Text or small graphics are smeared/blurry when exiting the printer (LX500, LX910, LX3000)

Text or small graphics are smeared/blurry when exiting the printer (LX500, LX910, LX3000)

This article is for small defects in text or other small graphics that follow the side-to-side motion of the print head or are perpendicular to the label feed direction.  See the picture below.



Try the following solutions: 

1. Perforations.  Perforations between labels can cause the labels to dome and contact the print head during printing. The label stock retains the "core memory" of the core shape after it is unrolled. Perforations compound this problem because they weaken the liner.  This creates the dome effect that can contact the print head/cartridge.



2. Label Type/Printable Surface Some labels are more susceptible to print head contact smearing, while others dry immediately and don't smear even if they are contacted.  Stock without a good thick inkjet coating is very likely to have this problem as the ink takes much longer to dry and is is very delicate until it dries hours later.  Stock with a thick coating will dry almost immediately and will not have this problem. Combining perforated labels with slow-drying ink makes the smearing problem more likely.

3. Turn down ink saturation. This defect most often happens when the ink saturation is too high.  Lower ink saturation until the problem disappears.

4. LX3000 print Ink tube contact. See this article. 

5. Clean the wiper.  Follow this article.  

6. Cartridge Carrier Wear.  If your printer has over 60,000 prints the print head could be hanging too low due to surface friction causing wear on parts.  This would make it more likely to contact the print surface when printing. 

Article ID: 030424B