Also see Extensive Thoughts On CIS/Bulk Ink Systems.
Clean and nozzle check is fine, then after a print or two it starts banding again and must be cleaned. Symptoms observed with Epson 800, 850, 900, 1520, 1280 with either dye or Magic Mix inks in a Bulk Feed System. This also applies to pretty much any inkjet printer using a bulk ink system, although systems for HP and Canon may require slightly different ink levels the principles are the same.
It sounds like it may be ink starvation. There are several possible causes:
Ink level in the bottles is getting low. The top level of the ink should be about on the same level as the bottom of the print heads or very slightly higher. I have several thin sheets of plastic I adjust mine with as it runs out, but my Epson 1520 is -very- sensitive to ink levels.
Update: I have designed a hydraulic feed system that regulates ink feed pressure so that playing with ink levels is unnecessary.
Clog in the feed line. Inspect the lines for anything that looks funny. If you can remove the line from the cartridge without making a mess, you can use an empty syringe and blow it out.
Foamy ink in the cartridge. Stick a syringe (no needle!) into the bottom of the ink cartridge and pull some ink out. If it comes out foamy, keep pulling (slowly!) more ink until it comes out with little or no foam. As long as you are using a clean syringe, you can just squirt the excess back into the bottles.
There should be some air in the ink cartridges. The air acts as a buffer or spring, so when ink feeds the head is only pulling against the inertia of the ink in the cartridge. If there is no bubble in the cartridge, then the print head is pulling against the inertia of the entire column of ink including the hose and all the ink in the bottle. I don't know if the tanks on the 1280 are translucent like they are on some other Epson models, if not I don't know how you can check for that.
It may also simply be that the bottom of the print heads have a build up of paper dust and fuzz. It mixes with the ink and makes kind of a muddy buildup.
Don't use paper towels! They give off loads of fuzz.
I use some premoistened window wipes, they come in a round pop-up container kind of like baby wipes. The Dollar Store here carries them. They are the most lint free wipes I've ever found, better even than real chamois.
Turn the printer on. Open the lid and press whatever buttons it takes to get the 1280 to think you are going to change cartridges. Unplug the printer, do not turn it off first.
Tear one of the wipes in half, roll it up, and lay it down under the print head. I (slowly!) push the print head most of the way to one side first, and (slowly!) push the print head back over the rolled up flattened window wipe.
Lift the ends of the window wipe and moving it only about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, sort of shoe-shine it (gently!). Lower it a bit and move it to a clean portion, repeat.
Do -not- shoe-shine it hard, do -not- shoe-shine it several inches at a time or you will cross-contaminate the colors. Keep changing window wipes until it comes out mostly clean, doesn't have to be spotless.
Now put a fresh one under the heads, this is to keep it from drying out during the next step.
Take another window wipe and using a Qtip or fingertip inside it as a stiffener, carefully wipe off the parking pad. The parking pad is that rubber ring (or two rubber rings) under where the head normally sits. Don't rub hard, just wipe off the ring and make sure there is no dust or hair on it. Don't press hard on the "sponge" in there, as it is really a hard plastic foam that will tear pieces off the window wipe.
Nearly done: with an eyedropper and either Windex with Ammonia or a 50/50 of nonsudsing household ammonia and water, put two drops in that hard foam in the park pad. It should only be wet, not running over the side.
Now pull the window wipe from under the head, close the lid and plug the printer in. It will move the heads back and run them back and forth checking things out, when it is done run a cleaning and a nozzle check. Whether or not the nozzle check comes out OK, let it sit overnight or at least for 3 hours.
Then run a cleaning and nozzle check again. Then try printing if the nozzle check is OK.
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Thanks, Alien Steve Home