i-Image in the house!

[Gilligan]

I'm talking about flipping the screen so that I am assured that my top 2 corners are in the stop blocks proper along with the bottom side. It's still more efficient than using another screen frame throughout the day and by flipping the frame, I know for sure I am pre-reg'd perfect. I guess you could work it up to print it all at once, but for me, the flip doesn't really kill much time and as fast as they print, boom boom it's done. I now will give the print at once a try and see the accuracy on press, maybe it's just as accurate, just really haven't tried it yet since the flip method works and is fast.

I'm totally on board with this.  I think flipping is a negligible time factor.

I was only continuing because I thought it was being discussed to print without the flip.

Now the solenoid mod, I like that.

[jvanick]

With a solenoid, there's extra costs, but there's also the wear on the screen and emulsion as the solenoids would have to push the screen back and forth.

honestly, since it still has to go through 2x even with a mod like that, I can't see any reason why you'd want to do that.

the 10 seconds it takes to remove the frame, flip and re-insert just totally seems like a non issue to me.

I think you're starting to pick fly crap out of pepper.

[GraphicDisorder]

I think you're starting to pick fly crap out of pepper.

[Dottonedan]

I think you're starting to pick fly crap out of pepper.

LOL.  LOVE that one.  Can I use it?  LOL.  That sounds like a Donnie Miller quote.

[jvanick]

I think you're starting to pick fly crap out of pepper.

LOL.  LOVE that one.  Can I use it?  LOL.  That sounds like a Donnie Miller quote.

I have no idea where it came from...  the lead guitarist in my band says it all the time when we start to debate things too deeply.

[jvanick]

I should add to this, and this might be my ignorance becuase I never asked the question:

do the iImage units stop printing when it reaches the bottom of the image?  I suppose like a 'form-feed' for the screen?

at least that way, if you're ganging 2 front crests for example, you save all the extra 'travel' time of the screen.

[Dottonedan]

In all seriousness,  Any cost to make it work both ways is going to be substantial and that cost will not be worth the time it takes for someone to flip the screen and print the other side.


Now, as was mentioned, you CAN set it up in the art to print both sides at one time...but like someone said, that side will not be in register in tri-lock. Each frame is minutely and sometimes grossly irregular. That leaves you having to hand register that side and that time makes the effort of saving time from the ganging fruitless.

Yes, they do stop printing when they have reached the end of the image (for a left chest as an example). They also only start and the beginning of the image.  That is useful for shops who print bags and require the image to be centered in the screen. They start and stop within the area of the image and head home.

[jvanick]

They start and stop within the area of the image and head home
[/qoute]

awesome.

[Lizard]

So no one really answered my main question.  I assume you can go back and forth between jobs and print say, White screen image 1, white screen image 2, red screen image 1, red screen image 3, etc...

[mk162]

yes, you can open multiple jobs and print whatever you want from each.  it's a decent rip, kinda clunky, but with some great features.

I can print just one screen from a job if say one pops on press or something like that.

[Dottonedan]

So no one really answered my main question.  I assume you can go back and forth between jobs and print say, White screen image 1, white screen image 2, red screen image 1, red screen image 3, etc...

Yes. Any of the individual colors in an individual file are always at your fingertips for you to print on demand. Even if you've printed screens for that entire job already, and found you have popped a screen, you can go back to the software and open the file gain, and print (just that one color).


There will be a RIPPED file sitting in your list (until it's deleted). Every time a job is ripped, That ripped file goes into the list for the day, and you can also automatically send a copy (once ripped) to be sent to the archive for re-orders 2 wks or months down the road. It will be exactly as done the first time. Same halftones, same angles, same position, everything. In fact, if you even know what screens you used per color, they may me in the identical positions months later (provided the screens have not been altered in the mean time). That in and of itself is not such a big deal, considering that each shirt is never going to be in the exact same location when loaded, but that tells you something about the accuracy of the process.

[bimmridder]

We have 18000+ designs in our archive. I can access any separation from any folder in a matter of a few mouse clicks. And I am the biggest computer idiot on earth.

[screenprintguy]

So no one really answered my main question.  I assume you can go back and forth between jobs and print say, White screen image 1, white screen image 2, red screen image 1, red screen image 3, etc...

sure can, ya just have to remember which window you are printing so that you don't accidentally re-print a sep, done that before, lol. I like to open the designs I'm going to do, get my settings set, then close them out as I've printed them. You don't want to close one out in the middle of printing as it can bug the printer out and stop printing mid way through that design, you can however minimize it until it's done printing, then close that file if you want.

[Inkworks]

That sounds like that particular part of it wouldn't be any faster than pulling film and taping it on for repeat jobs anyway. That was my concern regarding some of the ROI points posted on occasion. It pushes the job to a different department, but isn't a 100% net gain.

I can see it being faster than printing film, cutting and taping on a screen for first-runs, and the exposure is faster with no pin holes and regi marks, but aside from that, it probably isn't any faster than pulling film from a decent filing system and taping it on a good carrierless FPU.

 I still love the idea of DTS in many ways, but the price needs to drop a lot for it to make sound economic sense for small-middle sized shops with good film printing, filing and FPU systems in place. If you compare it to a shop with lousy systems in place, it looks like an expensive no-brainer. much more expensive than putting good systems in to begin with, and even with a DTS, a dirty confused shop will need to clean up it's act to take full advantage  of all a DTS offers.

[mk162]

yet, DTS prices do need to drop to make it profitable for most shops.  It would not have made sense for us to go new..no way.  Used was the only option and its better than hiring a film jockey.

True another person would be able to help out in other areas, but this also frees up another employee to help out in other areas.  Or just get more work done.