Impressions - January 2010 - (Page 50)

HANDS ON >> SCREEN PRINTING >> HANDS ON TECH TIPS HANDS ON HANDS ON For Screen Printers Only SCREEN PRINTING HANDS ON TECH TIPS HANDS ON How To>> Maintain Your Digital Printer For Peak Performance As someone involved in repairing and refurbishing digital garment printing equipment, I can tell you that I see some machines in unbelievably dirty condition. In the same way that some screen printers neglect their presses, some digital decorators fail to clean and maintain their digital printers, causing themselves unnecessary headaches and expenses. That’s a shame when you consider how quick and easy it is to maintain your printer. When you purchase a new automobile, head cleanings and nozzle checks, avoid wasting garments, and avoid replacing print heads and other components. The tips in this guide refer directly to parts found in Epson-based digital garment printers like the AnaJet, Flexijet, DTG Kiosk and HM1, and those T-Jets sold by the nowdefunct U.S. Screen Print & Inkjet Technology. The principles of routine maintenance are universal, and will beneﬁt owners of Brother, Kornit and other printers that are not based on an Epson. The author provides a list of printer maintenance tips and routines that will beneﬁt owners of any machine, regardless of brand. the drug or grocery store — they can leave cotton debris on the unit. Pay particular attention to the rubber gasket on the capping assembly, where ink buildup can lead to clogging. Also, wipe away any excess ink from the sloped areas to either side of the print head, but make sure to avoid touching the print head itself. On a weekly basis, you should clean the encoder strip. The strip has a nearly invisible pattern embossed on it that tells the print head where it is at any given moment. If that pattern is dirty, the printer can’t read it and an error might occur. Clean the strip using a standard alcohol wipe available from most drugstores. Always wipe towards the spring to avoid stretching it. Drugstores also sell a product called Swipes, an eyeglass cleaner that doubles as the perfect encoder strip cleaning tool. Swipes look like tweezers with two circular pads on the ends. Put a little Windex spray on the pads, squeeze them together and wipe until the encoder strip is clean. Each month, you’ll need to oil the digital printer’s rails using an extremely light coat of machine oil. Lubricate the metal rail that the print head rides on. While you’re at it, clean out any lint from the belt that drives the print head. Otherwise, the belt may skip during printing. SPARE PARTS This daily/weekly/monthly maintenance routine should work well for most users. If you’re a power user, you’ll want to have certain parts available as replacements, as natural wear and tear will eventually require them. For instance, keep an extra encoder strip handy — it’s a relatively inexpensive part at less than $20. It’s also handy to have an extra capping assembly, the part that the print head sits on. A capping assembly acts like a vacuum cleaner, sucking out the waste ink when you do a head cleaning. This part is constantly working, so you may need to change it out once or twice a year. A capping assembly costs anywhere from $60 to $200, depending on what type of machine you have. impressionsmag.com If you’re a power user, you’ll want to have certain parts available as replacements, as natural wear and tear will eventually require them. All photos courtesy of Equipment Zone, Fairview, N.J. you don’t simply drive it endlessly without performing regular maintenance tasks like oil changes and tire pressure checks. Similarly, when you purchase a digital garment printer, you need to give the machine some occasional TLC. Doing so will go a long way in extending the mileage of your digital printer, ensuring that it has a troublefree, efﬁcient life. What’s more, properly maintaining your digital printer can help you save ink, minimize the frequency of 50 Impressions >> January 2010 A REGULAR ROUTINE Set aside ﬁve minutes at the end of each work day to clean your digital printer. Use a gentle liquid, like Formula 409 or isopropyl alcohol, and a paper towel to wipe the outside of the machine, for cosmetic reasons if nothing else. Then, use a swab to gently clean the inside. Use the special swabs that came with the printer to clean it and buy new ones from your distributor. Don’t use Q-tips from http://www.impressionsmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - January 2010

Impressions - January 2010
Contents
First Impressions
FYI
Art Inspires Winning Decorators
Tees Drive Core Business
Increase Online Visibility of Your Web Site
Production
For Screen Printers Only
Business to Business
Classifieds
Online Directory
Ad Index

Impressions - January 2010