Faint ban when printing w/ Epson 2200

[tech4all]

Small annoying problem here.

Whenever I print on my Epson 2200, there is a small light ban 1/4" from the edge of the paper. So far I've been printing on 8.5" x 11" and 4" x 6" borderless photos (horizontally). It's exactly at 1/4" from the edge. I've checked to make sure the heads weren't clogged with the driver's utilities. The test checked out fine. Then just for the heck of it I cleaned the heads with the driver's utility (several times today). Didn't work; still get that light strip.

I've had similar problems in the past and doing that cleaning thing did the trick. But not this time. I had two cartridges that were low on ink, I changed them out and put new one's in (thinking that could be the problem), and that didn't work either.

The strip is only about 1/36" wide (I measured it) and goes the full length of the paper. So small yet so frustrating. Anybody have any ideas on what else I could try to solve this problem?


Thanks

 

[Bear]

What type of paper are you using?

The band is a 1/4" from which edge?

Do you have the output tray in place and extended enough to hole at leas 8.5"x11" paper?

And out of curiousity, how old is your 2200?

 

[tech4all]

What type of paper are you using?

Using Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper for both the 8.5" x 11" and 4" x 6" sizes. Haven't tried other papers, such as Matte, but there's no borderless driver for Matte anyways. I've used this paper with borderless before with no problems - well there was a similar problem but the utility cleaning thing fixed it.

The band is a 1/4" from which edge?

Yea, oddly it exactly 1/4".

Do you have the output tray in place and extended enough to hole at leas 8.5"x11" paper?

Yeah it could come out as far to hold a 13" x 19" paper. And I know there was enough for the 4" x 6" since it's so small, and I still got the light band.

And out of curiousity, how old is your 2200?

It's about 1 1/2 years old. I got it around April or so of 2004.


Thanks for the reply, Bear!

 

[Bear]

Let's try this question again... the band is a 1/4" from *which* edge. Different edges could indicate different problems.

The top edge would be odd to see this. (For top edge, I man the edge coming from the printer first.)

The bottom edge could issues with the rollers - either dirt or they're wearing out.

And either side indicates possibly dirt scraping along the paper. Maybe roller related.

 

[tech4all]

Let's try this question again... the band is a 1/4" from *which* edge. Different edges could indicate different problems.

Oops sorry It's the last edge to come out of the printer. The strip is parallel with the printer.

 

[Bear]

Oops sorry It's the last edge to come out of the printer. The strip is parallel with the printer.

The rollers could be failing to hold the paper properly. Most likely worn out. Do you have a different type or brand of paper you could try printing on?

My 2200 is 2 years old and still working well.

 

[tech4all]

The rollers could be failing to hold the paper properly. Most likely worn out. Do you have a different type or brand of paper you could try printing on?

I have some regular printer paper and I could put the matte in the there to print 8.5" x 11" borderless even the Photo black is in there. Why would worn out rollers make a strip there? And only in that area?

I might try to do some of the cleaning things mentioned in the manual, it's worth a shot. Other than that, are the any solutions to fixing this problem?


Thanks again for your help, much appreciated

 

[Bear]

I have some regular printer paper and I could put the matte in the there to print 8.5" x 11" borderless even the Photo black is in there. Why would worn out rollers make a strip there? And only in that area?

Because that's about where the number of rollers grabbing the paper changes.

I might try to do some of the cleaning things mentioned in the manual, it's worth a shot. Other than that, are the any solutions to fixing this problem?

First try the other recommended procedures and if that still fails, contact Epson.

 

[tech4all]

Ok I just did a test print, 8.5" x 11", only with Matte paper this time. The bar appears to be there but not as much as with glossy paper.

You said that's where the roller changes (1/4" from the edge)....What exactly are the rollers doing or not doing that is causing this line? I looked inside the printer and saw the two sets of rollers, but they're not solid but rather smaller bars that are spaced apart; but the line is solid and not "dashed". (btw: I know you probably know they're "dashed", but I just wanted to mention that ) Or is some other roller that could be doing this?

Should I go ahead do the things the manual recommends to do as far cleaning the actual insides of the printer are considered?


Really appreciate the help, nice to narrow down the possible problem for this.