Re: Epson ET-8550 thicker papers

[Box Brownie]

I wonder if other users of the et-8550 could say if they have experienced the following?

With Epson papers gloss, Semi-Gloss and Heavy Weight Matt I have not noticed this....

I have some papers varying between 240gsm gloss to 310gsm Matt.

On the gloss and Semi-Gloss I have noticed one (possibly 2) witness mark lines along the print direction. It/they don't extend off the edges of the sheet but do make me wonder if it a feed roller leaving the marks? Note ~ the ink finish is fine, so maybe the rollers before the print head path are doing it.

On the 310gsm Matt I think the line is there but very much fainter compared to the other two papers. Though looking closely I can see slight scuffing of the ink in that area of the print...head 'hitting' the print surface?

Edit- this is on A4 and the line is approx an inch in from the LHS as viewed as the print appears.

Note ~ I see there is a thick paper setting in the printer settings, do perhaps that will mitigate what I am seeing on the thicker Matt paper.

Note ~ the printer is quite noisy when ingesting the papers through the rear feeder!

TIA for any user insights

 

[Gesture]

Good insights.

I think the ET-8550 is a genie that got out of the bottle for Epson. It punches above its weight and, now, the expectations in the user community are extremely high. Many of us were getting the same print quality (who knows, better) on Canon dye with grey added to cyan magenta yellow + pigment black for many years. Now, more people may understand why I was lauding that ink set. Add red as in XP-15000 or the Canon G620/650 and you fly even higher.

But these are still consumer grade printers. The ET-8550 is not a P900 or P5XXX. But if you can snag one wihen the prices dip towards $500 US at times its an excellent value.

 

[Keith Mitchell]

Good insights.

I think the ET-8550 is a genie that got out of the bottle for Epson. It punches above its weight and, now, the expectations in the user community are extremely high. Many of us were getting the same print quality (who knows, better) on Canon dye with grey added to cyan magenta yellow + pigment black for many years. Now, more people may understand why I was lauding that ink set. Add red as in XP-15000 or the Canon G620/650 and you fly even higher.

But these are still consumer grade printers. The ET-8550 is not a P900 or P5XXX. But if you can snag one wihen the prices dip towards $500 US at times its an excellent value.

Ink prices are my big issue with canon, I asked why their inks were so expensive at trade show and I got an unintelligible scottish assistant, I even had trouble reading his lips it was that bad so I never did find out.

 

[Gesture]

I will give Canon credit for telling how much ink is in a cartridge. Epson only starting listing volumes, I believe, with the bottles. Actually, I consider even Epson bottle ink as too expensive. What, $18 in the US for 70 ml is almost 8 dollars an ounce. Also, think what Epson is charging for the initial ink in the ET printers when you subtract off the rela value of just the printer. A LOT.

 

[Veneficus]

I started creating a lot of colour profiles and there definitely is a dependency on paper type.

I also found components that fit the 12 cm spacing, but I don't have technical drawings of the printer. If you open it up from the top you can see a bunch of ridges. Two of those are spaced 12 cm symmetrical around the center. The rollers behind those do not nicely align with the ridges. Possibly the pressure is not properly distributed there, which can cause very local bending before the ink is applied.

If I find the time I will take a macro photo of a line to check the shape. I suspect it to be asymmetrical if it is caused by this mechanism. The solution would then be to destroy those ridges, or move the corresponding rollers. If I feel adventurous I will take one to my office and put a high-power microscope on it

 

[Veneficus]

 

[Hackensacker]

I've been through three ET-8550s and they all lay down parallel indentations exactly the same way, 4.46 inches (113.3 mm) apart, or 2.23 inches on either side of the print's centerline. But this doesn't correspond to any of the ridges on the black plastic strip the printhead runs over, as seen in your photo. The right-hand indentation (as the paper comes out of the printer) is always slightly worse than the left-hand one, so it does appear that pressure is being applied asymmetrically.

The indents don't show up if you use the rear feeder slot, even though the paper travels over those same ridges. I suspect the problem lies somewhere under the cover immediately behind the metal frame with the serial number sticker on it, but I haven't had the nerve yet to try to remove it.

I've been through a lot of fiber-based papers, glossy, baryta, and matte, and while some are better than others, only RC papers are completely free of these marks.

 

[Veneficus]

rs, glossy, baryta, and matte, and while some are better than others, only RC papers are completely free of these marks.

I also thought that my prints on Hahnemühle Photo Pearl (RC) were free of marks, but I went back and checked under different angles. While it is not visible looking straight at it, it is definitely there. Mostly visible in large monochrome areas.

I also just made profiles and test prints of almost all Hahnemühle FinaArt papers, and I have the feeling that Baryta papers are most sensitive.

 

[Hackensacker]

The one FB paper I've tried that doesn't show marks is Moab Colorado Fiber Gloss, no longer available. Red River Big Bend Baryta behaves interestingly. It comes out with easily seen indents which gradually diminish to near-invisibility over time-- like two weeks. It seems improbable that paper would continue to swell back over so long a stretch, but there you have it.



I may be off by a millimeter or so, but the only things that come close to lining up with the indents are the bare edges of the rollers at the marked points.

 

[Veneficus]

I may be off by a millimeter or so, but the only things that come close to lining up with the indents are the bare edges of the rollers at the marked points.

I saw the same. Any idea how to remove them to check them? If they have a smaller diameter where the rubber is, this could be a cause for the issue, combined with how the edge lines up with the ridges. If they have a constant diameter, adding rubber on the edge would only increase the pressure locally. But aren't these rollers also in use with the rear flat feed, which doesn't have issues?

 

[wilberforce_1]

I may be off by a millimeter or so, but the only things that come close to lining up with the indents are the bare edges of the rollers at the marked points.

This is not true. If you look far inside the rear slot feed there are guides (for the top feed) that exactly line up with the indents. Very hard to see, and completely inaccessible.

 

[Hackensacker]

Yes, I was skeptical that any of the rollers or ridges immediately visible are the cause of the indentations, and suspect that the problem is somewhere at the base of the feeder mechanism.

There's a service manual available here:

Service Manual for EPSON L8160 L8180 ET-8500 ET-8550

Email with download link immediately Files without viruses PDF format service manual Allow high-definition printing

www.sdott-parts.com

 

[wilberforce_1]

Yes, I was skeptical that any of the rollers or ridges immediately visible are the cause of the indentations, and suspect that the problem is somewhere at the base of the feeder mechanism.

There's a service manual available here:

https://www.sdott-parts.com/epson-l8160-l8180-et-8500-et-8550-service-manual.html

I have the service manual but it is of no help with this issue, unfortunately.

I have occasionally had noticeable indents, but interestingly when I go back and look at the prints several months later the indents seem to have disappeared (or the indents are now so slight that I cannot find them, which is effectively the same thing.) Maybe just lucky with the various papers I have used. However, I generally use my P900 instead for the thickest papers.

 

[Hackensacker]

You sent me on a dive into the bowels of the printer, and I can see there's a curved guide at the base of the rear feeder with the ridges you mention. I haven't printed at 13 x 19 yet, but it looks like a second set of ridges would leave the same marks. Paper going through the rear slot wouldn't touch them.

If one was feeling adventurous, a light sanding to knock them down looks like it would do the trick.

 

[wilberforce_1]

You sent me on a dive into the bowels of the printer, and I can see there's a curved guide at the base of the rear feeder with the ridges you mention. I haven't printed at 13 x 19 yet, but it looks like a second set of ridges would leave the same marks. Paper going through the rear slot wouldn't touch them.

If one was feeling adventurous, a light sanding to knock them down looks like it would do the trick.

Adventurous is right: a sanding could leave the guide slightly rough, potentially resulting in the paper being both indented and abraded.

 

[Hackensacker]

I have occasionally had noticeable indents, but interestingly when I go back and look at the prints several months later the indents seem to have disappeared

I've noticed the same thing on certain papers, but it's a long time to wait.

Does the service manual offer any instruction about removing the black panel immediately behind the metal frame with the serial number sticker on it? That would seem to give access to the base of the feeder.

 

[Veneficus]

You sent me on a dive into the bowels of the printer, and I can see there's a curved guide at the base of the rear feeder with the ridges you mention. I haven't printed at 13 x 19 yet, but it looks like a second set of ridges would leave the same marks. Paper going through the rear slot wouldn't touch them.

If one was feeling adventurous, a light sanding to knock them down looks like it would do the trick.

Adventurous is right: a sanding could leave the guide slightly rough, potentially resulting in the paper being both indented and abraded.

Chemical polishing (if that is the English term for it) would probably be able to do the trick.

I don't fully understand why the second set of ridges doesn't show up on A4 prints though. I will need to have a closer look at my prints to check if they are truly not there.

 

[Hackensacker]

I don't fully understand why the second set of ridges doesn't show up on A4 prints though. I will need to have a closer look at my prints to check if they are truly not there.

From what I can see they’re outside the margins of an A4 sheet.

 

[Veneficus]

I don't fully understand why the second set of ridges doesn't show up on A4 prints though. I will need to have a closer look at my prints to check if they are truly not there.

From what I can see they’re outside the margins of an A4 sheet.

Then more is going on, because the second set of ridges I see are maybe 1 cm spaced, so they would definitely fall within the margins as well.

 

[Hackensacker]

I don't think those are the ridges wilberforce is referring to. They're at the base of the rear feeder and you really have to stick your face into the slot, looking down and toward the front the printer, to see them.

The second set of ridges might be 10 cm on either side of the centerline. Hard to measure without dropping the ruler inside.

Removing this panel would seem to offer access-- maybe.

 

[Gesture]

Kevin at BCH on YouTube might have a video on removing the top of the printer.