Recently the printer dock, which up to now has printed photos perfectly, only prints half of the photo- it cuts off the top portion. I recently replaced the cartridge, but it has not corrected the problem.. Created by peif4. Cameras - Kodak - EasyShare - EASYSHARE CD33 & Printer Dock Series 3 (Pack) Digital Camera

Easy Share printer Dock series 3

The problem is most likely a broken plastic lever on the end of the shaft that moves the print head. The plastic lever is keyed to the shaft by a flat on the shaft. The plastic has a tendency to split at the edge of the flat, resulting in the lever slipping on the shaft. This in turn results in one side of the print head not contacting the paper with sufficient pressure. The other end of the shaft has a thick plastic sector gear which is much less likely to break.

I fixed mine by making a clamp from a metal spacer (made from split tube about 1/8 inch long) and force fitting it over the part of the plastic lever that fits on the metal shaft (on the end towards the inside of the unit). There is just enough clearance to do this without hitting the print head frame.

To remove the plastic lever, first remove two screws from back of unit, then pull up on top of unit, unplug two ribbon cables from circuit board and remove top. Then unplug two remaining ribbon cables from circuit board, and three screws holding circuit board. Lift circuit board and fan/fan-holder as one piece. Finally, disengage tab on plastic retainer on end of metal shaft, rotate tab straight up and lift shaft up and to the side (may require a little wiggling). The plastic lever slides off the metal shaft.

GZuraski

If the boundary between the blank half and the printed half is a sharp line, a wire to the print
head may be broken or disconnected. If the boundary is irregular
(wanders up and down an 1/8 inch or so), the problem is most likely a
broken plastic lever on the end of the shaft that moves the print head.

Answers & Comments

Helpful Links

Helpful Social