Need Help Issues loading a roll of fabric on the HP FB750

[Andrew Hodgson]

Hello, I am having issues loading a roll of fabric on the HP FB750. I try to make sure there is equal distance on both sides of the roll and follow the on-screen instructions but I keep getting creases while the print goes through and the print head then hits the bumps and smears some ink. I don't think changing the vacuum to high helps that much.

The only way I can print right now is standing by the printer and pull the edges every ~2 minutes or so to remove the bumps before it goes through the printer. This doesn't happen if I use a smaller width roll but I need to print on rolls that are 98".

Any advice on how to load the roll?

 

[Andy_warp]

Welcome to the joys of printing direct on fabric!
It really sucks when it hits 35 feet in to a 40 foot print!

Is that a tension bar behind it?

I've never loaded one of those printers, but I would weave it around that and in to the machine.
When I print dye sub direct I have to use much less tension than paper. Another thing to do is wipe down your rubber rollers to get some grip back.

You'll want even tension going into the machine AND coming out. Affix the lead edge on your take up before printing.

Best of luck!

P.S: I would avoid vacuum.

 

[signman315]

The wider rolls allows "sway back" lol! Meaning that because it's so wide it sags in the center, and because the fabric isn't rigid it exacerbates the issue. You can see this represented by the nature of the wrinkles in your pictures. Try creating something that supports the center of the roll and keeps it from flexing as it feeds off the roll. I actually made a block of wood with 2 casters attached to it, that was just the right height that it supports the center of the roll and spins on the casters. This was an older machine FB950 and I've since moved on from it or I'd send a picture...

 

[Andy_warp]

The wider rolls allows "sway back" lol! Meaning that because it's so wide it sags in the center, and because the fabric isn't rigid it exacerbates the issue. You can see this represented by the nature of the wrinkles in your pictures. Try creating something that supports the center of the roll and keeps it from flexing as it feeds off the roll. I actually made a block of wood with 2 casters attached to it, that was just the right height that it supports the center of the roll and spins on the casters. This was an older machine FB950 and I've since moved on from it or I'd send a picture...

The spindle on our EVO is steel with an air bladder to lock in the roll. I don't lock it in on fabric. I can stand on mine in the middle and it doesn't flex!

I've used tubes to "ride" on the fabric in low tension gaps of the media path to help distribute the tension...

 

[greysquirrel]

I'm gonna take a different stance on this one. How long has this been installed? Where you there when they calibrated the roll to roll? If they used the metal gauge to calibrate the r2r and our I will bet it is not accurate. It may be close but its not accurate.
way to verify
empty core on spindle. load one of the foam rollers into their position. fabric tape measurer and wrap around core(on spindle) and wrap around cross bar on frame of printer. Mease service side first the slide over and do the same to the user side. They need top be identical.
The second measurement is to go from cardboard core and up to metal of foam roller...same on other side. the measurement need to be dead on. It is calibrated from the user side.

do similar procedure to our side.

other thing. how wide is your material. this printer hates media(including its core) that is larger than what is accepted. 98"/64" if you are wider...or have tunneling or exposed core(at larger sizes) it will not run correctly.