Workcentre 7120 Streaks

[Joe Arseneau]

Nice job on the troubleshooting there!

To test PC vs Laptop, do a Print to File on the PC and submit that file from the laptop via CWIS.

So step 1, File > Print > Advanced

Then send it to the 7120 from the Laptop via CWIS here, this way the driver and everything else is handled by the PC not the laptop, essentially making the laptop a really slow network cable in the long run. If this works, the font needs to be on the laptop to print right, if this doesn't work.... I dunno. The pdf/x thing should still solve just about any transparency or font issue from what all the Adobe courses said.

[cdfoster]

I've added an extra post rather than accept Joe's excellent post because there are a number of solutions.

First of all using "Print As Image" is a good workaround solution, but the printing process seemed slower, presumably because much more image data is being transmitted/rendered rather than vector PCL graphics where possible. There is a way round this which is to Print to Folder from PC to Xerox, then print from the folder to get the multiple copies required. As I write, that solution sounds improbable but that's what I felt at the time.

The Download TrueType as Softfont solution made no difference, and that puzzled me because I was sure that the fonts had something to do with it. So I decided to use a different font in the cases where the streaks occcured as an experiment. It was then that I realised that the common factor linking all the streaks was that they were Adobe TypeKit fonts, not TrueType as the rest of the fonts where. Changing to a similar style TrueType font in my original Illustrator and InDesign masters solves the problem without any need to use Print As Image. Alternatively, I expect converting the TypeKit fonts to outlines in Illustrator and InDesign will also work, but that destroys the editableness of the text so it's a poor solution.

The other point to note, which I haven't mentioned before, is that the PDFs I am printing are created on a PC which has all the Adobe software, including TypeKit, on it. The PDFs are then taken on a laptop to the Xerox and printed there. The laptop contains nothing but the Adobe Reader to print them. Is the core of the problem that the laptop cannot render the TypeKit fonts when printing, although it can display the PDF flawlessly? Just a wild theory.

[Joe Arseneau]

So I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to question whether the 7120 is rendering those pages correctly. Could there be an issue with the fonts involved in the source PDF as the problem seems to be connected to text rather than images?

Quick test:

In Acrobat/Reader go to File > Print > Properties > Advanced and set the fonts to Download as soft font

If that works, just change it to that setting in Printing Preferences.

If that fails, it likely is not actually a font issue, but may be Composite Overprint or a transparency (Printers are really stupid, so if their are transparent layers, they know something is there, and occasionally try to print that something)

For that, try Print as image ala File > Print > Advanced

And if that works, then if you are the designer of the documents, start using PDF/x3 instead of pdf, and never use PDF, or PDF High Quality.

[cdfoster]

Here's the latest update

I looked at the transfer belt, rollers and drums and couldn't see any issues.

I printed just the page giving the issue and the problem remained.

I changed to high quality printing and the problem remained.

I printed the whold booklet in booklet style (resulting in A7 pages per A4 side at a different orientation) and the problem is still there. This tends to absolve any roller or belt because of the orientation change.

I printed in black only and the problem is still there, but in grey instead of colour. This tends to absolve the colour system.

So I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to question whether the 7120 is rendering those pages correctly. Could there be an issue with the fonts involved in the source PDF as the problem seems to be connected to text rather than images?

[cdfoster]

OK "BIas Transfer Roller" no I haven't cleaned it but I can do so.

I will check on the transfer belt later to see if I've damaged it.

However, I would have thought that problems with those parts would affect all pages not just the odd one with certain colours.

[cdfoster]

>Have you replaced the transfer belt on this?

If you mean the wide plasticy thing on rollers that retains an image after a print has been done, no but I have removed it and put it back in

>have you cleaned the 2nd btrs? 

Sorry I'm not familiar with the jargon here ("2nd btrs"). I inherited the printer from work so I no longer have access to a service engineer and I'm flying a bit blind.

[AndreDG28240-GIS]

Have you replaced the transfer belt on this? have you cleaned the 2nd btrs? 

[cdfoster]

When printing relatively large areas of colour/black I am getting horizonal streaks/smears. This is happening at exactly the same place in an eight page A4, double sided, impossition print I'm trying to do for an A6 booklet. Not all pages have the problem. Other pages have almost as much colour but don't exhibit the problem.

Any advice would be greatfully received

Examples below

Red/Yellow smear

Black smear

Red/Black smear