AWB mode with R2880 suddenly shows reddish tint

My R2880 suddenly shows a reddish tint in the ABW mode for black and white images. Never happened before and as far as I know nothing else changed: settings, Windows version, Photoshop version CS2, etc. Nozzles check out fine.

 

Any ideas?

Oops! Using normal print mode yields the same reddish tint, so this issue is not unique to ABW.

Oops.

Any more words of wisdom besides oops, Andrew?

Just read on another forum that the R2880 may have an unreliable cartridge ink level monitor in the sense that when the cartridge gets low, but still OK according to the monitor, ink supply may gradually decrease, causing color casts. My cyan cartridge is low, but according to the monitor not too low to use. If this causes less cyan ink than that would result in a reddish color cast. I've new cartridges on order, so time will tell if this is the issue here. I'll report back after receiving a new cyan cartridge.

Any more words of wisdom besides oops, Andrew?

Nope

Just read on another forum that the R2880 may have an unreliable cartridge ink level monitor in the sense that when the cartridge gets low, but still OK according to the monitor, ink supply may gradually decrease, causing color casts. My cyan cartridge is low, but according to the monitor not too low to use. If this causes less cyan ink than that would result in a reddish color cast. I've new cartridges on order, so time will tell if this is the issue here. I'll report back after receiving a new cyan cartridge.

You got another dud product?

You got another dud product?

 

I'm apparently not the only one with this issue, so other folks - who are not out to score wisecrack points - may want to keep an eye on this.

Your on your own bud! Do attempt to follow your own “advice” if possible and replace that old ink cart.

Time for a new printer maybe? That pup's nine year old technology so yeah, maybe there ARE folks using this old printer who may need a new ink cart and may find it fixes their color cast. Or maybe not.....

Maybe you can find a printer that provides AWB, whatever that is supposed to be. :confused:

Edited May 1, 2018 by digitaldog

Your on your own bud! Do attempt to follow your own “advice” if possible and replace that old ink cart.

Time for a new printer maybe? That pup's nine year old technology so yeah, maybe there ARE folks using this old printer who may need a new ink cart and may find it fixes their color cast. Or maybe not.....

Maybe you can find a printer that provides AWB, whatever that is supposed to be. :confused:

 

Andrew, you know he means ABW (Advanced Black and White).

Andrew, you know he means ABW (Advanced Black and White).

As the Chinese proverb says: "The first step towards genius is calling things by their proper name"

The name isn’t AWB as so written!

As the Chinese proverb says: "The first step towards genius is calling things by their proper name"

The name isn’t AWB as so written!

 

Yet another wisecrack.

Yet another wisecrack.

Sorry the facts continue to ruin you life.:(

Sorry the facts continue to ruin you life.

 

Come again?

Has Andrew's account been hacked? I have an antique 2880 myself, and in spite of its primitive steam-power system, it still makes excellent prints. I'm guessing that the OP has missed something on his nozzle check.

I'm guessing that the OP has missed something on his nozzle check.

I agree. That or user error.

I could recommend he test using a color reference image that has no such cast (http://www.digitaldog.net/files/2014PrinterTestFileFlat.tif.zip) but that will not detect user error or a clogged nozzle. The OP has a theory that I've never experienced with that or a good dozen of other Epson printers I've owned but he should continue to go down that path since he's done so much research on this being an 'issue'.....

I agree. That or user error.

I could recommend he test using a color reference image that has no such cast (http://www.digitaldog.net/files/2014PrinterTestFileFlat.tif.zip) but that will not detect user error or a clogged nozzle. The OP has a theory that I've never experienced with that or a good dozen of other Epson printers I've owned but he should continue to go down that path since he's done so much research on this being an 'issue'.....

 

A: nozzles are not clogged; my first post clearly states: "Nozzles check out fine"

B: there's no need for a color reference image; printing a B&W image clearly shows the color cast

C: printing a color reference image may or may not show clogged nozzles

D: you may not have experienced this, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist; there are plenty of others that have reported this issue and a little effort on your part would have educated you

Just read on another forum that the R2880 may have an unreliable cartridge ink level monitor in the sense that when the cartridge gets low, but still OK according to the monitor, ink supply may gradually decrease, causing color casts.

Wrong! Ridiculous too. If your theory was correct, and it isn’t, your nozzle check would show this. Another example of user error? Massively expired ink? Not an Epson ink? Another dud product or incorrect concept of such a rabbit hole all possible.

Edited May 2, 2018 by digitaldog

The OP seems to be printing using process color, which is in fact, color. Small changes in balance can have a noticeable impact on tonality, particularly when printing in B&W. We all know what black is supposed to be, or once was, whereas the effect may be extremely subtle in full color prints. Personally, I always use process color for B&W, for the same reason I seldom used Kodabromide paper in the old days - warmth.

 

If you suspect the black cartridge is going bad, the obvious solution is to replace it. However it could be the print head too, which may not be so easy to replace in an Epson printer. That said, black is black, and there are at least three other colors in play, including magenta (pink?). Bad cartridges and heads usually cause streaks or gaps, not an overall degradation in performance.

 

Is the head height set correctly? That can have an effect on color balance too, and cause degrees of smearing.

 

Balance is achieved through calibration, especially for B&W where small deviations matter. You need an up-to-date profile for the particular printer, paper and ink set. Secondly you have to apply that profile correctly, not in addition to printer control, and only once in the process. Calibration is cheaper, in the long run, than replacing cartridges and heads in a willy-nilly fashion. Tools like the XRite iStudio are relatively inexpensive and seem to be as effective, if not as versatile, as my old iOne Pro.

 

Before all of that, it would pay to check and clean the rollers, perhaps replace the waste ink pad.

 

Equally subtle is the effect of cataracts on color perception. We're not getting any younger.

The OP seems to be printing using process color, which is in fact, color.

Process color: Process Color vs. Spot Color Printing Color Intelligence - Spot vs. Process Color

Yes, he's printing color. And he corrected himself by stating he's printing using two different modes to print color, one being ABW.

We don't know if he tried to print differing images let alone a color reference image.

We don't know if he's using 9 year old inks (possible). Or even 3rd party inks.

We don't know if he knows how to properly read a nozzle check as his idea that it's ink monitoring 'issue' would affect that check.

We don't know if he's even tried to remove, shake and put back ALL the ink cartridges; he seems sure it is the one low in cart (he's buying a new cartridge so having a spare around isn't on his radar). We'll get some hopefully useful data once the new cartridge arrives and he installs it.

Data that will useful?

Ed,

Nothing changed except the output; one day I print a B&W image and it looks great. Two days later I print the same image and it has a red color cast. Yes, the cyan cartridge is low, but according to the Epson ink monitor it is low but not expended.

Process color: Process Color vs. Spot Color Printing Color Intelligence - Spot vs. Process Color

Yes, he's printing color. And he corrected himself by stating he's printing using two different modes to print color, one being ABW.

We don't know if he tried to print differing images let alone a color reference image.

We don't know if he's using 9 year old inks (possible). Or even 3rd party inks.

We don't know if he knows how to properly read a nozzle check as his idea that it's ink monitoring 'issue' would affect that check.

We don't know if he's even tried to remove, shake and put back ALL the ink cartridges; he seems sure it is the one low in cart (he's buying a new cartridge so having a spare around isn't on his radar). We'll get some hopefully useful data once the new cartridge arrives and he installs it.

Data that will useful?

 

OK, Andrew, you apparently need everything spelled out lest you go off in the weeds and assume a lot of things.

I've printed with and without the ABW mode and the color cast is the same in each case.

I've printed different images, color and B&W, and the color cast is there in each case.

I don't need to print a color reference image to see the color cast, which was not there two days earlier, comparing the same image.

I use fresh Epson inks and papers.

I know how to properly read a nozzle check.

Contrary to what you claimed in a previous post, a nozzle check would not detect a slight reduction in ink supply.

I did remove and shake all cartridges: no change.

What part of "I've new cartridges on order" (fourth post) don't you understand?

Contrary to what you claimed in a previous post, a nozzle check would not detect a slight reduction in ink supply.

As I asked you in the other forum you're floundering on: Proof of concept?

Ed,

Yes, the cyan cartridge is low, but according to the Epson ink monitor it is low but not expended.

IF it were expended, you couldn’t print or produce a nozzle check.

Hi Frans,

 

Just a few thoughts.

 

Do you have another printer available? If so, try a test print on it. If the red cast disappears, the problem is in the printer. If not, it's time to look at the software (and ANY changes made to the computer just before the problem occurred. That would include updates to the Operating System.

 

I am a bit concerned about printing from PS/CS2. That is a very old program. Any changes to anything else on the computer could affect it. Do you have another program you could use to print?

As I asked you in the other forum you're floundering on: Proof of concept?

 

IF it were expended, you couldn’t print or produce a nozzle check.

 

Who is floundering here? You want proof of concept that a nozzle check would not detect a slight reduction in ink supply? Are you claiming you can detect a slight reduction in ink supply by just looking at the nozzle check print-out? Really? For argument's sake let's say the cyan channel supplies only 90% of normal causing a noticeable red color shift in prints. You claim you can look at the very thin, single-nozzle lines of the nozzle check print-out and see that they are 10% lighter than normal? Come on!

 

"IF it were expended, you couldn’t print or produce a nozzle check." Another of your wisecracks.