johnson4

6 hours ago, julioarauz said:

This is a sample of 1 meter of DTF printing and you can see the ink levels how they go down and I have already activated Frimerawe for cartridges without a chip, then I have to turn off the printer and turn it on again to reset the ink levels and be able to continue printing

Just very quickly take out and put back in the waste tank, it resets the ink level. 

33 minutes ago, julioarauz said:

Hello, I recently bought an Epson XP-15000 for dtf and they installed firmware so that it works with cartridges without a chip and days after purchasing it it started to give me problems and I get a message about the ink levels being lowered every 40 inches long print, my question is how can I solve this problem or if all the Epson models of this XP-15000 are giving the same problem.

Thank you.-

I was able to print up to 10 feet long non-stop without issue on the xp 15000. 

.

2 hours ago, laci said:

Yesterday we print all day with our epson 4900 , end of the day i do a nozzlecheck i see i missing like 6 lines from VM channel, i run a power clean, and was more terrible , today i started with normal cleaning cycle, and i see on vivid magenta i dont have any lines.. i know 100% its not clogged , where can i look for problem? dampers ? because another nozzles are 100% perfect

 Sounds like a damper/cartridge/sealing issue. If you haven't recently messed with the dampers and use the cartridges, probably gunk on the ink port preventing it from sealing correctly, or got sucked into it. If you didn't use new dampers before the conversion, very well could be the damper. 

48 minutes ago, tammy-6902 said:

Hi Everyone I have an epson L1800 DTF. First of all I searched and used my printer information and it brought up this forum. So please bear with me if I'm on the wrong site. Now on to my problem... I bought mine through Amazon. And yea I know not a good thing. But it was what I can afford. AND I am paying for it at the moment. Either way... My printer keeps stopping on me. MEANING.... the on/off green light flashes at times when I go to work... then I have to wait for it to get out of error state. AND Most of the time it wont print properly for me. Like right now the white is almost see through.... not the white thats part of the picture... we are talking about the white that covers the back. I have tried all different ways... that I have seen..."try these settings they work" and yet nothing.  Can someone please help me would be greatly appreciated. 

This sounds like a maintenance issue, the white ink must be mixed properly and circulated. The white is “ watery” because the pigment has settled. White ink is unlike cmyk ink. Needs mixed all the time. 
 

a bad head alignment can do this, did you know exactly what you were doing, or when aligning the marks did you guess? Print an exact size box ( like 4”x4”) then measure it with a caliper, is the image any amount longer than 4” exactly, in the feed direction? 
 

did this machine suffer from a head strike, which you believe it has recovered fully from? 

17 minutes ago, Fabian Silva said:

Hello, I’m somewhat new to DTF and ever since I started I been having a lot of trouble getting started. But I finally was able to set everything up but I ran into another issue, my prints come out good but once I add powder and cure it my print looks discolored and when I point my print into light I can see these tiny spots that look like pinholes and it’s all over my print. Can someone help me fix this issue ? I can show another image of how it looks like when I help up my print into the light if needed. But here’s one of my prints 

also I’m using an Epson ET-8550 and I’m using CadLink v10

This is a powdering and curing issue. 
 

You are probably powdering too soon out of the printer, those who use shaker machines the arts what the preheater is for. 
after that your curing temperature is too high/too fast/uneven so it’s over curing some spots, (pinholes) then undercuring as a whole ( too fast). Aim for 3-4 minutes with a curing machine. Then work your way down while also increasing temperature a bit. 
 

Every step of the way has to be very specific or you get crap transfers. 
 

each one of these below requires adjustment and “tuning” individually:

-printer ink settings/color accuracy

-temperature/humidity in the room

-film type and properly stored film( yes it can go bad)

-powder adhesive and it’s use/storage( yes it can go bad, or even be bad to begin with, it can also go bad from the “oil” in the printer transfer after time)

-the “pre powder” cure needs to turn the printed ink matte before powdering

-once powdered, you need to make sure there isn’t any powder sticking to the film somewhere it shouldn’t, too much/too little powder as well. The more ink/wet ink, the more powder.

-when curing you need proper ventilation for a good cure AND your safety. Consistent even heat, too hot gets pin holes. Too fast gets pinholes and dots on the surface(undercure and too hot), too slow and you yellow/deteriorate the adhesive. Not cured enough you have a poor finish quality and oil “seep” around the edges of the film. 
 

it seems easy, and just getting one out that looks good doesn’t mean it’s right or will work long term. It’s all very important and one thing out of whack will give you a bad transfer. 
 

2 hours ago, amybennett said:

Okay, thank you.. I read thru them all, And checked what I knew how to check, I'll read thru them again and try and do some more research.. Unfortunately, I'm not very savvy when it comes to checking and messing with wiring and such, but I'll try and research some more. Thanks

 

No worries, I hope it helps some. There are only 3 things that could cause that. The sensor, The Relay, or the timer if it has one. If you open it and the relay has a red light on( with the heater off) then that means the sensor needs adjusted/replaced/cleaned. IF the relay is not with red light, then that means the relay has failed " on" and relay should be replaced. 

I've had both happen, several times. The machines can be expensive, but the parts they are made from generally are not, even some of the $6,000 shakers take $3-5 relays that fail, or suffer from a design flaw. It's all basically " DIY" even if you buy the machines outright, unless you buy something like a Mimaki for 30K+

5 hours ago, amybennett said:

Hey, I'm new to DTF, but currently having this exact same issue and can't seem to find any solutions.  my sensor light stays green, it never changes to red.  but my roll just continuously rolls and pulls it too fast as the other posted mentioned.  Any suggestions? 

The post above your question has the information you need. 

11 minutes ago, Jeff C said:

I recently had to replace the 10 fuse on my mainboard and finally tracked down an OEM Epson printhead.  I had shorted the original. Transitor pairs appeared to test properly from following Kevin at BCH's tutorial. The new print head doesn't seem to have any issues except blacks seem to be ?¿dripping? into adjacent colors. My capping station head seal is clean, wiper blade is clean, printhead is very clean along with the metal frame on the head face. This seemed to get a touch worse after doing a printhead alignment. The Procolored build has suction from below the platten to keep film flat and there appears to be fair bit of clearance from head to material. I cleaned encoder strip and belt. I haven't ran a ton of jobs through this head yet and have been being conservative on head cleanings. I did see improvement when I switched back to my old capping pad head that doesn't have a sponge in it (came from Procolored that way) and it seemed to improve some. Also it seems to be more prominent further away from capping station. In the examples attached, I was doing bidirectional. It is still happening in unidirectional 0to80 and 80to0 column.  Any help would be appreciated

That’s usually a faulty damper, Improperly/I’ll fitting/seated damper, or if the damper is a “ free flow” damper too much positive pressure on the ink side. 
 

if all that checks out it’s possible the head has a seal broken. 
 

usually has to do with damper/ink pressure. 

1 hour ago, Doc G said:

I am curious why you would convert a Epson inkjet printer such as the L1800, 15000 or et-8550 when it has a DTF mode already part of the machine. I know you need DTF inks, but if it has that mode, why convert?

What do you mean by DTF mode? The conversion is essentially only the ink system, making it possible to clean the printhead without taking it out and the ink waste line. 

52 minutes ago, Roman Alvarado said:

Thank you Johnson!

What do you think about this other alternative, et-8550 vs L1800?

I have never seen the eco-tank printers work very long, they are designed for dye based ink and are not built to last.. The downfall to an OEM chipless printer. You would need an external ink system. If you don't, It won't last long for sure. I have never seen anyone use these for more than a few months even with an ink system. 

The L1800 is widely used for DTF, however it's half as fast as the P800. It's like the Epson 1430, 80 nozzles per channel X6 channels. BUT it does have an external ink tank that can be shaken, just need to have an ink circulation system and it should work for quite a while. 

There aren't really many Epson models that are " ideal" as each will have it's own pro/con. Even those are being discontinued and being replaced with new models so aftermarket support is diminishing. 

If you are just doing a few things here and there for yourself, the L1800 should do you right. If you are trying to sell transfers, I think the bare minimum for that is something like the P5000/P6000. The P5000 can do 21 12" X 12" an hour, 42 12" X 12" an hour single color. The P6000 does 30 11" X 12" an hour, 60 11" X 12" an hour single color. 

Both are easily modified to work for the long term. 

I went through tons of models and have extensive experience in these models and their older siblings: 

-1430/l1800

-P400/R2000/R1800/R1900

-p600/R3000

-P800/3880

-P5000/R4900

-P6000

-C88

-several WF models and eco tank models. 

Most were accrued from direct from Epson refurbished sales, some were used models I refurbished before converting them. 

I had to rent a 30 yard dumpster to clear my graveyard of printers/parts that I have accrued over the years in my search/endeavors.

In the end, when I stopped looking, I am running the P5000/P6000 and haven't lost one yet, which also has saved me time, money, and of course increased print speeds. I tested every angle with each model relentlessly, with multiples of each model listed above. I wanted to know why something failed, when, and how to prevent it, which ultimately results in the failure first, to learn from it. 

At the end, you want something reliable to invest in, otherwise man it is just awful with the cost and downtime. If you are just dipping your toes in to see if it's for you, the L1800 will do that. Most of them will do that. But know all that $$ spent will be gone within a few months if not sooner due to the learning curve. The L1800 isn't that expensive to replace parts/printheads on, so it's a good starter machine to learn on. 

If you are going in wallet to the wall, chinese machines aren't that bad. Just don't buy a conversion.

9 hours ago, Roman Alvarado said:

Hello forum!!

I wanted to build a DTF printer and I'm interested on two printers (second hand) that I can buy to achieve this one it's the P800 and other 3880, my question it's more related with the preparation, any of those has been used with the OEM inks, I wanted to know if I can use a refillable cartridges to make some cleans until the lines and dampers doesn't have any clue of the OEM inks in order to filling up with the DTF inks OR I should buy the entire line-damper system and replace it... regards!!

The P800 prints well, the problem is it will almost always suffer from a head strike killing it. The printhead rides really close to the film. It’s also rather slow, about 10 12”x12” an hour at it’s fastest speed. 
 

if you can make a good output tray with a vacuum that goes under the printhead it would be fine. If you use a shaker it’s usually fine because it “ pulls” the film down IF you have it perfectly aligned and don’t get any side to side movement while it prints. 
 

As for the ink system, the P800 ink system is good as-is with aftermarket cartridges, just change the dampers monthly and you’ll be fine. If you don’t, and you get white sediment from the damper inside the printhead there is NO recovering it, it weakens and kills the nozzles  immediately. You can risk 2-3 month damper changes, but it’s risky.  
 

i ran 3 p800’s for over a year, which was actually like 7 of them after replacing them when the heads failed, which was always my fault. 
 

I had purchased like 15 of them when they were $100 each from Epson refurbished after selling the ink, so it wasn’t a big deal and taught me a lot. The 3880 is probably the worser option, given it’s age and parts availability. 
 

good luck. 

45 minutes ago, laci said:

so then 2 cleans its not enough, okay thank you 

On the P5000 2 admin cleans ( power cleans) are enough. I don’t have a 4900, so I’m not sure. 

17 minutes ago, laci said:

Sorry its again i disturb you , i cleaned the lines how you say now how can i fill up with ink 😂 i do like 2 power cleans but i cant see any ink in lines , thank you

I would just keep doing power cleans honestly. 

1 hour ago, laci said:

Hi anybody can help me, i bought an 4900 and before i put dtf ink in printer i want to flush out the old ink from lines dampers and head, i bought the service program but doesn t work, i asked from support what cause the error , and he also doesn't know , anybody have any idea how can i flush out the old inks?

You can manually flush out the old inks if you want. 

Put in cartridges with cleaner and hook hoses to the "air intake" port on the cartridges. You can do a few at a time or all. 

I do it with the printer off and unplugged in-case of spill. You remove the damper ASSY and disconnect hose before going into the dampers( will spill ink everywhere). 

Now, just have pump push air into the cartridges, or liquid, and it will come out of the hoses until clean. Once done, replace all dampers. Now you have full cleaned out system. 

You can also just run the Admin clean/flush on the main menu of the printer. 

5 hours ago, Jeff C said:

I have an L1800 Procolored DTF machine that I managed to cripple by making a series of bad decisions on limited sleep and panic, now I am Numb and dead inside lol. The quick story is that I had difficulty trying to print white ink and in the process over 2 days managed to get myself in a situation where I don't know if I shorted a cable, a printhead and/or a mainboard. The printer “appears” to be working but absolutely no ink is moving at this time. 

If you’re interested, below is my hellacious past few days of haphazardly troubleshooting myself in the foot.  I'm certain all of this could have been prevented with better daily maintenance, more patience, more sleep and less urgency but this is the situation I'm in lol , thanks for your time.

I had intermittent problems printing white ink. I tried doing a printhead wipe while it was still mounted to carrier but must have pushed residue into nozzles because color also suffered after that. Head cleaning didn't fix so I left nozzles soaking overnight after flushing with cleaner and water with decent cascade flow in and out. Next morning the colors were weak and white was a no show. So I removed the manifold to blast those hidden filters. Done several flushes and was able to finally print all colors including white. Unfortunately, that started to diminish until white was non-existent again. I done several head cleanings to no avail. White would not print but colors were perfect. I wouldn't know this till later but I hadn't put the three screws back in to lock the printhead to the carrier, and that was potentially why white wasn’t getting primed during head cleanings because the capping station was not met by pressure from printhead??? I don't know if that would have helped the white at that point What do you guys think? How much suction does the capping station put on the printhead during cleanings and power flushes if any? Nonetheless I really shid the bed next when I tried to flush white ports while head was over capping station. Next print, nothing came out and some nozzles, that flowed flawlessly before like Cyan, suddenly seemed to be electronically closed? when trying to Cascade or retro pull fluid. Now I'm thinking that I may have got liquid on the ribbon cable connection to the printhead and shorted something. I don't see any physically burned, components but I haven't looked at the main board deeper inside and not able to see the entirety of the ribbon cable either. I have not checked for continuity of the circuitry because I do not know how and printhead/main board circuitry schematics seem limited at best for the L1800. I have another printhead that I got off Amazon cheaply that doesn’t work currently , but I've only tried it after the OEM head stopped working. I know some vendors notoriously ship these broken and scam but the manifold would have fixed my flow because the white channels were moderately restrictive compared to other 4.
Looking for opinions for what you all think the most likely culprit could be. I know I’m and idiot, hopefully somebody will learn something new from my experience 😆 cheers
 

We have all been there. 

Generally you don't want to go that far that fast with what you are doing. Flushing the head or removing the manifold should be your last ditch effort with the expectation of failure because it usually doesn't help. 

From your description, it sounds like the issue has to do with the ink system itself, maybe the dampers. Not the printhead. Possibly a poor seal/damper connection to the printhead as well. 

Absolutely not having screws on the printhead so it can make a good seal on the cap top and wiper is pretty bad. You are correct to assume it couldn't properly be cleaned like this, including the cleaning suction. 

IF all of the channels are dead, it's likely a blown fuse on the mainboard, or a combination of needing a new printhead and the fuse. 

When my machines started giving me literally 0 problems from my day to day, is when I stopped doing these types of things to them and figured out the majority of the problems were simple maintenance items that I was unaware of, the printhead is the last thing that has anything to do with it in my experience. 

Me personally, It sounds like you may have done some damage that could be a simple fix, but these things are very finicky. As much as a trickle in the oscillation to the power supply to these things and you'll run into unexplained problems. Let alone everything that has happened. 

I would start by checking, repairing the fuses or replacing the mainboard and printhead. You risk the new printhead if you just pop it in there without repairing the mainboard. 

I have NEVER received a good printhead from amazon, or any other seller from any other platform that said it was " refurbished" or anything but new. Definitely not worth it from my experience. 

In the end, all I have to do to keep the machines happy are keep the ink circulated, ink fresh, clean the wiper/cap top daily, clean the bottom of the printhead every few weeks and change out my dampers with OEM dampers, or flush them and re-use them as they start to cause the issue you are describing. If I wait too long, or force cleans, It'll also take the printhead with it. Other than that, they work everyday and have done so for over 8 months without incident or failure. Every now and again I'll have to change a faulty capping station, but I never have to get into the printhead like that. 

Take a look at this guys article, it shows an explains a bit about the printheads and how they work. Cleaning the manifold and possibly replacing it is totally fine as needed. beyond that, I don't do it unless I have a new printhead on hand especially while the old one is still in the unit.

https://myx900.com/x900-printhead-revealed/

1 hour ago, Donna said:

Having problems with my mini shaker oven not auto feeding. It starts out in the beginning auto feeding maybe a couple of inches and then it will keep feeding the film and not stopping when it it past the laser beam.  I have to turn the roller off and back on to feed through the oven. 

Clean the optical sensor face. If that doesn't help, look and see if you can see the light on the relay. If the light on the sensor is off until something is infront of it but it keeps feeding the film, then your relay is going bad. 

It the light at the sensor stays on when nothing is In front of it: 

adjust the optical sensor, replace the optical sensor. 

Crazy how much has changed from my first prints until now, haha. 

9 hours ago, Jason Lujan said:

Where do you get the rip software?

You would have to buy it. 

7 hours ago, john11 said:

Hi, a lot of customers are complaining about dtf prints trun to yellow with dots and cracks after a while after ptinting to a shirt

Any one can help me with this problem?

Look the links for images and videos

Videos url

Images url 

 

You can also attach/embed these things without the links. 

3 hours ago, laci said:

So with service program i remove the old ink from system and after i put the refill carts with dtf ink , i do an ink charge and ready to go?

If that is your method of choice. You don’t need the service program really, it has right in the printer menu the “ heavy” and “ “administrative “. The administrator cleaning takes 1-2 cleaning to flush it all out and another 1-2 to load the ink. 
 

it’s the same options in the service software, they do have a purge button but I didn’t like that one. Too much air in the lines afterwards. 
 

4 hours ago, laci said:

Thank you again , can you tell me what i need for converting ? we bought the 4900 ( we dont find in Romania any p5000 in stock) the printer comes with original epson inks , i know i need 2 sets of carts ,2 maintenance box , resetters , but what about conversion i cant find anything on youtube 

you can convert it with what you have listed without a white ink circulation system. 

The P5000/R4900 are ready to go out of the box, no rollers to remove or anything else- It's ready to go with it's built in cutter and vacuum suction to hold the prints in place- without using the rollers. 

10 hours ago, calebsmith2032 said:

 

If it isn't causing any issues, I don't see a problem with it. It's the same concept just backwards. Some of us with under-sized shakers have to run the dryer hot at faster speeds to achieve a proper cure as well. 

Generally you want a 2-3 minute dwell, but if you are able to cure without pinholes, residue, or any other issue then it's fine. The main issue is overheating, if your unit isn't doing that and it comes out perfect, who cares right?

1 hour ago, calebsmith2032 said:

Is that something I would change in my rip software or my printer directly? I have a Roland vg2 for vinyl and I change the print head speed/cutter speed via my rip software but I’m not seeing it for my dtf rip

It’s the size you make the artwork if you are using a gang sheet. It depends on what RIP you use, some you can make the gang sheet inside the RIP.
 

Some rips have a pre-set print area, while others do not and base it on the image. It varies wildly depending on the RIP and version.