PC60 - Cleaning the head?

[tommythesignguy]

By the way... I truly appreciate all of the replies!
I'm getting ready to print the graphics for the vehicle. Ordered vinyl and laminate. I have been told to clean the heads after each print. Do I use the alcahol for this also or something stronger? I cleaned the vinyl with the isopropyl, also. Anything else to do?
... and is there any adjustment to fine tune the banding that I am getting? It's limited but could be alot better.

 

[weaselboogie]

These things are known for scratched heads. We replaced the print head 2 times before retiring it to a vinyl cutter ONLY. A friend of mine has a 60 and RELIGIOUSLY cleans the vinyl with alcohol before he prints. He's had his for 5 years and hasn't had to replace the print head ever, but he cleans everything all the time. The problem is the print process. The print head drags across the media so anything on it could result in a scratched print head.

 

[Jackpine]

Use 91% alcohol. There is a cleaning "pen" that is a hard felt with a slight angle. They come loaded with a cleaning solution. When mine ran dry, I just dipped it in the bottle and wiped the edge of the print head. Roland has a user forum you can register and get a lot of information from other current users. You just need the serial number from your printer/cutter.

 

[Sign Works]

Hey Tommy, yes dust is your enemy with the Colorcamm and as previously stated always preclean vinyl with 91% iosprophyl alcohol and a lint free towel, also use a head cleaning pen to clean the right hand leading edge of the print head IMMEDIATELY after each print session before the head has a chance to cool down (if there are dust particles or any other foriegn matter left on the head when the head cools down this can crystalize and the next time you attempt to print this crystilized matter can break off and scratch/damage/destroy the print head) this is why you clean the print head after each print session, it's very simple and only takes a couple seconds, you can get the head cleaning pens directly from Roland for about $9 I believe, I am on my 3rd one in like 5 years and still using the original print head as well. As far as the slight banding is concerned you'll be surprised how well the laminating hides this (wet or film) for some reason it just seems to disappear after laminating.

Oh by the way you can find diagrams of the head cleaning procedure for the Colorcamms in the support section of Roland's site, if you cant find it just let me know and I can e-mail you a copy.

 

[tommythesignguy]

Thanks again, goingto order the pen. As for now I'm knockin' off, riding to Birmingham and shooting pool! I think Onesource is gonna meet me at the bar... Linda is going to a funeral/viewing for her X's brother and I'm going to the bar. I hate to be around people in mourning and women in the morning!

 

[tommythesignguy]

I printed the photos and they worked great. There was still some banding, but, I rotated the image a bit and it kinda made it look like a gradient fill. After lamination, it looked great... and the customer was proud of it. He gave me a $200 tip!

 

[Gino]

We got banding when we used after market ribbons instead of 'Roland' ribbons. Anyway, a light coat of spray clear followed by a heavier coat generally gets rid of ALL banding, even if you're within three feet of the sign.