Causes of Epson ET-8550 Printhead not Adjustment Issues for DTF Printing and Their Solutions

Question:
My printer is an Epson ET-8550, which I use to print DTF transfers. Before the first printer run, I removed the rollers and slightly raised the printhead with the adjustment levers on the side. Lately, however, the printhead has been rubbing against the transfer film during its forward and backward movement. I tried to lift the printhead further, but it felt like it wasn't resisting like it had done earlier. This means that all of these dots can have their distance until they reach the printhead, and I suspect the mechanism that adjusts them has buckled or come loose, causing the printhead to sit at the lowest point. Are you experiencing this problem? Can you suggest something for that?
 
Answer:
Thank you for reaching out! I'm sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Printer issues are always urgent, and I wanted to give you the most complete and accurate answer possible. Thank you for visiting BCH Technologies. We appreciate your support and attention and believe we can provide an excellent service through our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). This helps us further improve our technical know-how, and we greatly value your feedback on these affairs.
Now, let’s get to your issue.
Epson ET-8550 Printhead Height Changes Explained
There are two main components to set the printhead height in the Epson ET-8550:

• APG (Automatic Platen Gap) System – This automated mechanism slightly adjusts the printhead's height to suit the media.
• Mechanical Lever Adjustments—These refer to the levers on the side of the printhead that allow minor manual adjustments to raise or lower the printhead.

Such slight gap differences are being made for various media types (usually a couple of mm) so that the media lays perfectly on the gap. Egg on your face, they say — but many adjustments are more like that than a full-fledged pancake.
 
Reasons Why Your Printhead Is Not Properly Adjusting
Then there are two potential reasons why you may not be experiencing resistance when you try to lift the printhead:

• Ink Build-Up Underneath the Printhead—After using your printer for some time, the ink becomes dry and accumulates under the printhead, which can reduce the clearance and make the printhead touch the film. Rather than lifting the printhead even more, consider whether there is ink buildup and clean up under the printhead using a lint-free cloth and cleaning solution.
• Based Outside the APG Adjustment Range – When you first adjusted the height of the printhead, you probably set it higher than the normal operating range for which the APG can compensate. Therefore, subsequent printhead fine-tuning efforts may not be likely to yield resistance gains, as the system has already maxed out its potential.
• Potential Damage to the Adjustment Mechanism—If the levers move freely without restriction, the inner mechanisms have probably become damaged or disengaged due to prior over-adjustments. Although rare, very aggressive printhead height changes can sometimes alter the integrity of manual adjustment levers.

Proposed Solutions and Next Steps

• Clean print head area—Using a lint-free cloth, lightly clean the underside of the print head with Epson print head cleaning solution. Dry ink can build up over time, and a skinny layer can cause rubbing issues with DTF ink.
• Many HP printers allow resetting the printhead position. If there is a chance that the printhead is lifted or raised too high, reset it to its original position or standard position and adjust it if needed further. Raising it back up gradually, not putting it to a whole notch instantly
• Test the Adjustment Levers—First, Check the mechanism to see if the levers turn without resistance. If they seem loose or out of position, you may need to gently assist them into place. If they are broken, they will need to be replaced.

Lower the printhead a bit more—Many people think the printhead's proper height is the same for standard paper and DTF film, but the truth is that the height is not that different. However, Raising the printhead too high can also cause different printing quality problems, like inconsistent ink positioning or banding.
 
Final Thoughts
Troubleshooting printer problems has always been problematic in any environment with physical needs. As a result, we cannot offer remote repair at this time, but we do provide in-house diagnostics and repair at our BCH Technologies repair facility (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service). Due to high demand, repairs are being serviced on a first-come, first-served basis; wait times may vary. While we can repair complete printers or individual components, we understand that our repair services may not always be budget-friendly.
We suggest looking on our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies) for self-help tutorials. To search for specific videos, tap the search icon next to the “About” tab on the channel’s home page. With nine years of content, it’s hard to remember every single one. The fastest way to find a solution is to use YouTube’s search function, which may even recommend relevant videos by other creators that can help.