GENERAL PRINTER TECHNOLOGY
There are so many printers out there, so how can I decide if the printer Global sells is the right one for my business?
We have made a choice to represent the printers based on the demands we find exist most in the marketplace for our customers, and that are best supported and engineered by their manufacturers. Those include printers by established companies that provide the fastest output, the highest quality and best service and support the industry can offer. Global recognizes a printing solution is more than just a printer, and with our integration skills and product array we can match your business needs with the right RIP, printer, profiles, software, media and more. We can also train you and your staff, which will give you the fastest return on investment.
How do I know I am buying the right printer for my market?
A very important part of making a decision about buying a large format printer is to recognize how much your printer will respond to the demands of your market now, and the future growth of your business. An important part of the decision of which printing technology is right, is to determine your market needs for Indoor versus Outdoor printing. Global sells printers that address these markets individually, and both markets simultaneously with excellent results. Global Imaging is one of the country's leading Value Added Resellers offering full turnkey solutions for three of the most widely used printer technologies:
- Aqueous ink jet printers
- Solvent and eco-solvent printers
- UV curable flatbed printers
What is the first step I would take to find out what kind of printer is best for my growth goals?
Our ability to determine the right printer for your business is based on sound Return On Investment models and formulas that we can provide easily in varied forms. Our ROI models work to determine such factors as your monthly square footage output combined with ink costs, media costs, labor costs, and leasing amounts. All of our printing solutions justify profit margins because we understand the nature of your printing costs.
Do you offer training for my new printer?
Yes. Global Imaging has a reputation as some of the best trainers in the industry. Our training is an excellent source of printing knowledge that covers all aspects of the digital imaging process and brings the full cycle of printing to a manageable level for our customers. Our trainers are veterans of printing and software applications that include RIP and graphics, color management principles and lamination technologies. Their ability to quickly convey the knowledge you need is patient, methodical and thorough.
Should I use dye or UV inks?
It depends on your application. If you desire a wider color gamut, dye-based inks are preferable but do not last as long as UV. UV ink images tend to be less crisp looking, however these inks do not fade as fast as dye, and when used with the appropriate media they also offer water resistance.
Do I need a laminator?
With printing and mounting demands faced in the market, lamination and mounting are a key processes that provide printshops, signmakers and labs a new level of product offerings to their customers. Lamination makes it possible to mount printed materials on a variety of substrates with an increased level of durability and color saturation.
Do you sell medias?
We sell a tremendous array of medias designed to solve large format printing demands faced in the marketplace. Our media lineup allows our customers to find the most appropriate media products that weigh cost with durability. We have dedicated media specialists that work extensively with manufacturers to ensure that Global Imaging offers the most updated products available.
Do you offer leasing?
Global works with knowledgeable leasing consultants who provide specialized attention to the demands of the printing industry. Their rates are excellent, and their experience provides our customers the confidence and information needed to take advantage of the latest tax incentives and accounting advantages.
Do you do repairs on plotters or small printers?
Yes. We can perform repairs on HP large format printers, and HP, Lexmark and Xerox small format printers in the Denver/Boulder area.
LARGE FORMAT INK & MEDIA
What is the best product to use for removable applications?
Photo Tex is a unique patented re-movable adhesive-substrate fabric material that can be printed on any inkjet printer and placed on any (non-porous) flat surface indoors or outdoors. Leave it up for a year or take it down tomorrow. You can download the full specs here.
Why shouldn't I use third-party inks in my large format printer?
Ink is an integral part of an inkjet printing "system" because the ink chemistry must have the viscosity and surface tension necessary to flow easily and reliably through the printhead nozzles, but dry quickly enough for the paper to be advanced onto a take-up reel without smudging. Third party ink manufacturers rarely develop the right chemical composition for trouble-free printing.
Why does my ink smear?
You may be using UV (pigment) inks on a dye-based media that does not have a UV compatible coating. This will cause the UV ink to remain on top of the paper rather than "soaking" into the coating to dry.
What is the most durable outdoor inkjet banner material?
Scrim vinyl or PVC vinyl are the most durable, and we sell these products in many sizes. With lamination you can further enhance the strength of the printed piece and the life of the image.
How do I keep my paper from curling?
Curling is typically the result of moisture evaporating from your paper that causes the coating to harden and shrink. Recommendations to help with the curling effect are:
- Purchase a simple room humidifier for your production room.
- Store your media in a room with adequate and similar humidity levels as your production environment.
- Place a couple of weighted clips on the edge of the print at the beginning of the printing process.
Why do I need to buy a coated inkjet media?
In theory, you could run any flexible substrate through your inkjet printer, but you'd have trouble optimizing the appearance of the final text and image because uncoated substrate does not react well with inks. (e.g., compare a dot of ink on a napkin to a dot of ink on a film). The receptor coating on inkjet media is carefully designed to control the size of the dot, adhere the ink to the substrate, and speed drying time. The back coating on the inkjet media helps keep the substrate flat and dimensionally stable as it moves through the printer.
Uncoated vinyls and some other substrates can be used by large format inkjet printers that use certain types of solvent-based inks. Because the solvent bites directly into the surface of the substrate, a coating isn't necessary in order to adhere the ink on to the media. But different solvent-system inkjet printers use different types of solvents, and they don't work equally well on all uncoated substrates. Pre-testing media is always important.
Why are ink-and-media profiles so important?
In commercial offset printing, printers use cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks manufactured with Standard Web Offset Printing (SWOP) standards. In large format inkjet printing, the color of one ink such as magenta produced by one manufacturer can vary significantly from the magenta ink produced by other manufacturers. How the ink ultimately appears on the print depends on the certain brightness, absorption, and reflectance characteristics of the substrate and its inkjet-receptive coating. In order to provide proper instructions to the print engine in terms of how much ink to lay down per pass, your RIP software needs data about the color properties of your inks and your media. Color profiles (ICC and others) provide this information.
Why is calibration so important?
Calibrating your printer is a way to make sure that the colors you get from your printer today will closely resemble the colors you got from your printer two weeks ago. It's a way of tweaking all of those variables that contribute to the way colors are reproduced. For instance, the performance of your inkjet printer can be affected by in-shop humidity or ageing printheads. Calibration routines help accommodate for these variables, so your printer continues to produce colors that are consistent from one week to the next. Calibration is often part of the printer's firmware or included in the RIP software.
ONYX
How do I set resolutions for my printer in ONYX?
Select your printer in the Onyx PosterShop or ProductionHouse application. Click on 'Edit Quickset'. The resolutions are listed in a drop down menu. Check the appropriate resolution needed.
How do I add resolutions to my ONYX software?
Select your printer in the Onyx PosterShop or ProductionHouse application. Click on 'Media Manager'. Click on 'Media' and find 'Dot Patterns & Resolutions' and click here. Be sure to select the correct ink configuration for your printer. Check the resolution you want to add and then click 'OK'.
How do I use a new media profile?
Close your Onyx application. Double click on the file you have received. Select the printer you want to use. You will see the profile name, click 'Next'. You will then be asked to 'Click YES to append media to existing printer' or 'Click NO to create a separate Printer' - Click YES. The new profile will now be added.
How do I delete an existing media profile?
Open 'Media Manager' in the Onyx PosterShop or ProductionHouse application. Select the correct ink configuration for your printer. Select the Media you want to delete. Click on 'Media' and click on 'Remove'.
LAMINATION
Why is lamination so important?
Many inkjet prints (up to 75% by some estimates) are laminated. In addition to adding rigidity and protection, lamination adds to the perceived value of the print. Different films change the look of the print - intensifying colors or adding satin, textured, or high-gloss finishes.
Lamination also extends the range of products that can be created from a single large format inkjet printer. For instance, without changing inks and media, you can use different finishing materials to produce floor graphics, presentation graphics, indoor signage, P-O-P displays, and tradeshow graphics. Although lamination adds to production time and requires skilled operators, many print-for-pay inkjet shops regard finishing as an important profit center.
Why is laminating inkjet prints so tricky?
Many newcomers to large format inkjet printing find themselves reprinting jobs ruined when the laminating film peels away from the print (delamination). This is typically caused by the wrong choice of materials, or attempting to laminate inkjet prints that are not fully dry. Sometimes prints that feel dry to the touch, may not in fact be adequately dry, due to the presence of glycol, an oily-type solvent used in nearly all water-based inks.
Global Imaging has dedicated media and lamination sales specialists to help you determine the right combination of products to use, as well as excellent trainers who can train your production team to use your equipment as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.
Additionally, our most "fool-proof" line of laminators does not allow for many mistakes. If you are looking for an easy to use turnkey lamination system see our Xyron laminators. (link directly to lamination thumbnail page)
Why won't my thermal film stick to my inkjet output?
Providing the laminator temperature and speed settings are correct, the most likely culprit is your image. Inkjet prints that are not completely dry can be impossible to laminate. Inks contain Glycol to prevent nozzle clogging. Glycol is an oily-type solvent that is not compatible with thermal adhesives.
To improve adhesion:
- Ink limiting will reduce your drying time.
- Make sure you are using the proper ink limit setting in your RIP.
- Choose the proper media to print on.
- High gloss materials are difficult to laminate because most of the ink rests on the receptive coating of the material. Matte materials absorb more moisture and are therefore easier to laminate.
- Make sure your prints are completely dry before laminating. Highly saturated prints will take longer to dry.
How long will my inkjet image last if I protect it with a UV overlaminate?
Generally speaking, overlaminates with UV inhibitors will extend the life of your image by 3-4 times. Dye-based inks, when subjected to high levels of UV radiation, can fade in as little as a few days. This means that even with a protective overlaminate, your dye-based image can be damaged in as little as 2 weeks. Pigmented inks last significantly longer than dye-based. Laminated images printed with pigmented inks can expect at least a six to twelve month outdoor lifespan without experiencing significant UV fading. Global imaging provides some "matched component" ink, media and laminate combinations that may extend the print life much longer.
Solvent-based inks are an entirely different technology and prints can last as long as 5 or more years with the right media and laminate combinations. If your printing demands are primarily outdoor, please speak with a Global Imaging representative (link directly to Contact Us) regarding our line of solvent printers. (link directly to solvent large format printers thumbnail)
How can I avoid laminator film wrap-up?
By allowing 2"-3" of lamination film to hang out of the laminator as you start your lamination job and by making sure the back of the laminator is not up against a wall, cabinet or other obstruction, you should assure wrap-free operation. Most GBC laminators (link directly to laminators thumbnail page) have a wrap-free feature, but it is always good to allow that clearance.
Why is my lamination turning out bubbly?
If you are using a thermal (heat) laminator, then the heat setting may be too high for the item being laminated. If the machine has a control to adjust the heat, try lowering the temperature. Also, if using a thermal pouch laminator, make sure that you are using the correct carrier for the pouch.
What causes silvering?
In thermal films, silvering is caused by the adhesive not "wetting out" properly. This can be solved by either increasing the temperature setting, or slowing down the speed setting. Sometimes you may need to do both. This will promote a better adhesive flow. The same principles apply to cold laminates. A temperature setting of 110F will help wet out the adhesive and accelerate the initial bond.
Why is my lamination cloudy?
Cloudy lamination is usually the result of insufficient heat. If the machine has a control to adjust the heat, try increasing the temperature. Also, if using a thermal pouch laminator, you may be using a laminating pouch that is too thick for the machine (some machines have pre-set temperatures designed to work with standard pouch films - usually 3 and 5mil).
What is the difference between leadered and non-leadered carriers?
Leadered carriers open from the bottom and are sewn or seamed at the top - these are usually available in retail packs. These non-leadered carriers open like a book (no sewn margins) and are usually included in bulk packs (50 or 100 pouches per box).
How can I get adhesive off of my pouch laminator rollers?
While the pouch laminator is still hot, run a sheet of copy paper through without a carrier or pouch. This will remove any adhesive buildup. The best way to prevent adhesive from getting on the rollers is to use a carrier all the time when laminating.
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