Ioline FlexJet E, User Manual

Page 1: ...User Guide Ioline FlexJet E StudioJet Printers ...

Page 2: ...monitor the performance of the printer and main tain it in proper working condition by following the instructions in this User Guide It is the responsibility of the operator of the printer to follow all safety precautions and warnings that are described in this User Guide Ioline Corporation is not responsible for injuries that may occur as a result of unsafe use Ioline Corporation is not responsib...

Page 3: ...User Guide Ioline FlexJet E Printers ...

Page 4: ...verview 17 Cable Connections 18 Serial Configuration 18 COM Port 18 Baud Rate 19 Other Serial Port Settings 19 Software Setup Options 19 Power On 21 Installing FlexPlot and the Control Center 21 Chapter 3 Operation Keypad Controls 23 Start Stop 23 Clean 24 Quality 24 Set Origin 24 Arrow Keys 25 Page Advance 25 Unroll FlexJet E Only 25 Special Key Combinations 25 Roll Up FlexJet E Only 25 Reset Ser...

Page 5: ...cer Bar FlexJet E Models only 35 Insert Read Dancer Bar FlexJet E 2H Models only 36 Set an Origin 36 Sending Plot Files 36 Pausing a Marker Plot 36 Canceling a Marker Plot 37 Removing Markers from theTake up Shaft FlexJet E Models only 37 Manually Freeing theTake up Shaft FlexJet E Models only 38 Automatically Freeing theTake Up Shaft FlexJet E Models only 39 Reattach Paper to theTake up Shaft Fle...

Page 6: ...r a Firmware Update 48 Check the Current FirmwareVersion 48 Update the Firmware 49 Reset CalibrationValues 50 Chapter 5 Troubleshooting GeneralTroubleshooting 51 MediaTracking 51 Printing Quality 52 Line Quality 52 Serial Communication 52 Keypad Error Codes 53 Legend 53 Common Issues 54 Common Issues FlexJet E Models only 57 Chapter 6 End Notes Service Support 59 Getting Help 59 Customer Service 6...

Page 7: ...NOTES ...

Page 8: ...NOTES ...

Page 9: ...ervice Station and protect the print cartridges press the Clean button n Keep hands away from the carriage when the printer is in operation The car riage will automati cally move to touch the left end plate then back to the right end the Service Station position when the power is turned on n Never insert hands or other objects into the Service Station area on the right side of the printer The carr...

Page 10: ...Cover B Right End Cover C Take up Motor D Stand Leveling Foot E Feed Roll F Take up Shaft G Feed Shaft H Dancer Bar I Stand AA Power Switch BB Serial Port CC USB Port KEY D A B E I C G H F AA BB CC Rear Panel Behind Right End Cover Visual Reference Guide ...

Page 11: ...nter FrontView Close up J Drive Shaft Marker K Pinchwheel L Traverse or Carriage Rail M Carriage Assembly N Platen P Ink Cartridge Latch Q Ink Cartridge Stall R Pinchwheel Lever S Keypad T Service Station U Take Up Sensors KEY K M T N J R U S L P Q ...

Page 12: ...ew A B C H G M L N K D E E F O I J A Left End Cover B Drive Shaft Marker C Pinchwheel Lever D Pinchwheel E Drive Shaft F Right End Cover G Keypad H Stand Leg I Inkjet Cartridge J Carriage K Stand Leveling Foot L Feed Shaft M Cross member N Platen O Traverse KEY ...

Page 13: ...ter n Depending on the communications setup Ioline FlexPlot soft ware is required if your CAD software does not create compat ible files In order to output to the FlexJet E or StudioJet printer your apparel design software must create plot files in HPGL 7475 or DM PL format Alternatively you can output markers using the FlexPlot software included with the printer FlexPlot imports and converts a va...

Page 14: ...et E printer then rolls the frame segments onto a take up shaft The FlexJet E printer can roll up to 600 yards onto the take up shaft at a time The Studio Jet plots to the floor Origin at right side of printer and lower left on plot Left side of FlexJet E printer Right side of FlexJet E printer Figure 7 The X andY axes and origin top view Note The StudioJet has a serial port The FlexJet E has both...

Page 15: ...ponding serial port on your computer may be either a 9 pin or 25 pin male receptacle If the computer has 25 pin serial ports a 25 to 9 pin adapter is necessary Once connected select the correct port and data rate in your apparel design software FlexPlot and or the Control Center Consult the design software manual or the dealer for further information Infor mation on configuring FlexPlot and the Co...

Page 16: ... power cable into a wall socket or a surge pro tector 4 Make sure that power is off to the computer 5 Connect the serial cable to a 9 pin male serial port on the back of the computer If your computer has a 25 pin connector acquire a 25 pin to 9 pin serial adapter to make the connection Tighten the thumbscrews Serial Configuration It is critical that the Control Center FlexPlot software and any oth...

Page 17: ...ust and flexible workflow available for creating output It s especially useful when many file formats are used a common situation for service bureaus To set up and learn how to use the software see the FlexPlot User Guide The printer is designed to work in many different production envi ronments The type of marker printing you do will often determine your preferred communication method Two typical...

Page 18: ...h will convert many different files into a format that is compatible with the printer It also provides an advanced marker queue manage ment system and other tools to optimize the performance of the printer Figure 12 Workflow using FlexPlot for file conversion and output FlexJet E printer FlexJet E printer CAD Software FlexPlot Network HPGL DM PL DXF ASTM 6959 STD CAD Software HPGL DM PL Alternate ...

Page 19: ...mize production operations The Control Center is an interface for adjusting parameters to optimize printer performance The printer comes with a CD ROM which has Microsoft Windows 2000 XP Vista versions of the programs as well as PDF user guides and the required Adobe Acrobat reader 1 Power on the computer and Windows 2 Insert the Ioline CD ROM into the CD ROM drive usually D 3 The installation pro...

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Page 21: ...ine will stop after it finishes printing the current scan The Arrow Unroll and Paper Advance keys are active when in STOP mode When the Start Stop key is pressed again the printer enters START mode the OK light turns green and printing resumes ex actly where it stopped START mode OK green Arrow keys inoperable printer online ready to re ceive instructions STOP mode OK red Arrow keys operable print...

Page 22: ...st or dark 600 dpi line mode and Draft mode 300 dpi which prints lighter and consumes less ink You can change line quality while the printer is printing Set Origin The Set Origin key sets the initial origin or starting position for the marker It s best to always set a new origin point after cycling power To set a new origin press Start Stop until the OK light turns red STOP mode Use the Arrow keys...

Page 23: ...back onto the take up shaft Press and hold the Unroll and Right Arrow buttons at the same time The rolling will continue until the dancer bar reaches the optical sensor The Roll Up key is only active in STOP mode when the OK light is red Reset Serial Port Baud Rate This key combination will restore the serial port baud rate to the default speed of 38 400 This is useful for diagnostic testing of th...

Page 24: ...ble to fit specific needs n Make sure the printer power is on and that the initialization process is complete The carriage will park the keypad OK light will turn red and the Square light will turn green n The Screen Menu displays the primary settings that are adjust able The Menu Bar contains utilities for setting up the Control Center and calibrating the printer n Changes only take effect after ...

Page 25: ...ications delay By default this is set to On Turn off for MAC computers USB Info USB Info displays hardware and driver information about the direct USB connection Tools Aux Sensor When checked disables the Paper Out sensor The default is On The Paper Out sensor is an option on the printer Cartridge Calibration Displays tools to adjust print cartridge alignment See Routine Maintenance for more detai...

Page 26: ... line using line width Three levels are available Thin Normal and Thick Thin lines use less ink and make fine details like Asian text and small pieces easier to see Thick lines use more ink to produce higher contrast lines Used in conjunc tion with the Quality Setting see below the printer provides six op tions to produce visible lines using the least possible amount of ink Scale The printer scale...

Page 27: ... lines Measurement Units Choose between English or Metric units for settings display Consumables Paper Ioline recommends 27 to 35 pound recycled or bond paper 36 to 74 in 91 to 188 cm wide The feed system supports rolls up to 600 yds long Ink The Ioline FlexJet E and StudioJet printers require Hewlett Packard 51645A or 45 cartridges Guidelines for Installing a Cartridge 1 With the printer in STOP ...

Page 28: ...e stall 4 Set an origin 5 Start FlexPlot or your design application 6 Send marker plot files These steps are outlined in the next several sections In most cases the design files are sent to the printer from FlexPlot or the design ap plication If necessary use the Ioline Control Center to send design files or adjust settings General Guidelines 1 Good paper loading makes good plots Follow loading in...

Page 29: ...avoid covering the Service Station area Also leave a mini mum 1 4 inch gap between the paper edge and the edge of the fan on the left side of the rear cover of the machine 5 Use the supplied hex wrench to tighten both screws on each paper hub 6 Check that the right support block is clear of debris and apply a light coating of white lithium grease found in the Accessory Kit 7 Lift the feed shaft en...

Page 30: ...rn the printer on the switch is on the back of the left cover 3 Use the keypad Unroll key to rotate the take up key until it is oriented perpendicular to the support block opening as shown in Figure 19 4 Put the take up shaft into the front support blocks with the flanged coupling at the right keypad end Rotate the shaft until the slot in the flanged coupling is aligned with the take up key When t...

Page 31: ...op Wait for the OK light to turn red and press the Clean button 2 If the pinchwheels are lowered raise them by pushing the pinchwheel lever away from the machine 3 Pull a long leader of paper off of the paper roll and insert it through the stand behind the plotting head between the platen and pinchwheels 4 Temporarily lock the paper in place by pulling the pinchwheel lever toward the machine to lo...

Page 32: ...ll it forward and side to side until the tension feels even 7 Press and hold the paper on the center of the platen with your left hand then lower the pinchwheels to lock the paper in place 8 Attach the paper to the take up shaft in the center and 2 in 5 cm from each end with the tape Positioning the Pinchwheels Pinchwheel position does not correspond to paper size Always place all pinchwheels at t...

Page 33: ...earings 5 Lower the pinchwheels Insert Front Dancer Bar FlexJet E only 1 With the pinchwheels lowered hold the paper in place over the rear top bar 2 Insert the front dancer bar into the dancer bar channel Figure 22 Positioning the pinchwheels Figure 24 Inserting the dancer bar Ensure that the paper roll is cen tered on the feed shaft Note i Front Dancer Bar Silver light rod Pinchwheel White Drive...

Page 34: ...3 Repeat steps 1 to 2 until the all files are queued then press Send Pausing a Marker Plot 1 Pause a plot by pressing the Start Stop key 2 The OK light will change from green to red The printer will finish printing the current scan then pause 3 Once printing stops use the keypad keys to move the carriage paper and take up shaft When Start Stop is pressed again OK light turns green printing will st...

Page 35: ...ith the Unroll key a Press the Unroll key to unroll full markers in short steps b Cut the marker free from the take up shaft Reattach the paper to the take up shaft with masking tape following the steps outlined under the section Reattach Paper to the Take up Shaft later in this chapter before continuing printing Method 3 Automatic Unroll with the Unroll Key a Press and hold the Unroll key for 3 s...

Page 36: ...perpendicular to the opening in the sup port block see Figure 19 Remove the shaft 3 Stand the roll on end with the flanged coupling pointing up Ro tate the take up shaft counter clockwise opposite to the direction that the paper was rolled on the machine See Figure 25 4 The larger the roll the more rotations are required to free the shaft When the shaft freely rotates lay the roll on the ground 5 ...

Page 37: ...he take up shaft by hand until the rectangular opening in the flanged coupling is perpendicular to the opening in the support block see Figure 19 Remove the shaft and lay it on the ground 5 Continue to twist the shaft counter clockwise while pulling it out of the paper roll until it is free Reattach Paper to theTake up Shaft FlexJet E Only 1 Use the Page Advance key to drive enough paper forward t...

Page 38: ...er the feed roll and onto the floor 2 Set an origin normally and begin plotting Make sure that the paper piles smoothly onto the floor If it bunches up it may catch on the moving carriage and tear If the paper bubbles or wrinkles while it flows over the platen surface the carriage might catch the edge of the paper and tear it causing a paper jam Make sure that the paper is smoothly collecting on t...

Page 39: ...en a lint free cloth with isopropyl pharmacy alcohol and gently wipe traverse rails until accumulated resi due is removed 3 Use a lint free cloth dampened with de ionized water to clean ink splatters off the platen and excess ink out of the Ser vice Station waste well Do not pray the printer with water solvents or other liquids Use a non metal bristle brush or a cloth dampened with water or isopro...

Page 40: ...supplied with the printer 3 in 1 brand oil is also a very good lubricant for the feed block 5 Wipe down both ends of the feed and take up shafts before reinstalling them Size Calibration Over time the printer may require calibration to account for normal wear Calibration adjusts the output to match design intent Prepare the Printer See the Operation chapter 1 Load the printer with at minimum 46 in...

Page 41: ... is 79 450 in 39 750 in 39 700 in 79 450 in The average is 39 725 in 79 450 in 2 39 725 in The X calibration value is the average 39 725 in Enter the Calibration Data 1 Enter the measured values in the boxes in the Calibration win dow Make sure the printer is in START green light mode Select the Set Calibration button 2 The Control Center will send the calibration values to the printer and the new...

Page 42: ...with the printer If errors occur check the cables and ensure that the correct port number and baud rate are selected See Connect the printer to the Computer Overview in the Installation chapter for informa tion on serial port connections Figure 31 Cartridge calibration window Cartridge Calibration There are three types of adjustments associated with the ink cartridges Most line quality issues are ...

Page 43: ...Gap Paper Scan Alignment 1 Press Select Alignment Plot 2 Browse to the c Ioline Calibration folder Select the 40X8 plt test file 3 The Frame Gap box has one number for adjustment The default value is 0 4 Changing the values affects the next scan created when moving paper forward through the printer 5 Press the Set Gap button after mak ing adjustments to the values Example a Lines from the next sca...

Page 44: ... Figure 36 6 If the cartridge is undamaged and still contains ink move on to the Automatic Cleaning Procedure Automatic Cleaning Procedure 1 Press the Start Stop key and wait until the OK light turns red 2 Press the Clean key The carriage will park in the Service Sta tion and automatically clean the print heads 3 When the cleaning process finishes test the print quality again in Best Mode activate...

Page 45: ...artridge and remove it 4 Inspect the ink level indicator on the cartridge to verify the cartridge is not empty 5 Dampen the cloth with de ionized water 6 Drag the surface of the cartridge print head over the surface of the cloth Wipe slowly across the long axis with the print car tridge facing down Do not apply excessive force as this could scratch the nozzle area 7 Repeat until the print head lea...

Page 46: ...mware using the Control Center Summary 1 Prepare the printer 2 Check the Current Version 3 Update the firmware Prepare the printer for a Firmware Update 1 Power on the PC and printer 2 Ensure that the serial cable is connected between the PC and the printer 3 Copy the firmware file to the folder c Ioline Firmware or another location that is easy to remember Check the Current FirmwareVersion 1 Star...

Page 47: ... progress window will appear 6 When the download finishes the printer will go through the initialization process When the printer is finished the OK light will turn red and the Square light will turn green 7 Press the Done button 8 The printer is ready for normal use Perform test plots and verify that the calibration values are correct If anything is not performing correctly reset calibration valu...

Page 48: ...g the procedure available in this User Guide 4 Press and hold the Unroll key on the keypad then turn printer power on 5 When the OK light turns red release the key 6 Use the Control Center software to re enter the calibration values copied from the sticker OR perform the calibration using the directions in this chapter 7 Turn power off then back on to ensure the new calibration val ues take affect...

Page 49: ...hapter for more details n Make sure the paper path and dancer bar is set correctly as shown in Figures 18 and 22 n Inspect the paper for wrinkles or folds Never use paper that is folded wrinkled or torn in any way It may cause paper jams n Make sure the pinchwheels are located as outlined under the Operation chapter n The pinchwheels should never be positioned over bearings on the drive shaft as p...

Page 50: ...er moistened lint free cloth See Cartridge Maintenance and Handling under the Routine Mainte nance chapter for more information 4 Plot on undamaged or higher quality paper that is free of wrinkles and bubbles 5 Use genuine HP 45 cartridges as recommended by Ioline 6 Contact an Ioline distributor or Ioline Customer Service if you need further help Serial Communication The serial port on the printer...

Page 51: ...inter ready to receive firmware Y Blink OFF OFF OFF Motors off System Stop 3 Continue holding the Page Advance key until the OK light turns red and the Square light turns green 4 Cycle power again do not touch any keys this time to ensure communications are reset If using a terminal program like TeraTerm to communicate with the printer make sure to use 8 Data Bits No Parity 1 Stop Bit and Xon Xoff...

Page 52: ... STOP red light mode Solution Make certain the communication port is connected and configured properly Position the marker on the carriage where the plot should start and press the Set Origin key to put the printer in START green light mode No power when printer is turned on keypad lights stay dark Cause 1 The power cord is damaged or disconnected 2 The printer is damaged and needs professional se...

Page 53: ...he Operation chapter 4 Center the paper roll on feed shaft see Figure 16 Make sure screws are tight on both paper hubs 5 Ensure the feed roll is centered on the feed shaft 6 Tighten screws on the paper hubs Gap between each scan Cause 1 Frame Gap setting is incorrect 2 Ink cartridge is out of ink dirty or the print head is plugged Solution 1 Use the Control Center to adjust frame gap as shown in t...

Page 54: ...alignment 4 Clear paper path 5 Inspect the feed paper roll Dropping the paper roll on an end can wrinkle the edge which can catch the carriage and cause a tear 6 Correct paper loading is vital Follow the steps in the Operation chapter to reset paper align ment Make sure the front silver dancer bar is BELOW the front optical sensor before plotting 7 Make sure the distance between the print heads an...

Page 55: ... not stop paper is pulled tight in front of machine Cause 1 Operator accidentally activated the lower sensor when the dancer bar was higher than the upper sensor 2 The upper sensor doesn t work Solution 1 Press Start Stop 2 times then press and hold the Unroll key to move the dancer bar to the Top sensor 2 Contact Ioline customer service Take up roll rotates when no dancer bar is in the machine Ca...

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Page 57: ...isted under Customer Service in this chapter Any warranty servicing of this product not specifically described in this manual must be authorized in writing by Ioline Customer Service You may obtain service by calling or faxing Ioline Customer Service The technicians will help you determine the nature of the problem If factory repair is necessary you will receive a RMA Re turn Material Authorizatio...

Page 58: ...t Ioline Customer Service Department Monday through Friday 7 00 A M 5 00 P M U S Pacific Time Voice 1 425 398 8282 Fax 1 425 398 8383 support ioline com www ioline com Your Comments Are Requested Ioline Corporation is interested in comments on our documentation and products Please send corrections or suggestions to Ioline Corporation 14140 NE 200th Street Woodinville WA 98072 USA Voice 1 425 398 8...

Page 59: ... used Type of Computer Type of design software New software or peripherals Service history Before you contact Support Please gather the following information about your printer before contacting Ioline or your dealer for technical support You ll find the serial number above the power switch on the back side of the right cover ...

Page 60: ...host computer and receiver are on different branch circuits If necessary consult the dealer or an experienced radio television technician for additional suggestions How To Identify and Resolve Radio TV Interference Problems a booklet published by the Federal Communications Commission is a helpful reference Please contact the FCC to request a copy www fcc gov Document stock number 004 000 00345 4 T...

Page 61: ...al Glossary F Feed Loop Slack material between the feed roll and the printer Feed Shaft Metal rod that holds the paper roll parallel to the printer and allows it to turn during feeding File Name Extensions In DOS and Windows based programs the three letters after the period in a file name With graphics files the three letters de note a file type such as the vector and bit map based Encapsulated Po...

Page 62: ... A method of pulling material from a roll for printing S Scan A single pass of the carriage over the platen The printer may or may not print during a scan Sensor The electronic eye that reads paper position by monitoring the dancer bar The FlexJet E printer has top and bottom sensors There are no sensors on the StudioJet printer Serial Communications Method of sending infor mation from a computer ...

Page 63: ... USB Universal Serial Bus High speed method for transferring information from a PC to a peripheral like a printer V Vector A line segment between two coordinates X X Axis Theoretical horizontal line providing a length reference point for the printer Associated with paper movement over the platen Y Y Axis Theoretical vertical line providing a width reference point for the printer Associated with ca...

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Page 65: ... calibration window in Control Center 44 Control Center calibration screen 42 Factory default settings 43 50 Calibration sticker 50 Ink cartridges 44 Measuring the calibration box 43 Motion adjust box 45 Plot size 42 Calibration box 45 Calibration folder 45 Calibration sticker 50 Cancel a print job 37 Carriage ix xii xiii 16 21 24 25 26 28 29 33 36 37 40 42 44 46 47 50 53 55 56 63 64 65 Images Clo...

Page 66: ...r data 28 Help about 27 Installation 21 Line width 28 Main Menu 26 Measurement units 29 Menu Bar 27 Menu options 28 Quality setting 29 Scale 28 Screen Menu 26 Send command 27 Send plot file 27 Set key code 27 Set machine ID 27 Settings 27 Size calibration 27 Software version 28 Control panel 23 63 See also Keypad Conversion 15 20 Coordinate 63 Cross member xiii Customer service x 49 50 51 52 53 54...

Page 67: ...21 30 36 37 52 See also the FlexPlot User Guide Abort button 37 Installation 21 Send to queue 36 Set up window 19 Workflow using CAD software 20 Workflow with FlexPlot 20 Flow control 19 53 Font 63 Foot Stand leveling foot close up x Frame 63 See also Plot Frame gap 44 Eliminating or adjusting 45 Frame gap box 45 Frame gap box 45 Frame size 28 63 Friction feed 63 G Get plotter data 28 Getting star...

Page 68: ...odes 53 L Left end cover x Limit of liability statement x Line quality See Printing Quality See also Troubleshooting Line width 26 28 29 See also Printing Quality Loss of registration between frames 54 Lower left plot origin 16 21 M Maintenance 41 50 Lubricants 42 Manual unroll 25 Marker removal Manually freeing take up shaft 38 Markers See also Plot Removal 37 39 See also Unroll Using cardboard t...

Page 69: ...28 Scan 64 Alignment 45 Sending to printer 26 36 Set origin 24 X axis 16 28 43 Y axis 16 28 43 63 Plotter settings 15 17 18 19 21 26 27 28 30 42 43 48 54 55 56 Plotting pens See Ink cartridges Plotting quality See Printing quality Poor line quality See Printing Quality See Troubleshooting Port setup 18 19 Power cord xiv 18 21 41 54 Socket location 18 Power switch xi xiv 21 61 Pre wiring for expans...

Page 70: ...Service loop 64 See also Feed loop Service Station ix xii 21 24 33 36 46 48 50 53 64 Set calibration 43 Set gap 45 Set motion 45 Set origin 24 36 37 42 44 54 56 64 Marker on carriage 24 Button 24 Size calibration 27 42 43 Software See also Firmware Apparel design software 15 17 19 24 28 36 51 52 54 57 61 63 Control Center 15 17 18 19 21 26 27 28 30 43 48 54 55 56 FlexPlot 15 17 18 19 20 21 30 36 3...

Page 71: ...cking 51 55 Traverse xii 41 65 Cleaning 41 Troubleshooting 51 58 See also FlexJet E Service Manual Alignment issues 55 Common issues 54 56 Communications 52 General troubleshooting 51 Keypad error codes 53 Loss of registration between frames 54 Media tracking 51 55 Paper jams 40 42 Paper tears 56 Power 54 Printing quality 46 48 52 54 55 Radio TV interference 62 Scan gaps 56 Speed 57 U Unroll v 23 ...