UV Printing Problems: The Complete Troubleshooting Guide

With eufyMake E1, UV printing is finally moving out of factories and into homes.

It's an exciting time, just like the early days of 3D printing.

But like 3D printing did, it also brings its own learning curve. Many users have never worked with this kind of machine before, so running into issues can be frustrating.

The good news is that UV printing is much easier to pick up than 3D printing.

Most problems come down to simple adjustments, and they won't happen often once you know what to look for. The key is figuring out what's actually causing the issue.

This guide covers 12 of the most common UV printing problems we see in the community and how to fix them. We'll keep adding new ones as we go.

Before you start:

• To make sure you get the most accurate and up to date information, always reach out to eufyMake support first.
• This guide focuses on UV printing technique issues. For hardware or software problems with the E1, check the eufyMake support page.

1. Blurry or Ghosting Prints

Your finished print looks soft, out of focus, or has a faint double image next to the main design.

Image: Melissa Yamello

What Causes Blurry or Ghosting Images?

The print head is too far from the surface, so the ink droplets have to travel farther and start spreading out before landing.

This usually means there's a height detection error. For example, an uneven print surface might cause the printer's laser height sensor to read a higher point.

Common scenarios include:

• Blue painter's tape curling at the edges
• Multiple items placed together at different heights
• Height variations greater than 2mm on the same item
• Air currents interfering when the printer door is open, such as fans in the room or wind coming through windows
• Camera calibration was not performed after replacing the platform board
• If printing 3D textures on canvas, the weight of the ink can cause the canvas to sag in the middle, throwing it out of focus and creating blurriness
• If using the rotary printing attachment, the item may not be secured properly and is slipping

How to Fix Blurry or Ghosting Issues

• Make sure nothing extends above the print surface and that the surface is flat.
• Calibrate the camera every time you change print beds.
• Tighten the canvas before printing.
• Ensure there are no strong air currents around the printer.
• Add weight inside cups to stabilize them.

For more details, see: Error: Printed Image is Blurry or Has Ghosting

2. UV Ink Peeling Off or Poor Adhesion on Smooth Surfaces

Your printed design flakes off easily, scratches away with light pressure, or fails to stick to the material entirely.

Source: Kristin Rebecca

What Causes Poor UV Ink Adhesion?

UV ink needs physical grip to bond securely. It cannot stick to items that are too smooth or dirty.

Common scenarios include:

• Printing directly on smooth surfaces like glass, metal, or acrylic without any treatment
• Dust, oils, or fingerprints on the surface of the material

How to Fix UV Ink Peeling Off?

• Clean the surface with rubbing alcohol and a cloth to remove dust and oils.
• Wear gloves or handle items only by their edges to prevent leaving new fingerprints.
• Lightly scuff glossy items with fine sandpaper to give the ink some physical grip.
• Apply a UV adhesion promoter to smooth items like glass and metal before printing.
• Use a flame treatment on certain plastics to help the ink stick (for professionals only).

For more details, see: How to Improve UV Ink Adhesion

3. Black Streaks and Scratches (Printhead Strikes)

Printhead strikes happen when the nozzle physically hits the material during printing.

You'll see dark streaks or deep scratches on your finished design. This ruins the print and can permanently damage the printhead.

Image: Magdalena M Nagy / Steven Dodds

What Causes Printhead Strikes?

The material sits higher than the printer expects, putting it directly in the path of the moving nozzle.

Common scenarios include:

• Thin materials like acrylic sheets, PLA cards, thin tin signs, and thin wood sheets. The heat from ink curing can cause these materials to warp during texture printing
• The sticky mat losing its grip and letting flexible items lift up
• Incorrect height measurement data
• The printhead hitting the handle when printing on cups

Image: Eric Ledbetter / Laura Gray

How to Fix Printhead Strikes?

• Lay the material flat on the bed before printing. Check for any lifted corners
• Check if the sticky mat is warped and press it flat with your hands if needed
• Make sure the material sticks firmly to the sticky mat. Replace the mat if it has lost its grip
• Use acrylic boards thicker than 5mm. For thinner acrylic, secure it with jig or tape

For more details, read our support page about Nozzle Scraping on the Printed Surface During Printing

4. Prints Look Darker Than the Screen

Your design looks vibrant and bright on your monitor. But the finished print comes out darker or duller than expected.

This is one of the most common issues in printing. It's not just UV printers that face this. Home inkjet printers, DTF printers, and other methods can all have the same problem.

What Causes Prints to Look Darker?

If you're printing on light-colored materials, the two most common causes are color mode and lighting.

Monitors and prints use different color modes. Displays use RGB, while printing uses CMYK. We won't go into a long discussion here. For the full breakdown, check out our RGB vs CMYK for Printing guide.

If you're already using the right color mode and still seeing the issue, it's likely lighting. Screens produce their own light, so they look brighter. Prints rely on reflected light, which depends on the lighting in your room.

Other common causes:

• Too many layers of CMYK ink. For example, stacking multiple layers of gray can end up printing as black
• Not enough white ink when printing on dark materials. Too few white layers or low white ink density will make colors look dull. For white ink issues, see the White Ink section later in this guide

How to Match Your Prints to Your Screen

When printing on white materials:

• Design in CMYK mode instead of RGB, and lower your screen brightness slightly while designing
• For photos that can't be converted to CMYK, slightly increase the brightness and saturation
• Use only one layer of CMYK

When printing on dark materials:

• If white ink looks faint, see the White Ink section later in this guide
• If white ink concentration is fine, increase the number of white ink layers. The darker the material, the more white layers you'll need. Run test prints until the result looks bright enough on the material
• Switch to a white material or pre-paint the surface

Image: Christiaan Lowe

5. Print Banding or Missing Ink

Banding means your finished print has vertical shaded lines running through it. Your printer runs through the full job, but colors are missing or have obvious gaps.

In worse cases, the entire print is covered in thick stripes.

It means the ink isn't reaching the material evenly.

What Causes Banding or Missing Ink?

The most common cause is a clogged printhead. When the printer sits unused, ink dries inside the tiny nozzles and blocks the flow. White ink clogs most often because it's thicker.

Here are the usual reasons:

• The printhead is clogged from dried ink, usually because the printer hasn't been used for a while
• The room is too cold. Ink gets thicker and won't flow smoothly
• The ink is expired or low quality
• Air bubbles are trapped in the ink lines after a cartridge change
• Fast draft mode in the software. The printer uses fewer passes, which can leave visible stripes

How to Fix Banding or Missing Ink?

• Print a nozzle check pattern from the software. If you see broken lines, run a standard cleaning cycle. Repeat up to three times. Only use deep clean if standard cleans don't work, since it uses a lot more ink
• Warm up your room to at least 18 to 22 degrees Celsius. You can also leave the printer powered on for 30 minutes to let it warm up naturally. Don't heat the ink directly
• If you just changed an ink cartridge, run the printer's ink priming function to push out any trapped air bubbles
• If your nozzle check looks fine but you still see faint stripes, switch from draft to high quality mode. This adds more passes so the ink covers the area evenly

Pro Tips

• Print a quick nozzle check before your first real print of the day. It takes 30 seconds and saves you from wasting material on clogged nozzles
• Keep the printer powered on between sessions. Turning it off for days will clog the nozzles. Leaving it on lets it run automatic maintenance cycles

For more details, see: Troubleshooting Guide No Ink Output or Severe Banding

6. White Ink Fading or Not Printing White

Your printed white areas look gray, washed out, or almost invisible instead of bright and solid.

Image: Molly Shin

What Causes White Ink to Fade?

White ink prints faint when the concentration coming out of the nozzle is too low.

Here's what usually causes it:

• Titanium dioxide particles settling at the bottom of the cartridge after a few days without printing
• Leftover cleaning fluid from a recent clean or moisturization mixing with the fresh white ink

How to Fix White Ink Fading?

• Gently shake the white ink cartridge to mix the settled particles back into the fluid. Don't shake too hard or you'll create air bubbles
• Print several solid white blocks on scrap material to push out the old ink and cleaning fluid until the white becomes vibrant again
• Manually run a few medium cleaning cycles or one deep cleaning

For more details, see: White Ink Fading Troubleshooting Guide

7. White Edges Around Printed Design

You see a thin white outline peeking out around the edges of your colored design.

The opposite can also happen. Fine white lines or white text look cut off or incomplete.

Image: Jennifer Weaver

What Causes White Edges Around Prints?

When printing with a white base, the color layer sits directly on top of it.

If the color ink doesn't fully cover the white base underneath, the white ink shows through around the edges.

How to Fix White Edge Issues?

• Enable the White Underbase Choke function in your print settings. It slightly shrinks the white base layer so the color covers it completely
• If white edges still show, increase the choke value a bit. Don't go past 0.5 mm
• If the colored edges look too dark, decrease the choke value
• If fine white lines or text look cut off, the choke value is too high. Bring it down to 0

For more details, see: How to Correctly Set White Underbase Choke

8. Ink Dripping or Splashing

Ink drops fall onto your finished print or onto the printer itself during a job. You might see random dots, splatter marks, or puddles of wet ink scattered across your piece.

This is a serious issue. Dripping ink can easily damage the UV lamps and internal parts if you ignore it.

What Causes Ink Dripping or Splashing?

The most common cause is room dust. Tiny dust fibers from the air stick to the bottom of the printhead. They pull ink out of the nozzles until a heavy drop forms and falls.

Here are the usual reasons:

• Room dust sticking to the printhead. Dust fibers act like a wick, pulling ink out until drops form and fall
• A damaged wiper blade. The wiper is a rubber strip that cleans the nozzle plate. If it's old, cracked, or covered in dried ink, it smears ink back instead of cleaning
• Old ink buildup around the capping station. Dried chunks and pooled ink break loose when the printer moves and drop onto the print bed

How to Fix Ink Dripping Issues?

Pro Tips

• Wipe the resting area after every deep clean. The deep clean pushes a lot of fluid through the system. Wiping right after stops it from drying into a hard crust
• Keep your printer away from open windows or fabric-heavy areas. An enclosure works best to keep dust out and reduce ink smell

For more details, see: Solutions to Ink Dripping or Splashing

9. 3D Texture Not Raised Enough or Looks Flat

Your printed gloss texture or embossed effect looks much flatter than you expected.

You might design a thick raised area, but the actual print comes out barely lifted.

What Causes Insufficient Texture Height?

A partial clog in the gloss printhead.

Gloss ink is thicker than standard colors and clogs much faster.

When those nozzles are even slightly blocked, the printer drops less gloss ink on every pass, so the layers can't build up to your expected height.

How to Fix Texture Height Issues?

• Print a nozzle check pattern and look closely at the gloss section. Broken or missing lines mean you have a clog
• Run two medium cleaning cycles if you see broken lines. Wait a minute between each cycle and check the pattern again
• Run a deep cleaning cycle if the lines are still broken after medium cleans. This uses a lot more ink, so only do it when needed
• A factory reset might help if the nozzle check still shows broken lines after all cleaning attempts. Follow the support guide for the exact steps

Pro Tips

• Gloss ink clogs faster than any other ink. Always run a quick nozzle check before starting a thick textured print
• Print a small test piece first to feel the actual height. You can increase the thickness setting if it still feels too flat

For more details, see: Printing Height of Varnish Texture Embossing Is Smaller Than the Actual Height 

10. Ink Stops During Printing

Your printer starts a job normally, but halfway through, one or more colors suddenly stop.

You see a clear line where the ink flow cuts off, leaving the rest of the design incomplete.

What Causes Ink to Stop During a Print?

The most common reason is simply an empty or very low ink cartridge. The printer sensor might not catch the exact moment it runs dry.

Once the ink level drops below the pickup tube, air enters the line and the flow stops instantly.

Another reason is a nozzle getting clogged while the machine is actively working. Dried ink can build up gradually during the job.

When this happens, the color usually fades out progressively before disappearing entirely.

How to Fix Ink Stopping Issues?

Pro Tips

• Check ink levels before starting a large batch. Make sure you have enough ink for the entire print run before you begin
• Keep backup cartridges nearby. Running out mid-job wastes material

11. UV Ink Feels Sticky or Not Curing

Your printed work has a sticky surface, and the ink smudges or comes off when you gently wipe it.

What Causes a Sticky Printed Surface?

The UV light isn't fully curing the ink during printing.

Here's what usually causes it:

• Cleaning fluid is still in the ink. The printer didn't switch the cleaning path in time, so cleaning fluid mixed into the ink. You'll see both fading and insufficient curing
• A dirty or worn UV lamp. The UV lamp is an LED that weakens over time. Dirt or ink spray on the glass blocks the light, so the ink doesn't cure properly

How to Fix a Sticky Printed Surface?

• Check that the UV lamp is actually working
• Wipe the UV lamp glass clean with a cloth. Any dirt or ink spray on the glass will block the light
• The curing might just need more time. Place the print under a UV lamp or in direct sunlight and let it sit a while longer

For the full checklist on how to check if ink is properly cured and how to maintain the UV lamp, see: Ink Is Not Fully Dry Cured After Printing

12. Printed Image Shifts or Looks Distorted

Your printed design is not aligned with the material. The pattern starts in the wrong place, looks stretched, or is shifted to one side.

What Causes Image Shift or Distortion?

The ink isn't landing where it should. Usually this means the material moved during printing, or a moving part on the printer is loose or dirty.

Here's what usually causes it:

• The design position in the software doesn't match where the material actually sits on the bed
• The material slides during printing because it's not stuck firmly to the adhesive mat
• Thin materials curl at the edges and get bumped by the printhead, pushing them out of place
• Loose X-axis or flatbed belts causing the printer to skip
• A dirty encoder strip, so the printer can't track the printhead's exact position
• The flatbed isn't installed properly and wobbles during printing

How to Fix Image Shift or Distortion?

• Secure the material firmly. Use tape to lock it down, or replace the adhesive mat if it has bumps or lost its grip
• Tape down all edges of very thin materials so they don't curl up and catch the printhead
• Wipe the clear encoder strip with a lint-free cloth and rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt or ink spray
• Make sure the flatbed is locked in tight and doesn't wobble. Retighten the belts if they feel loose
• If you replaced the print bed, you need to recalibrate the camera
• Use jigs or zero alignment for more precise positioning. Or print an outline first to check the alignment before printing the actual design

Read to learn more details about Printed Image Shift or Distortion