Roland VS 540 change to Metallic White

[louisru]

Hello guys,
I've got a Roland VS 540 with CCMMYKLcLm configuration and i know that this model can print with white and metallic ink. I'm printing much Motocross Decals and when i print On Chrome or Holographic Material it would be nice to be able to print with white. Metallic is not necessary only white.
My Question is now how much work is it to change the configuation to print with white and how durable is this ink? Does it make sense to change to white when i only need it once a week or every two weeks? Is it even possible to change the ink type back to white without installing a new printhead and change every tube?
I'm grateful for every feedback or experiences in changing to white ink. Thank you.

 

[ezequiel]

.Hello, yes you could change to white but you will have to clean the system more than the tubes and the head, you will always have something contaminated so your white will tend to the old color of used ink

 

[damonCA21]

Unless you are printing a LOT of white, like hours every day, then it isn't really worth doing. The white ink is a bit of a nightmare. If not used regularly it clogs very easily and also the printer will use a lot more of it doing auto cleaning etc... If you only need it for odd jobs you are better off getting these done by someone else, and just printing the standard colours yourself

 

[louisru]

.Hello, yes you could change to white but you will have to clean the system more than the tubes and the head, you will always have something contaminated so your white will tend to the old color of used ink

Oh okay thank you. And the only way to get the contamination out is by changing everything to new i guess?

 

[louisru]

Unless you are printing a LOT of white, like hours every day, then it isn't really worth doing. The white ink is a bit of a nightmare. If not used regularly it clogs very easily and also the printer will use a lot more of it doing auto cleaning etc... If you only need it for odd jobs you are better off getting these done by someone else, and just printing the standard colours yourself

Mh okay. Do you know if this is general with white ink or only On Roland machines?

 

[damonCA21]

It seems to be a general with most white solvent ink. The pigment in it seems to be larger or more prone to clogging than the normal colours

 

[louisru]

It seems to be a general with most white solvent ink. The pigment in it seems to be larger or more prone to clogging than the normal colours

Okay okay... Thank you !

 

[netsol]

white has more solids than your black or yellow & is full of titanium, which beats the hell out of the printhead

and EVERYONE has had problems with white ink

 

[cornholio]

Changing from color to white/metallic isn't a big deal. The other way is.

 

[Nicholedene]

It seems to be a general with most white solvent ink. The pigment in it seems to be larger or more prone to clogging than the normal colours

I was doing research to see if this long-standing problem had gotten any better. It's sounding like no. Is there another brand or ink type where white is less of a nightmare? My Classic Edge is just barely hanging on and that's currently my only white-capable machine. What are folks with smaller shops doing for this?

 

[P Wagner]

I was doing research to see if this long-standing problem had gotten any better. It's sounding like no. Is there another brand or ink type where white is less of a nightmare? My Classic Edge is just barely hanging on and that's currently my only white-capable machine. What are folks with smaller shops doing for this?

I would advise looking into HP Latex Gen4. All of the long-standing issues with white ink have been addressed in these printers. The improvements include all of the challenges associated with running white ink: the copious amounts of ink that is wasted in solvent and UV white ink printers, as well as the elevated user maintenance routines (daily shaking of ink bottles/ purges and swabs of printheads etc.), as well as the lack of opacity associated with solvent white inks.

 

[Sylvia]

Due to all the issues, white has been discontinued for a long time now (in Australia).