SCOUG-HELP Mailing List Archives

<< Previous Message << >> Next Message >>

Date:	Mon, 17 Mar 2003 15:40:44 PST8
From:	Steve Carter <scarter@vcnet.com >
Reply-To:	scoug-help@scoug.com
To:	scoug-help@scoug.com
Subject:	SCOUG-Help: Re: LexMark problem

Content Type: text/plain

=====================================================
If you are responding to someone asking for help who
may not be a member of this list, be sure to use the
REPLY TO ALL feature of your email program.
=====================================================

On 3/16/03, jack.huffman@worldnet.att.net wrote, in part:
>Mark, ... When I ran it after reading your post, the printer:
>
>1. Did not print the black text with which the test page starts
>2. Printed all of the nozzle test vertical bars and angled lines
> (before and after the three sets of colored lines) and three
> sets of blue, cyan, and yellow lines.
>3. Did not print the black nozzle test vertical bars and angled
>lines before the three wide black lines, the three black bars,
>and the black nozzle test vertical bars and angled lines after
>the three wide black bars.
>
>How do you interpret these results?
>Black cartridge installed improperly?

If the black cartridge doesn't print in self-test mode, then it is
a printer problem for sure. You might try cleaning the gold contacts
on both the cartridge and its carrier, very carefully with alcohol
on a Q-tip. It's unlikely to hurt, done gently.

>I have changed both the black and color cartridges many times
>without any problems like this.
>>One point, I have noticed that cleaning the nozzles of the last two
>cartridges as recommended by Lexmark, and even with very hot water as
>suggested by one help person, does not leave nearly as much black on
>the cleaning cloth as I had noticed when cleaning previous cartridges.

That symptom points to the cartridge. I've been told it is possible
to get an air bubble trapped between the ink reservoir and the ink jet,
blocking the flow. When refilling, always fully insert insert the
needle to insure the sponge fills with ink from the bottom up.

>The cartridge page showed the blue ink getting low just before it started
>printing partial lines on the nozzle clean test page and I replaced it
>last week.. The black cartridge on that page, however, indicated that
>there was plenty of ink in the cartridge when it started to print with
>horizontal gaps in lines of text. That was the reason I replaced it.

I have found the ink-level indications to be of somewhat marginal accuracy.
If a cartridge is allowed to run dry for very long at all, the nozzles
can get fried and become totally non-operative. The wet ink acts as
a coolant -- without it, overheating and burnout can occur. My supplier
recommends refilling the cartridge before it runs dry for this very reason.

>Maybe all this will give you, Steven, or someone else an idea what my
>problem is. >Jack

It sure would be nice to find out the problem is easily fixable.

--Steve

=====================================================

To unsubscribe from this list, send an email message
to "steward@scoug.com". In the body of the message,
put the command "unsubscribe scoug-help".

For problems, contact the list owner at
"rollin@scoug.com".

=====================================================

Return to [ 17 | March | 2003 ]

SCOUG, Warp Expo West, and Warpfest are trademarks of the Southern California OS/2 User Group. OS/2, Workplace Shell, and IBM are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.