Problem printing color on Canon C3200

I'm having a real problem with printing color on my Canon IRC 3200. I got the machine used and it has about 100K clicks on it now. The problem seems to be with printing color on card stock. Although I'm not sure I have done any longer color runs on lighter stock. The first copy seems to come out OK, and then it really goes downhill after that. I've attached some images to this post so you can see what I'm talking about. The good sample was the first copy I printed. The bad samples are copies 2, 3, and 4. It does vary a little as to how many copies it takes to go bad. The paper I used for the samples I posted was Sterling Ultra Digital. I've also had problems with using Wausau exact index. The machine seems to run fine if I only print B&W. My question is kind of two fold. First, is their something wrong with the machine that needs to be fixed? If so, can you tell me what needs to be fixed? If nothing is wrong with the machine and it's a paper problem can you suggest some card stock that will work on this machine? I do have a service contract on the machine, but I think the guy who does the service has pretty much only worked on B&W copiers in the past. I may actually be his first customer with a color copier. I only scanned the samples I attached at 75 dpi to keep the files small, but I think it is enough to see what the problem is. I could scan them at a higher resolution if needed. Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

How heavy is the cardstock you are running?

As long as it's under the rating of the machine, then yes there is something wrong with your machine. In the 1.6 million we've put on our pair of 3200s I have not run much cardstock, and then usually 80 lb mohawk color copy cover, but I've never had the above problem. I did run 500 sides of 100 lb mohawk color copy cover without any issues (front and back in two passes.) If the problem were just sample #2 I'd think replacing the cleaning blade (single screw above the waste toner container with blue handle that pulls out) or swaping the fuser to test (always good to have one on hand - they seem to go at 90k 11x17's for us, and more frequently on card stock.). But the subtractions in 3 and 4 make me think of a transfer issue which I haven't experienced and thus I can't really offer you any help I'm afraid, other than to say that it is your machine since you've already tried two different stocks (assuming both aren't too heavy for the machine and are being fed through the bypass tray.)

 

Jeff,

Thank you for the quick reply. I've lurked a bit on this forum and from what I have read it seems like you have a lot of experience with the C3200 and I was hoping you would reply. I have the stock right here, it's Sterling Ultra Digital 80 lb. stock with a gsm of 216. I admit I did use the paper in the cassette and not through the stack bypass. I just checked the PDF spec sheet I have for the machine, according to the spec sheet the machine can take up to 209 gsm from the cassette and up to 253 gsm through the stack bypass. So, the stock isn't too heavy for the machine, although I may have slightly exceeded the limit for the cassette. I've also had problems with Wausau 110 lb exact index card stock. I checked the package on that and it's listed at 200 gsm, which is within the limits for either the cassette or the stack bypass. Also, I'm not sure if I should be using gsm or g/m2, but I'm pretty sure it's the same figure either way. I'm not sure if this matters, but I didn't have any feeding problems with the Sterling Ultra Digital so to my thinking that rules out using the cassette as the problem, but I'm not an expert.

Just as an FYI I have emailed Bob my copier service tech and given him the address of this thread so he may be reading it.

Thank you for the help.

Rick

 

Jeff,

A bit of an update to the problem I was having. Turns out it was pretty much user error. I'm kind of new to the machine and still learning how to use it. The real problem was in the driver settings for the paper. I think I had originally left it set at any media type, which is what produced the error sheets I uploaded. I tried setting the driver to glossy, heavy paper, and extra heavy paper and printed 3 sheets on each setting. All were way better than what I uploaded. The transfer problem is pretty much gone with any of those settings. However looking them over the clear winner is extra heavy paper. The glossy has a little more I'll say punch, but it does give some registration errors. With extra heavy while the lights around the globe and the ribbon around the globe don't have as much punch as the glossy setting, overall the sheet looks better. I did also have it set at 85% lightest color in the driver so I'll set it back to 100% and try it again. I'll probably also try going darker and go with what looks best. I do really appreciate your taking a look and trying to help.

Rick

 

Kudos for solving your own issue and sorry I completely 'missed the tree for the forest' (or something like that.) When we first got our machine within the first year we sheared a tooth on a main gear and that snowballed a bit so we ended up having the main gear assembly replaced. Though it may not have been correct (as we've printed so much since then without issue on these canons) that initial experience left me with the feeling that the gear assemblies in this machine are not super robust, so I've always been absolutely religious about making sure to run the paper right to specs when running heavy stuff (I don't run much cardstock, only a few thousand sheets total, so I run it through the bypass which prompts you for paper weight; with the casettes where it's in the menu under register paper types I can see how it wouldn't come to mind first, but sorry I didn't think of that yesterday!)

Anyway, very glad you solved it where I couldn't come up with any answer. And welcome to the forum here.

 

Now I have a new problem. If I print 1 copy it prints perfect. But, if I try to print say 20 copies the first 1 comes out OK, but the rest of them look like they are out of register. Any idea what that might be? I thought about what you said about the cleaning blade. I wonder if maybe when I run 1 copy at a time it gets enough time to clean the transfer belt, but when they come right after another there is some residual toner left from the previous copy. I'm just guessing because I don't really know exactly how the machine works. I need 400 of these covers. The good news is I did get them 2 up so I only have to do 200 prints 1 at a time. I started and did 20 of them 1 at a time and what fun that was. I decided I'd try and write a computer program to do it for me. I'm actually a computer programmer who's getting into printing because I lost my job a while back and couldn't get another IT job. It took me about two hours, but I got a program written where I can specify the number of copies and the time interval between copies. The only real problem was after I wrote the program I remembered that at one point the copier decided to adjust the gradation after it finished a print. So, what I did was enter 4 minutes between prints in my program figuring that was enough time to alllow it to adjust the gradation if it needed too. I have the program running printing out my first batch of 20. We'll see how this works out. At least I don't have to sit down in front of the computer and print 1 copy after another.

 

First, I'd have the software on the RIP flashed and updated, this fixed all quality issues for me. Make sure the print drivers on your computer are updated, also. Then I'd have the transfer sheet replaced. Make sure the paper setting is on the correct paper type, too. On that type of machine, I believe the paper stays on the transfer sheet by the use of static and each color gets applied separately?? If the paper is too heavy, it may be slipping. Using paper that has been sitting out in the environment, collecting moisture, causes jamming and slipping, too. I'd start with the paper setting and maybe going to a lighter cover stock right out of the package, too. Make sure the "print this side of the paper first" gets printed on first. If none of that works, call a tech out.

 

Stay away from the Sterling it is an offset sheet, they claim it is digital but not good for high fuser temperature machines like the 3200/3220....we had many problems with this paper and thought it was the machine...switched to Mohawk Color Copy Gloss and the problems instantly went away....