Recently, I've been seeing more issues with Tecjet and their Eco Solvent machines that have seemingly "outdated" dongles. If you look at the attached images, at 50% scale on the print, there is no watermark. However, when you take it up to 100% scale, the watermark is automatically there, even though the dongle is plugged in. Uninstalling and reinstalling the software has no effect.
The only thing that we can do is to update the dongle firmware. Should this be needed, you can contact Perfect Laser for assistance.
Using the software is very simple: Simply have your dongle plugged into the PC (this can be done remotely too), open up the mtru.exe, then click the "Upgrade physical rockey" button in the bottom right. When it is done, the application will ask you to unplug the dongle. That's it; you are done.
While not explicitly required, I will advise restarting the PC and the printer just as a safe measure.
If your dongle does not need a firmware upgrade, the application will say "No upgrade data," like mine, and nothing will happen, so don't worry about damaging a dongle through this process.
Note: Kindly contact your nearest branch and ask to speak to a technician so that they can send you the software required to update your maintop dongle.
Long-term Shutdown Procedures, Printer Inactivity Guidelines and how to recover from a Shutdown
We understand that towards December, most companies shut down their printers for extended periods of time. The shutdown period is normally between mid-December and early January the following year.
To protect sensitive components and reduce the risk of component damage, a long-term storage procedure needs to be followed. The procedure will differ depending on which printer model and the duration of the desired shutdown.
0-7 Days:
Do your normal daily maintenance procedure and try to print a test print every second day.
7-14 Days:
Our recommendation is that you request a call-out from us to send a technician who will properly decommission your machine. The procedure normally entails the following
1. Flushing of the printer head
2. Flushing the head cap and pump
3. Cleaning the rubber lining on the head cap
4. Covering and securing the dampers, etc.
The purpose of this is to try and avoid the stagnant/idle ink in the head or any other component from drying.
After the shutdown, we recommend you call us out to come and recommission and recalibrate the printer for you.
To print white as a spot colour on a wide-format printer (Super Mini DTF), you'll need to define a spot colour in your design software and then configure the printer to use that spot colour for white ink printing. This involves creating a selection of the desired area in Photoshop that you need to print white and adding it to a channel. The printer's software or RIP (Raster Image Processor) will need to be set up to recognise and print this spot colour as white.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
1. Define a Spot colour:
In your design software (Photoshop), create a new spot colour swatch. Name it something like "Spot colour" or "Spot White" for easy identification.
2. HOW:
Identify areas of your design that you want to print in white. This can be done by making a selection on your artwork using the various selection tools within Photoshop. When done, select the Channels menu next to the Layer menu, then navigate to the far right, where you will see an icon with 4 lines, click on it and scroll down to “New Spot Channel”. Set your Solidity to 100%. Click okay, then save your artwork as a TIFF file.
3. Rip Your Artwork:
Open RIIN, import your artwork and click on the “Spotcolour” tab and make sure the data source is set to Spot. This helps your printing software (Better Print) recognise and use the spot colour you defined.
4. White Ink Options:
RIIN offers different white ink printing modes, such as:
Spot colour: Prints a specific spot colour defined as white.
Image Density: Prints white ink based on CMYK values, creating a white ink dot for all pixels except CMYK 0,0,0,0 (media white).
Substrate: Prints white ink on the entire bounding box of the job, independent of individual pixel colours.
By following these steps, you can effectively print white ink as a spot colour on your wide-format printer and create visually striking and impactful designs.
The video attached demonstrates how to create spot layers for white ink printing with Photoshop, how to Rip the file in RIIN and how to print your file in Better Print.
I had to change the Motherboard on my DTF Super Mini, and when I put the replacement board in, some parameters were set incorrectly, specifically around the cleaning process and capping station.
Attached, you can find the document I wrote up that can assist you with it.
Difference Between DPI Resolutions
DPI stands for "Dots Per Inch" and refers to the number of ink dots that a printer can produce within one inch of a printed page. Generally speaking, the higher the DPI resolution, the higher the print quality and level of detail that can be achieved.
The most common DPI resolutions used in printing are 300 DPI, 600 DPI, and 1200 DPI. A 300 DPI resolution is suitable for printing documents and basic images, while 600 DPI is better for printing photos and high-quality graphics. A resolution of 1200 DPI is typically used for professional printing, such as in the printing of fine art or high-quality photographic prints.
When printing at a higher DPI resolution, the printer is able to produce more dots per inch, resulting in a smoother, more detailed image. However, it's important to note that printing at higher resolutions also requires more ink and takes longer to print. Additionally, the quality of the source image also plays a role in the overall print quality, so it's important to use high-quality images to achieve the best results.
It's also worth noting that the DPI resolution of an image is different from its file size or dimensions. For example, a low-resolution image can be enlarged to a larger size, but this will result in a loss of quality and detail. On the other hand, a high-resolution image can be printed at a smaller size without losing quality.
Overall, the DPI resolution is an important factor to consider when printing, as it directly affects the level of detail and quality of the printed image. Choosing the right DPI resolution for your printing needs will help ensure that your printed materials look professional and high-quality.
Managing Static for Improved Image Quality and Maximum Printer Performance
What Causes Static?
What Does Static do to my Printer – and Prints?
When static electricity is introduced, it attracts the smaller ink mist satellite drops, causing them to deviate from the normal fall pattern. These drops can stick to the printhead, eventually clogging nozzles and causing dropout. They can also scatter when attracted to locations of static on the media, causing a blurring effect to the print. In addition, static can create pinch roller marks and can even damage printer components, including side sensors, linear encoders and printhead elements.
How Do I Prevent Static?
When Do I Need to Replace My Printhead?
If you have a commercial printer for your business, cleaning and maintaining the printhead is important—after all, your printer won’t work if the printhead is broken or clogged. Even with proper care and maintenance, printheads will sometimes need to be replaced. But how do you know when to replace a printhead?
Understanding Printheads
Even the most inexpensive inkjet printer has a printhead. If a printhead breaks on a home printer, it’s usually more economical to simply buy a new printer. With expensive commercial printers, it’s cost-prohibitive to buy a new printer whenever the printhead is broken, which is why it’s replaced instead.
Printheads are fed ink from cartridges or ink tanks (bulk ink systems); this ink is sprayed onto the paper with tiny nozzles. Piezo inkjet printheads use electric charges and vibrations to push ink out of the nozzles, while thermal inkjet printheads use heat to boil the ink and produce ink vapour, which is forced through the nozzle of the printhead.
As you can imagine, with different types of printheads, there are different ways to clean and repair them, and different answers to the question of when they should be replaced. Typically, a print head would need to be replaced if it is severely clogged or has sustained electronic damage. As a result, the printer can no longer produce good prints.
Signs That You Need to Replace Your Printhead
If you notice a loss in print quality, it may be a sign that you need to replace a printhead. It may also just be a sign that your printhead needs to be cleaned. How do you know which is needed?
It’s simple: clean the printhead first. Your printing system could just be clogged and in need of a thorough cleaning. Try using the correct cleaning fluid to unclog your printhead. Run one or two cleaning cycles to clear out any dried ink. If you’ve done that and you’re still not seeing an improvement, the next step is probably to check if you have ink in your ink lines, dampers and tanks. These two steps should resolve most printhead problems, but if they don’t, it’s likely time to replace your printhead.
Purchasing a New Printhead Replacement
Contact the Perfect Laser support team first to get a technician to assist you with troubleshooting. In some cases, an assessment will be required to be certain that the printhead needs to be replaced, and as such, our technicians carry all necessary parts and the client is required to make an immediate payment before our tech installs the new head. Callout fees, however, need to be paid up front.
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