To support the wide variety of substrates used for solvent prototype proofers, the Create Calibration wizard in ColorProof works with OpenColor to automatically create a Calibration Set and Proofing Condition based on the measurement of a single test chart. As there are a larger number of variables involved on solvent devices to get the best print quality, making intentional choices when setting up new materials and understanding how to troubleshoot different results will provide the best foundation for color management.
If you are setting up an Epson SC-S80600 for the first time, it is required to follow the driver installation and Epson Dashboard configuration steps described in this linked document: GMG QuickStartGuide - Epson S80600.
Section 5 of the QuickStartGuide provides a brief summary of the Create Calibration wizard with screenshots of the user interface, so this article will describe best practices and quality control guidance when profiling a new material.
Print Quality Factors
The order of this section is laid out in the chronological order of when each setting will be defined during the process. It is important to ensure your printer is in good working condition before creating a new Calibration Set, and that your media settings are appropriate for the material. Check if there are manufacturer recommendations for curing temperatures, especially on thinner films with paper backing, or shrink.
Epson S80600 Control Dashboard Settings: Media-specific
It's simplest to create the new Media from the web interface of the Epson Dashboard, but it can be done from the printer panel as well inside the Easy Media Setup menu.
Head Alignment/Paper Feed Adjust: Perform these actions from the front panel of the printer when setting up a new material. The Easy Media Setup will walk you through it, but if you created the media from the web browser, enter the Media menu on the Panel and go to Change Settings/select the media/Media Adjust for these options.
Media Parameters
Paper Type: For transparent materials, you must select "Film" on the new Media in order to have the supported Reverse print modes available in ColorProof
Platen Temperatures: There are 3 separate heaters on the S80600 - the pre-heater, platen-heater, and after-heater. The default temperatures are generally an acceptable starting point for most 2-3mil paper and films, but it is best to test each new material to find what temperatures it can tolerate without warping or separating from the backer, etc. The highest temp will be on the after-heater where it will sit to cure out to a dry state, but again, check with the manufacturer especially for shrink films for recommendations to avoid damaging the prints.
- We recommend testing to find the highest* temperature on the platen-heater that the material can withstand physically in order to promote fast curing while the ink is being actively laid down, which will impact sharpness overall, especially on heavier coverage areas with detail. This is not a recommendation to jump to the maximum temp - start from the default values and adjust upwards slowly and test several prints for visual defects, buckling, or other problems. If you encounter issues, drop the temp down and leave it longer on the after-heater to the point where it is fully cured and touch-dry.
- *Again, do not take this literally as instruction to crank the heater to maximum unless you enjoy head crashes on film.
- Pre-heater and Platen-heater should be lower temperatures than the After-heater
Media Tension: Leave at default unless you find that thinner materials are showing buckling when viewed from the back of the device between roll and pressure rollers to the point where you suspect it is impacting print quality or damaging the material. This is not a common issue to be wary of, but if you've ruled out all the other variables in this list, it is worth a test to see if it improves output to reduce the value.
Media Suction: Default value is set to 4 for all new Media types, but would recommend that majority of materials that are 2mil and above can handle an increase to 6 in order to keep it flat on the platen area during printing. Too much suction on a thin material, especially if the pressure roller load or tension are increased causes waviness at the print area and the result would be prints that have variability in sharpness from left to right in waves. This would be visible if you get at eye level with the loaded media during printing while the vacuum is on.
Head Movement:
- The default for any new material is always set to "Data Width", which means that the print head will only move across to the edge of the image area that is being printed on a job basis, vs Printer Width where it moves across the entire array. Based on in-house testing, the difference in fine/knockout text sharpness when changing from Data Width to Printer Width was significant enough to where we recommend setting all media types to Printer Width, especially if sharpness is critical.
- This does increase the print time, but it was a better combination to print bidirectional/Printer Width than unidirectional/Data Width when rendering fine/knockout text. Best overall sharpness is unidirectional/Printer Width.
Pressure Roller Load: Reduce the pressure if the rollers are creating any marks or indents on the surface of the material as it feeds, or if the pressure load and tension combination appears to be causing wrinkling.
ColorProof - Create Calibration Wizard
Once you have the new media created and set on the printer panel, and the alignments and a nozzle check completed, it is time to synchronize the media in ColorProof and start the Calibration creation process.
Section 4 of the QuickStartGuide linked at the top of this article walks through the steps of adding the media via sync through the Database tab in ColorProof, which then allows you to use the "Synchronize Active Media" button on the Output tab to set it as the current loaded material in the software. When you change the material on the printer and select a different number media from the list, you can update ColorProof with one click to match the panel setting.
Print Modes
For the Epson S80600, when you first launch the Create Calibration dialogue from the Output tab, you will select the print mode. If you are working on a clear material and you do not see any Reverse print modes in the dropdown list, then the defined Paper Type in the Epson media setup was not correctly set as "Film", and will need to be updated from the printer panel in order to proceed.
Notes on Print Mode list:
- The GMG driver options shown are for pre-defined Proofing Conditions/Calibration Sets that are compatible with specific Dotproof print modes.
- For all Contone output, you will always select from the available Epson Driver options.
- White ink print modes are only shown when the Epson is configured with White.
- The White ink on the S80600 is not linear in its opacity or brightness from 0-100, so the ink cut defaults down to 60, as there are diminishing returns in the L* value even as you continue to add more ink coverage. Heavier coverage will result in longer curing times on the After-heater, and can affect sharpness for knockout text.
- If Metallic Silver is loaded on the printer, you will be given print mode options for Metallic | Color or Metallic (Blended), but the silver ink will not be included in either of the forms printed initially from the wizard, which is normal. Metallic Silver is managed using db3 spot colors set with special inks, rather than with OpenColor.
After selecting the Print Mode, choose your Print Direction and Ink Density values:
Next, adjust the Calibration Set name:
Click Next and print the visual test form, and advance the media with the down arrow on the printer to allow it to cure on the After-heater for a minimum of 10 minutes, or until completely dry and smooth to the touch.
If you find any issues with the visual evaluation form that you think are print mode related, click the Back button in the wizard and adjust your selection, remembering to update the Calibration Set name again to reflect the changes.
If you think you are seeing issues with the material rather than the print mode, look back through the Media settings and troubleshoot, then return to the wizard and reprint to verify the issue is resolved with the new values.
Once it is showing acceptable output on the visual form, click Next and print the test chart, again advancing the media on the printer so the entire test chart is cured on the After-heater for 10 minutes or until fully touch-dry.
Inspect for defects, then measure the chart and Finalize.
A new Calibration Set will be added to the ColorProof database, and a corresponding Proofing Condition will be available in OpenColor to link to your Projects.
OpenColor - Using a Proofing Condition with White Ink
For print modes that contain White Ink, it can be handled as either a spot or flood undercoat, but for either to work, the White must be enabled in the Project after the Epson Proofing Condition is selected. Expand the Proofing Condition section of your Project and scroll down to the bottom.
There are three options: Use Undercoat, For Metallic Ink Simulation, and For Opaque Ink Simulation. There are adjustments you can make on each choice to deal with opacity and the simulated metallic effects, which can be done on a Project by Project basis, all under the same Calibration Set.
A custom gradation can also be applied to the White ink at the Project level.
Additional Alias names for your White ink can be added at the end of the default list if needed.
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