RF-640 printing issues

[heyskull]

I have an RF and have found a few tips to keep mine printing sharp.

Feed calibration must be adjusted per media. Used the 'presets' option to save them for your favorites and remember to load them when swapping out rolls.

Always print high quality uni. Period.

Run the head height low except for banners.

Perform a medium cleaning periodically to refresh the damper.

Stay on top of manual cleaning and consumables.

I am doing exactly as you have said except I print bi-directional as it doesn't help and only slows down the print.
I am fastidious with keeping this clean and although it is nearly two years old now it looks like new.
This issue is to such a degree now I am thinking of flushing all the inks out of the system and getting some original Roland inks.
The issues is only on prints using Magenta and Yellow.

SC

 

[Costa Mesa Sign]

Swap the cap top white you're at it. They're supposed to be changed every 6-12 months, but are easily overlooked.

The rubber gets wavery and leads to incomplete suction. I suspect worn caps can cause inconsistentcy. Even when everything checks out visually.

I run Roland inks. While there are good alternatives out there, 3rd party inks just introduce more variables. That's something that print makers deal enough with.

Head wash it when you swap though.

 

[Jim Hancock]

If you never had issues with Roland OEM ink, then maybe you should switch back. The biggest mistake people make regarding 3rd party inks is looking at the cost per cartridge. The proper way to look at it is the cost of ink per square foot. If you are able to calculate this cost, you will realize it is very very small compared to the other factors - material cost, printing time, labor. Reprinting kills profits. Downtime kills profits. Replacing parts really kills profits. Don't get me wrong, a good 3rd party ink can be a good thing, but it should be a calculated decision that needs to have multiple factors considered, not just "It's cheaper".