We have been using TOG inks in the Epson C84, C86, C88 and always get tiny specks speckled all over on white substates. We've been told it is a problem with the print heads on these printers.
Does anyone else have this problem or any ideas how to fix it, if it is fixable?

We are considering switching to the Epson 1280 printer and have been told by TOG that they have no problem with this spotting with that printer.
Is anyone using this printer that could give a reccomendation for or against it?
Thanks,
George
Craft Trophy

George,

I have friends using the same ink and printer (C86). No reports of spotting.

Are the spots all over the transfer paper, or just in close proximity to the lettering or image area?

The spots do not show up on the transfer paper. They only show up on the plate after it is pressed.
George

How much dust is in the sublimation area? Do you wear polyester when pressing? Are they blue spots?

If all of these questions are yes it is from polyester dust around that is virtually invisible until you press and then the dye in the dust sublimates out very well. I stopped using a polyester flannel shirt during sublimation due to this.

If it is the head, a long time manual head cleaning may help. Let the cleaning swabs stay at least ten minutes between rubbings.

Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)

When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

Hi George,

This is indeed a problem with the C8X series printers. It is just a really "cheap" printer. This does not happen in every C8X printer, but quite a few, and it is not ink specific, as I have seen it also with Artainium and Sublijet inks. Some people have been able to manually clean the print heads and docking station, and gotten rid of some of it. You can also work around the problem by giving your graphic a color background. I have not seen this happen with any of the larger printers, however, I would personally stay away from the 1280. That printer has plenty of issues of its own. In my opinion, the R1800 is a stronger option, and the 4000 and 4800 are stronger still, as you can avoid the use of a bulk system completely.

Kevin,

Is the R1800 a six-color (or 8-color) printer?

If it's an 8-color printer (I think it is) can they be configured to run in a dual-CMYK mode?

I have a 1280 that's now almost 2 years old. I just purchased refillable cartridges and will dispense with using the bulk system. (I haven't installed them yet)

I also get the tiny spots around text though it used to make perfect images. My machine is lightly used; mostly for name tags and mugs.

I will think long and hard before buying another sublimation printer.

Hi David,

It is an eight color printer for Sublijet inks. Theoretically it could be configured in a dual CMYK with the proper driver or firmware, but it is not currently available that way. The new Chromablast system for cotton is configured with dual CMYK. Artainium is configured as a seven color printer. The eigth channel is just a clear liquid. In the regular
R1800 with OEM inks, the eigth channel is a gloss optimizer.