Printing Out Of Proprotion WHY?

[dj_elite]

So last print of the day and this starts happening. For some reason it starts stretching my prints really wide and out of proportion. In the picture you can see the the decals at the bottom, that is what size the ones on the top are supposed to be. I looked to see if the proportion was off in Flexi, it wasnt. So then I thought maybe it was the driver. So I uninstalled my printer from flexi and reinstalled it. Still prints like that. Tried different files. Still prints like that. Very strange. Been printing fine all day. Of course its the last print of the day and right before the weekend! Anyone ever seen this or know whats causing it? Printer or software? I am running Flexi 8.6 on a Mutoh 1204. Thanks in advance!

 

[omgsideburns]

Is that across the width, or the length? Encoder strip dirty? Is there a calibration you can do?

(don't know anything about mutohs)

 

[dj_elite]

Width. Its 30" vinyl. It is supposed to be printing 5 of those decals across

 

[randya]

In flexi

Color correction checked?
Use front panel settings unchecked?

 

[GAC05]

I think it is something at the printer end and not the RIP settings.
Even the crop marks in the photo are stretched in one direction.
I don't think you can do that in Flexi with a setting.

Maybe need to re-set the printer back to it's factory defaults if such a option exists.
Randy will know how.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[randya]

It looks like like a resolution issue, can be when there is a mismatch between the printer and RIP.
Usually the RIP controls the printer, and you can change the resolution of the printer, but if for some reason the RIP is not set to override the printer, you can get things like this.
So check to insure that your RIP settings are correct.
And you can change your printer to match your RIP resolution.
Should be something like "Print Mode" on the Control Panel of the printer.


A reset to defaults is a bit more involved.
You need a tech to walk you through the first time.
You have to back up your "Parameters" with Mutoh Software before you reset and load them back in afterwards.

But this looks more like a setting somewhere.

 

[henryp]

Most likely a mismatch with the settings between RIP and the printer or a bug in the printer driver. If you believe the driver is OK, check that the print mode selected in the RIP is supported by the printer.

 

[dj_elite]

I will check when I get chance. As for print settings they were the same I have been using. Printed all day with the same settings. Ill keep you updated. Thanks guys

 

[Stealth Ryder]

Somebody has been playing with the settings on the printer... On the road now but will post resolution when I get back to work next week... RandyA is right, you will need to download the parameters and and blow the firmware, then re-load... That is, unless you remember exactly what was changed and what the original value was... In any case, it would be wise to get the parameters and save them anyhow...

 

[dj_elite]

Thanks Randy! I checked "enable driver options" and now it is printing properly. The only settings I have done were yesterday when I set up each media type on the front panel of the printer. Should I not use the front panel and just adjust all settings through Flexi? I am new to this printer so I'm still learning how to use it. Thanks for all the fast responses though

 

[Stealth Ryder]

Thanks Randy! I checked "enable driver options" and now it is printing properly. The only settings I have done were yesterday when I set up each media type on the front panel of the printer. Should I not use the front panel and just adjust all settings through Flexi? I am new to this printer so I'm still learning how to use it. Thanks for all the fast responses though

It's fine to use the "Media Type 1-30" settings or you can control these settings from the RIP... Either way is fine... I have seen your issue a few times and it was usually a result of someone playing around with internal settings to the printer... I was wrong this time, glad you got it going again with Randy's assistance... +1 for RandyA...

 

[randya]

dj elite,

You can use the Media settings and specify from the RIP, but you need to set the "Print Mode" to match your RIP resolution.

 

[dj_elite]

So what is the easiest way? Just setup all my media types on the printer, then use Flexi to tell it which preset to use?

 

[randya]

So what is the easiest way? Just setup all my media types on the printer, then use Flexi to tell it which preset to use?

That should be the easiest, long term.


You will need the PF adjust for each media that is available in the Presets.
It makes the most sense in a production environment to set up Presents and call them out in the RIP.

 

[dj_elite]

Thanks. Another unrelated question. I have my timer set at 540 minutes for self cleaning, which turns out to be every 9 hours. It seems like it kicks on every 2-3 hours no matter what I set it at. Is this a full cleaning it is doing? Or is this just like a head and roller movement and the cleaning still goes every 9 hours?

 

[randya]

My guess is that it is doing a cleaning.
I think there are a couple of different cleaning process.
One is for 'sleep', which you have to activate to put it in sleep mode.
The other is regular cleaning.

Hopefully one of the techs will chime in here for setup, until I can look it up.

 

[dj_elite]

I forgot to mention this is in sleep mode

 

[randya]

So when in sleep mode, it is still cleaning every 2-3 hours?

If so you need to record exactly what the interval is, then contact your dealer for service.

 

[dj_elite]

Ok Randy! Thanks again. You got me thinking so I just checked my printer. There are 2 timer settings. One for when the printer is on and one for sleep mode. I had the first one setup for every 9 hours. The sleep mode timer was default set at every hour!. Wow I must have wasted a lot of ink in the last few days.....