REG marks on clear vinyl

[Randy Lahey]

I'm running a Mimaki UCJV 300 series printer. I'm getting a TP Detect Error. It will print but not cut. I'm using clear vinyl, so I'm guessing that may be part of the issue with it not picking up the marks. I'm new to wide format, so keep that in mind. The Mark Detection setting on the machine is set to 5 and TP detect is ON. I've also tried doing the fill around the registration marks and thickeng the marks, but no luck. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Does the clear vinyl have a white backer? If it does, it should work just like white vinyl. If it's completely clear, you might try to put something white behind it while it's reading the marks. Maybe slap a piece of white vinyl behind each mark.

 

[Randy Lahey]

Does the clear vinyl have a white backer? If it does, it should work just like white vinyl. If it's completely clear, you might try to put something white behind it while it's reading the marks. Maybe slap a piece of white vinyl behind each mark.

It does have a white backer. It's got me and the techs stumped.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Has it worked before or is this the first time you're attempting the print/cut with registration marks?

 

[Randy Lahey]

It's worked before.

 

[Randy Lahey]

Has it worked before or is this the first time you're attempting the print/cut with registration marks?

It's worked before.

 

[Solventinkjet]

It is a weird one. It should work just like white vinyl as long as it seems to be printing nice and crisp and looks like it does on your white vinyl. I'd try lowering the sensor setting. Maybe the clear is glossier and it's getting too intense of a reading. Also, try cleaning the sensor with a swab and alcohol. Sometimes ink builds up and blocks the sensor.

 

[Randy Lahey]

It is a weird one. It should work just like white vinyl as long as it seems to be printing nice and crisp and looks like it does on your white vinyl. I'd try lowering the sensor setting. Maybe the clear is glossier and it's getting too intense of a reading. Also, try cleaning the sensor with a swab and alcohol. Sometimes ink builds up and blocks the sensor.

Thanks for the input. I've tried lowering the sensor level to 2 and it didn't help. The machine is brand new. I'll double check the sensor when I get back to the office. Thanks again.

 

[2B]

have you tried any other material(s) to see if it is the clear material or the machine?

 

[Randy Lahey]

We had a tech on-site today. He adjusted the photo sensor and replaced a small board on the sensor mechanism. We ran a few jobs and it worked fine. After he left, I ran a job and the issue persisted.

If anyone else has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Thanks.