imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 banding / horizontal lines in first inch of print

[themagiceight]

Hi, I just bought the Pro-1100 yesterday and I'm printing to MOAB Lasal 235 5x7 paper using the correct MOAB profile. I notice in the first inch or so of printing, I get horizontal lines / banding (shown below). This is consistent across different images, and I've tried change the following:

• print head height at standard, med-high, and high
• unidirectional printing on / off
• abrasion prevention on / off
• vacuum on / off
• borderless and with margins
• Re-alignment of the print head

I'm going to try other paper tomorrow, but at this point this seems like a hardware issue? Anything else I should try?

Have to admit, I'm pretty frustrated either way, given that this printer is brand new, I've wasted quite a bit of paper and ink troubleshooting, and some ink cartridges are already at 30%.

[wdahab]

I'm having the same issue. Just started recently (wasn't happening a few weeks ago) and is only affecting my prints on 4x6 (both glossy and semi-glossy) but for some reason isn't affecting my prints on letter-sized Luster paper.

One thing I did notice, that may help with anyone looking at this, is that when I cancel a print during this section of printing, you can see that the printer prints roughly a quarter inch at a time, overlaying a little bit more at a time. The lines are showing up on the leading edge of those sections (you can see them already being built up in the below picture. I don't know if that gives any insight into what's going wrong, but it's very frustrating.

[wdahab]

So I have a sort of solution, to anyone who comes looking. It appears that this issue only appears when printing in "Standard" quality on 4x6. My guess is it's due to something about the combination of the wider stripes and the smaller paper. I still regularly have those issues when printing with that configuration, but never when I switch to "high" or "highest" quality, where those printing stripes are narrower.

[jimcamp3]

Same thing happening here. So far, between connectivity issues -- and now this -- I swear I'm ready to return this printer. I've made a handful of beautiful prints, but it's so hit-and-miss. Paper profiles correct. Lower / higher quality print settings. Ugh...

 

[jimcamp3]

So far I've learned the technical term for this is "banding", and here's AI's help:

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🎯 Top Causes of Banding in Prints:

1. Clogged Nozzles
   ➤ Incomplete ink laydown causes visible horizontal lines.
   ✅ Fix: Run a nozzle check and clean if needed.

2. Incorrect Media Type / Paper Setting
   ➤ Printer thinks it’s printing on one surface but it’s actually something else.
   ✅ Fix: Match media type to actual paper (e.g., Fine Art Smooth for Hahnemühle Satin).

3. Low Print Quality Setting
   ➤ Draft or standard mode may use fewer passes = banding.
   ✅ Fix: Set to High or Highest Quality in driver.

4. Print Head Misalignment
   ➤ Even small misalignments can cause consistent banding.
   ✅ Fix: Run Manual Print Head Alignment.

5. Paper Feed Issues / Curling
   ➤ Uneven surface contact can lead to inconsistent ink application.
   ✅ Fix: Use Prevent Paper Abrasion and adjust Vacuum Strength.

[themagiceight]

Figured I'd post a follow-up. Did a bunch of troubleshooting with Canon a few weeks after I'd first posted. They had me reinstall the driver and switch from printing natively in Lightroom to using their Professional Print & Layout software. That resolved some, but not all, of the issues I was having. Canon replaced the printer under warranty, and I thought that was the end of it.

Haven't used the new printer much over the past 5 months, but have started printing heavily again. Now the banding is happening again, but this time instead of 5x7 Moab Lasal Matte being the issue (that prints fine), it's 17x22 Canon Pro Luster paper. Even more frustrating since it's a lot more ink-intensive to troubleshoot.

I'm going to try printing with my Windows laptop next, hopefully then I'll know if it's my Mac or the printer itself.

[themagiceight]

Same exact result on my Windows machine. Pretty confident it isn't the driver causing this. It's only in one spot along the paper's length, which makes me think it's not a print head misalignment. I do see there's a firmware update -- version 2.01 with "minor bug fixes". 

If it's not a driver issue, the only other thing I can think of is an issue with paper feed / vacuum strength or something. Given that it's Canon's own paper, I'd really think they'd have tested everything, but who knows. Wouldn't be surprised if I was on track for another RMA...

[themagiceight]

Tried again with print head height set to Standard instead of Low (with the new firmware installed). No change.

I do notice that printing slows down when it reaches the spot where banding occurs. I wonder if data isn't reaching the printer fast enough. I'm going to try selecting "Print after reception is complete" in the Professional Print & Layout "Other Settings" menu.

[themagiceight]

Tried "Print after reception is complete" and unidirectional printing, no change. 

[themagiceight]

Contacted Canon and they issued another RMA. Hopefully 3rd time's a charm.