True Black on XC-540??

[splizaat]

So we contract all of our PRINT work to a local guy who's also somewhat new to the game...but instead of jumping into it with a plotter, they jumped in with a Roland XC-540.

For whatever reason, we can NOT get the printer to print TRUE/PURE black without sending him the vector file, and HIM opening the file in flexisign to change the black..I design the files in Illustrator CS4 and have tried EVERYTHING. CMYK, RGB, 0-0-0-100, 0-100-100-100 etc. The ONLY way we can get pure black to print is with flexisign though...He's even called roland and the sign shop and no one knows the answer.

We are printing on Oracal 3164 & 3165 and Arlon 4560GT and we get same results no matter what.

Can someone please tell me the trick so I don't have to have him play with my files before he prints?

Matt

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Try 20/30/40/100 or 60/40/20/100, either of those give us great rich black on our JV33 and JV3. It sort of sounds like there may be an issue in the color workflow somewhere, like conflicting profiles or something.

 

[luggnut]

are you printing from flexi? or are you designing in flexi and using rolands rip?

it sounds like a color workflow problem somewhere... color settings and design color space...

 

[javila]

How do they output the files normally?

RGB colorspace, send 0,0,0 and let the rip sort it. If their RIP is set up properly, if not, then they got physical problems on his printer.

0,100,100,100(where the heck did that combo come from?) and 0,0,0,100 are not true blacks when it comes to cmyk inkjets.

 

[splizaat]

I believe they are designing in flexi and using the roland RIP software to print. For whatever reason, every file I send that's designed in illustrator has NEVER been true black no matter what I try...

I've also tried 20-20-20-100 and 40-40-40-100....The only problem I have with that (although it WAS darker, still not true black) is that any spot where black meets white vinyl is never a SUPER sharp line as if it was only shooting black...

hmmm

 

[CustomRide]

I believe they are designing in flexi and using the roland RIP software to print. For whatever reason, every file I send that's designed in illustrator has NEVER been true black no matter what I try...

I've also tried 20-20-20-100 and 40-40-40-100....The only problem I have with that (although it WAS darker, still not true black) is that any spot where black meets white vinyl is never a SUPER sharp line as if it was only shooting black...

hmmm

sometimes I just use a paint brush.

 

[benjercorp]

I'm 90% sure that the problem is due to Profile.
When was the las time that did you guys profile that printer.
Conditions and Temperature of the room must be adequate along with others factors...
But Most Likely profile??

 

[cdiesel]

Tell them to profile their machine before subbing work off of it! That said, if you're doing a lot of printing with them, ask them to print you off samples using the roland color system. This will allow you to pick colors off the chart and have them print exactly how you want them to.