Inkjet inks designed for wide format plotters have got different
physical and chemical properties. It is obvious that is
forbidden to use
solvent based inks in plotters build for water based inks (and vice
versa).
Moreover, different
inkjet inks are used in plotters with piezoelectric or thermic print head,
respectively. It follows from the fact that there are two main print
head technologies on the market, one that produces drops of ink
continuously and one that produces drops on demand. The drop-on-demand
print head design can be categorized into four methods: piezoelectric,
thermal, acoustic and electrostatic.
It is worth to note,
that careless using of appropriate ink in an inkjet plotter, even
designed for this kind of ink, can cause a lot of problems. If,
for example, careless user after printing with water based ink
will not clean plotter's printing system with cleaning flush,
and begin to print using pigmented ink, the print heads can be clogged.
Similar problems can appear
when user is changing one kind of solvent ink into the other. When the
printing system of plotter is not carefully clean from an "old" ink, can take place chemical reaction
between different solvents which are main component of every solvent
ink.
We recommend to
comply with the following instructions:
-
Clean
up deeply a previous ink with the adapted solvent cleaning flush
from the same ink producer. For example, if one is changing original
OEM* ink onto our compatible ink, first it is necessary to clean full ink
delivering system with a cleaning flush from the same OEM* firm.
-
Next, user have to clean
one more time the full ink system with our cleaning flush.
-
After mentioned above preparatory action user can start
to print (one is certain that will not take place chemical reaction
between a "new" ink and remains of an inappropriate cleaning flush).
-
The similar procedure (point 1 and 2) is indispensable
if user is changing one kind of compatible ink onto the other.
-
Clean
up deeply a previous ink with the adapted solvent cleaning flush
from the same ink producer. For example, if one is changing original
OEM* ink onto our compatible ink, first it is necessary to clean full ink
delivering system with a cleaning flush from the same OEM* firm.
-
Next, user have to clean
one more time the full ink system with our cleaning flush.
-
After printing, clean the head
-
The sponge on the parking should be every time moistened by the solvent cleaning
flush
-
Temperature should be about 20°C
-
Humidity in the range from 35% to 50%
-
Assign one kind of ink to the plotter:
solvent or water based
-
Use only a very good bulk ink system, 95% of
all problems are coming from a bad one. Pay attention that a bad bulk ink
system can destroy the print head in a few seconds
-
If you fill a 220 ml aluminum bag try to avoid
filling it up to much; 200 ml or 210 ml is enough. Even with a very good
bulk ink system avoid the pressure variation which are responsible for a lot
of bad printouts and can also shorten a life of the plotter print head
-
Use only PP solvent resistant aluminum bag or
bag made from rubber. A standard PE aluminum bag can be
dissolved
by solvent included in the ink and it can clog a filter or a print head
-
Because of similar reason, use only the solvent resistant bulk
ink system with teflon tubes
-
A bag or bulk ink system should be refilled in a very clean room with
closed doors and all windows, without draft, using clean hands and in clean
clothes
-
When using the first time solvent ink in a water based ink system it is
absolutely necessary to check whether the cleaning was perfect. First bad
printout have got at 99% origin in the presence of old dry ink in a pipe,
filter or print head. Thus, the best solution is to use a new ink
distribution system
-
Stock ink in a normal environment out of light,
at room temperature in the range from 10°C to 20°C.
-
When using a heater pay attention that the
heat flux is not going directly on the ink distribution system
-
Printing on uncoated plastic media: for
some of them it is necessary to use heater giving 35°C localized in the entrance to
plotter/printer.
*OEM =
Original Equipment Manufacturer
