When the capping station level is not correct – Printer Cleaning Issues Part 7 ARTJET 2026

• When ink enters the Damper from the main ink bottle via the ink tube, it passes through the print head, flows to the captop, moves through the motor pump, and finally drains into the waste ink bottle.
• This article covers the When the Capping Station Level Is Not Correct section of the full ink supply problem series.
• This follows Part 1 Captop Lower Tube, Part 2 How to Replace the Captop, Part 3 Damper, Part 4 Pump Motor and Yellow Tube, Part 5 Captop and Head Position, and Part 6 Aligning the Captop and Head Position.

• When cleaning and pumping both work normally but white nozzles still fail to recover, a capping station level problem may be the cause.
• This is not a common issue, but if the same symptom keeps repeating, this is something that must be checked.

This case involves a machine installed at a Japanese dealer in May 2024. Symptoms began appearing two weeks after installation — pumping and cleaning both worked fine, but white channels 1–4 consistently failed to recover. Replacing the captop resolved the issue temporarily, but the same problem returned 3–4 days later.

Standard mechanical setup items at installation include:

• Overall printer level check
• Full flat bed surface level check
• Head carriage level check relative to the flat bed
• Head height zero point set to 1.2mm
• Captop and print head position check (critical for inkload and head cleaning)

Prior to this issue, capping station level had never been part of the setup checklist. After this case, it became a standard item.

Since the machine was in Japan, the owner there identified the root cause directly.

This was the first time we learned that not only the captop-to-head position, but also the gap between the capping station and the carriage base plate needs to be checked.

Suspected root cause:

• The spring beneath the captop maintains its level under normal conditions
• While the captop rubber blade is still firm, the seal holds and pumping and cleaning work normally
• As the rubber blade wears down over time, the capping station tilt begins to break the seal
• Even with the spring pushing up, a tilted station inevitably leaves one side open
• W1 and W2 channels where the seal holds recover normally / W3–W6 where the seal fails do not recover

The goal is to align the capping station and head carriage base plate to the same gap. The front can be measured visually with a ruler, but the back gap cannot be seen directly.

• First, level the entire capping station
• Measure the gap at the front with a ruler, then apply the same adjustment amount to the back
• After gap adjustment is complete, re-check the overall gap once more via software

There are 3 locking bolts and 4 adjustment screws in total.

• This preserves the reference point and prevents excessive overall height changes
• Where two bolts are present, the left is the adjustment bolt and the right is the locking bolt
• Procedure: loosen locking bolt → turn adjustment screw to change height → re-tighten locking bolt

After leveling, measure the left and right gap with the captop in the capping position.

• When adjusting the left side, apply the same amount of adjustment to the back as you did at the front
• Remembering the angle you turned the adjustment bolt makes it easier to replicate at the back
• M2.5 bolt one full turn = 0.45mm movement

After aligning the left and right gap, the overall gap can be fine-tuned via software.

• Assuming cleaning and pumping work correctly, running at a lower height helps extend captop lifespan
• The reference value is 5 — 4 is too low, 6 is too high
• Recommended range: no lower than 4.5, no higher than 5.5