Suggestions Print test

Not sure what you are talking about. Why would you want a head test pattern in the middle of a sign?

 

Most rips allow you to print color swatches and other misc info and marks along the outside of orders. Since it's digital printing there aren't any alignment marks that I know of.

To my knowledge you can't just print a printhead alignment image. The machine does specific things with the heads while doing the test. So sending an alignment file wouldn't help either.

 

Are you talking about CMYK Color Bars that run in the margin to identify missing or deflected jets?

We use them through Onyx. I don't run Roland printers, so I can't tell you where to turn those on in VersaWorks, but someone should know.

 

I know what you're talking about, sometimes they're referred to as gutter color bars.
I looked and didn't see any in Versa Works. I'm used to Onyx, Wasatch, Flexi & can tell you
Versa Works is a very basic, no extras or options, program.

 

The color bars you are referring to are not for the purpose of seeing print head deflection/dropout. They are used in the offset printing world to show the spot and/or process colors used on the print. A solid bar of Cyan, magenta, yellow, or black will show defects if the printer has bad nozzles, but you'll be able to see them better in the print itself, which is likely bigger. Your printer overlaps passes when making the solid bar, so it obscures exactly where the problem comes from.

 

Not 100 % true, I used them all the time with my grand format printers. With earlier print heads and even some now, if you don't use a color for a few minutes, those nozzles will drop out... so the color bar kept the nozzles "primed". Also, you can see issues with the nozzles before it becomes noticeable in the print, allowing you to stop the print and prime the heads.