Problems with 2 New XR-640 Printers

[sierragirl78]

We just brought 2 XR-640 Rolands and both seem to have the same issues. We also have an LEJ-640 and an LEC-540.
We print on nothing but 7mil Permanent Stick clear vinyl and 7mil Static Cling Poly. Both are clear. Both run white on every job.
For what we are doing, the media clamps and takeup are useless. The longest we ever need to run is about 200".

Issue#1: Ink drying time.
Unlike with the LEC and LEJ, the white ink has to dry overnight. We cannot print and ship the same day. The heat does not set the white fast enough.

Issue #2: Print speed.
Unlike with the LEC and LEJ, the white ink cannot print on highspeed. The best we can seem to get is in the CSC profile, printing color and white at the same time, and increasing the head speed to its max setting, which cuts on quality and opacity of white considerably.

Issue #3: 2 pass misalignment
Unlike with the LEC and LEJ, if we run color on its highest speed and then automatically back up, and print white on top (or vice versa), the 2 layers are misaligned AR/y direction. The longer it goes, the further the misalignment, even with all tension taken out of the roll or if it is rerolled after backup.

Issue #4: Roll to Roll Reversal
Just like with the LEC and LEJ, the XR has a great roll to roll takeup system that completely fails to register to automatically reverse when the rollers reverse. You would think they would connect the two systems.

So, if anyone has any tips or tricks that may help us in our quest for truly faster printing with the XR-640, we would love to hear them.
(It seems like there should be a way to print white on highspeed, just like with the LEC and LEJ, which happily prints a semi decent opacity of white on high speed).

Thank you so much,
Sierra ♥

 

[wunder]

I do not know what you expect from a soho printer !

if you like better performance you must buy a industrial printer.....thats roland!!!

 

[niksagkram]

When you are talking drying times, you are comparing "apples to oranges" The LEC and LEJ are UV printers, and ink is "instantly" dry coming off the printer. The XR is an ECO solvent printer, so you need to give the solvents in the inks time to "gas off". When we bought our VS-540 with white and metallic, we did our research and knew going in that dry time and slow print speed were the norm with these inks. We have an XC-540 also, it's faster, but no white/metallic inks, but we still let prints sit, for at least 4 or 5 hours before we laminate or trim, ideally we let them sit overnight. We plan our work flow accordingly.

Mark

 

[CarNate69]

Sounds like you didn't do any research before buying your machines, all of these issues are well known with ECO sol white ink. It's obvious that UV ink works one way, and ECO sol works another way. Did you get samples from roland first? Clearly you didn't ask any questions before buying this machine? I am baffled someone would buy not 1, but 2 machines, and then be "surprised" by these issues, when white ink has been around for YEARS and these exact issues are all over the internet - some very basic internet searching could have saved you a giant headache.

 

[niksagkram]

I do not know what you expect from a soho printer !

if you like better performance you must buy a industrial printer.....thats roland!!!

You would consider Roland a SOHO printer? Really?

 

[splizaat]

Yikes....Sounds like someone at your shop made a $60k mistake. A UV printer and a Solvent printer are two completely different beasts, made for different purposes, with different strengths and weaknesses. This is all normal for solvent printers, and XR640 - it's a lack of research on your part. That's like complaining that the XR-640 won't print golf balls and wood.

Most shops are buying UV printers for the ability to print and ship same day, not visa versa.

There's a reason you can buy three solvent printers for the price of one UV printer the same size...