Why Is My Printer Still Printing Lines After Maintenance?

Question:
I've tried everything I could to fix my printer issues, but I'm still getting lines in my prints. The ink levels are almost full. At first, the problem was mainly with red and yellow, but after running maintenance, the printer still shows lines across the prints. What else can I do?

Answer:

When you see horizontal lines, streaks, or banding in your prints even after running maintenance, the issue usually points to one of a few possible causes:

1. Clogged Nozzles

   • Even if the ink levels are full, dried ink or debris inside the printhead can cause certain nozzles to misfire, creating gaps and lines. Red and yellow channels (magenta and yellow inks) are especially prone to clogging because they contain denser pigments. A nozzle check pattern test can confirm whether certain lines are missing.

2. Air Bubbles in the Ink Path

   • After running multiple cleanings, air can get trapped in the tubes or dampers. This interrupts ink delivery and causes inconsistent firing from the printhead. Priming the dampers or gently purging the ink lines may be necessary to restore smooth flow.

3. Worn or Failing Printhead

   • If your printer is older or has been heavily used, some nozzles may be permanently damaged. In this case, no amount of cleaning will restore perfect print quality. Replacement of the printhead might be the only long-term fix.

4. Encoder Strip Issues

   • A dirty or smudged encoder strip can also result in uneven or streaked printing. Cleaning it with a lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol can sometimes resolve banding problems that appear mechanical rather than ink-related.

5. Paper Feed or Alignment Problems

   • If the paper feed rollers are dirty or misaligned, you may also notice repeated horizontal lines. Running the printer's paper feed cleaning and alignment utility can correct this.

What you can try next:

• Run a nozzle check and see exactly which channels are misfiring.

• Use a printhead cleaning solution and let it soak rather than performing too many power cleans, which can waste ink and overwork the pump.

• Inspect the encoder strip and clean it if necessary.

• If the lines remain after these steps, the printhead may be damaged beyond recovery and could require replacement.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair due to the hands-on nature of the problems. That's why we cannot provide remote troubleshooting, instructions, or support for direct repairs. However, we do offer an in-person evaluation and repair service at our local diagnostic facility (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service). Due to high demand, this service operates on a first-come, first-served basis, and it may take a few weeks before your printer can be evaluated. We provide both full-printer and part-specific repairs with clear instructions for next steps. That said, our rates are not always the most economical, so we strongly encourage customers to also rely on self-help. A great starting point is our YouTube channel homepage (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies), where you can use the search icon next to "About" to find videos tailored to your problem. Since I've created hundreds of tutorials over the past nine years, the search function is the quickest way to locate the right one, and YouTube may also recommend related videos from other channels that could help.

Thank you again for your patience and for contacting us. We appreciate your trust and hope this guidance helps you resolve the print quality issues you're facing.