johnson4

Honestly I have no clue. at this point I would have swapped ink channels/heads to see if the issue followed the ink, or if it stayed in that channel. My guess is the printhead since you have done everything else.

I think it seems more along the lines of like playing the lottery. i haven’t used a film yet that hasn’t had some sort of downfall. the issues generally vary, but here is the list that I can remember: 1. the amount of ink it can hold 2. powder sticking to the film 2a. Not enough powder sticking to the prints. 3. Film coating inconsistencies causing random print issues in large batches 4. Prints not releasing easy enough 5. Prints releasing too easy and basically falling off. 6. the coating coming off and getting all over the rollers, causing slippage with time or “blobs” of it to ruin prints as it falls off onto the print face. 7. The thickness, some film seems to warp or curl at temperatures some adhesives need to cure. While other films can literally stay flat while they melt from being severely overheated. 8. Width discrepancies, might not be an issue for most, but it is annoying when you use smaller films and have everything print directly in the center in non-ganged sheets ( much easier to apply to garment). 9. the type of finish, like glossy, satin or matte. It seems to vary from roll to roll. I’m cool with satin or matte. I don’t want my prints to look like a mirror when walking in the sun, so I don’t use glossy. Colors should still be vibrant with satin or matte finishes. 9. then of course color accuracy. It seems on some film the absorption rate allows some inks to mix more to create awesome colors, while some dry so quickly it makes them look dull, or overall washed out. 10. The fact that all of the above can happen within the same roll. 11. buying large batches of film is a serious gamble, because of these issues and more. it seems there would be basic guidelines. Simple explanations of the film. like: hot peel/easy release. Vivid/satin finish. cold peel/ medium release/ matte finish. You know, so customers can choose and keep those products to a standard. I would buy hundreds of rolls, maybe thousands a year if I could simply find a good consistent film. I mean that. that’s why when I find a good “ batch” from any supplier I order it in bulk as much as I can. so far inks have been consistent, the powder seems consistent as well. it’s just basically the film that is like readjusting everything per new batch, sometimes per roll. I hold my prints to a high standard. I throw the stuff away I don’t like, I don’t pass it on to my customers. Yes it’s a loss, but I just won’t. From a reseller standpoint it would be literally impossible to know what film batches are good or consistent and which aren’t without feedback from each customer/roll used, or deal with the loses and test each roll. so I have found this from just about anyone i have ever purchased from. Overseas or not. Now locally, they’ll help you. Overseas, you only get help if you succeed in a chargeback so it’s a larger gamble to save $25 per roll. To me a roll can be worth over $1,000, so I’m not worried about $25, I’m worried about consistency. If my prints aren’t medium release, ( meaning they won’t fall off during transport, or if they stick to the film when trying to peel too much) I won’t use them. if I can’t get a perfect powder coating that is as thin as a sheet of paper in total when finished- I won’t use it. if it’s not a satin/matte finish I won’t use it. if it has too many inconsistencies per roll, ( I get some issues) I won’t use it. to me all of this stems from the material they use ( the PET) for the release and finish, then the coating for the ink absorption and “vividness”. Absolutely if I could find the perfect film, and it stay that way because my supplier won’t accept anything less- I would happily pay $150 a roll for the stuff- and order in bulk. but seemingly everyone is too busy to really look into it or help with it, so we just have to deal with it. I personally have about 15 rolls of film I can’t use because of the reasons above, while from the same batch the other film worked perfectly. it’s almost like they throw in the “ snicklefritz” with the good to cut losses or costs. so, it’s a pain in the *** to say the least. While I can make most films work, and control the whole process to use it, it’s just the inconsistencies that bring me down and cause time consuming adjustments. i will say DTFSS films so far have remained rather consistent. Every now and again I’ll get a transfer from the roll that wouldn’t release correctly, but that’s usually 1-2 feet per roll like that- if that- so nothing really compared to what I am talking about. Maybe I’m just picky- but I’d like to order something and it just be that exact thing- always. Not like a batch of homemade cookies that varies batch to batch- rather a box of chips ahoy- always the same.

It is not ideal, it requires constant testing.

is it driving anyone else crazy? It seems the film can never stay consistent. From the beginning I have used 2 peoples films without issue. Since then I have tried multiples sources because it seems the "PET" portion is different now to aid in powder adhesion. I prefer matte finish films, I just hate looking at glossy prints, it has always made me feel like it was " cheap". Most of my customers agree and choose my products over others for this very reason, so it's not an option to use glossy finish films to me. I started using matte finish films in January 2021. So pretty much 95 percent of the films I use are matte finish films. I had found a guy in china who had some good stuff, single sided worked great. I purchased around 30ish rolls of it. over the course of time I would order small bits here and there to maintain a level of stock. Of course, each batch was a bit different, but easily adjustable to. The most common problem with this film was the powder would stick to it, but that wasn't an issue, because for me I was able to just turn my shaker up a bit more and it came out perfect. I mean, perfect. Since then, I have tried other brands and suppliers of films, even re-ordered more from this same guy in china. Most of them seem to be made of a different material now, like the PET portion of it- all of them are about the same. The edges are now glossy and the film is thicker. I get it, alot of people had issues in this area with film. But the part that drives me insane, is that it seems like it is always a constant battle to just find consistency. So before, people had issues with the powder sticking, now I am having issues with not enough powder sticking. Imagine that. So I never really had issues with powder sticking, or really anything at all. It was all fixed with small adjustments. However, now I am in the middle of trying a few brands of film and they all suffer similar problems on this new type of "PET". Yes, no more powder sticks to the film ( which was never really an issue) yes they are thicker films and epsons seem to like them better. I personally expected changes from my "larger batch" and by the time I ordered again, but I didn't expect it to be almost unmanageable. Here is how almost all of the new film I have tried is working for me: 1. the film will curl a bit when cut, turned the temperature down a bit- fixed. 2. not enough powder will stick to the prints. even with no shaking/slapping. I have tried increasing the ink percentages- nothing. The only thing that worked was using the chinese powder- which in turn was too much powder- Can't turn my shaker up enough to get less. Decreased ink percentage- didn't help. So one powder won't really stick at all, one sticks too much. weird. 3. prints falling off the film when handled. I have verified they are cured correctly with temperature, by letting them sit and looking for "oil" spots, I have tested outcomes with too low and too high temperatures, longer or less cure times. So for example, I can cure and lay down a sheet ( or roll) and it be fine. I come back the next day, pick it up, stuff just falls off. Same with pressing- the auto open heat press instant peels the film for me- meaning the film falls off when it opens the press. 4. the double matte out there that I have tried also works, but I end up with white specs everywhere from the rollers picking it up on conversions. When I say everywhere I mean random bits that fall off the rollers when it builds up enough. So basically, I have spent the last 2 weeks trying to get back where I should be because of the film differences. I am using the same machines and shakers, I can swap in an older roll of film and print without any issues at all. My largest issue is the prints just peeling up for no reason. Even overcured, or undercured to an extreme do this. My only explanation- maybe the film shrinks/expands as it cools and heats making this happen. Overall, it's driving me crazy and making me send product out of the door I am not happy with. Anyone else experience any of this? overall it's great for people who print and press- couldn't be better. But for people who store or ship these things, it's a nightmare.

No problem. Hope you figure it out.

This is what mine looks like when my printhead is either missing nozzles, or head going bad- or you are using bad ink- bad cartridge. For me, using some expired magenta in my p400 looked identical to this. Good nozzle checks, poor jet ability. Used new magenta inks, problem went away. So I used old magenta in a p800, no issues for a few months, then it did the same. I threw out the ink and got new- problem solved. however, another time it was a failing head, from what I understand the peizo crystal weakens causing less “ suction” creating this issue as well, while showing good nozzle checks because it’s a short burst. and yet again, another time is was a bad cartridge. It looked fine but when put on its side and sucked ink from port, it just pulled air. New cartridge didn’t do this. New cartridge fixed the issue. Anum is also correct about the film, but I had assume this was tested already. since other colors are fine, it’s unlikely. Also unlikely anything wrong with feed mechanism since other colors are fine. good luck

If you print a big block, say 10x10 of solid magenta, what happens?

What RIP?

this post is old, I have since found the specs for it. 180 nozzles X6. Yea, the xp600 is a good head. It’s different than the 15000 head. I don’t know specifically about the eco tank printer. The xp600 has two channels 360 nozzles, 4 channels 180 nozzles. the 15000 does well, with the exception of the poor aftermarket cartridges. So if it’s similar but with an actual ink port- should be a good printhead. My 15000 printed the same speed as the p400. I wouldn’t agree it is in any way similiar to the p600, unless you are referencing to the print speed. Then it would be the same as the xp-15000/p400/p600/p800 speeds. All these printers print within 1-2 square foot an hour of each other, the speed difference coming from the head pass speed and how long they pause every 20 head passes. overall for a $600-700 printer it works well, depending on the durability of the rest of the machine like the capping station and CR motor. I still feel this is very expensive for what it is, but there isn’t much else available in current generations. Me personally I’d rather buy a dual head xp600 printer from China for a little bit more, I just don’t think the eco tanks are designed with any type of durability in mind.

What temperature for curing? Usually that means it's undercured/ cured too hot and too fast.

Anyone know where to buy shaker bulbs in the us?

Nope, just pop them out.

You can also just pop that hard drive in an enclosure and scan it from another computer. It’s safer with less risk of data loss. Downloading, using or otherwise doing anything will result in further data loss if used as the main boot drive. As a slave drive it has a lower probability. most computers now use a SSD as a boot drive which in most cases of failure is entirely unrecoverable. easeUS has several programs out there which is a well known company. It’s also insanely smart to use a free version of macrium to have a scheduled image of your drive made weekly. It’s free and you’d never have to worry about it. Especially if you back it up to something like OneDrive. but- I don’t understand the association to this post. the most illogical part is that windows 10 has become such a pain that it is nearly impossible to download a virus, I have tried intentionally. Worse case scenario chrome becomes unstable or through some other unsecured application. Apple is very secure and it’s rare to occur with them. i find this post very spammy.

Oh, haha. Yea, I have printed 36 inches before and it worked fine.

I never had a need to print longer than 44" in one single print job, but I'm sure it would work. I simply add my images, X copies, and do that over and over again. I do gang sheets the same way. I don't sell gang prints longer than 36" so I have never really tried to print anything at 44"+ length. 44 inches is over 3.5 feet, I'm not sure what kind of shirt that would fit on and look good at the given width limitation. 1 foot by 3 feet seems rather limited. I would personally go with a 17" printer if that is the length you are looking for, it would be more appropriate. for 6X shirts I don't do anything bigger than 15-16" wide by 24" tall usually. It works out because my biggest heat press is also 16" X 24".

Any update on this?

You find something that works and stick to it. Change anything and you have to fine tune your whole setup again. You need to make your own ICC profile, they aren’t interchangeable most of the time. i use DTFsuperstore supplies, works great and consistent.

Mine had a hood around it with a fan sucking the fumes away and always maintained the heat better that way. If I remember correctly I ran it at around 290F. The printer was printing roughly 30 12x10 prints an hour, so roughly 2-2:30 minutes curing on a 15x15 heat press with direct contact. The tension from the take up wheel on one side and the powder on the other held the film flat against the heat plate nicely. as for curing under cured prints again, I have no idea, sorry.

I just roll printed with it with EKprint, I don’t do gang prints longer than 38 inches or so. I just made the platen size the largest size I wanted to print per page. i didn’t use the Epson driver at all. i left the auto open tray out all the time, it didn’t cause an issue. I made some 3D printed brackets and attached the roll to the back of the machine, that’s how I do all of them. After that I just send a bunch of print jobs and wait. Something I had intended to do was make it auto reset the ink levels every 10-15 minutes of active printing while it was printing and using a damper system on it. I made a prototype damper adapter, ordered the material to make better seals on the printhead. The seals on it currently are hollow, which I don’t like. other than that and running it to a waste bottle the thing did really well for $200. Print speeds were the same as the surecolor p400. It’s just those tiny cartridges that was the issue. The in-line dampers worked well, still the same issue of the poor fitting aftermarket carts but that may have changed by now.

That sounds like the printhead trying to move and it grinding the belt. Release the capping station manually with the power off, then turn it on.

At the moment the attachment isn't working.

Sometimes this happens when it doesn't detect the film. When you print from any other program are you still using film?

Yea, I see what you mean. I’d assume it was the PID/relay or the wiring for the bulb got knicked.

Yea, I mean it's possible but usually takes 5+ minutes and being very close to the transfer. It's not ideal and this is just something that happens when you do. As for the shaker not curing well, it takes alot of testing to find the right temperature and settings. I have 3 mini shaker and the temperature and settings on each one vary wildly. Overall, knowing it's a symptom of under curing should help you moving forward with what you need to do to test and try to cure them better. overall it takes me a solid few days of testing, maybe 10-20 hours to get each one dialed in correctly. Then they just work with minor adjustments here and there. I am not discounting what the internet says, but in general following the " crowd" is usually just a wave of bad information. You can make it work, you can do anything once and that information then spreads. When it comes to working well, or consistently- they won't answer you or will assume usually. I am not saying you can't get a good cure with a heat press, I am saying it takes alot of time and this method is prone to this type of issue until you really test it and get your setup where it needs to be. It will literally be different for everyone. Generally speaking, those cheap black shakers don't have a fuse if that is what you have. It could be a multitude of things. Do you have photo's?

You can’t use a heat press and get a proper cure. the reason shakers work isn’t because they stay at a constant temperature. They use carbon heating elements that get up over 300-700 F every few seconds. The “temperature” cycles this so it cures the ink and melts the powder without being too hot because of the cut off temperature. The set temperature just controls how much they cycle and at what cut off temperature to prevent burning. a heat press is a constant non-radiant heat source. The bottom plate likely isn’t heated. So- powder may melt, ink isn’t curing properly because the ink temperature is likely very low on the silicone mat- for sure not the same temperature you are getting above unless you preheat the bottom plate really well. Now, if you removed the heat press heat plate, turned it upside down and put the film directly on it so the backside of the film is touching- it will cure fine. I made my own mini shaker with an upside down heat press, cured from the bottom. It was set to about 280-300F and cured them perfectly as fast as the printer would run. be aware, the fumes are toxic and you likely aren’t collecting and venting them from your press. I’ve seen people end up in the hospital over it with respiratory issues. The stuff that evaporated from the ink, well it’s poisonous if consumed. The powder fumes aren’t healthy Eaither . shakers can be repaired fairly easily. I can help if you tell me what’s going on.