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What does contaminated ink look like?

Contaminated ink causes clogging, poor print quality, and system faults. Here’s how to identify it before it damages your printer.

Visual signs of ink contamination

Symptom What it means
Cloudy appearance Moisture or cross-contamination
Colour shift Chemical degradation or exposure to air
Sediment at bottom of tank Dye/resin separation
Thick gel-like texture Ink reacting with incompatible solvent
Strange odour Decomposition or ageing beyond spec
 

Common causes of contamination

  • Mixing different ink families (e.g. MEK and ethanol)

  • Using expired fluids

  • Poorly sealed ink tanks

  • Exposure to high humidity or heat

  • Incompatible cleaning agents

What to do if contamination is suspected

  1. Stop printing immediately

  2. Run Clean Ink System

  3. Replace all filters and restrictor

  4. Flush with the correct solvent

  5. Switch to fresh ink from sealed packaging