topic Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check in Production Printing

Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lethan — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:27:17 GMT

Hello,

I’m experiencing an issue with my Canon TM-200 plotter when printing on matte paper (230 gsm). The problem manifests as dark streaks or smudges, particularly noticeable in areas with color transitions (e.g., white to black) or in solid dark regions.

Here’s what I’ve already checked:

Nozzle Check: The test comes out perfectly—no missing lines or gaps.
Head Cleaning: Performed multiple times, with no improvement.
Paper Feed Calibration: Attempted this, but the streaks persist.

Interestingly, the issue does not occur on glossy paper, only on matte media.

Could this be related to a misalignment of the print head, a specific ink issue, or something else?

I’d appreciate any insights, suggestions, or solutions from the community. Thank you!

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lethan — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 10:30:54 GMT

I am attaching a few pictures from maintenance, including automatic head print adjustment done on an A4 220 gsm matte sheet, paper feed adjustment on an A4 sheet, and on 80 gsm regular coated paper. I am not sure how to evaluate the results, but I think I see some banding in the shades of grey during the paper feed adjustment test. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lithoman — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 13:48:20 GMT

This is an interesting issue. What is the media brand and label info? What inks are you using, Canon OEM? Please take pictures of the labels and post them.

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lethan — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 14:42:11 GMT

Thank you for taking a look. I use Tecco 230gsm matte coated paper, which is a high-quality paper, and I indeed use OEM inks, with which I've never had any problems. Just a few days ago, I got the same model (used one) that was serviced and works well, but the problem with the first printer still persists.

One thought came to mind: could I have accidentally put photo ink into the MBK slot if they were mislabeled? Or could it be an issue with the printer head? However, I just performed a nozzle check, and it looks fine to me. Pictures attached. Thanks!

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lithoman — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:15:43 GMT

Your nozzle check does indeed look correct. The question about wrong ink is hard to do as the cartridges are keyed. Could you attach a picture of the MBK cartridge and label?

To clarify, the media works in the other machine fine? I was going to suggest humidity in the paper as I have seen that but if it works fine in one and not the other...

It could be the head, but that seems odd to me. How old the head, do you know?

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lethan — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 18:12:17 GMT

I am attaching labels of ink and also keeping humidity in mind. My workplace sometimes has a temperature of 18°C. However, I store the media paper in the same place. I checked this issue on both separate rolls I have right now, and when loading the paper onto a new TM-200, there is no issue. Therefore, I assume it is not a paper problem. Do you have any other ideas? Thanks!

Although in the new printer, I am using Epson inks. I was considering buying a set to flush the system, but I am not sure if that is the issue.

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lethan — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 18:15:27 GMT

I bought a new TM-200 in March 2023 and installed the print head at that time. It has been working almost every day since then.

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lithoman — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 18:58:16 GMT

Using non-canon inks can cause many different weird issues as they are not 100% formulated to work with the printheads and the Canon ink system. I would get a set on OEM stuff and flush the system like you said. As for the head, I would hold off only as a last resort. The age isn't that bad and that nozzle check looks good. If possible, google how to perform a "Service Nozzle Check". This has much more detail and can give you better incite into what is going on with the head.

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lethan — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 20:16:09 GMT

Thanks for the reply. Still, I am wondering why this issue is not appearing on glossy paper. It looks like matte black, but with much darker tones in those color contrast bands. I will definitely flush the whole system with Epson inks, but if that doesn't help, where else should I look?

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lithoman — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 20:55:18 GMT

It has to do with the surface coating that is placed on the medias and subtly different mixes for the colors with the inks. Not to mention the printhead and hardware come into play as the inks can jet differently depending on the viscosity and such. Same goes for the other manufacturers. There are many factors that come into play. But ultimately Canon consumables are all designed to work together under known conditions with known and repeatable results. When you start going outside of this weird anomaly's can happen.

A good case example was a translucent window film I had, both HP and Canon branded. At my shop I had a imagePROGRAF and a DesignJet. Ran the same image on each machine with their branded media (Canon on Canon and HP on HP). Both images looked fantastic. I swapped the medias and ran the same image again. In both cases the ink ran off the surface as in exited the machines on both.

For the sake of your printhead I recommend agains running the Epson inks on a Canon device and getting the proper Canon ink.

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lethan — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 21:15:23 GMT

Thank you for all your input! I will definitely take it into consideration. I’ve done quite comprehensive research and am also trying to figure it out with the help of AI. I excluded the humidity factor because I have a few rolls of matte paper, sheets of matte paper, and even checked again with glossy paper just an hour ago (the issue does not appear on glossy paper). Within a few days, I will have high-quality glossy roll paper to test further and confirm.

Since I used generic inks in this case, where the issue appears on matte paper, I honestly concluded that I was likely sold incorrectly labeled ink. So, doing a full system flush with Epson inks makes sense as a step to check. The problematic printer struggles with properly applying MBK ink on the surface, especially when there is a high contrast between colors. This raises my suspicion that the MBK ink may indeed be mislabeled.

From what I’ve read, if two identical inks (e.g., photo inks) are used, they might compensate for each other and cause banding. We’ll see. Another possibility might be the printer head, but as you mentioned, that should be a last resort.

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lethan — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:40:30 GMT

Canon TM-200 – Error EC21-2F53 & Printhead Troubleshooting

Hello everyone,

I have some updates regarding my Canon TM-200 printers. As I previously mentioned, I recently purchased a second TM-200, which initially had no issues with black bands on prints. However, in the past few days, something has gone wrong, and I’m now receiving error code EC21-2F53 on the new printer. From what I understand, this error is related to a printhead voltage issue.

Troubleshooting Steps:

I decided to swap printheads between my two TM-200 printers.
I took the printhead from my older TM-200 (the one that was printing with black bands) and installed it into the new printer. Surprisingly, it was recognized correctly and printed without any black bands.
I then took the faulty printhead (the one giving the EC21-2F53 error) and installed it into the older TM-200, but the same error appeared, or the printer failed to recognize the printhead at all.

What This Means?

I originally thought that the black bands were caused by a faulty printhead, but now I see that the same printhead works perfectly in the new printer.
The printhead giving the EC21-2F53 error is completely unrecognized in both printers.
This suggests that the issue is likely with the printhead itself and not the printer hardware.

Questions:

Is there any way to reset or repair a printhead that is showing this error?
Could this be related to a firmware issue?
Does this mean the printhead is permanently damaged and needs replacement?

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!

Re: Canon TM-200: Smudges and Dark Streaks on Matte Paper Despite Clean Nozzle Check

Lethan — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:42:45 GMT

I’m also wondering if the black bands, which seem to disappear when I put the printhead into the new TM-200, could be related to the fact that the ink waste system is almost full in my older TM-200?