Designjet L28500 Color Management Headaches

[GnG_Josh]

Attempting to color manage our HP Designjet L28500. Not too many issues (aside from the amount of time finding the appropriate temperature values takes) on any materials other than double sided banner. I'm running 12 pass on Ultraflex DSS 12 and I'm finding that my ink densities have to be excessively high to prevent seeing roller marks and what looks like "dry patches" in the print. As a result my colors are coming out too dark and my color gamut narrowed. I've got the heat settings at the highest they will possibly go without stretching or waving the material.

Any suggestions aside from rolling this pain is my @$$ printer into traffic?

 

[P Wagner]

Double-sided PVC banner media has been the most difficult media for the HP latex printers, due to the higher heater settings and the nature of the media itself. I have found that some of the Herculite Bantex double-sided media products work quite well. Also Ultraflexx is coming out with a new product that is oriented at the latex market, called Ultraflexx Blockout LTX that is also supposed to work well. Shelf life tends to be short with banner media, so you want to be sure that you are using freshly manufactured media.

 

[FrankW]

Do you use own profiles, or standard ones of the RIP-Software?

 

[GnG_Josh]

Double-sided PVC banner media has been the most difficult media for the HP latex printers, due to the higher heater settings and the nature of the media itself. I have found that some of the Herculite Bantex double-sided media products work quite well. Also Ultraflexx is coming out with a new product that is oriented at the latex market, called Ultraflexx Blockout LTX that is also supposed to work well. Shelf life tends to be short with banner media, so you want to be sure that you are using freshly manufactured media.

Thanks, I'm looking into the Herculite now. The Blockout LTX is a bit pricey compared to what we were previously running.

 

[GnG_Josh]

Do you use own profiles, or standard ones of the RIP-Software?

We build all of our own custom ICC profiles here. We have some pretty color critical clients.

 

[Robert Gruner]

GnG Josh noted:

<<The Blockout LTX is a bit pricey compared to what we were previously running.>>

When you say a "bit pricey", How many cents per sq ft more are you talking about? If the product orks and looks good, can you raise your prices? or sacrifice your margin?

Thanks in advance

 

[dypinc]

Funny, I was just checking prices on Bantex 18oz and Ultraflexx Blockout LTX.

Bantex from Grimco. .72 per square ft.

Blockout LTX from Harbor .45 per square feet.

Also I was seam welding some tents for a local tent maker using Synder Manufacturing 1610 Blockout. Tried some in the Latex and found it printed fine. It was just some scraps so am not sure about curling at the edges as I printed on the wrong side first and got to much curl for the other side. I think it would have been okay if I had printed on the other side first. I will have the tent maker save me a 20 to 30 ft roll to test it, CM it. Synder 1610 Blockout is .34 per square ft. At least that is what the tent maker said. Only comes in 61" though, but I am going to call them tomorrow and find out price and if the will convert to other sizes.

Check my note about printing on the Blockout LTX. http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?103309-18oz-banner-for-L25500