PhilUK

6 hours ago, johnson4 said:

It's called

 

Direct to Film Printing (DTF)

 

Many thanks

Just now, johnson4 said:

you may or may not be aware, but there is a Facebook group ( quite a few of them now) that was made from the same owner as this forum. people from all over the world are there and it's much more active, I'm sure someone could help there. 

I was not aware   Do you happen to know the group name?

Anyone know any UK suppliers who sell A3+ rolls of film?

7 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

True, And it does print a watermark on the print as well. 

 

Cadlink is another good program if it supports the printer. I'm currently designing a 3D printed roll film holder for the Epson P800 to fit where the original would go, When that is done I will be testing out the P800 with DTF again. The roll Adapter for the P800 is $200, if you can find one. It can easily be 3D printed and work better for under $20. Anyway, when I do that I'll be using cadlink more to test the P800. Overall, they have a free demo with the time limit without the features limited. 

I did look at Cadlink, but couldn't get on with it - couldn't even get it to output a print, so gave up with it (quite quickly, and I probably could have invested time in getting it working, but it also felt a bit 'overkill' for my needs).  I've ended up ordering WhiteRIP 7; I liked the overall feature set within it and got some nice results - particularly the default black knockout; some nice dithering 'out of the box'.   The roll adapter you're working on is interesting - there was someone selling some 3D printed ones for the P600 on Ebay UK a little while ago, but the listing isn't there anymore.

On 5/16/2021 at 6:15 AM, johnson4 said:

Might not be available in the Demo verison- they limit all the features quite a bit.

It's probably just me, but I find it really annoying when demo versions are feature crippled like that - if you're going to spend £400 plus on software you want to know it does everything you need to rather than it being a leap of faith.  I'd much rather they left all features active and add time limits and watermarks to the print.  At least then you can fully evaluate it...

On 12/8/2020 at 4:18 PM, Andy - Admin said:

Make sure you have a good nozzle check.

If yes then try adjusting platen gap adjust on the printer settings window under the resolution

Is that a setting within EKPrint Studio? I'm just playing with the demo version now and can't see anything along those lines...

I've just gone through the process of converting a second hand Epson P600 for DTF and thought I'd document some of the steps I've taken, settings I use etc. - it may help someone else attempting the same   Needless to say, there will be nuances and variations around your particular setup.  The info below represents the outcome of trial and error, Googling and researching etc. (putting it all in one place - I wish I'd had this before I stated *grins*).

I'm using AcroRIP 9.0.3

Step 1 - Removing the Rollers

Don't be daunted by this, it really is very simple.  A small flat blade screwdriver is all you need to pop these loose and slide them out.  No printer disassembly is needed. 

Step 2 - Adding the DTF Ink

Using refillable cartridges, I've installed in this order:  YWWMCWWK - the final cartridge (MK) is filled with a mix of distilled water and a dash of printer cleaning fluid.  In AcroRIP 9.0.3 I've set the printer as Stylus Photo R3000, selected the port the SC-P600 is connected to, and set the Ink Channels under 'Color Management' to match the installed sequence.

Step 3 - Waste Tank (optional)

While you can make your own, I snagged a ready to go one from Ebay for speed and convenience.

Step 4 - Output Tray

The purpose of the output tray is to support the film as it exits the printer.  It needs to be positioned so that the top of your output tray is only 1-2mm lower than the top of the output rollers in the printer.  If there's a drop, the film will bend as it exits; when it bends during feeding the film will catch the printhead or other parts of the printer and smear the ink.

I had some A2 foam board which I used for a makeshift output support.  The board is 5mm thick.  As you can see in the image, I made a couple of cutouts at the sides so that the tray slides neatly into the printer exit area.  The back end of the support rests on the end of the fully extended output tray, and to keep the front (printer facing) edge in place I 3D printed a couple of supports.  These are 70mm high and rest neatly on the open bottom front cover of the printer.  At some point I'll do a neater version of this (it's a bit bigger than it needs to be), but it does the job.

Step 6 - AcroRIP 9.0.3 Settings

You'll need to play around with your own Ink Limit settings, and White Layer Generation etc.  These are the settings I've used successfully.

And that's it... you may or may not find this useful

If you are having issued with film feeding, leave a stack of paper in the tray (I've got about 8mm of A4, in landscape, and the film feeds reliably).  Another point is don't close the paper guides tightly against the film - leave a 5mm gap.  You should have all the paper width check settings on the printer OFF.

Oh, one last thing - in terms of sprinkling the DTF powder on to the print, I'm now using one of these little shakers (medium size holes).  It makes it quite quick and easy to get coverage on most of the print.  What ingenious methods have you all come up with to recover the surplus powder once you've applied it?

I'm using the hover method of curing via my heat press - about 2 minutes at 170 degrees, hovvering about 1cm above the film.

When pressing the garment, 20 seconds at 170 degrees, medium pressure seems to do the trick nicely.  I then re-press under silicon paper for another 10 seconds.

44 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

The output tray should be 1-2mm lower than the top of the output roller, what do you have it as? 
 

if it’s mainly at the bottom of the print, I’d suggest it has nothing to do with the ink.

Making it go with two channels slowed down my production, but It does work. 

 

the film should not bow, or arch in anyway when the printer prints. Look at it straight on as it comes out, I bet you’ll see it bubble up. 

Just the info I needed - the tray was a little bit too low.  A quick test tweak and aside from one little smear (just down from the letter Y in the image) it's pretty much resolved.  I just need to fine-tune the position of the tray and then I should be good to go.

Really appreciate the assistance and pointing me in the right direction - saved a lot of trial and error.

At some point I'll document all of the steps I went through etc. in case it's useful to anyone else going through the same process.

Thanks again

Hi everyone.  Just starting out in the world of DTF, using a self-converted Epson P600 through AcroRIP 9.03 and at the stage of my first tentative test prints.

Is anyone able to shed any light on the issue shown in the attached image?  Pictured is the bottom corner of an A3 print, but it also happens at various points throughout the print.  In this case, the first couple of inches were fine, then there was a small patch at the edge, and it worsens nearer the bottom.  I think on this particular example I had the ink set at CMYK 30% and White 40%, but had also tried White at 30%.  Same issue.

I have an output tray (large piece of foam board, which rests on the far edge of the output tray and butts up against the printer next to the output roller).

You can see another example on the second image showing the printer and tray (bottom left corner of the printed portion of film).

So my assumption is the print head is contacting on the ink surface and causing the smearing.

Next on my test list is reducing the number of white channels used from 4 to 2, and playing around with where the makeshift output tray is positioned.  Would thick paper setting help???

My suspect list (in no particular order):

1. Too much ink
2. Print head too close
3. Film is bending due to insufficient support at output

To save me wasting too much ink/film, if anyone has any advice based on their own experience it would be much appreciated.  I'd also be interested to see where (vertically) people align their output trays. E.G. will 1 or 2mm make all the difference?

Print defects aside, I'm really pleased with how the finished results look/feel on a garment.