Epson 4800 Film Doesn't Line Up

[1964GN]

I have been here less than a year but it sounds like this has always been a problem. We currently use Fixxons 13" and 17" roll film. I haven't test the 17" yet so this relates to the 13" rolled film 4mil.

Nothing lines up. It's not quite as dramatic on shorter pieces but on longer plates it's pretty bad. I have gone through this thread http://www.theshirtboard.com/index.php/topic,10039.0.html and have changed setting in the driver and the printer itself to those suggested in several of the posts and it seems to be getting worse.

Is there anyone that has been able to solve this problem on their 4800? We are at our witts end!

[blue moon]

how much are you off, what RIP are  you using?
I would try different film manufacturer just to eliminate that.
Also, how many prints on the printer? We have one with 6K and one with 12K and both are within a thousand or two.
Are they out even if everything is printed in the same direction?

pierre

[ebscreen]

Are you unwinding the film and letting it hang free off the back of the printer?
If you have the printer pull directly off the roll it will struggle a bit, and you'll have to
compensate in a RIP, though even that setting would presumably change whether the
roll is full or not.

[1964GN]

We use Accurip. The 13" roll in there now is about half way through and I do unwind it each time. I always run each plate the same way... learned that one the hard way

We are off anywhere up to 1cm on some films but it's not consistent. Before my time we were buying 5mil film from Ryonet (and others) and had the issue as well, especially on longer pieces. We probably will try a different film but base off past experience I suspect it a printer/rip issue not the film.

So far adjusting the driver and printer settings are not having a positive effect.

[ebscreen]

Hmmm.... that's a lot of distance to be off. I'd suspect something in the printer, or the rip is adjusted
for pulling off the roll when it's not needed, though that should be consistent. I'd start by taking a look
into the printer feed path and checking for anomalies, jammed paper bits and whatnot.

[blue moon]

that is a lot to be off and as mentioned before the problem is probably mechanical.

the easiest fix might be making sure you are using the correct spindle and that it is properly oriented. There is tension on one side and not on the other. The black end needs to be on the left as you look at the printer. If the black end is spinning freely, your spindle might be bad.

Otherwise, look inside for any obvious issues. I have a guy in FL (somewhere potentially in your neck of the woods) that is (was) a certified tech and can get you in touch.

pierre

[1964GN]

Thanks for the reply's. The 1cm may be a bit of an exaggeration BUT recently we did have one piece that was that far off, but it's not the norm. What we do see consistently is that at least 50% of the plates are coming out at different lengths as shown in the attachments.

For this particular design the films are about 15"-16" tall overall, 8 colors. All printed in the same direction through Accurip, about 1/4 of the way through a 13" roll of Fixxon waterproof films, standard settings in the driver and printer. On these eight pieces we had at least 3 different lengths. This job was printed yesterday and they were clearly off on the press.

The printed center marks in the pics are 1.3pts, this width seems to gives us the best visual when lining up each film. In the past it wasn't always revealed on the light table but when you got it on the press the chase began! The PRU reveals the discrepancy instantly.

I feel like this is the last piece of the puzzle for fast, accurate setups for us. Our new press has a pin reg system. The green lights you see in the pics are lasers on the PRU. We are finding the entire system extremely accurate. The week link at the moment is film. If I can get this part figured out I'll be a happy man

[GaryG]

The printed center marks in the pics are 1.3pts, this width seems to gives us the best visual when lining up each film. In the past it wasn't always revealed on the light table but when you got it on the press the chase began! The PRU reveals the discrepancy instantly.

What would be the difference from light table to PRU in seeing discrepancy?
We can line up films exactly on light table and when on press, prints/burned image seem to be out of alignment - side to side- width wise...
Any suggestions?
Thx

[1964GN]

You can see it better with the laser.

Anyone with a 4800 able to offer any advice?

[blue moon]

You can see it better with the laser.

Anyone with a 4800 able to offer any advice?

how many prints on the printer? could it be worn out?

Try printing with and without the RIP and see if there is an issue with software feed controls or hardware. Maybe try printing several test pages directly from the printer and see if they line up.

pierre

[1964GN]

How do I see how many prints? I can look in the manual on Monday but it's easier to ask here

I will try printing directly and see what happens. I am also wondering if turning off bidirectional printing would help?

[blue moon]

How do I see how many prints? I can look in the manual on Monday but it's easier to ask here

I will try printing directly and see what happens. I am also wondering if turning off bidirectional printing would help?

in the printer menu there is an option to print the info. you'll have to dig around to find it, but it is pretty close to the top. Something like print the printer status or consumable status. . .

pierre

[1964GN]

The printer has 7,386 feet printed

[1964GN]

Without the RIP... 2 x 14" plates and they DO NOT line up. One is longer than the other so it's not the RIP.

[1964GN]

Thanks for the info, Pierre.

For those that might be following along... I turned off bidirectional printing in Accurip and there is a noticeable improvement. Not close enough, but definitely closer.