it almost since it came on the market, plus it has a 30 - 35 second cure time, even with a white layer.
 
#5 ·
I know at least three possible solutions to this.

1. Shake up your ink. (Especially white, shake it up a lot then transfer it into the ink cartridge.)
2. Height adjustment. (The ink jet printer is sensitive to height from printing surface by design. White just shows up much more than other colors.)
* TEST --> Print a white bar. (Rectangle or fine line, onto a black shirt. Make sure it is pretreated.) If the line is fuzzy, you need to move the surface closer to the print head. Fraction of a millimeter can make the difference.
3. A problem with your vendor. (Ink, or Pretreatment can cause this.) Since people generally have done well with Dupont ink, my first guess would be pretreatment. Look at a different brand there.

Here is what I use in my 1430 based DTG printer and this with 2 years no issues.

Firebird ink. (Their white is awesome.)
Firebird Dark and Light Pretreat for Epson. (Same. This is good, works for light and dark and basically invisible.)

I have seen your specific example in:
* First prints... (Color looked great but white looked gray...) Was height adjustment.
* If I misaligned my pretreated section with the printed section. (White on lightly pretreated or un pretreated looks horrible.)
* If I printed on day 2 without a shake up of the ink, or refill without vigorously shaking the main ink bottle first.

Pretreat - https://www.firebirdink.com/products/non-staining-dtg-pretreatment-firebird-fbx-100/

White Ink - https://www.firebirdink.com/product...nk-the-new-standard-in-direct-to-garment-ink/

Hope this helps!!!
 
#6 ·
Thank you so much for your insight.

I have been testing ever since, made adjustments to the height which i think did help also the most improvement i felt is that i'm starting to get a better at pre treating shirts and doesn't get the crazy about of fluff anymore, still it's not 100% white or there are still some fluffs here and there. I'm also questioning is it because my printer only does 2 channels of white instead of 4? Have tried 2 pasts with white and not a significant improvement both at the same and higher dpi print.

I have pretty much run out of pre treatments and are looking to re-order from my previous supplier however i'm very tempted to try a different brand of ink and pre treatment since this has been suggested.

Firebird my be an option.
 
#7 ·
Glad to help!

Firebird was recommended to me initially and I'm very abusive to my printer too. (Weeks, months without printing... ) No problems!

For me, Firebird will settle out some, but comes back into emulsion with a vigorous shake. (Either in cartridge or in bottle) and windex tricks work too if you forget to swap to cleaner in downtime.

Here's my white ink tip list:

* Buy empty cartridges and fill with DTG cleaner.
* Swap those in and do a head clean if you won't print for a few days.
(That works flawless!)

If you forget, I have like 3 levels of cleanup that work.
1. Spray windex onto a folded paper towel. (Soaking, dripping, puddled... super wet) - And place it under the head for an hour.
2. Repeat this, but take out cartridges and use syringe to suck windex up into the head. Reapply windex for each color.
3. If all that fails... Place windex into the cartridges and do a head cleaning, wait 30 min, and repeat until cartridges are empty.

I left white in there for two weeks in summer and step 2 above cleared it. Took about 45 min, but printed perfect afterward and I never forget now.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top