Film Stretch

[JJPrint]

We are printing our film on an Epson T3000 (roll material) and getting multi color jobs that the  film doesn't line up.  Any suggestions would be helpful.  Have used Ulano and Fixxon waterproof film same results.

thanks,
John

[Frog]

I have heard these problems much more with rolls than with sheets. I used to hear of folks cutting their own sheets, and recently, I see suggestions to "re-spool" the roll. The rolls must be tighter than the feeds like.

[Inkworks]

Also make sure your machine is warmed up before you print tight tolerance stuff, if your shop is cool in the morning, print some non-critical stuff first, then do the tricky stuff.

I assume you're printing everything in the same orientation on the film too right?

[mooseman]

my guess is the film is not stretching but instead i would bet that the film is not consistantly  feeding through, slipping, dragging etc.  as the printer tries to pull from the roll. Depending on the size of the roll the drag and such. If you have a vinyl cutter the cutter requires the film to be payed off the roll as slack most likely for the same
reason of not adding the roll drag /  inertia to the feed rollers on the printer.
Simply try slacking out the film off the roll.
mooseman

[cbjamel]

I find make sure you print the direction for all films. If I print vertical on some and horizontal on some that's when i get problems with my 4800.
Shane

[jsheridan]

the roll is not fed, it's static and the the feeder isn't strong enough to pull the roll.

pull a large part of the roll and let it hang behind the machine or use sheets.

[gtmfg]

I've been struggling with the same issue for almost a year. Roll film on a 4900. Seems like on ours it happens when there is any gap in print and the printer spools with no printing it will almost always not line up. Today we printed a 6 color art lined up but the reggys didn't.

[JBLUE]

I've been struggling with the same issue for almost a year. Roll film on a 4900. Seems like on ours it happens when there is any gap in print and the printer spools with no printing it will almost always not line up. Today we printed a 6 color art lined up but the reggys didn't.

I posted on a post a while back with some settings for the 4900 that will fix your issue. Part of it is the vacuum setting and a couple of other things. I can print 20 plus inch long films the reg marks line right up. I don't know where the hell the post is but hopefully you can dig it up. I would have to through the printer again and document the settings but won't have time for a few days to get to it.

[JJPrint]

We did increase  the "Feed Tension" and printed a 7 color job and all lined up perfectly, hopefully it's not a fluke.  Each image 17" long (from a roll).  Thanks for everyone's input.

[gtmfg]

Thanks JBlue!  Going to try the settings tomorrow.