Gray to white gradient issues

[autoexebat]

I have a 2014 Roland Versacamm VS-300i with EcoSol Max II ink , When I try and print a Gray to White gradient it seem to turn out pinkish .. This wasn't the case months ago , Nothing has changed within my print files , ink , or material ... So I'm totally clueless of what to do .

Any ideas ?

 

[ironchef]

I don't have a Roland, mimaki here. But I have seen that at times with my mimaki too. I think it was the type of file I was sending, pdf or jpg or vector, cmyk or rgb.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[autoexebat]

Yeah, Strange ...I've been printing the same file for 2 years in EPS..

 

[autoexebat]

I do have the Light Black setup as well , And I just used the BK12 in Roland to print gray and it works just fine , but the gradient fails .

 

[autoexebat]

A little update , I'm posting 2 pictures.
Here is a picture of what I selected in Corel X7 to print . The next picture is the result .

Remember , this was PERFECT with no issue just a few months ago .. so I'm baffled .

 

[CarNate69]

Check all of your ink cartridges manually by pulling them out of the machine and shaking them and feeling if they are empty, one may be empty and the machine isn't telling you so. A test print that's dropped out (not printing in one whole section) will confirm this as well.

 

[autoexebat]

Test print was done and all is fine ( From what I can see ) Second picture shows all Roland colors are perfect .. But these are spot colors so it wont help me with gradients .

 

[Bly]

Linearise. Problem solved.

 

[autoexebat]

Can you explain please ?

 

[dypinc]

I am sure you already have a linearization. Re-linearization is what you want to do. If creating new output profile then you want to do a new linearization.

 

[autoexebat]

Thanks for the reply , I'm not creating a new profile , so I'm still not sure where to go from here .

Again , This was working perfectly fine before and I never touch anything from day 1 .

 

[dypinc]

If you don't want to do basic color maintenance (re-linearazation/calibration) on your printers then I guess you have to live with it or hire someone who does.

 

[autoexebat]

I only have one printer , and I would like to do it , if you could point me into the right direction it could help .

 

[ProPDF]

Call your dealer and have them come over with X-Rite Equipment and teach you how to profile the machine correctly. If they can't square up the issue via profile the VS/VSi lineup have been known to show a perfect test print but after using them a fair amount they get printing issues because the heads malfunction. It's part of the reason Roland is steering away from them.

 

[autoexebat]

Thanks for the reply , but I'm curious at to why I'd have to go through all of this since it used to work flawless since I got the machine up until recently . Nothing was ever touched ! I use the same material daily and its never switch out for anything different.

 

[Roland Product Support]

Hey autoexebat,

Since Roland does not provide step-by-step training on the phone, chat or email, we’ve published a variety of training/instructional documentation that’s very informative. To start, so long as the printer is 100% functional (all nozzles firing), then the following will apply.

Generally to improve color accuracy and print quality, please change the VersaWorks Color Management setting to help with this issue. To access that option, launch VersaWorks, click on “Edit > Queue A Settings”. In the window that appears, click on the “Quality” button, and look at the Color Management drop down list of options. Click on “Density Control Only” and finally, click the “OK” button to save the change. Print the job again.

You’ll also need to download, install and select the correct media profile that was made specifically for your printer, the ink configuration installed and the material being used. Don’t forget to experiment with different heat temperatures being applied to the material you’re using.

Also, be sure the artwork is saved as an RGB color images, not CMYK. If saved as CMYK, the desired colors will not print correctly.

Additionally, we have another training session that deals with all the settings under the VersaWorks “Quality” tab can be viewed here:

. This video is very, very informative and I’m sure it will help.

We understand this is a lot of info, but it’s all that we have to address the issue(s) you’re experiencing. If the above does not help you, it’s time to get your dealer onsite to assists with this process/workflow (and to inspect the printer to be sure it’s working correctly).

Thanks.

Roland Technical Support
Roland DGA Corp.
rn

 

[GaSouthpaw]

Thanks for the reply , but I'm curious at to why I'd have to go through all of this since it used to work flawless since I got the machine up until recently . Nothing was ever touched ! I use the same material daily and its never switch out for anything different.

The simple answer is, profiles don't last forever. Even if you haven't changed anything, wear and tear on the machine cause profiles to "drift." Since there's nothing mechanically wrong (evidenced by your nozzle prints being fine), then the most likely culprit is the profile/linearization is outdated.

 

[autoexebat]

Thanks , but since I never created a profile since day1 , how do I go about fixing this issue ?
Printing GRAY is no issue , I can print them all day long , but I can NOT print Gray to White gradient ...

 

[2B]

we have found that colors can and do shift when we get updates for the RIP program, VersaWorks

 

[dypinc]

Thanks , but since I never created a profile since day1 , how do I go about fixing this issue ?
Printing GRAY is no issue , I can print them all day long , but I can NOT print Gray to White gradient ...

The gray samples you posted are just different percentages of grays not a gray to white gradient. The gray percentage samples looked to be off in the midtones. So I think you need to explain why you now say "Printing GRAY is no issue". Are referring to process gray verses black channel only grays?