Part Three – Custom Butterfly Edge Guards for HP Latex Printers
HP Latex Specialist Timothy Mitchell works with many different brands and types of media, providing him the unique opportunity to help printer operators find answers to some recurring issues – head strike or media curling, to name a few – that may occur.
Mitchell noticed that when he printed on high-intensity prismatic or reflective media and other heavy-duty products that retain curl, the edge guards weren’t properly holding the print in place as it was feeding through, causing it to raise up and contact with the carriage. When that happens, the image can be damaged, which means the graphic must be reprinted.
Reprints are a waste of media, ink and time. Mitchell found that creating a double – or butterfly – edge guard means the media stays closer to the platen, reducing the chance that the print will come in contact with the carriage.
“The reflective films tend to be expensive and when they go through the printer, I don’t want to waste anything,” he says. “They tend to curl a little. I need a little more strength to hold them down after they go through the original edge guards.”
In the video above, Mitchell explains how easy it is to make these guards: “You need to order an additional set, take them apart and put them back together.”
If you have any questions or would like to order an additional set of edge guards, please contact your LexJet printer specialist at 800-453-9538.