Epson S70 Printing White (Multi-Layer Printing) Advice

[Dogvan]

Does anyone have an overview of the white printing process? I'm having some issues. I have the Gamma Print RIP that is included with the machine. They give you several profiles for white printing and I chose the multi-layer one where it prints the white then backs up and prints the color. The problem is that the take up reel goes dead during the process. And when it goes to rewind the feed reel will not operate either. Is that the intended operation?

And during the print you can't even switch the take up reel to manual and wind it that way. It's completely dead. You literally have to force crank it by hand.

I see another profile for "white only", and I'm going to leave civil rights jokes aside, but I guess I could use that and then manually back the printer up and try to dead reckon an identical starting point for my color pass. But all this rubs me the wrong way. And I would absolutely be willing to read a white paper on the subject but Epson has none, and the Onyx one deals with file preparation only.

 

[Dogvan]

It does have a fully reversing takeup system. The feed system also reverses to take up slack automatically. When it prepares the media after you lower the bail arm, it shuffles back and forth several times.

In the various print mode settings you only choose the rewind speed. I do not see a "Return to Origin", presumably since that part should be automatic during multi-layer printing. There is a Layer Management setting in which you enable/disable the second layer. And if you put a second spot color into the appropriate print mode you can even enable a third layer. You can also set the page drying time between layers. But there is nothing about the take up reel. On board the printer you can set the tensions on the feed and takeup. But if a print mode is disabling that you can't change it on the fly. There are only a couple things you can change on the fly, such as material feed gap and nozzle cleaning. The other settings are immutable during the print.

The media set they give you for printing white+color is IJ-8150 - the Clear View graphic film. So long runs are a given. Plus there's no reason for the take up reel to be disabled. Something has GOT to be glitched. I submitted a ticket on it. Hopefully I'm just missing something dumb. That's usually the case.

 

[Dogvan]

I did find a workaround, of sorts. You disable the multi-layer printing and force it to do the white prime and color at once. It prints painfully slow, but you get perfect registration, and not having to rewind the paper means you can use the regular pinch wheels. But multi-layer is still jacked.

 

[Chasez]

I wish i could have an answer for you. I just got my scs50670 setup last week and started printing multi layer today, had to painfully go through onyx's phone support. Their support was good on the phone and got me on track with the multilayer. I have just started doing small decals, after reading your post I'm curious what you come up with with longer prints on multilayer.

Chaz

 

[twmiller24]

Disable the multilayers and print white and the other ink simultaneously. (The white ink prints a bit before or after the other ink.) If it's still not slow enough to dry the white ink before putting color on top of it, go to printer settings and print with one head only. Then grab a book, because you'll be there awhile. Good luck.