Dot matrix impossible behaviour

[HotEye]

I have an Epson FX890 printer printing standard text output on plain two part paper. Sometimes the top copy has some of the dots missing making it unreadable, but the carbon copy is perfect. It is usually the last characters on the printed line, but can be anywhere.

I have changed the ribbon at least twice and always use Epson replacements.

If the carbon copy is OK, then the pins must be firing so why no print on the top copy? I can't work it out!

Any ideas?

 

[Michael52x]

Try new box of paper?

"Impatience will reward you with dissatisfaction" RMS Cosmics'97

 

[edfair]

Anything from dry spot on the ribbon to dirt sticking to the paper. Something is evidently between the ribbon and the paper or there is no ribbon between the pin and the paper.If the missing pins were at the top or bottom it would indicate a ribbon folding or not tracking.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[HotEye]

Hi
Thanks for your suggestions. It has been going on for some time so we have used more than one box of paper, and another workstation is OK, no printing problems with the same batch of paper.

We are on our third ribbon, even swapped somewhen with the OK station, so I'm sure it is not ribbon related.

I just can't fathom what it could be!

Kind regards

 

[HotEye]

To see a sample, try the link below, it might error but shows a link on the page (that what it soes for me anyway).

https://sites.google.com/site/hoteye1962/epsonprintout.pdf