[Timkelco]

I am new to the idea of Sublimation. I currently use two Roland wide format solvent printers for our branding company. We use FlexiSign Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator CS2 and Corel Draw X4 on a daily basis. I would like to expand into sublimation. I think it will add more products to our offering to Golf and Tennis events we produce for (maybe??).

I have been doing some reading here and have found a good bit of info to add to the sales jargin that I have been giving by the Sales Weasels. I would like some input on my product selections. I would like to purchase the Epson 4880 (great rebate of $480) then add the Saw Grass ArTanium inks CMYKLcLmLbLLb. I will probably be offered the Harvey Head Cleaner by Conde the place I will get my inks, profiles and supplies. I am thinking of going with the Printer Jockey instead based on some reading here. I will more than likely be running the printer out of Corel Draw over my Ethernet like my other machines.

My biggest concern is the head plugging. My Rolands run a little ink every 12hrs to keep the print heads flowing. I will follow the advice of the folks here and run the print sample everyday. My machines will sometimes sit unused for a month at a time when I am away on site at a tournament. The Rolands will usually make it a month without a problem when they maintain themselves. If I run the Printer Jockey everyday, will it keep the heads on the Epson clear or am I asking for trouble?

I am sure I will think of other questions as I receive info.

I am glad I found this forum I have always found the info on a Forum more reliable than from a sales person

 

[DAGuide]

The feature you are talking about is the Timed Test Print feature in Printer Jockey. With this feature, you can set it up to run one of three different test prints that will keep the ink flowing through the nozzles. Here is a video on how this feature works.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJy4HuRQZxM[/media]

However, your environment is going to have a lot to do with how often you will want to run the test print. So you might have to run some tests periodically to see if you are running the test prints enough. The less humidity you have, the faster your nozzles can dry out. The print head on the Roland printers is different than the 4880 printer. In addition, the sublimation ink is different than the solvent ink system you have. So you might want to try some different settings to figure out what works best for your location.

Hope this helps.

Mark

 

[Timkelco]

Humidity is not a problem (or is depending how you look at it) we have plenty in Atlanta, GA. Sometimes I wish we had less.

I guess I should tweak my profile to reflect my location.

 

[DAGuide]

I live in Orlando (where humidity was invented I think)!

You will not adjust your profile. You will just set the timer up differently (maybe once a day) compared to say someone in Northern CA that has no humidity and it gets colder. All inkjet printers run better when you have 50% humidity. Just be careful during the winter months when you run a heater that dries out the air. Some people will put a small humidifer next to the printer if it gets real bad. Others will just put a damp towel on the far left side (when facing the printer) and then run the Timed Test Print feature on 8.5" x 11" paper. The towel will help keep the moisture near the print head and you will still have space to run the feature. There are a ton of tricks that people have come up with to keep the printer running good. Just need to find the one(s) that work best for your shop.

Good luck with your decision!

Mark

 

[Timkelco]

What about a cover? I have seen a few from Epson and one on eBay. Would that improve my situation.

I have a digital meter in our shop and office to monitor the humidity because if its too high it can cause problems for my other products. Right now I have a 52% humidity in my office and 72*. I try to stay around that mark (keeps down the static too) I can get as high as 65% but that is max. I have never had it below 40% because I open the door a lot to go to the shop which is not climate controlled.

So this is good to hear. I was starting to think I was not going to be able to do Sub work.

 

[DAGuide]

Robert,

You should be fine with your environment as you have it setup. A cover for the printer will also help trap the moisture around the printer... but it does not sound like you will need it. Just for the first several weeks, keep an eye on your printer and see if nozzles are still fine. If not, increase the number of test prints you do. I would probably start off with 1 day and see where it goes from there. Hopefully, you will use your printer more as you get use to the process and sales increase. Then this will not be a problem.

Enjoy the new printer! The colors are going to be surprising to you if you are not use to them.

Mark

 

[Timkelco]

Mark,

Just started using Printer jockey and is it necessary to use so much paper? I am guessing I do not need to use sub paper so I don't burn through my roll of paper in a month. If I use just cheap copy paper would that work the same?

Thanks for a smart product.