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Troubleshooting · Printhead & Software

Wall Printer Troubleshooting for Printhead and Software Problems

Wall printer troubleshooting that starts from what you see. Every fix below follows the same steps: what you see, why it happens, what to do, and when to call our engineers.

WallPrintJet is a MAXWAVE brand. The fixes follow MAXWAVE's printhead and software operating guide. Daily printhead care is on the Consumables and Maintenance page; replacing parts is on the Ink and Parts page.

Find Your Problem Send test lines to an engineer
  • BetterPrinterand Ultraprint fixes
  • Videofor the longer procedures
  • Onlineengineers in and after warranty
  • 2 yearsmachine warranty
Test print · Head 1Check
KCMYW
Missing line · MDraw 3–5 ml with the suction tool, print again

Find what you see

Problem 1 · Test print

Missing Lines on the Test Print

The test print draws one line per row of printhead nozzles. Print it before every wall and keep the photo for the engineer.

  1. What you seeOne or more lines on the test print are broken or missing.
  2. Why it happensAir or thickened ink is blocking some nozzles, so they stop firing.
  3. What to do
    1. Check the ink tank for that colour has ink and its cap is loose.
    2. Fit the ink suction tool (a syringe with a cap that fits the printhead) and draw out 3–5 ml of ink.
    3. Print the test lines again. Repeat once if the lines come back only partly.
Send it to the engineerif the lines are still broken after a second suction. Send a photo of the test print and your printhead type.
3–5 mlper suction, then print again
Manual ink suction tool with syringe and printhead cap for wall printer troubleshooting

A complete test print, by printhead

  • DX7 printhead test pattern printed on white paperDX7One fine line per colour
  • I1600 printhead test pattern with complete colour linesI1600Short paired lines per colour
  • I3200 printhead test pattern with eight colour bandsI3200Long bands, one colour each
BetterPrinter toolbar with an arrow pointing at the Clean button
Clean sits between Adjust and Flash in BetterPrinter.
MAXWAVE videoCleaning the printhead by hand

Problem 2 · Test print

Colours Mixing on the Test Print

  1. What you seeColours run into each other on the test print, for example magenta showing in the cyan band.
  2. Why it happensInk has spread across the nozzle plate (the flat face of the printhead where ink comes out).
  3. What to do
    1. Click Clean in BetterPrinter. Hold the printhead away from the wall so the ink does not spray onto it.
    2. Still mixed: set Flash (the printhead firing non-stop) to 16 Hz, switch it on for 3–5 minutes, then off.
    3. Print the test lines after each step.
    4. Still mixed: clean the printhead by hand as the MAXWAVE video shows, with a paper towel underneath.
Send it to the engineerif colours still mix after hand cleaning. Send before and after photos; a new printhead is confirmed before you order.

Problem 3 · During a print

Colour Cutting Out Partway Through a Print

  1. What you seeThe test print was complete, but partway up the wall one colour fades and stops.
  2. Why it happensInk is not reaching that printhead fast enough.
  3. What to do
    1. Loosen the ink tank cap. A tight cap stops the ink flowing.
    2. Same colour every time: replace that colour's damper (the small ink bag just before the printhead). Spares come with the machine.
    3. Air bubbles in the ink tube: push the ink from the damper back into the tank, then draw it out at the printhead with the suction tool until no air is left.
    4. Measure the gap between column and wall at the top and the bottom. Keep the difference within 5 mm.
Send it to the engineerif the same colour still cuts out. Send a short clip of the print unit running with the ink tubes in view.
Two spare ink dampers, the first check when a wall printer colour cuts out
Column to wall distance: the gap at the top and the gap at the bottom differ by no more than 5 mm Top gap Bottom gap ≤ 5 mm apart Wall

Before every wall

Print the Test Lines Before Every Wall

Keep the photo; the engineer asks for it first.

Send a Pattern Photo
Wall printer troubleshooting in BetterPrinter: Adjust set screen with the X-Left, X-Right and Y values for the white printhead
Adjust set: Head 2 carries the X-Left, X-Right and Y values.
White layer offset from the colour layer: Y moves it left and right, X-Left and X-Right move it up and down Y X-Left · X-Right white edge showing

Problem 4 · White ink

White Showing Beside the Colour

  1. What you seeOn a CMYK + W machine, a white edge shows beside the colour instead of hiding under it.
  2. Why it happensThe white printhead and the colour printheads are set slightly out of line in the software.
  3. What to do
    1. Print the calibration pattern and see which way the white sits off: sideways, or up and down.
    2. In BetterPrinter's Adjust set, change one value at a time: Y moves the white sideways; X-Left and X-Right move it up and down.
    3. Print the pattern after each change. Stop when colour and white overlap, and write the values down.
Send it to the engineerif the pattern will not line up. Send the pattern photo and the values you tried. Re-check after a printhead change.

White in the file: two ways

Problem 5 · Colour

Printed Colours Different from the File

  1. What you seeThe print is darker, paler or a different tint from the file on screen.
  2. Why it happensUsually a missing line on the test print, a changed print resolution, or the ICC profile (the colour table matched to your ink) not applied.
  3. What to do
    1. Print the test lines and fix any missing lines first.
    2. Set the print resolution back to the default for your printhead (table below).
    3. In Ultraprint, select the ICC profile and apply it to the image.
    PrintheadDefault resolution
    I1600720 × 1200
    I3200720 × 1200
    DX10720 × 1080
Send it to the engineerif the colour is still off. Send the file, a photo of the print beside the screen, and your settings.
Ultraprint advanced dialog with Standard ICC mode and the output ICC profile selected
Ultraprint: ICC mode and output profile.
Print unit with its distance sensor at the wall, set 3 mm or less from the surface
Wall printer troubleshooting for stepped prints: BetterPrinter calibration value, Print test and Save marked 1, 2 and 3
Enter the new value (2), print the test (1), save (3).
BetterPrinter print set panel with the mode list open: Normal, Even, Plus even
Print mode: Normal for speed, Plus even for quality.

Problem 6 · Sharpness

Soft, Doubled or Stepped Prints

  1. What you seeEdges look soft or doubled, small text blurs, or straight edges step sideways between passes.
  2. Why it happensThe printhead is too far from the wall, a part is loose, or the pass calibration is off.
  3. What to do
    1. Set the printhead 3 mm or less from the wall, never touching it. Check at the bottom, middle and top.
    2. Push gently on the wheels and column. Tighten anything that moves; replace a wheel with play.
    3. Stepped edges: print the calibration pattern, add the value on its left to the value in the software, enter the result, and repeat until it lines up at 0.
    4. Fine detail still soft: switch the print mode from Normal (faster) to Plus even (higher quality).
Send it to the engineerif it is still soft or stepped. Send a close-up of the print with a ruler in view and a clip of the print unit running.

Problem 7 · Drying

Sticky Ink After Printing

  1. What you seeThe print is still tacky, or smudges when touched, after the carriage has passed.
  2. Why it happensThe UV lamp on the carriage is not giving enough light to cure (harden) the ink.
  3. What to do
    1. Switch off, let the lamp cool, and remove cured ink from the lamp face with a blade.
    2. Turn up the brightness knob on the back of the lamp and print a test patch.
    3. Clean lamp, full brightness, still tacky: the lamp has aged and is replaced (see Ink and Parts).
Send it to the engineerif you are not sure the lamp is due. Send photos of the lamp face, the knob and the tacky patch before you order.
LED UV curing lamp unit from a wall printer carriage, the first check for ink that stays wet

Problems 8 and 9 · Error codes

Error Codes 1004 and 1001

1004USB data lost
  1. What you seeError 1004 on the screen and the print stops.
  2. Why it happensThe data from the computer to the printer over USB was interrupted.
  3. What to do
    1. Plug the USB cable into a different port on the computer and send the file again.
    2. Fix the wires at both ends of the cable chain (the black chain that carries the cables along the column) so they cannot move while printing.
Send it to the engineerif 1004 returns on a new port with the wires fixed. Send a photo of the error and both ends of the cable chain.
1001Image taller than the column travel
  1. What you seeError 1001 when you send a file to print.
  2. Why it happensThe image is taller than the travel the machine is set to.
  3. What to do
    1. Reduce the image height, or reduce the X Margin value in BetterPrinter.
    2. Lowered the column for a low ceiling? Lower the maximum travel to match so the unit never hits the top bar. The engineer guides you through this protected setting.
Wall printer touch screen with the BetterPrinter X Margin field circled MAXWAVE video: changing the height travel
Send it to the engineerif 1001 shows on an image that should fit. Send a screenshot of the image size and X Margin, and say if the column height changed.

Problem 10 · Position

Print Starting in the Wrong Place

  1. What you seeThe print lands higher, lower or further sideways than the red-light cross showed.
  2. Why it happensThe red-light cross (marks the start point) and the X value (the start offset in mm) are not calibrated together.
  3. What to do
    1. Set the value in the software to 0 and print a small image.
    2. Move the red cross by hand: horizontal line on the image's bottom edge, vertical line on its side.
    3. Measure from the cross centre to where the print started and enter that distance in millimetres.
    4. Check it with a small test print at the next site.
Send it to the engineerif it is still off. Send a photo of the cross and print with a tape measure. MAXWAVE video: red-light positioning
Red-light positioning cross on a white wall beside the print unit, used to set the start position
The cross marks the lowest point of the image and where it starts left to right.

Image comes out sideways

In Ultraprint, rotate it 90° clockwise before creating the print file.
Print unit raised on its yellow rubber block so the lower UV lamp clears a skirting at the foot of the wall, with the column parallel to the wall skirting print unit lower UV lamp yellow rubber block parallel to the wall, ≤ 5 mm

Problem 11 · Wall

Skirting or Step at the Foot of the Wall

  1. What you seeA skirting, step or ledge near the floor stops the print unit going low enough, or the unit hits it.
  2. Why it happensThe lowest part of the print unit, the lower UV lamp, reaches the obstacle first.
  3. What to do
    1. Switch the machine off and move the yellow rubber block so the lower UV lamp starts above the obstacle.
    2. Reset the maximum travel to the new start point; the engineer guides you, as for error 1001.
    3. Adjust the wheel supports under the track so the machine sits parallel to the wall, within 5 mm top to bottom.
Send it to the engineer firstif the obstacle is deep or the wall leans. Send a photo with a tape measure before you start.

Problem 12 · Surface

Prints Peeling Off Glass, Tile and Metal

  1. What you seeA print on glass, tile, metal or another smooth surface lifts at the edges or flakes off.
  2. Why it happensUV ink cannot grip a smooth surface on its own.
  3. What to do
    1. Wipe the matching coating (a liquid that helps the ink stick) over the whole print area.
    2. Print a small test patch on a corner first and check it before the full wall.
Send it to the engineerif a coated surface still peels. Send a photo of the area, the material and the coating used. Coatings are on the Ink and Parts page.
No coating

When a fix does not hold

Send Your Test Lines and a Short Clip

One message starts it. An after-sales engineer replies with the next step as written instructions, a video, or both, and stays on the thread while you carry it out.

  1. SeriesGP200, GP200B, UP200 or UP200P
  2. Printhead and inkDX7, DX10, I1600 or I3200; CMYK or CMYK + W
  3. ProblemWhich problem on this page you see
  4. Latest test linesOne photo, in good light
  5. Short clipThe print unit running
WhatsApp +86 15327155363 (photos, clips) Email [email protected] (files, screenshots)
How a warranty case is handled: Wall Printer Training.

Your machine and the symptom

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