Green blacks and blotchy prints on brand new VS-540???

[Gforce1]

Hey guys, we just got a new VS-540 to go with our XC. The tech came and did the "setup" last week on it. I wasn't there when it was done so I didn't see the condition it was left in when done as far as print quality but it less than good. The black is printing out very green despite media or profiles. Even when doing the CMYK test print out of Versaworks it still has a very green tinge to it.

I tried 100% black and my usual 30/30/30/100 that gets me great blacks on the XC but still getting green on the VS. Even using the free roland media that comes with it and their specific profile the colors are way off. My next issue is the black is not coming through properly either. When you look at the print it looks splotchy (sorry, don't really have a technical term to describe it) almost as if there was cleaning fluid or something mixing with the ink. On the Versaworks test print you notice in on all of the blacks and any of the darker colors where the black is being added in. It almost seems as if the black head wasn't pumped up and filled properly. This is unacceptable to send out the door to our customers and I'm not willing to settle for this on a new printer.

Sorry for the long post but I wanted to describe it accurately. Any of the guru's on here have any recommendation as to where to start or what to try to get this working properly??

 

[Custom_Grafx]

Hi vs640 here.

Never seen that problem, although I did have a hard time getting the quality that I wanted.

If it were me, I wouldn't touch it (warranty reasons), and I would call the tech and get him to fix what he's done wrong.

If it's a profile thing, thats a diff story, but you're saying even the test print is funny, right? When you say test print, you mean nozzle check too?

 

[Gino]

Sounds like your profiles are mixed up or something.

If the test print is off, then I'd have the guy come back out immediately and fix it.

It could possibly be some line contamination coming through. Possibly the tech when setting it up had a few things crossed.

I'd tell him to bring a new set of inks along.... for free.

 

[Gforce1]

No the nozzle print (actual machine test print) is fine with no dropped lines. This is the versaworks test print I'm doing. It's the one with the guitars and the cmyk blocks on the side. I will go do one and post it up here. The issue with the tech is I am less than confident about his abilities. If I can fix this myself without doing anything major I would like to. If it's gonna require yanking apart heads or anything major I will get him back here.

 

[Custom_Grafx]

Well that's good news.

It's definitely the profile by the sounds of it.

Which one are you using?... and what material?

 

[Gforce1]

Well that's good news.

It's definitely the profile by the sounds of it.

Which one are you using?... and what material?

It does it on all medias with every profile I've tried including roland media with their profiles. Here are 2 scans of what I'm talking about. You'll see how washed out looking the black is and if you look in the black and the darker colors like red, blue, etc. you'll see the splotchiness I was talking about. Especially on the teal of the 2nd image.

The attached images aren't really big enough to see it so here are the photobucket links. Thanks guys!

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd218/sj215/VS1.jpg

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd218/sj215/VS2.jpg

 

[Gino]

How are you getting black behind the guitar and various areas on the picture, but not in the black boxes ??

Somehow, you are capable of achieving black, but not through normal channels. This is different.

 

[Gforce1]

I went back through Versaworks and set it to Max Impact and now the blacks are better so the color issue isn't really a concern any more. The blotting ink is still an issue however. Like what you see in the teal in the 2nd picture. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Custom_Grafx]

That's a weird looking black. Try it on US prepress? Also, what is the setup? is it cmyk or double cmyk or cmyk+w+mt?

 

[Custom_Grafx]

re the blotting, try the 16 pass profile - head speed on 500, full width scan, put your individual ink limits on 75% across the board for starters, and total ink on 180-200%.

 

[cdiesel]

Using max impact is a bandaid fix. You need to figure out what's up, as there are many images that'll print way off in max impact. I'd call your dealer out, especially because it's brand new.

 

[Custom_Grafx]

I agree with Chris.

It's brand new, you shouldn't have to worry about how to fix a green black on a test print. That's just plain weird. If you don't have any confidence in him, ask for another tech?

I really don't see how it's putting out a colour other than black on that test print - it's supposed to just be putting out pure black... Weird. You aren't using aftermarket weird ink that has a green tint to it by any chance are you?

 

[Gino]

I don't remember anymore where to look, but many companies.... including Roland, would sell equipment as 'E' models or demos. The demos were generally discounted quite a bit. The 'E' models were factory rejects and/or lemons...... then re-serviced and given a clean bill of health. Well, I was told by a top representative [from Roland].... not to ever buy their 'E' models.

Find out if this is indeed a brand new machine and tell them you're going to investigate it if they can't completely fix your problem within 5 working days. They are interfering with your doing business at this point.... especially if you paid top dollar for it.

 

[Gforce1]

That's a weird looking black. Try it on US prepress? Also, what is the setup? is it cmyk or double cmyk or cmyk+w+mt?

I've seen people on here say to never use pre-press and others say to always use MaxImpact. What settings have you guys had the best luck with for glossy calendered vinyl? Also it is set up as cmykLCLM.

Using max impact is a bandaid fix. You need to figure out what's up, as there are many images that'll print way off in max impact. I'd call your dealer out, especially because it's brand new.

Do you have a Roland? What settings have you found to work good? I know it depends on media, etc. For now let's just stick to Glossy Calendered. We only use Oracal, usually 3165G or 3651G.:U Rock:

 

[JAMESGANGRACING]

max impact is great for reds but purple always comes out blue when using it.,prepress makes purple good.

 

[cdiesel]

We run two Rolands. We typically run a customized version of PGVP for most vinyls, LBV for banner.

Printing on Maximpact is fine for bright vector colors, but photos and especially skin tones tend to be very blotchy and red.

It's a good idea to get your equipment dialed in, and then stick with the settings. Changing things at the RIP/printer level is generally not a good idea, as you need to be able to get predictable, reliable results from the RIP and printer. Changes should be made in the artwork itself, so that you keep your profiles in tact and get repeatable results.

 

[DRamm76]

I would get your service tech/dealer out there ASAP. Yes it may be in the profile and for the time being it may not exactly look like a cross contamination in the lines, but that doesnt mean the issue cant get progressiveley worse. You have a 2 year warranty for a reason, I would take advantage of it now before something happens.

As for the E machines, Roland gives us dealers a refurb and new machine price list update every month and we also sell our demo models, but I havent seen an "e" machine in a while. I have a lot of guys out there who prefer to save a few and go with the refurb. The biggest downside is having only a 6 month warranty