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Rank: New User
Posts: 3  Location: North Carolina
I’m having issues with my clear gloss inkjet paper not drying 100%. It comes out of the printer fine, but even after days of drying, the black ink still smears blue/purple if I use enough pressure to rub it. To the average touch, it’s dry, but I can’t control how hard my customers will rub their stickers to apply them, so I can’t have it smearing under pressure.
I’m printing with an Epson Ecotank ET-2850. Material setting is Photo Paper Glossy, bidirectional printing is turned off, and this occurs with both the draft and standard print quality. I don’t know what else to adjust. Any suggestions?
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Rank: Administration
Posts: 148
Location: Sanford
Was thanked: 5 time(s) in 5 post(s)
I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing smearing on your Clear Gloss Inkjet (CK) labels. While Photo Paper Glossy is a common paper type that works well to prevent smearing, you may want to try a few more options in your Epson printer. The ET-2850 model also offers Glossy, Ultra Glossy, Premium Glossy, and Presentation Matte. Presentation paper type settings are commonly found in Epson printers and have tested well with our materials. Although this specific paper type is for matte finishes, you may want to try it if the other glossy options don't correct the issue.
I still recommend adjusting the print quality to Standard when testing these paper types. The Draft option shouldn't be necessary, but you're welcome to test this setting as well.
Here are some recommendations to resolve smearing issues from Epson's manual for the ET-2850 model:
- Make sure your paper is not damp, curled, old, or loaded incorrectly in your product.
- Slide the edge guides to the edges of the paper.
- Use a support sheet with special paper, or load special paper one sheet at a time.
- Make sure you loaded the printable side of the paper correctly for your product.
- If you are printing on thick paper or envelopes, make sure you select the appropriate settings. In Windows, you can also try selecting Short Grain Paper in Extended Settings.
- Remove each sheet from the output tray as it is printed.
- Avoid handling printouts on glossy paper right after printing to allow the ink to set.
- Turn off any high speed settings in your product software.
- The ink levels may be low, and you may need to refill the ink. Visually check the ink levels.
- Run a nozzle check to see if any of the print head nozzles are clogged. Then clean the print head if
necessary. - Align the print head.
- Adjust the print quality in the product software.
- Clean the paper path.
- If you have not used the product for a long time, run the Power Cleaning utility
I hope this help. If you still need assistance resolving this issue, please let me know.
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Rank: New User
Posts: 3 Location: North Carolina
I've now tried Photo Paper Glossy on draft and standard quality, Premium Photo Paper Glossy on standard, and Presentation Paper Matte on standard and high. With the glossy settings, the ink never dries 100% and smears a bluish purple color if rubbed with too much pressure. With the matte setting, the color ink dries well but the black ink does not adhere to the paper and can be easily scratched off with my fingernail. It even looks crackled if you look closely. None of the recommendations you listed from the Epson manual are an issue. I don't know what else to try because I've already ordered a second set of samples and can't afford to actually purchase the paper until I know which settings will work. Any other suggestions?
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Rank: Administration
Posts: 148
Location: Sanford
Was thanked: 5 time(s) in 5 post(s)
I'm sorry to hear that you're still having trouble with the printing issues despite trying the previous recommendations. I have found a solution for the problem where the black ink smears and appears blue or purple. If you're using Adobe Acrobat to print, you can select "Treat grays as K-only grays" from the Advanced settings in the print dialog box. This will ensure that only black ink is used instead of mixing colors to create black. It's still recommended to use one of the suggested paper types with Standard print quality in addition to cleaning the print nozzles as per Epson's instructions.
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Rank: New User
Posts: 3 Location: North Carolina
Thank you for the suggestions but I’m still struggling. I don’t print from Adobe Acrobat so I don’t have that option. I’m printing from Cricut Design Space and using the system dialog box from there to access my printer settings. I tried printing in grayscale earlier this morning on clear gloss paper and it’s still smearing. It’s been drying for at least 6 hours now. I also tried printing on a sheet of silver foil today and I’m having the same issue. The color ink is drying but the black smears blue. The silver was printed with Photo Paper Glossy. I’ve done a print nozzle check and they’re clean.
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Rank: Administration
Posts: 148
Location: Sanford
Was thanked: 5 time(s) in 5 post(s)
I apologize, but I could not find any additional solutions that we've tested for resolving the issue with your Epson printer beyond performing maintenance and cleaning procedures and adjusting the media/paper type settings. I was able to find a section of the manual for your model that goes over print density in the Print Density Adjustment window. This appears to control the amount of ink coverage and would be a possible solution. However, I suggest contacting Epson's support team directly to see if they can provide further assistance.
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