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#1 Posted : 5/20/2022 4:54:35 PM(EST)
juliahut

Rank: New User

Posts: 2
United States
Location: New Jersey

Thanks: 1 times
I’m completely new to the world of printing. I recently bought a printer with the intention to make planner stickers. When I use Weatherproof Matte OL177WJ, the bottom 1 inch of the page appears to print blurry. But I do NOT have the issue when I use Standard White Matte OL177WX.

Here is my equipment and the relevant settings.

Printer: Pixma Pro 200 (purchased one month ago, April 2022)
Using Air Print (sending print jobs over wifi)
Paper type settings on printer: Heavy Art Paper
Print Dialog Box on graphic program: Media Type: Auto Select; Print quality: Normal
Paper I’m using: Online Labels brand Weatherproof Matte sticker paper,
product code OL177WJ, US letter size.
paper is about 8mil (thicker than copy paper) with a “buttery” texture and a slight sheen

The problem: The page prints perfectly until it reaches the last inch or so of printing. Then it will make a “crunch” sound, and the rest of the print job will show a sudden drop in print quality and stuff will get grainy. The corners of the page get slightly bent with a little bit of ink staining the edges.

What I’ve tried:

In the past, the “crunch” sound and ink staining the edges was much louder and noticeable. Changing the paper type settings on the printer to “Heavy Art Paper” seemed to improve it. (previously it was set to “regular copy paper” or something). Though the issue is much better than before it still persists.

Sometimes the job prints perfectly but the very next page I print has the issue. I didn’t change the settings in the meantime.

I’ve noticed the issue doesn’t occur when I print using copy paper or the other sticker paper I have, Online Labels Standard White Matte (product code OL177WX). This paper is the same thickness, but unlike the Weatherproof Matte, this has zero sheen to it, its completely dull and flat.

A Nozzle Check of the printer’s printhead said there was no clogging issue. Makes sense because this printer is brand new.

I even made a quick video to show an example of “crunch” sound and the sudden drop in print quality: link

It’s either the printer or the paper or the settings. I'm at my wit's end. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome! Thanks all!

Julia
#2 Posted : 5/23/2022 1:23:42 PM(EST)
Josh


Rank: OnlineLabels Rep

Posts: 895
United States

Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 77 post(s)
I'm sorry to hear about the issue you're experiencing. I haven't had a chance to use the Canon PIXMA Pro-200 model myself, but I've successfully used a number of other PIXMA models with our weatherproof matte inkjet material over the years.

I did take a look at the video you linked and see the issue that you're describing. I haven't experienced that specific issue when using the weatherproof matte inkjet material, but after combing through the user manual for the PIXMA Pro-200 I did find some possible solutions that may help improve results.

The user manual indicates that the printer should have two different feed trays. The top feed tray is essentially the multi-purpose tray intended for general use. This tray can be loaded with multiple sheets, as long as they are of the same material. The manual feed tray is meant for single-sheet material feeding, and is usually reserved for thicker or more difficult to use material types. If you're using the top feed tray and loading multiple sheets, I'd recommend trying to load a single sheet at a time to see if that improves results. If you're still experiencing the issue then trying the manual feed tray may be the best option. In general, the manual feed tray typically provides the simplest feed path through most printer models, and will often resolve issues relating to how the material feeds through the printer.

Selecting the right paper type can have a major impact on the way the material feeds through the printer as well. The default or plain paper setting will typically work fine with our standard white matte material, but a more specialized option is usually necessary when moving to our weatherproof inkjet options. You mentioned that you adjusted the paper type setting to "Heavy Art Paper" from the printer model itself. I'd recommend manually adjusting the paper type setting from the print dialog box to match what is currently set on the printer model to ensure the best results. The manual indicates that printing with the "Heavy Art Paper" setting may have better results when using the manual feed tray rather than the top tray, so that's something to consider as well. Personally, I've never had to use the "Heavy Art Paper" setting when using the Canon PIXMA printers with our weatherproof matte inkjet material in the past. I've typically had the best results when using one of the available photo settings with this type of material. If the printer gives you an option to select "Matte Photo Paper" then I'd choose that one, but I've tested "Glossy Photo Paper" settings with good results as well. Just make sure that you're updating both the printer model and the print dialog box so that the paper type settings match.

According to the manual, there are a few other options that could potentially improve your print results as well:

- Try the "Roller Cleaning" option that's available from the maintenance area on the printer model's LCD screen. This will ensure that the printer roller's are clean of any dust or debris so that heavier materials feed without issue.

- Check the print dialog options to see if borderless printing is enabled. The manual indicates that the borderless printing option can cause print quality issues at the top and/or bottom of pages. If the borderless printing option is active, try disabling and then printing again.

- The manual indicates that there is an option called "Prevent Paper Abrasion" that can be accessed from both the LCD screen on the printer itself, or in the custom settings of the print dialog box. This setting is meant to improve performance for thicker materials that may come into direct contact with the print head during the printing process. Enabling this setting may slow the print speed to some extent, but it may also help with the "crunch" sound that you highlighted in your video by promoting better feed through the printer.

I hope this helps. I think that I've exhausted the options laid out in the printer manual, but if you need any additional information please just let us know.
 1 user thanked Josh for this useful post: juliahut
#3 Posted : 5/27/2022 9:49:54 PM(EST)
juliahut

Rank: New User

Posts: 2
United States
Location: New Jersey

Thanks: 1 times
Hi Josh,

Thank you so much for going above and beyond to help me with this issue. I really appreciate you doing this deep dive and especially for digging into the manual. I will play around with the paper settings and find that manual feed tray. If I come up with any further issues or additional questions I will let you know. Again thank you for the detailed response and kind helping hand.

-Julia
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