DTF Printer Only Printing White Ink? Why Colors Look Fine in Windows Paint but Not in Your RIP

Question

I've been running a DTF-converted printer and everything was working great after a previous printhead repair. My shutdown routine is always the same: I "shoe-shine" the printhead, clean the capping station with water, and wet-cap the head before turning the printer off for the day.

A few days ago, I did that as usual. The next day I powered on, ran a cleaning, and then printed a test image-but the colors looked dull. I pulled some ink from the waste tube to clear possible air in the lines, and after that it started printing only white ink.

Since then, the color has come and gone 4-5 times. I'll get color back temporarily, and then it disappears again and I'm back to mostly or only white. The strange part is that if I print from the Windows Paint app, my colors do show up (they don't look perfect because of the white, but at least the colors are visible).

What could cause it to print color only sometimes, print mostly white from my DTF setup, but still show color when printing from Windows Paint? What steps do you recommend?

Answer

1. What Your Symptoms Actually Tell Us

You've described three key points:

1. Colors look dull, then disappear, while white ink prints strongly.

2. Color sometimes comes back, but only temporarily.

3. When printing from Windows Paint (using the standard printer driver), the colors print-though not perfectly-so the color channels aren't completely dead.

That pattern is very typical of a DTF-converted printer where:

• The DTF RIP is using only part of the printhead channels for color (usually the "top" nozzles of each channel), while

• The white ink is assigned to the other half (often the "bottom" section of the same physical nozzles), and

• The section the RIP expects for color has partially clogged or lost prime, but the rest of the channel (which Windows uses) is still firing.

In other words, the printhead itself still has usable color nozzles, but the specific subset your RIP is mapped to may be clogged or air-locked. That's why:

• RIP/DTF print → mostly white / weak color

• Windows Paint → color shows up (because it fires more of the channel, not just the DTF-mapped portion)

2. Step One: Run a Nozzle Check First

Before changing mappings or doing major work, you want a clear picture of the nozzle health.

1. Use the printer's built-in maintenance menu to print a nozzle check (not from the RIP).

2. Look at each color pattern (C, M, Y, K and any duplicates, depending on your model):

   • Do you see missing segments at the top of each color bar?

   • Are the bottom segments more complete than the top (or vice versa)?

For many DTF setups:

• The top portion of a channel is mapped to color in the RIP.

• The bottom portion is mapped to white or to other special-color assignments.

So, if your nozzle check shows:

• Top half of color channels missing or weak,

• Bottom half fairly strong,

that tells us exactly why your RIP (which uses the top section) is losing color while Windows (which uses more of the full channel) still manages to show some color.

If the nozzle check is very broken for color, your first focus is restoring those nozzles, not just fighting with RIP settings.

3. Why DTF Only Uses "Half" the Channels

On many Epson-based DTF conversions:

• The printhead has multiple channels that are split into top and bottom nozzle rows.

• The DTF RIP software maps these rows for different purposes:

  • Top rows: CMYK (or CMYKx2) for colors.

  • Bottom rows: White ink (W1, W2, etc.) or duplicated channels.

Because your DTF workflow uses a custom ICC / channel map, it often ignores some physical nozzles or uses them only for white. So when:

• Those specific mapped color nozzles clog or de-prime,

• The RIP thinks "all color is gone,"

• But the printer driver (Windows Paint) still uses areas the RIP doesn't rely on, so it can still push some color through.

This is why you're seeing that strange difference between DTF output and a basic Paint print.

4. What Pulling Ink From the Waste Tube Does (and Its Limits)

You mentioned sucking a bit of ink from the waste tube to get air out of the lines. That can sometimes help if:

• There's air trapped in the capping station area, or

• The pump line is partially blocked and needs help to draw ink.

However, this method has a few limitations:

• It pulls ink from downstream of the head, not always directly from the ink lines or dampers that feed the nozzles you care about.

• If there's air in the dampers / manifolds or partially dried ink in specific nozzles, simply pulling on the waste tube might not fully clear the problem.

• Repeated strong suction from the waste tube can sometimes deform seals or pull more air into the system if there's any loose fitting.

So it's a tool you can use, but it's not a complete cure for stubborn, localized clogs-especially in only the top half of each channel.

5. Practical Steps to Restore Stable Color

A. Confirm nozzle health

• Keep printing nozzle checks after each cleaning cycle you try.

• Aim for a pattern where the color blocks (especially the top segments) show no breaks or gaps.

If the top segments stay broken even after several cleanings, you may need deeper steps:

• Head soak: Parking the head on a lint-free pad saturated with cleaning solution (DTF-safe) for a few hours.

• Targeted flushing: If your setup allows, gently flushing specific color channels from the dampers (this requires care and experience).

B. Limit automatic cleanings

Too many automatic cleanings in a row:

• Waste a lot of ink, and

• Can flood the capping station and introduce new variables (drips, backflow, etc.).

It's normally better to:

• Run one or two cleanings,

• Print a nozzle check,

• Assess progress, then decide on deeper maintenance if nothing improves.

C. Consider rotating or remapping color channels

If you find that one half of the nozzles is permanently weaker or lost:

• Many DTF setups allow you to "rotate" channels-either physically (by moving ink lines to different ports) or through the RIP assignment.

• For example, you might:

  • Move CMYK to a healthier section of the head, and

  • Reassign white to another set of nozzles,
    then adjust your RIP channel mapping accordingly.

This is more of an advanced step, but it's exactly why in my original suggestion I recommended:

Print a nozzle check to see if you have any clogged nozzles, then decide if you need to rotate the color channels.

If the nozzles your RIP is using for color are chronically weak, rotating to better sections can bring color back into stable production, assuming the rest of the head is healthy.

6. Why Windows Paint Still Shows Color

When you print from the Windows Paint app, you're usually using:

• The standard Epson driver, not the custom DTF RIP.

• This driver typically uses a more general / full-channel firing pattern, not the narrow mapping used by DTF.

So if:

• Some nozzles in the ignored portion of the channel are still healthy,

• The Windows driver will use them and manage to produce color.

That's why:

• Colors from Paint look "there but not great" (because part of the channel is still compromised),

• While your DTF print looks like "only white" (because the RIP is firing nozzles that are missing in the upper portion of the pattern).

This difference is actually a good diagnostic clue: it confirms that:

• The head isn't 100% dead,

• The problem is distribution of clogs / air across the nozzle rows and how the RIP is mapped.

7. When to Call It and Seek Hardware-Level Help

If, after:

• Multiple careful cleanings,

• A good soak,

• Proper ink agitation and line inspection, and

• A review of your RIP channel mapping,

you still see:

• No consistent improvement in the nozzle check, and

• Persistent loss of color only in the mapped DTF rows,

then you may be dealing with deeper issues:

• Permanent nozzle damage in specific rows,

• Damper or manifold restrictions,

• Or early-stage head delamination.

At that point, it becomes a question of whether to:

• Keep trying DIY maintenance,

• Re-map to salvage the healthy sections, or

• Plan for printhead or hardware replacement.

Our Policy on Hands-On Repairs and How We Can Help

Dealing with DTF printers and partial nozzle failures is very hands-on and deeply dependent on each specific machine's condition-ink type, environment, prior repairs, and conversions all play a role. Because of that, we're not able to offer individualized remote troubleshooting, step-by-step live guidance, or one-on-one support for specific repairs.

What we can offer is an in-person evaluation and repair service at our local diagnostic facility. You can find details on our printer repair service page (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service). Due to high demand, work is handled strictly on a first-come, first-served basis, and it may take a few weeks from the time you drop your printer off until it reaches the bench. Our services can focus on either the entire machine or specific components, with clear instructions on how to proceed. We also want to be honest that our rates are not always the lowest option available.

Because of that, we strongly recommend pairing our advice with self-help and research. A great starting point is the homepage of our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). Use the search icon next to "About" on the right side of the menu bar and search for terms like "DTF color not printing," "channel rotation," or your specific printer model. I receive dozens of questions every day asking whether a particular video exists. After nine years of making videos, I can't always remember every single one by title, so YouTube's built-in search is usually the fastest way to find exactly what you need-and it may also suggest helpful videos from other channels.

Thank you again for taking the time to write such a detailed explanation of your problem and for trusting us with your question. I hope this gives you a clearer understanding of why your printer is only printing white through the DTF workflow, why Windows Paint still shows color, and how to use nozzle checks, cleaning, and possible channel rotation to get your colors stable again.