OKI C9655 Ghosting Problem

[Jit P]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to the forum - what a great resource this is! I own and run a high-end wedding and event stationery business. Most of our high-end work is outsourced using Litho, Silk Screen, Letterpress etc.

To keep our prices down, we offer digital printing too, which is the "bread and butter" of our business. We opted for a OKI C9650 which was replaced by OKI with the C9655 due to the same issue as at the time this was the only digital printed we could find that could handle 300gsm stock and not break the bank.

We are having serious ghosting/registration issues when printing on 270-300GSM card-stock in purple/blue/ or anything that using a lot of Cyan. Printing on the same stock in brown is completely fine, but purples/blues etc ghost massively - sometimes being out by up to 4-5mm! It is always the 2nd half of the print which ghosts (the last part to come out of the face-up stacker).

OKI seem as baffled as us, as every part has been changed, all setting have been explored. Since this is a replacement for a machine which had the same issue, I am inclined to believe that there must be a fundamental flaw in the model?

Any expert advise on this - or something I am missing which may be causing this.

Thank you

 

[OkiTech]

Hi, I don't have a concrete solution for this problem but lets try something. As you probably know paper being defined by short and long grain, try to get some stock which is the same weight but runs different grain from what you have. I believe Cyan is the last one before the fuser and once paper goes in fuser it may be affected physically from the pressure. also if you could get some thinner card and determine at which gsm problem becomes noticeable. I understand that running 216 gsm may not be an option but for experiment sake lets learn the nature of the beast... I had similar issue once with OKI C9800 but with certain stock or may be grain - I did not have a chance to determine at the time, just threw it in to my Phaser 7760 to get it over with.

 

[OkiTech]

I could imagine that second part of the page could be affected because really thick edge of the cardstock may cause a slight delay before fuser "takes a bite" in it and starts pulling it - before page hits the fuser there is nothing solid pushing it though except static of transfer belt and slightest bend of the leading edge of the sheet could cause a few millisecond delay which will have the outcome as you described.

 

[Jit P]

Thank you Unlimited for your quick response.

We have tried thinner stock and it works fine - down to 240gsm or so. Anything thicker and you start noticing a problem. 270+ and it becomes unsellable!

It is definitely happening before the fuser as we have opened the lid at various points throughout the cards journey (after K, after M, after Y and after C) and it is always after C when it goes out. C is indeed the last toner in the chain.

Uncoated stock works best (GF Smith Colourplan etc), but as you can imagine, the majority of our work is pearlescent stock. OKI have tried to convince us it is the stock, but after spending a day with the machine, agreed it could be the printer! What I don't get it if i can print brown, faux gold, pink and various other colour with no issues on the same stock, then why can I not print blue or purple - seems like a major defect to me.

We are honestly sick of oursourcing out digital work due to a duff printer - so have been looking at alternatives. Most that can handle card-stock use the same OKI engine, which I am dubious about due to the issues we are having. The only other options I can see are the new Xerox 7800 and the Colour 550/560. I would love to have the 550/560 but honestly don't think we would use it enough to justify the price tag (to buy or pay per click). The 7800 seems like a great machine on paper, but as it is so new, not much in the way of reviews out there. Any other machines you think I should be considering?

Thank you again for your help - just want to get this fixed, so we can stop haemorrhaging money!

 

[matt123]

Hi Jit P,

We are also looking at a OKi 9650 or 9850 for printing onto 270 - 300gsm pearlised stock and wonder whether you got to the bottom of the cyan ghosting issue. I wonder how long you've had the machine and whether it was a problem from the very start ?

I know this thread is a few months old but would love to hear if you had a resolution.

Many thanks

 

[OkiTech]

I think the problem happens at the point where paper's leading edge hits the fuser while second half of page is still being imaged. because media is thick, it creates a tiny delay before swallowed by the fuser and pulled in. Very little could be done about that but let me ask you - what size of the sheet are printing on? Can you be experiment with few different brands? If you're not charged by the click and I don't think you are, can you go from, say, 11x17 to LTR just put your cards 2 up instead of 4 up? or go custom 9x12 wide side in rather 12x18....

 

[OkiTech]

The reason why Cyan is most problematic - once again, as was said - it is last toner before fuser so it is most sensitive to the issue I had described above. Other colors that do no ghost may contain minimal cyan or none - double check please. I've read about some interesting techniques on some Print forums in Russia - they mix toners in blender to the color desired adding CMYK to get desirable color, poor it all back in to cartridge, take a brand new black drum and print as monocolor, simply send a job as B/W while having "Black" drum installed with Blue mix..... Pretty cool - I want to try it myself just for the heck of it...

 

[maria197]

"have you tried contacting OKI Data's customer service? Through their website, www.okidata.com, you can call them or use the Live Chat feature to speak with a tech representative right away.

Here's the top FAQs for OKI: http://my.okidata.com/OKI-FAQ.nsf/FAQCentral?openview

Hope this helps!

 

[OkiTech]

Maria, I am Authorized OKI technical representative on their entire printer lineup

 

[Mags04]

I know this is an old thread but just had to reply to Jit P to say
OMG!!!!!!!!

I have the C9650 and have exactly the same issues as you (purple/blue bottom of page and only on heavier weight stock). I thought I had a duff printer but it is obviously an issue with this model.

 

[OkiTech]

The Cyan is the last one in line to be imaged... As paper travels trough the machine all that holds it down is the static attraction to the transfer belt, in my opinion this problem is being created at the point when leading edge hits the fuser, a tiny bump before it goes in between fuser rollers causing a mis-registration... Lots of cyan will make it even more visible. As there is no "do this and that" solution for this but I noticed that some paper/cardstock works better than others also grain could make all the difference, if paper isn't perfectly flat - it will make it worth. Best/easiest - try different grain - Short VS Long and/or just different brand of paper. Some time ago I remember that printer was unhappy about offest 12pt cover gloss that we cut from larger size. Now we run "Nekosha" #100 cover gloss in all sizes LTR, 11x17, 12x18 without any color misregistrations, may be just a tiny bit once upon a time.

 

[AlltheLittleDetails]

Hi All,

I'm new to the Forum and this isn't specifically related to Ghosting but... I've recently purchased an OKI C9655n and for some reason, it is not automatically choosing the Face-Up Stacker for cardstock over 216gsm - it is taking everything through the Face-Down Stacker and all of the cardstock is curling. I've checked the manual and done a lot of Google searches for help but I'm getting nowhere with it. Can anyone help please?!

Oh, I'm using Windows 8 and I've updated the Driver to see if that was the problem but it's not helped.

Many thanks in advance for any help and also for posting in the wrong Thread... don't shout at me! ;-)

 

[OkiTech]

Hi. Let me start that I am a Win 8 hater, all new PC's we buy, I have a PC tech install Win 7, to the point....
I may not know how Win 8 acts but as far as I know, it does not switch automatically.
You may select output tray when send a job to print or you may install additional prindriver which is the same as the one you have,
Call it "OKI C9855 CARDSTOCK" or something similar, Complete the installation similar to original driver, IP and everything stays the same, send the test page, make sure it works, go to Start Menu, Choose that cardstock versioned printer, right click on Printing preferences, preset it for most common cardstock type/weight/size you use, select face up tray and save. Now all you have to do, print cardstocks VIA cardstock preset driver and everything else VIA original driver.

 

[tkumonryu]

Sorry to dig up this thread. I used this printer mainly printing on 300gsm card stock all the time.
I had this problem when the new printer arrived, Cyan colour could not register properly (out of registration). In the end, reset everything again and again and put in a new black drum. Viola...problem solved.
After 5 years down the track. While printing, suddenly the cyan out of registration again, out by 0.25mm!! Which the printing are totally not useable.
Tried all sort of function available and even swap drums and still no go.
Last solutions before total give up after trying to fix it over 2 days.
Took out all drums, transfer belt, fuser unit. Took out air compressor, connect air gun and starts go thru internal blowing out every single corner, sensors, holes, top LED, every colour drum unit and I remember in the drum unit there is some LED as well internal (so blow it as well). Blow every corner of transfer belt before putting back in.
Power up. Finger crossed. hit print button on computer and surprisingly all backs to normal.
Hope this does help.