Writing with an offset double Epson SX205

Good evening,

There you go, for those interested; I found out why I had an offset shadow in the horizontal direction of my print... Very noticeable with the printing of a frame... there is a double offset line of 1 mm, on the left and right and not at the top or bottom... which is not a head alignment issue.

It was therefore the plastic ribbon that is actually engraved with fine vertical stripes (Part 508 in the catalog).
This striped ribbon is read by a photoLED that measures the head's movement and determines its position at every moment.... It is attached on the right, passes through a reading slot behind the head, and is then anchored on the left with a tension spring.

This ribbon was "crumpled" in the middle, which certainly caused a disruption in the counting. I detached it from the printer and straightened it as best as possible with an iron protected in a sandwich between two sheets of paper... After several applications and multiple heatings, it became more or less flat but still bore signs of creasing.... Observed under a watchmaker's loupe, the graduations were all still very clear and, when viewed in transparency under light, the signs of "crumpling" seemed not to be visible.
So I reassembled everything, made an alignment adjustment.... And it worked on the first tries.

I would advise any potential adventurers to stick another plastic ribbon to this graduated ribbon with tape before disassembly, to serve as a guide for reassembly.... So you pull the ribbon that slips into the head's sensor.... Then once it's out well, you separate them for action; for reassembly, you stick it back to the plastic ribbon and then pull to put it back in place.... Much easier with what serves as a guide.

I am tempted to think that this defect was there from the beginning since it is very recent... However, I sent a note to Epson Europe to try to obtain the said part in new condition...

Here is a case that wouldn't have been solved with alignments.

A+++ and don't catch the flu...!

Hello,

Just to let you know, I never heard back from Epson... Since my post, it has been working very well, I added the rechargeable 19 ctl cartridges with reset.

So the matter is closed.

See you later!

Great !!

Thank you for your explanation, for my part it was just an ink deposit on the ribbon, but thanks to your explanation I was able to easily find the mistake.

Hello ccil,

I understand that you have the same problem, but by reading the explanations, one must deduce the principle... the causes can be different and varied.

So you haven't transported it, that's good to know, but it's rather meager as an indication to make a diagnosis without seeing...

The movement of the head increments a counter through the impulses counted by a cell while moving along a transparent ribbon stretched between both sides of the machine.

In fact, this ribbon is not completely transparent; it is engraved with a multitude of very fine vertical lines... which generate the impulses... that precisely locate the position of the head... and each ink nozzle.

If this ribbon is too dusty, damaged, or marked with ink splatters (or fly poop), well... what do I know... This position reading will not be possible, not even at startup (which performs a checklist), and the printer will crash without going any further...

Here is the detailed explanation I am providing in this post..... Many other reasons can also lead to the same conclusion...

There you go, happy exploring and wishing for a positive outcome...

Hello,

I am glad that my (somewhat long) explanations have been helpful to someone at least once.

That was the purpose of my feedback to explain; after all, I had found my solution, I could have very well just stopped there...???

Unfortunately, I see too many posts that seem to fade away in the middle of the night... I assume that no one is interested in the topic; or that the author has found a solution... Not shared.

Hello,
I have the same problem but without having moved it at all!

Hello,
I have a problem printing with my Epson Stylus DX8400: when I print in blue, there is a double, a red shadow that appears one cm lower!
I don't understand, I've done everything: alignment of the print heads, checking the nozzles... but nothing works. I checked the ribbon as "jeannets" explained, but it's perfect!
Does anyone have a solution please???
Thanks in advance.

Good evening Jujuca,

It’s surely your print head that’s causing this by moving horizontally... Are you sure that this line doesn’t exist in the document to be printed??
1° You could try your printer on another computer to see if it’s the same..??
2° If yes... It’s the printer. The red line might be made below the written line... But it could also come from the previous line... In which case it’s above the written line. So make sure to check the direction of things to try to locate the origin point.
3° Look at the print head block from underneath with a dentist's mirror for instance. It’s quite possible that the ink has overflowed and dripped downward (gravity) and rubs on the paper during the movements of the head.. A good cleaning from underneath with a cotton swab or a toothbrush should solve the issue if that’s the case...

Or there might be a leak somewhere:
1° The ink cartridges
2° The seals between the cartridge and the head
3° The injection block of the head... A hole is always left open... Are all the characters properly formed??

Unplug the printer during the startup phase of the head’s back and forth movement.
Place a sheet of paper underneath and move the head by hand
See if there are any marks on your sheet of paper.

There’s my tip of the day.... But there’s surely something like this... Look for it.. it’s messy..!
A+++