No Inkjet Media Profile? No Problem

Depending on the combination of the printer and media that you use, a custom profile may not be available. Do not fear; all is not lost. If, for instance, you are printing to Sunset Velvet Rag 315g and a profile is not available, you will want to follow the steps below. First, understand what settings will make what changes in the printer driver or plug-in and Photoshop.

The Media Type selected in the printer software will control ink levels (saturation), media feed, vacuum (or suction) level and head height. The screen captures below show where you can find the Media Type in the Epson driver, Canon driver and in the Canon Print Plug-In for Photoshop…

Creating profiles for an inkjet printer
Media Type in the Epson driver. Click on the image for a larger version.
Creating profiles for an inkjet printer
Media Type in the Canon driver. Click on the image for a larger version.
Finding the media type and profile in Photoshop
Media Type and Profile in the Canon Print Plug-In for Photoshop. Click on the image for a larger version.

The ICC profile selected in Photoshop will control color accuracy. The images below show where to select profiles for the Epson and Canon drivers…

Profiling inkjet media
Here's the Profile in the Photoshop print dialog for the Espon driver. Click on the image for a larger version.

Here's the Profile in the Photoshop print dialog for the Canon driver. Click on the image for a larger version.

Next, decide on at least a couple of options to perform a test print. Think about the type of material to which you are printing. Is it polypropylene, polyester, polycarbonate, paper, canvas, etc.? Is the finish of the material gloss, satin, or matte? Once you have made these determinations, find a media type/profile combination that most closely resembles the media that you are printing to.

For example, if you want to print to Sunset Velvet Rag but don’t have a custom profile, you know two things: it’s a fine-art paper with a matte finish. If you are printing to an Epson printer, the papers that most closely resemble Sunset Velvet Rag are likely Epson Velvet Fine Art Paper, Water Color Radiant White and Textured Fine Art Paper. You would want to select those profiles in Photoshop and the same Epson media types in the Epson driver when making test prints.

You may need to test several media type/profile combinations before you find the one that works best. Be sure to use a known image when making your test prints. Finally, compare the results and choose the best option.

Printing Through a RIP (Onyx)
If you are printing through Onyx, a great option for determining the best settings to use with a particular media is the clone tool. This allows you to select multiple profiles that most closely resemble your media and perform a test print. Like above, be sure to print a known file for comparison purposes.

In case you want to learn how to use the clone tool, we have created a short two-minute video for you that is embedded below…

Maintenance Tips for Solvent Inkjet Printers

Solvent Inkjet Printer MaintenanceWhile solvent printers are much like aqueous printers, in most cases they require a little more manual maintenance. Also, there are no solvent printers that use thermal printheads; they all use piezo-electric printheads.

Since piezo-electric printheads are not designed to be replaced regularly, they must be well maintained.  Most piezo-electric aqueous printers are designed to maintain themselves, and are therefore designed so that the user cannot gain access to the printheads.

Solvent printers are a different animal in the sense that most require weekly and sometimes daily maintenance to the printheads themselves. This is primarily due to the fact that the solvent inks tend to dry out much sooner on the bottom of the printhead than aqueous inks do.

Regular Maintenance
Regular maintenance refers to the maintenance required on a daily or weekly basis to keep the printer running optimally. The first and most important thing to keep in mind is the shape of the shop and whether or not it’s ship-shape.

Because the printhead array on an aqueous printer tends to be densely packed, losing a nozzle or two does not usually affect print quality to the same degree it does with solvent and UV-curable printers. If you lose a nozzle on a solvent or UV-curable printer, you really notice it.

Solvent ink in particular evaporates quickly, which can then dry and clog the nozzles. Moreover, dust and other contaminates tend to migrate toward leftover ink on the printheads (dust gravitates toward liquid), creating another potential clogging hazard.

That’s why one of the most important maintenance items is to operate the printer in a clean environment. As far as it’s possible, printers should be segregated from other finishing and production areas. Cutting, trimming, and routing create airborne particulates that are looking for an opening to clog.

An air scrubber or HEPA filter, like the Predator 600 Portable Air Scrubber, has proven to be a cost-effective and efficient way to help remove potentially harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from the air, and the pungent smell associated with them. It will also help keep dust and other contaminates to a minimum.

Moreover, an air scrubber aids in the drying process by providing and maintaining regular air circulation. Oftentimes, failure in the field can be traced to prints that weren’t thoroughly dried before they were finished, shipped, and installed.

While every printer is different, these procedures typically include the following routines…

Cleaning the Printhead
When a printhead is clogged, the printer typically comes equipped with a cleaning sequence that it runs to clear the clog. This sequence consists of purging air from the printhead while simultaneously wiping the printhead with a rubber wiper blade.

In most cases this clears all clogged nozzles, although sometimes it takes several cycles. In some cases, normal cleaning cycles just aren’t enough to clear all clogs, especially if the clog is due to ink that has completely covered the nozzle. In this case, you may need to manually clean the printhead.

The proper procedure for manually cleaning printheads varies by printer model, but usually consists of wiping the bottom of the printheads with a wipe soaked in cleaning solution to minimize nozzle clogs. The cleaning solution varies from printer to printer, but usually consists of the manufacturer’s flushing solution, or a solution similar to the inks used in the printer, just without the pigment.

Some printer manufacturers recommend using lint-free cleaning wipes to wipe the bottom of the printhead, while others prefer a cleaning swab. You should never deviate from the using the cleaning solution and wipe recommended by the printer manufacturer as doing so may cause permanent damage to the printheads as well as void your warranty.

Cleaning the Wiper Blade
Inkjet Printer Wiper BladeThe wiper blade is responsible for wiping the bottom of the printhead during a cleaning cycle in order to remove any excess ink or debris from the bottom of the printhead to reduce nozzle clogs. Throughout the day, most printers run multiple cleaning cycles in order to provide optimal print quality.

Most printer manufacturers recommend cleaning the wiper blade every morning with a lint free cloth or lint free swab. This will reduce the probability of debris getting wiped into the nozzles of the printhead during cleaning cycles.    

Replace the Capper
Printer Capper Wiper MaintenancePeriodically, the printer’s capper or capping station needs to be replaced. The capper is a moist pad that the printhead rests on top of when it’s not printing to ensure that the printhead does not dry out. Over time, the capper will consume too much ink and need to be replaced. Your printer manufacturer should sell replacement cappers, and only cappers approved by the printer manufacturer should be used on your printer.

Replace the Damper
The damper is an ink reservoir that exists between the ink cartridge and the printhead. The damper also has a filter that reduces the amount of contaminants that will enter the printhead. Over time, the damper’s filter can clog and will eventually need to be replaced.

Replacement dampers are typically sold by printer manufacturers as well as printer resellers. You should steer clear of third-party dampers as they may void your warranty and damage your printhead.

Heat vs. Quality
Unlike aqueous printers, solvent printers rely upon heat to aid in the ink curing process. Since every media is different, you must find different combinations of heat and pass count for each given media. If creating a profile for a new media, try starting with a high heat setting. If the media tends to wave, buckle or warp, reduce the heater settings on the printer.

If you find a heat setting that works well for your media, but the ink tends to collect on a certain area of the print media, try increasing the pass count. While increasing the pass count will slow down your print speed, some media demand that you have a relatively high pass count for maximum ink absorption.

YouTube Videos: How to Maintain and Operate a Canon Inkjet Printer

In addition to the Nozzle Check video uploaded to YouTube yesterday, LexJet recently released a series of instructional videos covering other maintenance and operational procedures for Canon inkjet printers.

Go to www.youtube.com/lexjet to access the LexJet channel, then click on Education at the top right of the page to access all the Canon printer videos. Or, you can click here to go directly to the full menu.

The new slate of videos includes:

  • Loading media on a Canon inkjet printer (Canon Loading Media)
  • Using Canon’s feed and cut features (Canon Feed and Cut)
  • Removing and replacing ink on a Canon inkjet printer (Canon removing and replacing ink)
  • Replacing the maintenance tank on a Canon inkjet printer (Canon Replacing Maintenance tank)
  • Unloading a roll of media from a Canon inkjet printer (Canon Unloading a roll)

Check back regularly for more educational videos from LexJet, including instructions for other inkjet printers as well as production tips and tricks. If you have any suggestions or need help with a particular topic, let us know so we can include it in our expanding library.

How to do a Nozzle Check on a Canon Inkjet Printer

If you’ve experienced horizontal banding or a color shift in your inkjet prints, it’s likely there’s a clogged printhead nozzle. Here’s a step by step video that shows the quickest way to perform a nozzle check on a Canon large format inkjet printer to determine if you have a clogged nozzle. The nozzle check is the first step in the troubleshooting process for banding and color shift.

The nozzle check will print a grid. Any breaks in the pattern usually indicate a clogged nozzle. If you find that there is one, the next step is to perform a head cleaning (video to come soon). Then, check your results after a head cleaning with another nozzle check just to be sure it worked.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538.

Finding Resolution: Inkjet Banner vs. Photographic Printing

The amount of printing resolution necessary for an image is dictated by the viewing distance. Most photography is meant to be viewed from 12 inches away or less. Therefore, I would suggest 1440 x 1440 dpi on an Epson, and 1200 x 1200 dpi on an HP, or Canon.

However, if you are using these printers to print a large banner, the viewing distance will usually be 10 feet away or more. Therefore, the required print resolution drops. In this case, I would print at 720 dpi with an Epson or 600 dpi on an HP or Canon.

I would also recommend that you print bidirectional for this type of job. One thing you should keep in mind is that a profile for this lower resolution and bi-directional printing should be generated to ensure accurate color reproduction.

Making a Custom Profile for an Epson Inkjet Printer

LexJet offers free custom profiles for a variety of printers and media to maximize the quality of your inkjet printing output. Following is a video that shows how to create a custom profile at LexJet’s website.

In this example, the video shows how to do this with an Epson 7900 inkjet printer in Adobe Photoshop CS4 for LexJet Sunset Photo eSatin Paper, which is also applicable for CS3 users. Though each Epson printer may have a slightly different driver interface, the process is basically the same.

If you’re using CS5, I recommend creating profiles in either the CS3 or CS4 versions. We’re currently testing the best methods for creating custom profiles in CS5 and will post that video once we’ve got it figured out. As always, if you have any questions or run into any problems, contact a LexJet account specialist.