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Optimal Printing Conditions
- Thread starter Bigdawg
- Start date
P Wagner
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Both temperature and relative humidity play a role in print output, particularly with solvent devices.
Your target temperature should be 68-70 degrees f, with an acceptable range between 55 and 80 degrees.
Relative humidity should be as close to 50 percent as possible, with an acceptable range between 30-70 percent.
Changes in environment often manifest in differing color output, particularly in gray and similar neutral tones.
Your target temperature should be 68-70 degrees f, with an acceptable range between 55 and 80 degrees.
Relative humidity should be as close to 50 percent as possible, with an acceptable range between 30-70 percent.
Changes in environment often manifest in differing color output, particularly in gray and similar neutral tones.
Advantages to 50% humidity
Hello,
Are there any advantages to having a constant 50% humidity where the printer is besides paper curl, keeping ink from drying in the printhead, etc?
My office has a climate control unit that does not fully work to keep it at 50%rh. It is usually 30-35% constantly. Today we have added a dry fog machine to raise the humidity to 50% as a test to see if it is important to spend the month to get the climate control unit to work properly at 50% or if 30-35% is ok. So far I have only noticed that the paper lays flatter on the print surface of the printer (Mimaki Jv33) which creates better print quality and even printing. Yes this is very important.
Are there other things or changes I should look for to prove to my colleagues that we need to invest to make the climate control unit work properly to keep the room at 50%?
When the room is at 30-35% I do not have problems with ink, but the paper is not as flat on the printing surface.
What about reprints? does 50% help achieve more accurate reprints of something i may have done a few weeks or months ago?
Any suggestions are welcomed!
PS. this dry fog unit is very loud so i might go insane soon if i have to listen to it all day for too much longer.
Hello,
Are there any advantages to having a constant 50% humidity where the printer is besides paper curl, keeping ink from drying in the printhead, etc?
My office has a climate control unit that does not fully work to keep it at 50%rh. It is usually 30-35% constantly. Today we have added a dry fog machine to raise the humidity to 50% as a test to see if it is important to spend the month to get the climate control unit to work properly at 50% or if 30-35% is ok. So far I have only noticed that the paper lays flatter on the print surface of the printer (Mimaki Jv33) which creates better print quality and even printing. Yes this is very important.
Are there other things or changes I should look for to prove to my colleagues that we need to invest to make the climate control unit work properly to keep the room at 50%?
When the room is at 30-35% I do not have problems with ink, but the paper is not as flat on the printing surface.
What about reprints? does 50% help achieve more accurate reprints of something i may have done a few weeks or months ago?
Any suggestions are welcomed!
PS. this dry fog unit is very loud so i might go insane soon if i have to listen to it all day for too much longer.
One of the biggest problems with low humidity is static... It can mess up prints big time. Vinyl's hold static and printers hate it, besides the obvious that static can kill sensitive electronics the print issues are fuzzy edges on prints (looks like overspray), ink drips, streaky looking prints, excessive banding... It can get expensive running large prints and have them not-usable, or frying something when that static decides to discharge through the printer, and somewhere down the line it will... High humidity can prevent inks from curing properly, wash out color with solvent inks (blushing) and create other unique problems.... Liner paper on vinyl can wrinkle creating head strikes, condensation can form inside the printer, and we shouldn't need a lesson on what happens when you introduce water to electronics... Sometimes conditions can get to extremes and beyond our control, but keeping printers in the "happy zone" as much as possible saves headaches and money. 
Thank you for your replies!
I should have mentioned before, I am printing on a paper with a primer and water based inks with my Mimaki JV33. none the less, your comments regarding vinyl are still informative and helpful.
Do you know the type of unit or machine you use to keep constant humidity? I am using a Liebert Unit
I should have mentioned before, I am printing on a paper with a primer and water based inks with my Mimaki JV33. none the less, your comments regarding vinyl are still informative and helpful.
Do you know the type of unit or machine you use to keep constant humidity? I am using a Liebert Unit
reQ
New Member
Printer is in separate room. Main area is 20 C (can't stand when its to warm also, but then i have friends bitching that its to cold in my shop lol)
CanuckSigns
Active Member
In the morning our shop is around 16 C in the afternoon it gets up to 18 C, anything above that and I find it too warm to work.
mark galoob
New Member
on our stuff, temp is around 70 degrees f all yr...humidity is what kills us...sometimes its like trying to breath through jello...so i bought a dehumidifer and stuck it right next to the printers...
most of my problems were solved after i did that...
most of my problems were solved after i did that...