Epson 1290 cyan horizontal banding, but.....

[Beemer]

I'm getting horizontal cyan banding even with perfect nozzle check but ONLY
above and below the image area. I do not have print maximum selected and I
use Epson XP drivers.

I do understand that there is a print head failure type where cyan banding
has been reported but not just at start and end of print.

Anyone got an idea what might be causing this?

Beemer

 

[bmoag]

When the printer head starts to die the cyan banding is intermittent. Most
often the banding will not show up in nozzle check pattern after several
cleaning cycles but still appear in a photo print, and not necessarily in
any predictable way. You may be able to print several sheets and then the
cyan banding recurs although you have done nothing different.
I struggled for several months before giving up the ghost on my beloved
1280.
Replacement of the print head runs about half the cost of a new 1280 through
an authorized Epson repair center.
Resurrection (this being Easter) or transfiguration: its your call.
Some banding problems, although not the cyan lines of Epson print head
death, are actually caused by image processing software. Many photoshop
filters, if applied too strongly, will cause horizontal banding artifacts no
matter what brand of printer you use.