Roland VG540 "streaking" large raster

[HomeStadiumsScott]

Have had my Roland VG540 for just under a year and this is the first problem that I've encountered. It's been a great machine until this point but I'm truly at a loss with what to do.

I print large gigapixel panoramas on PhotoTex for wallpaper. The files are huge and normally Versaworks works great. Last week I went to print a job and got the "streaking" about 2' into the first panel. It's almost like the rip stops at one pass and repeats the same pass indefinitely. Very strange.

I've updated the firmware to the printer, cleaned the Encoder Strip multiple times, re-processed the Photoshop file to ensure it wasn't corrupt... nothing. Any help from a more experienced printer would be GREATLY appreciated. Under the gun to get this job printed and shipped early next week.

 

[Malkin]

Is the problem spot at the exact same place every time, or does it vary?
Have you tried different quality/pass numbers, or running as unidirectional?

Although I'm inclined to think it's more likely some glitch in the file. I have very occasionally sometimes run into weird glitches sort of like this with raster images printed through VW.
Have you tried saving as TIFF instead of JPG, or vice versa?

Another thought, any changes to your network connections at all? check all cables, etc.

 

[HomeStadiumsScott]

It's not exactly in the same spot, but very close. I've thought it may be an issue with the file itself but have re-processed it several times and have had no issues other than printing it. The preview in Versaworks looks great and it rips in about 10 minutes or so which is normal for a file this big.

I'll try to save as a TIFF and try again.

 

[Gino]

Perhaps, something is interfering with your signal while being sent. Is everything dedicated ??

 

[HomeStadiumsScott]

Perhaps, something is interfering with your signal while being sent. Is everything dedicated ??

Yes, direct ethernet cable from printer to laptop. Just checked the cable and it wasn't pinched or damaged at all.

 

[Gino]

Sorry that didn't help.

Had something very very similar to that and it was the signal getting choked or something like that because it was such a large file. It also happened on a normal small file. Somehow, the file became fragmented or whatever it's called and once we sent a new rip, then it printed fine.

You are allowing for slack at the back side of the media roll ??​

 

[Mainframe]

try clicking rip while printing

 

[woolly]

2in off print is about the printer memory so guess its not allowing the data to flow properly or the computer power management settings may have altered, have a look at the settings and try a nice new shinny cable, i always have spares you never know what happens to them. mine are coiled in to a loop and bit of vinyl on the back of the machine so if strained in anyway the loop opens up to stop damage.

 

[burgmurk]

Yes, direct ethernet cable from printer to laptop. Just checked the cable and it wasn't pinched or damaged at all.

A visual check isn't enough. Swap it out with a brand new one. It's been a while since i've worked on a Roland, but this does look like a communication error. It could also be the ethernet card at either end failing.

 

[Joe House]

Reboot everything - printer, computer, router. Are you using VW Dual or VW 6? Try using the other one. Try saving/importing as a different file format - maybe PDF.

 

[Jay Grooms]

Like others have said, swap the cable with a new one to see if the problems go away.

 

[HomeStadiumsScott]

Sorry that didn't help.

Had something very very similar to that and it was the signal getting choked or something like that because it was such a large file. It also happened on a normal small file. Somehow, the file became fragmented or whatever it's called and once we sent a new rip, then it printed fine.

You are allowing for slack at the back side of the media roll ??​

Sorry I'm just getting back to you, Gino. Yes, I was allowing slack on the media roll.

I think I found the culprit. The JPEG file was saved at 300ppi and at 14'x9' it was just too much for the software and/or my computer to handle. Not exactly sure if it was a memory issue or the rip from Versaworks. Anyways, I dropped it to 150ppi and it printed fine. It is unfortunate that it took this long to figure that out, but I'm glad I eventually found it.

I'll keep this thread updated if it ever happens again. Thank you all for your input and advice! Signs101 is a great place to learn from.

 

[HomeStadiumsScott]

Like others have said, swap the cable with a new one to see if the problems go away.

Appears to have been a software/RIP issue. Dropped the jpeg from 300ppi to 150ppi and that did the trick. I even tried it at 225ppi and it still messed up the print.

 

[JoeDG]

In RVW6 you can bump up the amount of memory used in the RIP in the Edit>Preferences menu...it is also 64 bit so may help!

 

[HomeStadiumsScott]

In RVW6 you can bump up the amount of memory used in the RIP in the Edit>Preferences menu...it is also 64 bit so may help!

I saw that feature! Definitely bumped that up but unfortunately I can't even load the 300ppi file into VW6 without it crashing. The same file bumped down to 150ppi works fine though. Didn't think having a 300ppi file would be such a big issue.

 

[JoeDG]

Hmm...you got latest version?

 

[HomeStadiumsScott]

Hmm...you got latest version?

Yep! 6.2.2. I should also mention that the JPEGs are huge gigapixel images and was being printed 14'x9' at 300 pixels per inch. When loading into the queue it would hang around 10% and then crash as soon as it jumped to 30% loaded. Bumping the image down from 300ppi to 150ppi lets it load with no problem.

 

[RISEgraphics]

I had similar issues with my VG-640. I print graphics for trade show booths that are always quite large. What worked for me was ripping the file before printing, not rip & print, as well as hard-lining my internet connection direct to my computer with a direct ethernet out to the printer. The technician and I found that because the files were so large, the internet was having difficulty reading the file fast enough for the printer to print (thus explaining why I now rip then print) and hard-lining the connections helps to keep it consistent.

 

[HomeStadiumsScott]

I had similar issues with my VG-640. I print graphics for trade show booths that are always quite large. What worked for me was ripping the file before printing, not rip & print, as well as hard-lining my internet connection direct to my computer with a direct ethernet out to the printer. The technician and I found that because the files were so large, the internet was having difficulty reading the file fast enough for the printer to print (thus explaining why I now rip then print) and hard-lining the connections helps to keep it consistent.

Sorry I'm seeing this. I am hardwired to the printer as well. I usually rip then print but since I started having this issue I switched to rip while printing but it made no difference. The ONE thing that did seem to work was reducing the JPEG that I was printing from 300 pixels per inch down to 150 pixels per inch. For whatever reason, this fixed it. Never would have imagined the printer couldn't handle 300ppi but it just must have been too much data for the printer and/or Versaworks Dual to handle.