VinylJet 36TM Printer Reference Guide Text P/N 219476-1 Copyright © Eastman Kodak Company, 2002 NOVAJET®, KODAK ®, ENCAD ®, CadJet®, Extreme Color Printing™, VinylJet™, and Quality Imaging Supplies™ are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide WARRANTY CLAIMS United States ENCAD warrants its printers (“P RODUCT ”) to be free from defects in workmanship and materials for a period of one year from the date of purchase. In order to submit a Warranty claim, please contact the ENCAD Help Desk at (858) 452-4350. ENCAD reserves the right to make changes or improvements to Products, without incurring any obligation to similarly alter Products previously purchased.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide FCC Statement (U.S.A.) The United States Federal Communications Commission has specified that the following notice be brought to the attention of users of ENCAD printers. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION RADIO AND TELEVISION INTERFERENCE FOR CLASS A DEVICE Statement This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Industry Canada This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian InterferenceCausing Equipment Regulations. Cet apparell numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Réglement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide For your safety This section provides safety guidelines. Test results indicate safe Federal agencies emissions levels per OSHA-PEL and ACGIH-TLV. Vapors may arise from the printer during printing. For additional information, and for information on proper disposal of materials, refer to the Materials Safety Data Sheet. Always unplug the printer before servicing it. Proper room ventilation and housekeeping are required.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Manual conventions ➪ ! ✓ Indicates a procedure for you to follow in order to perform a specific function. Read the accompanying explanatory text before following the step-by-step procedure. Indicates a warning. Ignoring the warning can damage the printer or result in an unsatisfactorily printed image. Indicates a tip or suggestion that can make using the printer easier or improve your printed images.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Contents Chapter 1 Printer setup ........................................... 1-1 Printing ........................................................................................... 1-2 Obtaining quality results ................................................................... 1-2 Caring for your ink and cartridges ...................................................... 1-3 Chapter 2 Printer options ........................................
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Appendix A Installing additional memory............... A-1 Acceptable SIMM sizes ................................................................... A-1 SIMM installation ............................................................................ A-1 Appendix B Menu tree ............................................ B-1 Main menu at a glance .................................................................... Main menu .........................................................
Printer setup 1 This Reference Guide describes the VinylJet 36TM printer. This chapter provides an overview of the printer. Refer to the Quick Start Guide for setup instructions. The printer is a wide-format color inkjet printer that gives you professional-quality output on uncoated vinyl, using aqueous-based inks. Designed specifically for the needs of small sign shops, the VinylJet 36 lets you experience the value of exceptional, full color graphics on banners and signs designed for outdoor use.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Printing Your printer features thermal ink cartridges with 208 jets. Reservoirs hold up to 500 ml of ink. You can print with four colors of ink (CMYK) which yield millions of colors. The printers accept raster-oriented data in the format of HP RTL or HPGL. In this mode, printing begins immediately after the first complete line of HP RTL data is received. There are many Raster Image Processors (RIPs) which convert Postscript or CGM to HP RTL.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Caring for your ink and cartridges • Handle cartridges only on the plastic areas. Touching the copper electrical interconnect or the inkjets can damage the cartridge. • Use only AV ink intended for the VinylJet36. Do not mix inks. • Do not shake ink refill containers. • Store ink and cartridges in the same environment as the printer whenever possible.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Choose the correct printing mode By choosing from a variety of color, quality, and resolution modes, you can make choices between drawing quality, colors, and speed. When printing images with large areas of color, always choose one of the enhanced printing modes (Enhanced or Best). Use the right software The quality of the software driver or the RIP can be very important, especially when printing continuous tone images.
Printer options 2 You can define printer options through your application software or by choosing settings from the printer's control panel. The following printer options are described in this chapter: • Initialize (return to printer default settings) • Print Mode • Paper Options • User Se tup Returning to the default settings Pressing the Setup/User Setup /Init Settings buttons returns all printer options to the factory defaults. All saved user settings are lost.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Color mode Color mode refers to whether you are printing in color, grayscale or monochrome. ➪ To choose the color mode 1 Press Setup/Print Mode/Color Mode. 2 Choose Color, Mono, or Gray. 3 Press OK. Choosing quality mode options Your printer offers several print quality modes which let you make choices between speed and quality. The quality mode you use depends on various factors, such as your software application and whether you’re printing in color or monochrome.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide ➪ To choose print quality 1 Press Setup/Print Mode/Quality Mode. 2 Choose the desired quality. 3 Press OK. Choosing feed media options Feed media options allow you to: • advance the media* • display/enter Media Counter values *Media feeding and loading are described in the Quick Start Guide. Media counter Media Counter gives you a means of estimating the amount of media left on a roll.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide ➪ ➪ ➪ To display the current value 1 Press Feed Media/Display Counter. 2 View the current value. 3 Press EXIT. To print the current value 1 Press Feed Media/Display Counter. 2 Press Print Counter. 3 Press EXIT. To reset the media counter 1 Press Feed Media/Media Counter. 2 Press Reset Counter. 3 Press OK.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Save media When the Save Media is On (the default), the media advances only as far as needed to print the image. With the Save Media option turned off, the printer advances the length of a standard sheet, for example, 24x36 or 36x48 inches. ➪ To turn off Save Media 1 Press Setup/Paper Option/Save Media. 2 Choose Off. 3 Press OK. Auto-Wipe The cartridge jet plates are periodically wiped during printing. The default for this function is ON.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide ➪ ➪ To save user setup 1 Press Setup/User Setup/Save User. 2 Scroll to the number for the user settings. 3 Press OK. To use a previously saved user setting 1 Press Setup/User Setup/Select User. 2 Scroll to the number for the user settings (i.e., user 1, user 2, etc.) to use. 3 Press OK.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide LCD contrast The LCD Contrast function lets you adjust the brightness of the control panel. The range is 1-16, where 16 is less contrast. The default is 9. Note that if brightness is set too high, you may not be able to see the text displayed on the control panel. ➪ To set LCD contrast 1 Press Setup/User Setup/LCD Contrast. 2 Choose the contrast value. 3 Press OK.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Ink preheat Cartridge heat settings are optimized for media being printed in a standard office environment. If you are experiencing banding, poor fills, or too much dot gain, and you have tried all other means to correct these conditions, you may want to experiment with the ink preheat settings. These will vary depending on the ambient temperature where the printer is located and the media used.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Printer default settings USER SETTINGS COLOR MODE QUALITY MODE AUTO-LOAD DELAY SAVE MEDIA CALIB XY SELECT USER SAVE USER UNITS SELECT LANGUAGE DEFAULT COLOR PHOTO 6 ON ON 1 1 ENGLISH ENGLISH SYSTEM SETTINGS DEFAULT OTHER OPTIONS MONO, GRAY DRAFT, PHOTO, ENHANCED, BEST 1-12 SEC. OFF OFF 1 TO 8 1 TO 8 METRIC GERMAN, FRENCH, ITALIAN, SPANISH, PORTUGUESE, JAPANESE.
Printing 3 The way you print from your computer depends on the driver or RIP you have installed. Your printer comes with a Windows driver and one RIP: • Windows driver for general use • EFPU • Flexibanner (trial version) Printing a file The Windows driver allows you to print from virtually any Windows-based application. ➪ To print a file using the Windows driver 1 Open the file from within an application. 2 3 Choose File/Print. Select your printer. 4 Click Features.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide End of Print function The End of Print function moves the last part of a print down under the IR bulb to cure it. However, this does not work at the end of a roll. Vinyl media is taped to the core of the supply roll. Before printing, be sure there is sufficient media left on the roll to do the print and advance the entire print past the IR bulb to cure it. You can determine whether there is sufficient media by choosing Feed Media Menu/Media Counter.
HP-GL/2 4 This chapter discusses setting printing parameters generally used with vectorbased files, including palette selection, printer control, rotation, reprints, nest time, nest enable, and ink limit. ENCAD's implementation of HP-GL/2 supports vector/raster merge and conforms to "The HP-GL/2 and HP RTL Reference Guide, Third Edition" by Hewlett-Packard Company (Addison-Wesley, 1997, ISBN 0-201-31014-7). Please refer to this guide for details on HP-GL/2 commands.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Accessing HP-GL/2 features The following functions are available from the HP-GL/2 menu: palette select, printer vs. software control, rotation, ink reduction (see Chapter 2), reprints, nest time, nest enable, and ink limit. ➪ To access HP-GL/2 features 1 2 From the main menu, choose Setup Menu/HP-GL/2 Options. Press Select. The HP-GL/2 Options menu displays with further options. Palette select Palette select lets you choose either the HP-GL/2 or AutoCAD palette.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Control Control determines whether certain printing parameters are set in the software application or overridden by the printer's front panel. Control overrides the following parameters of the HP-GL/2 header file: repeat plot (RP) and enable auto cutter (EC). Repeat Plot: With Control set to Printer, the printer will ignore RP commands in the plot file and only print one plot. From the printer's front panel you can specify additional copies using the Reprints menu.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide ➪ To rotate the image 1 From the main menu, choose Setup Menu/HP-GL/2 Options/Rotation. 2 Press Select. 3 Use the up or down arrow button to display the desired rotation angle (0, 90, 180, 270, Auto). 4 Press Select. Reprints You can print up to 99 copies of a specific vector file. When Reprint is set to 0, only one image is printed. ➪ 4-4 HP-GL/2 To make multiple prints 1 From the main menu, choose Setup Menu/HP-GL/2 Options/Reprints. 2 Press Select.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Nesting Nesting allows the user to save media by printing multiple plots along the horizontal width of the media. This feature makes the most efficient use of consumables and reduces the time required to print multiple plots. When nesting is active, HP-GL/2 plots will be stored within the printer, accumulating in a nest.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide The following parameters will not affect nesting: • Ink limiting; • Replots; • If Auto Rotation is enabled, then the nesting algorithm is free to rotate the plot if it determines that doing so will save media. Plots are sequentially fitted across the page from right to left; and • The HP-GL/2 EC command can be used to control cutting. If any plot in a nest has the cutter enabled, the plotter will cut after the nest.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Ink limit The printer can assign an ink limit to polygon fills and wide vectors. This helps prevent bleeding. The default for this option is On. If you are using high quality media, this option may not be needed and can be turned off. ➪ To enable the ink limit 1 From the main menu, choose Setup Menu /HP-GL/2 Options/Ink Limit. 2 Press Select. 3 Use the up or down arrow button to display ON. 4 Press Select.
Installing additional memory A The VinylJet 36 ships with 32 MB of DRAM, upgradable to a maximum of 128 MB, 64 MB per socket. Additional memory helps to free the host computer more quickly. Acceptable SIMM sizes Printer memory may be upgraded by installing 72-pin 60 nanosecond (or faster) SIMMs that are either 32 or 36 bits wide. (The printer does not use parity bits.) The SIMMs must not exceed a height of 2 inches (5 cm) and must conform to JEDEC Std. 21-C, release 4.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide ➪ ➪ To remove the SIMMs 1 Facing the top of the SIMMs, push the side clips gently to the outside (away from the SIMM). 2 Push over and pull out, being careful not to damage the fingers on the top. To install the new SIMM 1 Insert at a 45 degree angle and slowly push the SIMM to a 90o angle until the two side clips snap into place. Make sure the SIMM is fully seated. 2 Carefully reconnect the ribbon cable harness to the connector on the PC board.
Menu tree B This section contains an overview of the printer's menu tree. Text items in italics indicate that selecting the option gives access to a menu with further options. Items in bold are the default option.
VInylJet 36TM Reference Manual Main menu Load Media moves media into or away from the platen. Cut cuts media. Pause provides access to further options for canceling print jobs, reinitializing the printer, or examining the job. Reset clears the print buffer. When cancelling a print, first remove it from the computer's print queue, then press the Reset button on the printer.
VInylJet 36TM Reference Manual Setup menu at a glance (Bold indicates the default) Setup Print Mode Menu Color Mode Quality Mode Exit Color, mono, gray draft, photo, enhanced, best Paper Option Menu Auto-Load Delay Save Media Auto-Wipe Exit 1-12, 6 On/Off On/Off HPGL/2 Menu Palette Select Control Rotation Nesting Menu Reprints Ink Limit Exit User Setup Menu Select User Save User Units Select Language Init Settings Print Settings LCD Contrast Exit Ink Option Menu Ink Reduction Ink Preheat Menu EOP_Dry
VInylJet 36TM Reference Manual Utility menu at a glance (Bold indicates the default) Utility Prime Menu Prime All Clean Prime Single Start Routine Access Cartridge Color Calib Menu (color) vertical (color) horizontal Calib Print Test Calibration Menu Use Calib XY On/Off Paper Axis Test Color Db Menu Open Jet Menu Paper Axis 32.00 - 34.00 (33.
VInylJet 36TM Reference Manual Setup menu Print Mode Menu provides access to options for color, quality, dots per inch, and EOP dry. Paper Option Menu provides access to options for loading paper. HP-GL/2 Menu provides access to options for setting HP-GL/2 features. User Setup Menu provides access to options for defining and saving user settings. Ink Option Menu provides access to options for setting ink reduction and dry time.
VInylJet 36TM Reference Manual HP-GL/2 Menu Palette Select provides access to a further menu to select an AutoCAD color palette or a generic HP-GL/2 palette. Control determines whether certain printing parameters are set in the software application or overridden by the printer's front panel display. Rotation provides access to a further menu to enable rotation and set the rotation angle. Nesting Menu provides access to a further menu that controls nesting.
VInylJet 36TM Reference Manual Ink Option Menu Ink reduction (applies to HPGL/2 only) provides access to a further menu in which to set the percentage by which to decrease the amount of ink emitted to help prevent bleeding or pooling of ink. Options are 0, 12.5, 25, 37.5, and 50. Ink preheat provides access to a further menu in which you can select the cartridge for which you want to set the preheat value. Then you can set the ink preheat value for each cartridge.
VInylJet 36TM Reference Manual Serial Comm Menu (Bold indicates the default) For use by technical support only. Baud rate provides access to a further menu to select the baud rate: 9600 (default), 19200, 38400. Data bits 7, 8 Parity bits provides access to a further menu to select parity: None (default), Even, Odd. Exit returns to the Setup menu. Utility menu Prime Menu provides access to further selections for prime single, prime all, start routine, and clean.
VInylJet 36TM Reference Manual Prime menu Prime All Prints the prime pattern for each cartridge. Prime Single Provides access to a further menu in which you can choose to prime an individual cartridge. Start Routine Prints a recovery pattern/jet status plot. Clean (Color) Causes the selected cartridge to clear its jets by expelling a small amount of ink into the service station. Clean All Clears the jets for all the cartridges.
VInylJet 36TM Reference Manual Service Menu (Bold indicates the default) Calibration Menu provides access to calibration options. Diagnostics Menu provides access to a further set of menus for performing diagnostics (tech support only) and for printing the color test. About provides information about the printer's firmware version, BROM, RAM, and printer size. Cartridge Info provides information about the type and color of ink in each cartridge stall, and the extent to which the cartridge is used.
Technical information MEDIA TYPES: Untreated calendared vinyl, cast vinyl, banner vinyl MEDIA ROLL PARAMETERS: Inner roll core: 2" +/- 1/16", and 3" +/- 1/16" with adapter Max. outside roll diameter: 6" Max. roll width: 36" Max. media weight: 60 lbs. RESOLUTION: 600 x 600 dpi FEATURES: Power feed and takeup 8 user-savable settings Power PC 33 MHZ processor Ink cartridges (4) 500 ml ink reservoirs (4) Two sets of ink lines (8) Ink priming system LINE LENGTH ACCURACY: +/- 0.2% in paper and carriage axis.
VInylJet 36TM Reference Manual DIMENSIONS: Height (with stand) (platen above floor) 44" (1120 mm) Width 87" (2209.8 mm) Depth 28" (710 mm) Weight printer and stand 140 lbs. (62.2 kg) Print width 24" min. to 36" max.
Error messages D A yellow LED on the control panel lights to indicate error conditions. When the yellow LED lights, check the display for messages which will help you determine the status of the printer and possible corrective action to take. Cartridge errors The printer automatically performs tests on the cartridges and uses the information to improve image quality, monitor cartridge life, and update the user with system status.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Memory Errors If the "Insufficient raster memory" message displays, press the Reset button on the Main Menu to clear the message and abort the print job.
Troubleshooting E This appendix contains valuable information to help you solve the most common printer problems.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide 8. 9. If you are networked, login and try printing from several software applications. If steps 7 or 8 fail, repeat them using another computer or remove from the network and test standalone. If one application fails, but others print successfully, that can indicate a problem with a specific software package. Call technical support of the failed product. If all the applications fail, determine what they have in common; for example, a RIP box or Windows driver.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide File will not print If you are using a parallel cable, be sure it meets the specifications of IEEE 1284. Check your electrical connections. From your software application, print to a file and send the file to the printer in DOS using the DOS Copy command. At the DOS prompt, type COPY /b filename portname (LPT or COM port). Alternately, use the GO.EXE program which can be downloaded from ENCAD's website (http://www.encad.com). To print the file, type GO filename.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide If the carriage is in the same spot, check the encoder strip for visible damage (clear plastic strip under the trailing cable tray and above the belt) Refer to the figure which follows. Printer front view Encoder strip under second trailing cable cover level, (clear plastic strip directly behind the shaft) MAKE SURE POWER IS OFF BEFORE PERFORMING THIS STEP.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Check whether the idler assembly (located at the left end of the belt) moves freely. Check whether it is cracked or broken. Ink cartridges do not fire properly Be sure that cartridges and the service station are cleaned daily to maintain good print quality. (See the Maintenance Guide.) Cartridges may wear out after extended use. Try replacing the cartridge. Store cartridges in a sealed container at room temperature when not in use for extended periods of time.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide What if I need a firmware upgrade? You can download firmware upgrades from ENCAD’s Internet web page (www.encad.com). Firmware Download Procedure (Upgrade/Printer Refresh) You can use the ENCAD File Print Utility (EFPU) to download new firmware to your printer. The EFPU can be found on the System CD. For Windows: 1. Using the EFPU, send the XXXX.ROM file to the printer. Approximately 20 - 40 seconds later, the unit will reboot, indicating the download was successful.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Overall print quality is poor Clean, calibrate, or replace cartridges. Make sure the printer is positioned on level ground. Use a higher quality print mode. Be sure the media tension bar is inserted on the media as shown in the Quick Start Guide. If you are using banner vinyl, be sure to insert the spacer bar into the media guides and run the media over the spacer bar. Be sure that the platen temperature and IR lamp settings are correct for the media you are using.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Smudged or dark characters Make sure the media is straight and unwrinkled when loading it into the printer. Clean, calibrate, or replace cartridges. Try a different print mode. Improperly formed or misaligned characters Calibrate cartridges. Color problems or shadowing Calibrate cartridges. Excessive graininess Perform color deadband compensation. Refer to the Quick Start manual. Colors are not correct or sections of print missing Clean, calibrate, or replace cartridges.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Splotchy area fill Try using Best mode. If the problem persists, clean, calibrate, or replace cartridges. Adjust cartridge preheat as described in Chapter 2. Excessive banding in area fills Consistent banding is generally a hardware problem; inconsistent banding is generally a software problem. Change the Print Mode option to Best or Enhanced. (See "Print Modes" in Chapter 2.) Clean, calibrate, or replace cartridges. Adjust cartridge preheat as described in Chapter 2.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide To ensure the highest quality and reliability of the data that is sent to the printers, the IEEE standard 1284 parallel cable is required to be used when utilizing the parallel port on the printers. Note: Be sure that your parallel cable does not exceed the maximum of 10 ft. This standard uses shielded twisted pair technology that reduces noise and increases performance at higher transfer speeds. This cable is recommended on all printers built by ENCAD in 1997 and later.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide - Do you need to take additional steps to allow the print servers and print clients to communicate with each other? - If your site is not running NIS or NIS+, have you entered the IP address for the print server in each client’s /etc/hosts file and entered all print client IP addresses in the /etc/hosts file of the print server? - Check that the port monitor is configured correctly on the print server.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Difficulty generating prints ranging from A to D size Many software applications limit the maximum print size to “C” or “D” size due to the way that they map their internal coordinate system to memory.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide inches. Larger page sizes may be attainable if the resolution in the driver is lowered. This limitation also applies to the HP 750C printer, and 16 bit printer drivers under Win95. Programs that use their own internal drivers that bypass the Windows operating system are not real common but they do exist.
VinylJet 36TM Reference Guide Customer Technical Support To resolve printer problems, use the suggestions provided in this guide. If you continue to have problems, you can get help from any of the following: ENCAD Inc. Support ENCAD Inc. 6059 Cornerstone Ct. West San Diego, CA 92121-3734 Main Number Customer Support Customer Support FAX Home Page (858) 452-0882 (877) ENCADTS (858) 558-4672 www.encad.com/ Warranty Cartridge Exchange Supplies Sales No.
