[bigfootgrafix]

We have a t-jet 2 printer and this question may have already been answered but I couldn't find it so here goes. Does Any one know why our white ink is literally pouring of the print head? We have a paper towel inside the machine under the print head and even with the printer off, ink is dripping into a puddle on the paper towel.

 

[bornover]

Most likely your white bulk ink bottles are too high in comparison to the print head. Try lowering them a bit.

 

[bigfootgrafix]

Can the ink bottles be too low? They already hang lower than the printhead.

 

[IYFGraphics]

Most likely cause is as Mark stated bulk ink bottles either too high or the ink level in the bottles too high or a combination of both. We keep the ink level in the bottles at 4oz, shelf level in the 8" to 8.5" range this is with the EZ Pro Bulk ink system from Equipment Zone.

Hope this helps.

 

[DAGuide]

The reason for what the other two garment decorators are stating is because your dtg printer uses a gravity feed bulk ink system. Thus, the height of the ink bottles needs to be at the correct height or it can affect how the ink flows. If the bottles are too high, you will have too much pressure on the ink in the print head and lines that will force ink to start dripping from the print head. If the ink bottles are too low, there will not be enough suction power from the print head to keep the ink flowing. Thus the reason for why both of them suggested to check the height of your print head. You should talk to the manufacturer of your dtg printer to see what height they suggest the bottles to be at.

One of the other reasons for why ink might be dripping from the bottom of the print head is the wiper blade is not working properly. The wiper blade should clean the bottom of the print head after all cleaning functions have been performed. If the wiper blade is not clean, it will not clean the print head. Thus, ink will build up on the print head and will drip down over time. You will probably also want to check the seals around the capping station to make sure ink has not accumulated there as well.

A worse case scenario would be your print head is delaminating and the ink is allowed to come out of the sides instead of through the piezo nozzle plate. That would require the print head to be replaced. But before you go through this process, contact your dtg manufacturer / distributor and see what technical support they suggest.

Best wishes,

Mark

 

[QV]

Not sure if this was already mentioned, one way you can test if the ink level is at the proper height is by checking the bottom of the print head with a mirror. Make sure you have adequate lighting (a flashlight may help to see the nozzles clearly), move the print head to where you will be able to see the bottom clearly, slide a small mirror underneath until you see the nozzles.
If you see little droplets forming then the ink level is too high (this would also result in ink being lost overnight), lower the ink bottles roughly 1/4" at a time until you no longer see new droplets forming. You may want to wipe the printhead in the direction of the nozzles between adjustments so that you can see new droplets forming. Make sure you use a clean paper towel well soaked in cleaner and that there is no chance of the paper towel or your hands previously being in touch with pretreatment as this can clog the head.
To prevent ink loss overnight just clip the lines with something so they do not drain.

another note...

During production not all the ink will be used at the same rate, you can maintain the ink level with a syringe by adding or subtracting ink where necessary.
Cheers!
-b

 

[equipmentzone]

We have a t-jet 2 printer and this question may have already been answered but I couldn't find it so here goes. Does Any one know why our white ink is literally pouring of the print head? We have a paper towel inside the machine under the print head and even with the printer off, ink is dripping into a puddle on the paper towel.

Is this a printer you just got or one you have been using for some time? If it is a printer you have had for a while, is this a problem you just stated having? If it is a problem you just started having, have you changed anything you've done recently with it?

Harry
Equipment Zone

 

[bigfootgrafix]

We got this printer a few weeks ago. We did what you all recommended and lowered the ink bottles. It was working fine, did about 20 shirts, and then all of a sudden all the colors just started pouring onto the shirt. It looks like we took and dumped ink on the shirts. The ink is running down the side of the drawer that the garment holder sits in, the capping station is covered in ink, etc. Ink is everywhere. I am uploading pictures. Please help.

 

[equipmentzone]

You may have a problem with your capping assembly. Do some head cleanings and see if you are getting waste ink flowing into the waste bottle from the waste tubes.

Harry
Equipment Zone

 

[bigfootgrafix]

We cleaned the encoder strip but now instead of running smoothly, everytime the print head changes directions it jerks and prints lines on the shirt.

 

[bigfootgrafix]

We did the head cleaning and there is ink going into the waste bottle.

 

[FatKat Printz]

make sure the carriage belt and motor are on correctly.. teeth facing in and there is no lint or dirt on the motor wheel

the rails look really dirty .. clean those and then lightly oil them

 

[equipmentzone]

We cleaned the encoder strip but now instead of running smoothly, everytime the print head changes directions it jerks and prints lines on the shirt.

Clean the carriage motor gear that drives the belt that moves the print head. The gear has grooves in it that can get clogged with dirt which will cause the teeth on the belt to skip. You'll need a pick to get into the grooves and make sure the gear is clean.

Harry
Equipment Zone

 

[bigfootgrafix]

Thanks, we'll try and see what happens. Will let you know.

 

[bigfootgrafix]

All of your responses have been very helpful however every fix only seems to last for a few shirts. We have only managed to do around 30 shirts in about 10 hours and have 150 shirts to get out tomorrow. The problems are that White ink only last for a couple of shirts and then quits working, We do several head cleanings, it works for a couple of shirts and then quits again and The problem with the shirts looking like a marks a lot was used on them, ie the pictures we posted. We clean the encoder strip, it works right for a while and then does it again.

Any idea what we are doing wrong.

We are beyond frustrated!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[FatKat Printz]

Head cleans aren't always the answer.. do you have cartridges or dampers? how old is the printhead?

 

[bigfootgrafix]

cartridges, supposed to be new, bought the printer used from imachine group

 

[bornover]

Are your white bottles on something that makes them higher than the CMYK bottles. The viscosity of the white is different and the white bottles need to be slightly higher than the CMYK bottles to keep the print head from starving. So if all the bottles are at the same hight, and at a hight to have the white ink output correct, the CMYK bottles with be too high and leak out of the nozzles in the print head. Could that be your problem maybe?

 

[equipmentzone]

cartridges, supposed to be new, bought the printer used from imachine group

Do you have one bottle for your white ink in your bulk ink system or 3 separate bottles?

Harry
Equipment Zone

 

[bigfootgrafix]

Sorry this took so long to repy to, had to work on other orders not involving the printer. The white bottle is one bottle feeding 3 white cartridges. The white was at the same height as the color bottles however I have read other discussions about white and had already raised the white bottle up some. This has not helped any. Due to the white cutting out on us, and the only way we can get the white to work again is to do several head cleanings in a row, we are wasting a lot of ink and we are only able to do 5 to 6 shirts an hour. This is very frustrating as I'm sure you can imagine.