UltraVu x300

Digital Printing System

(32-head version)

Owners Manual

July 1999

UltraVu x300 Digital Printing System (32-head version)

Owners Manual

D7012-A
July 1999

(c) 1999 VUTEk, Inc.

VUTEk, Inc.
Corporate Offices
189 Waukewan Street
Meredith, New Hampshire 03253
Voice
(603) 279-4635
Fax
(603) 279-6191

All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, copied, adapted,
or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission
from VUTEk, Inc.
VUTEk, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents
of this manual. Further, VUTEk reserves the right to revise or change this publication without obligation to notify any person of such changes.
VUTEk, UltraWorks, and UltraVu are trademarks of VUTEk, Inc. Windows
95/98/NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Adobe, Acrobat,
Illustrator, PhotoShop, PageMaker, PostScript are registered trademarks of Adobe
Systems Incorporated. Pantone is a registered trademark of Pantone, Inc. Apple
Color Sync System, AppleTalk, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple
Computer, Inc. Kodak is a registered trademark of Kodak Corporation. IBM is a
registered Trademark of International Business Machines, Inc. JAZ is a registered
trademark of Iomega Corporation. Harlequin and ScriptWorks are trademarks of
Harlequin, Inc. PosterWorks is a trademark ofS.H. Pierce & Company. Flightcheck
is a trademark of Markzware, Inc. Sony is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation. QuarkXPress is a registered trademark of Quark, Inc. Intel and Pentium are
registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. Tektronix is a registered trademark of
Tektronix, Inc.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

xv

Preface

xxi

A bout This M anual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi

C onventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxii

Chapter 1

Introduction

1-1

W elcom e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
P urpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
P rinter C om ponent Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
C ontrols and Indicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
P rinter S tatus LC D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
P rinter Function B uttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Online Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Test Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Test 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Test 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Test 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Test 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Test 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Test 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Test 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Advance Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Table of C ontents

iii

Error Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Takeup Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Bail Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Reset Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
On/Off Switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Printer Function Selector Switch . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Empty Pack Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Solvent Purge Setting . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Solvent Flush Setting . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Ink Prime Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Ink Purge Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Fire Jets Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Ready Setting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
P laten/P reheater and S ubstrate D ryer C ontrols . . . . 1-14
O perator R equirem ents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

Chapter 2

Overview

2-1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Jet P ack U nits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
The P iezo P rinciple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Jet P ack D escription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
C arriage C om ponents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Jet P ack B oards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
C ooling Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
E dge D etector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
S olenoid Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Ink and S olvent S ystem s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Ink and S olvent C ontrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
S olenoids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

iv

Table of C ontents

A ir, S olvent and W aste Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

P rinter S elector S w itch Logic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
P rim ary Ink R eservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Ink P um ps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
S olvent R eservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
A ir P ressure R egulators A nd S olenoids . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
P urger P late (C apper) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
M otors, Servos and Encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
M otors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
S ervo C ontrollers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
X Servo Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Y Servo Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
M otor E ncoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
X Servo Linear Encoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Y Servo Rotary Encoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
P laten/P reheater and S ubstrate D ryer C ontrols . . . . . . . 2-16

Chapter 3

Operation

3-1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
S tarting and S hutting D ow n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
S tarting the P rinter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
S hutting O ff the P rinter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
R ecovering from an E m ergency S top . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
W orking w ith M edia, Ink and P rinter S etup . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Loading M aterial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
W orking w ith M ultiple R olls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
U sing the M esh O ption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
A djusting the E ncoder W heel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11

Table of C ontents

M aintaining Ink Viscosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

P reparing the Jet P acks for P rinting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Before Printing Occurs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
After Printing Concludes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
P rim ing the Jet P acks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
R ecovering from P lugged Jets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
U nderstanding the P rinter C ontrols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
U sing the Internal Test Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Test 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Test 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Test 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Test 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Test 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Test 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Test 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
C ontrolling the P laten V acuum Level . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
O perating the H eater C ontrols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
U nderstanding File Form ats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
VUTEk CT File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
PostScript File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
U nderstanding P rint S peeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Standard Speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
High Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
U nderstanding P rint M odes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Ultra Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Enhanced Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Lo Res Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
U sing U ltraV u Softw are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
U nderstanding U ltraV us C apabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25

vi

Table of C ontents

Data File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25

Workstations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
U pgrading U ltraVu x300 S oftw are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
U pgrading U ltraVu x300 Firm w are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Form atting R em ovable D isk C artridges . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
S tarting the U ltraV u C ontrol P rogram . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
U nderstanding the U ltraV u M enu Structure . . . . . . . . 3-29
UltraVu Menu Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Button Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Print Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
File Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Print Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Duplications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Output Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Select Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
LookUp Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Setup Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
Printer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Default Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Update Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Enter Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Help Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
About UltraVu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-48
Get Printer Rev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-48
Get Printer Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-48
Im proving P rint Q uality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
P rint G ap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49

Table of C ontents

vii

S tep Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49

P laten/P reheater and V acuum S ettings . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
S ubstrate D ryer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-50
Takeup Tension S ettings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-50
Jet O utage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Trial R uns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Low er R esolution R IP Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51

Chapter 4

Installation

4-1

P urpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
S ite P reparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
S pace R equirem ents and D im ensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
U ltraV u 3300 D igital P rinting System . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
U ltraV u 5300 D igital P rinting System . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Environm ent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
P ow er R equirem ents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
A ir R equirem ents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Installation P rocedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Leveling the P rinter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
R elaxing and A ligning the R ail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Installing the P ow er C onditioning System . . . . . . . . 4-7
Installing the B anner K it O ption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
Installing the M esh K it O ption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

Chapter 5

Maintenance

5-1

M aintaining the P rinter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

viii

Table of C ontents

S chedule D etails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

After Printing Each Segment. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Every Eight (8) Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Daily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Weekly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Monthly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Every Six Months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Yearly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
M aintenance Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
C leaning the U ltraV u x300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
C aring for the Jet P ack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
R em oving the Jet P acks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Installing the Jet P acks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
C hanging the C olor O rder of the Jet P acks . . . . . . . . 5-5
C hanging G earbox O il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Lubricating the C arriage R ail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
R eplacing the Ink and A ir Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Older Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Newer Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
C leaning the P rim ary Ink Tank Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
C leaning the Ink Level S ensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
C leaning the S econdary Ink Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
C leaning the C arriage C ooling Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
C leaning the D C P ow er S upply Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
C hecking C arriage Belt Tension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
A djustm ent P rocedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
A djusting the C arriage D rive B elt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
V erifying the Jet P late A lignm ent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

Table of C ontents

ix

A ligning the Jet Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18

S etting the P rint G ap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
A djusting the E dge D etector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
A djusting the E ncoder W heel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
V erifying Platen Alignm ent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
A djusting the Jet Pack Tem perature . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
M aintenance C hart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25

Chapter 6

Troubleshooting

6-1

O verview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
E rror M essages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
U ltraV U Softw are E rror M essages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Invalid Date with Last Checked . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
LC D D isplay E rror M essages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Print Error # 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
X Servo Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
X Servo Echo Time-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
X Servo Echo Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Error Jogging X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Y Servo Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Y Servo Echo Time-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Y Servo Echo Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Y-Position TIme-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Y Runaway Detected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Error Receiving Y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Error Jogging Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Linear Encoder Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Rename Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

Table of C ontents

Erase Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

E Stop Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Start Print Time-out Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Umbilical Error. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Shift Register Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Color Overflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Waste Can Full . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Color Supply Low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Solvent Supply Low. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Check Color Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
No Paper Detected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Too Many Rolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Roll Detector Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Capper Stuck Down or Capper Stuck Up . . . 6-8
Color Pack Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
P rinter D iagnostic M ode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
E ntering the D iagnostic M ode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
C orrective P rocedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13
R ecovering from R O M D isk Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13
P rinter C ontroller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
P rinter C ontroller O verview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
P rinter C ontroller C PU Bios V alues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15
Bios for 2A59CM2G (200 MHz) Processor . . 6-15
Bios for 2A591M2D (233 MHz) Processor . . 6-17
Printer Controller Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
P rinter C ontroller C PU M odule: P 7028-A . . . . . . . . . 6-21
C ontroller Board: AA 70012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
P ixel B oard: A A 70176 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
R S 422 Interface B oard: A A 70021 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25

Table of C ontents

xi

R O M D IS K B oard: P 7029-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-26

V G A M onitor Interface: P 7127-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-27
W orkstation C ontroller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28
W orkstation C ontroller O verview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28
U ltraW orks R IP Station O verview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30
W orkstation and R IP S tation B ios V alues . . . . . . . . 6-31
Bios for 2A69KN09 (400 MHz) Processor . . . 6-31
W orkstation C ontroller Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34
U ltraV u W orkstation C P U M odule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-36
U ltraW orks R IP Station C P U M odule . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-37
P C I Interface B oard: A A 70175 / A A 70203 . . . . . . . 6-38
P rint H ead C ontrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39
Jet P ack M odule: A A 70185-32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39
Jet D river B oard: A A 70181 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-40
C arriage B ackplane B oard: A A 70184 . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41
C arriage B ackplane C onnections: A A70184 . . . . . . 6-42
P ow er D istribution System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
P ow er B oard: A A70233 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
P ow er D istribution Panel Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-45
P ow er D istribution C ontactor P anel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-46
P ow er S upply D istribution B ox: AA 70028 . . . . . . . . 6-47

Chapter 7

RIP Station

7-1

U ltraW orks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

O verview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
A dditional D ocum entation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
R IP Station Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
P rinter O perating M odes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3

xii

Table of C ontents

CT File Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3

Postscript / Vector Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
U nderstanding U ltraW orks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Installing U ltraW orks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
W orking w ith the U ltraW orks D ongle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
U ltraW orks O peration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
G etting S tarted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
D eterm ining R IP S peed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Worst Case Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Best Case Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
D eterm ining Input File S ize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
C ustom izing the P age Set-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
W orking w ith R TL Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Destination Disk Selection - RTL File . . . . . . 7-14
Destination Disk Selection - Workspace File 7-15
S electing O ptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
B acking U p (R estoring) R IP S ettings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
C alibrating C olors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Default Page Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
PhotoShop Color Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
PhotoShop Linear Page Setup . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
UltraVu Page Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Preview Page Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
ICC SWOP Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
G enerating C ustom er C alibration C urves . . . . . . . . . 7-20
U sing IC C P rofiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
W orking w ith the S W O P IC C P age S etup . . . . . . . . . 7-22
E ncountering R IP Problem s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23

Table of C ontents

xiii

Disk Full Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23

Postscript Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24
Font Errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24

Chapter 8

Prepress

8-1

Q uick S tart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1

O verview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
P rinting G uidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
C reating A File in A dobe P hotoShop . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
PhotoShop Printing Inks Setup . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
PhotoShop Separation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
C reating a File in Q uarkX P ress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
C reating a File in PosterW orks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6

Chapter 9

Specifications

9-1

U ltraV u 5300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1

U ltraV u 3300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2

Appendix A

xiv

Table of C ontents

Ventilation Hood Design

A-1

Glossary

G-1

Index

I-1

List of Figures

Chapter 1

Introduction

Figure 1-1

x300 Digital Printing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-3

Figure 1-2

x300 Digital Printing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-4

Figure 1-3

Control Panel Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-8

Figure 1-4

Function Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-9

Figure 1-5

Function Selector Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-12

Figure 1-6

Platen/Preheater and Substrate Dryer Controls. .

1-14

Chapter 2

Overview

Figure 2-1

Piezo Jet Fill and Fire Waveform . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-1

Figure 2-2

Piezo Jet Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-2

Figure 2-3

Ink and Solvent Carriage Components . . . . . . . .

2-5

Figure 2-4

Ink and Solvent Carriage Components . . . . . . . .

2-6

Figure 2-5

Ink Control Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-7

Figure 2-6

Ink, Solvent and Air Supply Layout . . . . . . . . . . .

2-9

Figure 2-7

Purger Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-11

Figure 2-8

Takeup Roller Drive System Diagram . . . . . . . . .

2-12

Figure 2-9

Servo Controller Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-13

Chapter 3

Operation

Figure 3-1

Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-3

Figure 3-2

Substrate Feed Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-4

Figure 3-3

Media Hub Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-6

Figure 3-4

Blotter Material Enclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-7

List of Figures

xv

xvi

List of Figures

Figure 3-5

Mesh Paper Holder Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-8

Figure 3-6

Mesh Fabric Guide Placement View . . . . . . . . . .

3-9

Figure 3- 7

Tension Scale Setup for Tension Setting . . . . . . .

3-9

Figure 3-8

Set Printer Parameters Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-10

Figure 3-9

Remote Adjustable Encoder Wheel Shaft . . . . . .

3-11

Figure 3-10

Printer Selector Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-12

Figure 3-11

Jet Function Selector Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-14

Figure 3-12

Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-17

Figure 3-13

Heater Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-20

Figure 3-14

UltraVu Printer Control Program Menu Screen . .

3-29

Figure 3-15

UltraVu Menu Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-30

Figure 3-16

File Menu with File Open Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-33

Figure 3-17

Print Pull-Down Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-34

Figure 3-18

File Information Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-35

Figure 3-19

Print Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-35

Figure 3-20

Media Layout Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-36

Figure 3-21

Borders Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-36

Figure 3-22

Units Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-37

Figure 3-23

Duplications Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-37

Figure 3-24

Output Resolutions Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-38

Figure 3-25

Select Printing Areas Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-38

Figure 3-26

Print Parameters Selected Screen . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-39

Figure 3-27

View Pull Down Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-39

Figure 3-28

Select Luts for this Job Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-40

Figure 3-29

Edit Luts Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-41

Figure 3-30

Setup Pull-Down Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-42

Figure 3-31

Set Printer Parameters Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-43

Figure 3-32

Mesh Kit Settings Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-44

Figure 3-33

Defaults Path Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-45

Figure 3-34

Update Firmware Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-45

Figure 3-35

Password Entry Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-46

Figure 3-36

Help Pull-Down Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-47

Figure 3-37

About UltraVu by VUTEk Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-48

Figure 3-38

Printer Firmware Revision Level Screen . . . . . . .

3-48

Chapter 4

Installation

Figure 4-1

UltraVu 3300 Digital Printing System . . . . . . . . . .

4-2

Figure 4-2

UltraVu 5300 Digital Printing System . . . . . . . . . .

4-3

Figure 4-3

Rail Relaxation and Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-6

Figure 4-4

Access Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-7

Chapter 5

Maintenance

Figure 5-1

Redirect and Takeup Motor Drawing . . . . . . . . . .

5-8

Figure 5-2

In-line Ink Filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-11

Figure 5-3

Carriage Belt Layout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-15

Figure 5-4

Carriage Belt Adjustment Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-16

Figure 5-5

Jet Plate Alignment Test Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-17

Figure 5-6

Jet Plate Alignment Screw Location. . . . . . . . . . .

5-18

Figure 5-7

Print Gap Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-19

Figure 5-8

Encoder Wheel Adjustment Layout . . . . . . . . . . .

5-21

Figure 5-9

Platen Alignment Fixture Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-23

Figure 5-10

Temperature Probe Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-24

Figure 5-11

Potentiometer Location on Jet Driver Board . . . .

5-25

Chapter 6

Troubleshooting

Figure 6-1

Printer Controller Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-14

Figure 6-2

Printer Controller Backplane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-19

List of Figures

xvii

Figure 6-3

Printer Controller Board Configuration . . . . . . . . .

6-20

Figure 6-4

Printer Controller CPU Module (233 MHz) . . . .

6-21

Figure 6-5

Printer Controller - CPU Module (200 MHz). . . . .

6-22

Figure 6-6

Printer Controller Controller Interface . . . . . . . .

6-23

Figure 6-7

Printer Controller Pixel Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-24

Figure 6-8

Printer Controller RS422 Interface . . . . . . . . . .

6-25

Figure 6-9

Printer Controller ROMDisk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-26

Figure 6-10

Printer Controller VGA Monitor Interface. . . . . .

6-27

Figure 6-11

Printer Workstation Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . .

6-29

Figure 6-12

Workstation Controller Backplane . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-34

Figure 6-13

Workstation Controller Board Configuration. . . . .

6-35

Figure 6-14

UltraWorks Workstation CPU Module (400 MHz)

6-36

Figure 6-15

UltraWorks RIP Station CPU Module (400 MHz) .

6-37

Figure 6-16

PCI Interface Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-38

Figure 6-17

Jet Pack Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-39

Figure 5-18

Jet Driver Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-40

Figure 6-19

Carriage Backplane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-41

Figure 6-20

Carriage Backplane Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-42

Figure 6-21

Power Supply Distribution Connectors. . . . . . . . .

6-43

Figure 6-22

Power Supply Distribution Connectors. . . . . . . . .

6-44

Figure 6-23

Power Breaker Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-45

Figure 6-24

Power Distribution Contactor Panel . . . . . . . . . . .

6-46

Figure 6-25

DC Power Supply Distribution Box. . . . . . . . . . . .

6-47

Figure 6-26

Distribution Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-48

Chapter 7

xviii

List of Figures

RIP Station

Figure 7-1

Pixel to Cell Processing Representation . . . . . . .

7-4

Figure 7-2

UltraWorks Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-5

Figure 7-3

UltraWorks Configure RIP Screen. . . . . . . . . . .

7-6

Figure 7-4

UltraWorks - Configure RIP Extras Screen . . . . .

7-6

Figure 7-5

Multimedia Properties Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-7

Figure 7-6

Add Unlisted or Updated Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-8

Figure 7-7

UltraWorks - Configure RIP Options Screen . . . .

7-8

Figure 7-8

UltraWorks - Print File Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-9

Figure 7-9

UltraWorks - Page Setup Manager Screen . . . . .

7-11

Figure 7-10

New Page Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-12

Figure 7-11

Page Layout Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-13

Figure 7-12

RTL Printer Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-14

Figure 7-13

UltraWorks - Configure RIP Screen . . . . . . . . . . .

7-15

Figure 7-14

Select Folder Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-15

Figure 7-15

Page Setup Options Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-16

Figure 7-16

PhotoShop - Printing Inks Setup Screen . . . . . . .

7-18

Figure 7-17

PhotoShop - Separation Setup Screen . . . . . . . .

7-18

Figure 7-18

Calibration Manager Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-20

Figure 7-19

Edit Uncalibrated Target for UltraVu Screen . . . .

7-21

Figure 7-20

Edit Color Setup Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-23

Chapter 8

Prepress

Figure 8-1

PhotoShop Showing TIFF Image . . . . . . . . . . .

8-2

Figure 8-2

PhotoShop - Printing Inks Setup Screen . . . . . . .

8-3

Figure 8-3

PhotoShop - Separation Setup Screen . . . . . . . .

8-3

Figure 8-4

PhotoShop - Image Size Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-4

Figure 8-5

QuarkXPress - PostScript Text Over Image. . . . .

8-5

Figure 8-6

PosterWorks - Trim Area Setup Screen . . . . . . . .

8-6

Figure 8-7

PosterWorks - Page Layout Screen . . . . . . . . . . .

8-7

Figure 8-8

PosterWorks - Placed Image Screen . . . . . . . . . .

8-7

Figure 8-9

PosterWorks - Layout Options Screen . . . . . . . . .

8-8

Figure 8-10

PosterWorks Showing Cropped Image . . . . . . .

8-8

List of Figures

xix

Figure 8-11

xx

List of Figures

PosterWorks - Print Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-9

Preface

About This M anual

T his m an ual sh ow s yo u h ow to install, op erate, m a intain an d
trou ble sh oo t th e U ltraVu x 30 0 D igital P rinting S y stem (3 2-hea d
versio n). T here are a lso chap ters on u sing th e U ltraW o rk s S oftw a re and
perform ing p rep re ss w ork. T h e m anu al is organize d as fo llo w s:

Introduction

Overview

Operation

Installation

Maintenance

Troubleshooting

RIP Station (UltraWorks)

Prepress

Specifications

P lease take th e tim e to fam iliarize yo urself w ith each section . T his w ill
help to red uce do w n tim e an d im prov e print q uality. A s a result you w ill
be m ore efficien t w ith o perating an d m ain tainin g yo ur U ltraVu x 30 0
S ystem .
If yo u hav e any q uestion s ab ou t th is m a nual, o r an y other V U T E k
serv ice o r p ro du ct, plea se d o n ot h esita te to con tact o ur P rod uct S u pp ort
S taff at (60 3) 279 -463 5.

Preface

xxi

Conventions
T his m an ual u ses the fo llow ing inform ationa l con ven tio ns :

N o te: A special techn iq ue or inform ation tha t m ay h elp yo u perfo rm a

ta sk o r u nd erstan d a p rocess.

C a u tion : A lerts yo u to so m ethin g th at h as the p otential to cau se

da m a ge to h ardw a re, softw are, o r d ata.

W A R N IN G : A lerts yo u to so m eth in g th a t h as th e p oten tia l to cau se

ph ysica l h arm to yo u o r o th ers a rou n d you .

xxii

P reface

Chapter 1
Introduction

Welcom e
C o ngratu latio ns! You hav e pu rch ased the fin est su per-w id e fo rm at, ink
jet prin tin g sy stem in th e w o rld! W e at V U T E k tak e prid e in ou r p rinters.
W e strive to ensu re th at yo u are sa tisfied w ith th e q uality and
in nov ativen ess o f th e x 30 0 D igital P rinting S y stem . O ur h igh ly sk illed
em ployees and o ur prom ise to use o nly qu ality co m p on ents ensures th at
yo u are receivin g th e very be st. W e ho pe y ou en jo y yo ur n ew system an d
w elcom e an y com m ents an d sug gestion s you m ay hav e abou t ou r
prod ucts.

Purpose
T he U ltraVu x3 00 D ig ita l P rin tin g S ystem (32 h ead v ersion) has been
design ed to p ro du ce w id e-fo rm at, com p ute r-gen era ted g rap hics o n
ro lled m edia. T h is chap ter intro duc es y ou to th e m ain featu res and
op tio ns of the p rinte r. It also show s y ou the location o f m ajor
com p one nts of th e sy stem and d escribes th e con trols an d in dica tors
need ed to op erate the U ltraVu x 300 . T h e chap ter c loses w ith a list of
op era tor req uirem en ts.

Introduction

1-1

Features
T he follow in g are all op tio ns in clu ded in bo th the U ltraW orks R IP
S tation an d U ltraVu P rinte r C o ntroller:

M icro soft N T O p era tin g S ystem

N etw o rk read y - 1 00B aseT E therne t C ard
P entium C P U , 40 0 M H z.
25 6 M B R A M
O n e 14 G B (o r larg er) H ard D rives (ID E )
Io m ega JA Z D rive
17 S V G A M on ito r
C D R O M D rive
U ltraVu softw a re (P rin ter In terface S oftw are)
U ltraW orks (H arleq uin R IP ) so ftw are and W o rk S tation
O n lin e do cum en tation lib rary
H arlequin D o ng le (R IP S tation )

A d ditio nal features o f th e U ltraVu x30 0 D igital P rintin g S y stem

in clu de:

30 0 dp i prin t capab ility

H igh resolution P iezo-elec tric prin t head s
S olv ent b ased Ink s
T hree prin t m o des: E n han ced M ode - U ltra M ode - L o w R e s
(resolution ) M o de
O p tio nal m esh and fabric sub strate p rinting k its
M u ltiple roll capa bilities

1-2

C hapter 1

Printer Com ponent Location

In o rd er to beco m e acq uainte d w ith y ou r U ltraVu x3 00 D igital P rinting
S ystem w e en cou rag e yo u to read the fo llow ing descriptio n of the
prin ter s com p one nts. F ig ures 1 -1 and 1 -2 sho w the lo catio n of its m ain
fe atures.

S u bstra te F ee d R o lle r

Substrate Dryer

Printer Controller
Workstation Controller

Redirect Roller

Pneumatic Pinch Rollers

Power Distribution Panel

Control Panel
Servo Controllers

Platen

Source Rollers (x2)

Carriage and Print Head

Ink Supply Tanks, Pumps, Regulators, Solenoids

Figure 1-1 x300 Digital Printing System

Introduction

1-3

Controller / Power Supply

Control Panel

Circuit Breakers and Power Distribution Panel

Figure 1-2 x300 Digital Printing System

1-4

C hapter 1

Printer Component Location

Location

Component

Left and Right Side, Top

Emergency Stop Buttons

Right Side, End

Takeup and Redirect Rollers Tension Drive Assemblies

Vacuum Pump Motor
Carriage Drive Motor/Gear Box
Servo Controllers
Power Distribution Panel
Platen Stepper Motor
(Substrate Feed Roller Motor)

Left of Center, Front

Material Advance Encoder

Rear

Pneumatic Pinch Rollers - Each pinch roller actuator has an

On/Off Switch, Up is Off.

Left Side, Lower Front

Primary Ink Tanks

Ink Pumps
Air Pressure Regulator
Air Solenoids

Introduction

1-5

Printer Component Location (Continued)

Location
Left Side, Lower Rear

Component
Printer Controller CPU
UltraVu Workstation CPU
DC Power Supply
DC Fuse Panel

Left End

UltraVu Workstation Monitor

UltraVu Workstation Keyboard
UltraVu Workstation Peripheral Devices

Front, Left (Carriage Assy)

Jet Driver Board

Carriage Backplane Board
Jet Pack Boards (16) - 2 jets/board
Jet Pack Arrays - 2 jets/board
Filters (Ink, Air, and Solvent)
Directional Solenoids
Secondary Ink Tanks
Edge Detector
Linear Encoder Sensor
Carriage Height Adjuster
Heating Elements
Carriage Cooling Fan

1-6

C hapter 1

Printer Component Location (Continued)

Location
Left Side, Upper Front

Component
Control Panel
Platen/Preheater and Substrate Dryer Controls
Printer Status LCD
Print Head Capper
Mesh Kit Takeup Spool
Function Buttons: Online, Test, Advance, Error, Reset, Takeup,
Bail, Power On/Off
Print Head Function Selector Switch: Empty Pack, Solvent
Purge, Solvent Flush, Ink Prime, Ink Purge, Fire Jets, and
Ready
Color Function Buttons: Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Black. Used in
conjunction with the Print Head Function Selector Switch to
select specific jet pack functions.

Front, Top Center

Redirect Roller
Substrate Dryer

Middle, Behind Carriage

Substrate Feed Roller

Platen
Bail Actuators
Substrate Platen/Preheater

Rear, Tope Center

Takeup Rollers

Center Bottom

Substrate Source Rollers (x2)

Introduction

1-7

Controls and Indicators

F igu re 1 -3 sh ow s the con trol p anel of the U ltraVu x3 00 . T he m ain
fu nctio ns of the C o ntro l P an els b utton s and co ntro ls are ex plained in
th e follo w ing p arag rap hs.

Figure 1-3 Control Panel Layout

1-8

C hapter 1

Printer Status LCD

T he P rinter S tatus L C D is lo cate d in the cen ter o f th e C on trol P an el. It
is used to displa y th e statu s o f th e printer. C om m on fu nction s include:
re ady m od e, test m od e, o nline status, and error m essag es.

Printer Function Buttons

R efer to F igu re 1-4 for the locatio n o f the printer fu nction b utton s on th e
C o ntrol P an el.
N o te: A b utton tha t is illu m in ated is O N u nless o th erw ise no ted below.

Figure 1-4 Function Buttons

Online Button
T he O nline b utton tog gles onlin e and o fflin e operation . W hen th e butto n
is illu m inated the p rinter is onlin e. S electing O F F L IN E w ill su spen d all
op era tio ns in p ro gress. W h ile the prin ter is o ffline , y ou can m ov e m edia
fo rw ard and b ack w ard.

Introduction

1-9

Test Button
T he Test B utton initia tes the p rinting o f o ne of seven inte rn al test
patterns. T he seven test patterns are describ ed below :
T his test fires all 38 4 je ts fo r ea ch co lor. C olors a re sp aced ap art
so in div id ual jet ou tp uts can b e view ed .

Test 1

T his test fires all jets w ith no sp acin g at 10 0% density. It

prod uces solid co lo rs in the specific print m o de p rev iou sly u sed fo r
prin tin g.

Test 2

T he B i-D irectio nal A lign m en t Te st prin ts a test p attern of a lin e

of do ts spaced apart ho rizon tally, th en step s the m aterial and rep eats the
pattern. T he do ts sho uld be vertically align ed. the test is u sed to set th e
B i-D irectio nal S ettings in the P rinter S etu p S cree n. T h e values can b e
adjusted th ro ugh the U ltraVu S etu p to w ithin 0.00 01.

Test 3

T his test prin ts a so lid 40 0% fo ur color b lack p attern in th e

specific m o de prev iou sly p rinte d.

Test 4

T he S tep A d justm e nt Te st prints a series of ho rizontal lines,

step s the m aterial a nd p rints an oth er set o f ho rizon tal lin es. T he
ho rizon tal line seg m e nts sho uld app ear to be on e lin e (lin ed up
ho rizon tally). T h e horizo ntal distan ce is a dju stab le th ro ug h th e S te p
S ize P aram e ter on the U ltraVu S etu p S creen. T his v alu e can b e adjuste d
th ro ug h th e U ltraVu S etu p to w ith in 0.00 01 . T h is test is m o de sp ecific.

Test 5

T he Jet P late A lig nm ent Test is used to che ck th e Je t P lates

align m en t. It p rints a te st pattern con sisting o f a yellow horiz ontal line
directly ab ov e a b lack horiz ontal line.

Test 6

T his te st p rints all jets on an individual b asis, starting an d en ding

w ith fo ur solid b ars. E ach color is p rinte d in divid ually. T h e test is m od e
specific.

Test 7

N o te: T h e Test B utton ca n also be u sed to reset th e aud ib le alarm

du ring norm al o pera tio n.

1-10

C hapter 1

Advance Button
T he A dva nce B u tto n perform s th re e fun ction s: adv ance th e m edia ,
re verse the m edia, an d step throu gh the in ternal tests. Its p rim a ry
fu nctio n is to ad van ce th e su bstrate m ed ia.
T he seco nd fun ction o f th e A dv ance B utton is to re w in d th e substrate.
To p erform the rew ind fun ction an d activate the rollers the Tak eup
B u tto n m ust be d epressed. O n ce active, dep ress and hold do w n the
Tak eup B utton w hile dep ressing the A d van ce B u tto n to rew ind the
sub stra te.
Its third fun ction is to adv ance throug h th e seven test fu nctio ns
describ ed in the Test B utto n section ab ov e.
Error Button
T he E rro r B u tto n w ill flash to in dicate a prin ter e rror c ond ition .
D ep re ssing an d ho ld ing the E rro r B u tton w ill d isp lay the app ro priate
erro r m essage on the L C D . To clea r th e e rror cond ition , d epress and
re lease th is bu tto n. D ep ressin g th e Test B u tton w ill reset the aud ib le
alarm , b ut n ot the erro r con ditio n. A list of errors can be fo un d in
C h apte r 6, Trou blesho oting .
Takeup Button
T he Tak eup B utton activates the Tak eup a nd R e direct R ollers. T his
bu tto n m ust b e a ctiv ate d before go ing o nlin e to prin t.
Bail Button
T he B ail B u tto n op ens an d clo se s the pn eum atic P inch R ollers that are
used to hold th e m ate rial on th e S u bstrate F eed R o lle r. T h e B a il m ust be
activated or th e p rinter w ill n ot g o on lin e. A n op en co nd ition ind icates
th at the pn eum atic P in ch R ollers are n ot activated and are retracted fro m
th e S u bstrate F eed R oller.
Reset Button
T he R eset B utton resets the P rinte r C o ntroller and initiates a b oo t
sequ ence. It doe s n ot reset th e U ltra Vu W o rk station .

Introduction

1-11

On/Off Switch
T he O n/O ff S w itch p ow ers th e U ltra Vu x 30 0 prin ter on o r off. W hen
in itially tu rn ed O N , the Test, Tak eup and B ail B u ttons o n the C ontro l
P anel m o m en tarily flash. T he H e ater C on trol b rie fly disp lay s the
m axim u m allo w ab le tem p erature.
N o te: T he R eset, O nline, A dva nce a nd the C o lor Selection B u ttons d o
no t illum in ate w hen the system is initia lly turn ed on .
C a u tion : B efore sw itchin g th e O n /O ff Sw itch off, the W ind ow s N T
O p erating System runn in g th e w orksta tion m ust b e sh ut d ow n . F a ilu re
to co rrectly shu t do w n W in do w s N T m ay resu lt in files beco m ing
corru pted on the ha rd d rive.
Printer Function Selector Switch
T he P rinter F un ctio n S elector S w itch (see F ig ure 1-5) p ro vides
fu nctio ns fo r op eratin g the in k con trols allow in g th e o perato r to p urg e,
prim e and test th e ink jets p rio r to prin tin g.

Figure 1-5 Function Selector Switch

D u ring a pau se in p rinting , th e o perato r can use th ese fun ction s to clear
up ink jet prob lem s. W he n any o f th ese fu nctio ns are selected , th e
C arriage w ill m o ve in to the m ain ten ance p osition .
N o te: D epressing a nd h olding d ow n o ne o f the four co lor b utton s
con trols colo r selectio n. E a ch C olor B u tto n contro ls th e eigh t Jet P a cks
fo r that colo r. D u ring these functio ns, o nly one co lo r b utton m ay b e
dep ressed a t a tim e.

1-12

C hapter 1

T his fun ctio n is use d to rem ov e ink o r solven t by

pressurizing th e S eco nd ary Ink Tank s an d Jet P ac ks. It is u sed to u nclog
a Jet P ack o r to pu rge the system be fo re rem o vin g a S eco nd ary Ink Ta nk
or Je t P a ck. W he n active, th e ink o r solven t is flush ed in to th e W aste
C o ntainer.

Em pty Pack Setting

T h is fu nction se nds cleaning solven t th ro ug h a

Jet P ack to clear ink from the Jet H ead s. T he S olven t P urge S etting is
in ten ded for clean in g and u nclog gin g th e Jet P a cks. It is also used to
in itially w et the surfaces inside th e Je t P a ck before prim in g w ith ink .

Solvent Purge Setting

T his fun ction is u sed to sen d cleaning solven t

th ro ug h the Jet P ack and into the W aste C on tain er. T he S olv ent F lush
S etting is u sed to c lean th e Jet P ac ks an d initially w et th e surfaces in sid e
th e Jet P ac ks before prim in g w ith in k. It is reco m m en ded that this
fu nctio n be used b efore prim in g w ith in k. T his p ro ced ure also rem ov es
air from th e Je t P ac ks and sh ou ld b e p erfo rm ed u ntil no air b ub bles are
seen w ith in the W aste R e turn L in e (ap prox im ately five to ten so len oid
clicks).
Solvent Flush Setting

T h is fu nction fills the selected Jet P a cks w ith in k a nd

fo rc es an y o verflow into the W aste L in e assu rin g th at the Jet P acks are
filled w ith ink. T he IN K P R IM E settin g is useful in rem o vin g air
bu bb les from in side th e Jet P ack. It is reco m m en ded that this fun ction
be con tinued to be used u ntil only a so lid co lo r (n o air) exits the W aste
R eturn L in e. T his fun ction is u sed for b ulk prim in g th e Jet P ac ks and
sho uld not b e used for lon g periods of tim e. T he in k th at is pu m ped
th ro ug h the Jet P ack s is p um p ed to the W aste C o ntain er.
Ink Prim e Setting

T his fun ction is used to fo rce ink to the su rface of th e

Jet P ack . T h e Ink P u rge S ettin g is used to p rim e th e Jet P ack s, a ssist in
re m o ving air bu bb les from th e sy stem , and to clear clo gg ing in th e jet
orifices. A ir bu bb les a re usually present in the Jet P ack w h en a nu m ber
of th e jets m isfire. U se th e IN K P R IM E settin g to rem o ve th e air bu bb les
before using th e IN K P U R G E S e tting to restore the jets.
Ink Purge Setting

T his fun ctio n fires the Jet P acks as th oug h yo u w ere

prin tin g a solid co lo r. W hen usin g the F IR E JE T S settin g, th e P rint H ead
w ill m ov e to the m ain tena nce po sition (w ith the cap per retracted). To
test fire th e je ts a sh eet of pa per is usually placed on th e P rint H e ad an d
th e C olor B utton is b riefly dep resse d. T h e printed pattern o n th e p aper
w ill ind ica te w hich jets a re w ork ing an d w hich a re n ot. A ir b ub bles are
usu ally present in th e Jet P ac k w h en a nu m b er o f th e jets m isfire.
Fire Jets Setting

W A R N IN G : D o n ot u se th is fu n ction w ith o u t th e Jet P a cks bein g

covered as an in k spill a n d p oten tia l eye h azard w ill occu r.

Introduction

1-13

Ready Setting T his fun ctio n pu ts th e printer in the R eady M od e a nd

m ove s the P rint H ead to a p ositio n un der the P urg er P late A ssem bly.
O n ce R E A D Y is sele cted an d th e C arriage is po sition ed un der th e
P urger P late A ssem bly, the O n lin e B utton can b e a ctiv ate d. T h e O nline
B u tto n m ust be illu m ina ted to start prin tin g.

Platen/Preheater and Substrate Dryer Controls

T he U ltraVu x3 00 D igital P rin tin g S y stem s are eq uip ped w ith tw o sets
of H eater C o ntro ls fo r prehe atin g th e substrate and d ry in g th e ink (see
F igu re 1 -6 ).

Figure 1-6 Platen/Preheater and Substrate Dryer Controls

T he H eate r C o ntro l L C D displa ys tw o n um bers w h en sw itched on . T h e

up per num b er represents the cu rrent tem peratu re o f th e heater an d the
lo w er num b er represents the op erator selectable target tem peratu re .
W h en th e H eater S ele cto r S w itch is O F F, th e d isp lay w ill sh ow the
am bient te m p erature of the hea ters. W h en th e printer O n/O ff S w itch is
O N , the H ea ter C on tro l L C D w ill briefly d isp lay the m axim u m
allow able tem peratu re. B elow the nu m bers o n th e L C D are fo ur b utton s:
S et, (), () a n d (). B elo w th e L C D s are tw o rotary H eater S elec tor
S w itches, lab eled O F F /L E FT a nd O N LY /B O T H . W ith th ese c ontro ls
yo u can select w he ther to use th e w h ole heater o r just the le ft side o f th e
heater. To o perate an y of the se co ntro ls you shou ld refer to C hap ter 3,
O p era tio n.

1-14

C hapter 1

Operator Requirem ents

T he follow in g req uirem en ts and respo nsibilities are recom m en ded for
op erators of the U ltraVu x3 00 D ig ital P rin tin g S ystem :

R esp onsible for P rin ter s o peration an d m ain ten ance .

C o m m u nicatio ns link w ith V U T E k P rod uct S u ppo rt D ep artm e nt.
C ap able o f p hon e-assisted p ro blem resolution and repair.
F luen t in the E n glish lan gu age.
W ind ow s N T and P C exp erien ce.
Tech nical bac kgrou nd inv olvin g ele ctronics and m ech anics.
C o lor aptitu de an d the ory.
P rep ress and P o stscript kno w ledg e.

Introduction

1-15

1-16

C hapter 1

Chapter 2
Overview

Introduction
T his ch apter d escribes th e m ajor c om po nen ts and su bsystem s that
com p rise the U ltraVu x3 00 D ig ital P rin tin g S yste m . E ach o f th e
com p onents d iscussed here is critical to the successfu l op eratio n o f y our
prin ter. You sho uld rou tin ely ch eck the m to ensu re th at you g et the best
prin tin g resu lts from y ou r U ltraVu x3 00 . H ere are the m ajor co m pon ents
th at are d iscu sse d:

Jet P acks U n it
C arriage C o m po nen ts
In k an d S o lv ent S ystem
In k an d A ir S upp ly S y stem
M o tors, S ervo s an d E nco ders
P late n/P reheater an d S ub stra te D ryer

Jet Pack Units

T his section describe s som e o f the m ajor characteristic s of th e Jet P ack
un its. T he section b egins w ith a discussio n o f th e p iezo princ iple, the
con cept of the in k jet techn olog y used in th e U ltraVu x 30 0 P rinter.

The Piezo Principle

T he U ltraVu x 30 0 D igital P rintin g S yste m u ses P iezo d riven jets th at are
based o n a fill and fire co ncep t. Yo u sh ou ld refer to F ig ure 2-1 fo r th e
fill an d fire electric al w av efo rm used to d rive th e jets.

Figure 2-1 Piezo Jet Fill and Fire Waveform

Overview

2-1

W ith th is techn ology o ne e nd of th e p iezo dev ice is an cho re d in a fixed

po sition an d has a v oltage sou rce ap plied to it (see F igu re 2 -2 ). T h e o th er
end is c onn ected to a d iaph ragm and is fre e to m ov e. W hen v oltag e is
app lied, the P iez o shorte ns its len gth slig htly, pu lling the diaph rag m .
T his actio n causes a cha m b er co ntaining the in k to exp and , draw ing
add ition al in k in to it from an ex ternal ink reservo ir.
T he in k reserv oir is com m on to all jets w ith in the Jet P ack. T he
exp ansion o f th e ink ch am ber o ccu rs slow ly (0.1 m s), so tha t the cu rv ed
up per su rface o f th e liq uid (m en iscus) at th e jet orifice rem ain s intact.
W h en a v oltag e transitio n (+ 65 V to 0 V ) o ccurs, the P iezo retu rn s to its
orig inal len gth , redu cin g th e volum e of the ink ch am ber rap idly. T h e
re su lt is the rapid exp ulsion o f a drop o f ink to w a rd s the sub stra te
m aterial.

Figure 2-2 Piezo Jet Operation

2-2

C hapter 2

Jet Pack Description

A n ind ividu al Jet P ack co nsists o f tw o array s of 4 8 in -line jets. A n
in div id ual P ie zo crystal d rives each jet. E ach o f th e o rifices is 0.05 3
(1 .35m m ) apart. T h e orifice diam e ter is 0 .0 02 5 (0.0 64m m ). T here are
tw o Jet P ack A rrays per Jet P a ck B o ard A ssem blies. In all there are 3 2
Jet P ack A rrays per carriage (16 JP B s).
E ach Jet P ack A rray h as o ne in pu t and o ne in pu t/o utp ut lin e. T he inpu t
line is used to sup ply ink to th e jets w hen p rinting occu rs. T he
in put/o utp ut line serves a d ual p urpose: 1 ) to su pp ly in k to th e jets, and
2) to rem ove ink w hen p rim ing and flu shin g occ urs.
T he elec trical co nne ctio n to each jet array is via a flexible ribb on ca ble
orig ina tin g on the JP B . O n th ese flexible rib bo n cables lin es 1 and 5 0
are g ro un d con nectio ns. L ines 2 to 49 are th e 4 8 in divid ual jet sig nal
lines. T he flexib le ribbo n c able th at is attached to th e array p lug s in to a
tap ere d head er o n the jet pack b oard an d is held in p lace w ith a ta pered
A n ti-B ac kou t C lip.
N o te: S epa rate a rrays can no t be rep la ced in the field . T he JP B
assem blies are sh ipp ed an d h and led a s a dua l jet pack set. T herefo re,
th e JP B a nd a rra y assem blies m ust b e rep laced as a set. T hese
assem blies sh ou ld b e stored in sea led con tainers or in p la stic ba gs.

Carriage Com ponents

T he carriage u nit con sists of the Jet P ack B oards, a therm ostatically
con trolled C o o lin g F a n , a n E d g e D etec to r, and S olen o id P la te.

Jet Pack Boards

F or a full descrip tio n of the jet pack bo ard s y ou sh ould refer to the
previou s sectio n.

Cooling Fan
T he P rint H eads tem peratu re is k ept co nstant b y a C oo lin g F an
m oun ted on the side o f th e C arriage A ssem b ly. It h as the ab ility to
m ain tain the C a rriag e A ssem blys in ternal tem peratu re to w ithin 1F
of 84 F. A n ind icator (L ed # 9) on th e JP B ind icates the state of the
H ea ter/C o oler, i.e. g reen fo r co oling , red for h eating , an d w h ite for
desired tem peratu re . T his fun ction h elp s m aintain co nsistent ink
viscosity as w e ll as electron ic a nd m echan ical p erform ance s w ithin the

O verview

2-3

prin t head . T h e filter on the extern al b oxe r fa n m u st be clean to allo w

fo r prop er airflow. Yo u sh ou ld refer to C h apter 5, M aintenan ce, fo r th e
C o oler s m aintenan ce sched ule an d m ain ten ance p ro cedu res.

Edge Detector
T he E dg e D etecto r is a light em itter/sensor lo cated o n th e side o f th e
carriage assem bly. T h e P rin ter C on troller u ses the senso r to d ete rm in e
th e start and sto p ed ges of the m ed ia du ring th e in itial pass. T he E dg e
D etecto r can be tu rn ed off d urin g p rinting throu gh U ltraVus P aram eter
S etup S creen . P lease refe r to C hap ter 3 , O peration s, un der P rin t O p tio ns
M en u fo r m ore detail.
W h en off, the E dg e D etecto r w ill n ot d etect an edg e durin g prin ting,
th ereb y, ensurin g th e im age w ill m aintain an even m arg in th ro ug ho ut
th e im age . To p rint e d g e to e d g e (o r p an els) the E d g e D etecto r m ust b e
activated.
N o te: To m in im ize th is effect you sh ou ld verify th e m ateria l ha s b een
properly align ed prior to p rintin g.
You sh ou ld refe r to C hap ter 3 , O peration , for m aterial lo ading
in fo rm ation a nd C h apter 5 , M a intenan ce, for th e E d ge D etector
S ensitiv ity A djustm en t details.

Solenoid Plate
F or inform atio n on the S oleno id P late, refer to S o len oids in the ne xt
section .

Ink and Solvent System s

Ink and Solvent Control
R efer to F igu re 2 -3 (old er system s) and F ig ure 2-4 (n ew er system s) for
a dia gram o f th e ink and so lve nt co ntrol c om po nen ts on the C arriage
P late . To a ccess these co m p on ents, th e stain less steel c ove r on the
carriage m ust b e rem ov ed (fo ur thu m b screw s fasten th e cov er).
B etw een the C arriag e a nd th e In k S up ply P late is a series o f tube s an d
m anifo lds u sed to de liv er the ink to the P rin t H e ads. T he su pp ly sy stem
fo r each color h as fiv e con trol soleno id s, an in-lin e filter and a
secon dary in k reservo ir and in k lev el sensors. T h e Ink L ev el S ensors are
com p rise d of tw o therm isto rs th at ch ang e their resistivity w h en

2-4

C hapter 2

im m erse d in the in k, a llo w ing the prin ter c ontro l system to m onito r
th ese c ond ition s. T h e follo w in g section deta ils th e fu nction s o f th e
in div id ual co m po nents o f the In k an d S o lv ent C ontro l S yste m .
N o te: T he In k L evel Sen sors can b eco m e covered w ith dry in k resultin g
in the senso r m alfun ction ing . R efer to ch apter 5, M a in ten ance, fo r
in form ation on the m a in tena nce o f th e low -level in k sensors.

older version
Figure 2-3 Ink and Solvent Carriage Components

O verview

2-5

newer version
Figure 2-4 Ink and Solvent Carriage Components

2-6

C hapter 2

Solenoids
T here are fiv e so len oids on the C arriage (see F igu re 2-5). E a ch is used
to g ate in k, solv ent, air, an d w aste throu gh the in k and so lv ent sy stem .

Figure 2-5 Ink Control Diagram

S olen oid # 1 is a no rm ally clo se d u nit. W hen ene rg ized , it allow s th e ink
th at is circulating in th e u m bilical to pa ss in to the S econ dary Ink
R eservo ir.
S olen oid #2 is a three-w ay u nit. W hen energ ized , it a llo w s pressurized
air to flo w in to th e secon dary reserv oir, w h ich creates a p ositiv e
pressure fo r prim ing o r pu rgin g. W h en de-en ergiz ed, it vents th e
S econ dary Ink R e se rv oir to the atm o sp here th ro ug h a disk filter,
allow ing the ink to be draw n in to th e jets w hile printin g and the can to
be refille d w itho ut p re ssu rizin g.
S olen oid #3 is a three-w ay u nit. W hen energ ized , it a llo w s solven t to
flow into th e Jet P ack s. W hen d e-energ ized , it opens the Ink S u pply
L in es fro m the S econ dary Ink R ese rv oir to the app ro priate jet p acks.
S olen oid #4 is a n orm ally closed unit. W h en ene rg ized , it op ens th e
W aste L in e fo r pu rgin g in to the W aste C o ntain er.

O verview

2-7

S olen oid #5 is a th re e-w ay un it. W h en en ergiz ed it allo w s ink to flow to

th e Jet P ac k. W he n de-energ ized it allow s ink o r solven t to en ter th e
W aste O u t L in e.

Air, Solvent and Waste Lines

T he air, solv ent and w aste lines are c om m on to all co lo rs, isolated b y
th eir respectiv e soleno ids. T h e In-L in e F ilters w hich h ave an 8 m m esh
are p lace d in lin e w ith the air, in k and S o lv ent F eed L ines. T he in k filters,
lo cated in th e ink lin es, sho uld be replaced m on thly. T h e air a nd so lven t
filters sho uld be re plac ed on a n ann ual b asis. F o r m ore inform ation o n
re plac ing these filters, yo u sho uld refer to C h apter 5, M ainte nan ce.
N o te: T he S econ da ry Ink R eservo irs ho ld a pproxim a tely 2 0 cc of ink
un der no rm a l opera ting co nd ition s.

Printer Selector Sw itch Logic

Tab le A , In k an d S olven t S y stem S ole noid F un ction s, is th e lo gic tab le,
sho w in g th e relationsh ip b etw een th e five soleno ids d escribed ab ov e
and the P rinter F un ction S elec tor S w itch on the C o ntro l P anel. T his
sw itch selects w h ich jet func tio n w ill o ccur w h en an in divid ual colo r
bu tto n is de presse d. T h is w ill o nly w ork if th e printer is in the o ff-line
po sition . You shou ld refer to C hap ter 3, O peration , fo r a desc rip tion on
using th e P rin ter F u nctio n S e lector S w itch .

Table A Ink and Solvent System Solenoid Functions

Switch Setting
Fire jet
Ink purge
Ink prime
Solvent flush
Solvent purge
Empty pack

2-8

C hapter 2

Sol #1
active
active
active
inactive
inactive
inactive

Sol # 2
vent
air in
air in
vent
vent
air in

Sol #3
ink
ink
ink
solvent
solvent
ink

Sol #4
closed
closed
open
open
open
open

Sol #5
ink in
ink in
waste out
waste out
waste out
waste out

Prim ary Ink Reservoir

T he P rim ary Ink R eservoirs co nsist o f five 5 -liter po lyethy len e tank s,
fo ur ink sup ply tanks and on e w aste tan k located on th e ink sup ply p late
(see F ig ure 2-6). T h e ink is p um pe d to the carriage by con tin uo usly
cyclin g in k pu m p s, throug h th e um bilic al and fed b ack to the p rim ary
tan k via the ink circu lation lin e. W hen ink is n ot d em and ed fro m the
system , th is loo p is un brok en an d ink flow s th ro ug h it contin uou sly.
T his circu lating m o tion p ro vid es visco sity con trol.

Figure 2-6 Ink, Solvent and Air Supply Layout

T he P rim ary In k Tank s are eq uip ped w ith level senso rs to detect an in k
ou t co nd ition . T h is is a no n-term inal erro r, allo w in g the p rint fu nction
to b e resu m e d after refilling w ith in k. T he w aste holding tank also
con tains an in ternal se nsor fo r detecting a full con ditio n, ind icatin g to
th e o perator w hen the ta nk n eeds to b e em ptied.

Ink Pum ps
F our pu m p s m o un ted o n th e Ink S u pp ly P late circulate th e ink (F ig ure
2-6). E ach pum p is d riven by its o w n direct d rive, brushless D C m otor.
N o te: O n som e old er system s th is m a y be a bru sh m o to r a nd g earb ox
assem bly.

O verview

2-9

Solvent Reservoir
T he S o lven t Tank su pp lies the U ltraVu In k S olven t use d for the clean ing
and p u rg in g the jets (see F ig ure 2 -5 ). T he S olven t Tan k h as a lev el
senso r bu ilt in. T he A ir P ressu re R egu lato r for this sy stem is loca ted
d irectly ab o v e the so lven t tan k o n the Ink S u p p ly P late a n d is set to
betw een 2 and 3 psi. T he S olvent Tank R egu lator also prov id es air
p ressure fo r th e p u rg e fu n ctio n a t the sam e p ressure lev el. A P ressu re
R elief Valve lim its th is to 5 p si m axim u m .
C a u tion : D o n ot ad just this regu lator h ig her than 5 psi.

Air Pressure Regulators And Solenoids

T he M ain P ressure R egu lator is lo cated in the u ppe r righ t co rn er o f th e
In k S u pp ly P late (see F igu re 2-5) an d is set to 5 0 p si. N ext to th e M ain
R eg ula tor is the P in ch R o ller R eg ulato r. T h is reg ulato r is used for
setting th e bail p ressu re an d is no rm ally set at 1 5 to 30 psi, b ut w ill v ary
dep end in g on the m aterial bein g prin ted .
T he rem aining reg ulato r is the P u rger P late R egu lato r. T h e P urg er P late
w h ich reg ulates the air pressure to the P urge r P late C ontro l S ole noid
sho uld be set to approx im ately 4 0 psi.
A ll th e so len oid s m o un ted o n th e ink su pp ly p late can be m anu ally
op era ted w ith an elec trical o verride co ntrol. To activate the soleno id,
press the sm all b lu e b utton on the lo w er half of the so leno id assem b ly.
T his w ill energ ize th e so len oid and allo w airflo w w h en th e printer is o n.

2-10

C hapter 2

Purger Plate (Capper)

T he P u rger P la te is an air a ctua ted cov er for th e Jet P acks (see F igu re 27). Its pu rp ose is to p re ven t the ink fro m d ry in g as w ell as lim iting the
exp osu re of th e ink to co ntam inates. W h en th e p rinte r is n ot in use or is
offlin e, the C arriag e A ssem bly w ill park in its h om e po sition .
A p prox im ately ten seco nd s after the C arriage A ssem b ly parks at ho m e,
th e P u rger P la te w ill low e r its co ver onto th e Jet P a cks.
N o te: T he a bso rb ent p ap er on th e P urger P late m u st be rep la ced w h en
it b ecom es satu rated w ith in k.
T he air pressure used b y th e P u rger P la te is con trolled b y a reg ulator
lo cated on th e In k S up ply P late. T he regu lator shou ld be set at 4 0 p si of
air pressure. W hen a p rint fun ctio n or a m a intenan ce fu nction is
in itiated , the P u rg er P late w ill au tom atically lift o ff th e Jet P ack s before
th e C a rriag e m o ves from h om e. To red uce th e spe ed at w hich th e P urg er
P late low ers adjust the scre w in sligh tly on th e R estrictor Valve located
on the A ctua tor (air cy lin der) m ou nted ab ove the P urger P late (see
F igu re 2 -7 ).

Adjust Flow
Cover

Blotter Paper

Figure 2-7 Purger Plate

O verview

2-11

Motors, Servos and Encoders

Motors
T he P rint H ead C a rriag e A ssem bly is con nected to the M a in D riv e
P ulley by a rein forced, too th ed, C arriage D riv e B elt. T h e M ain D rive
P ulley is link ed d irectly to a 90-de gree w orm style ge arb ox and is d riven
by the brush less serv o m otor. T he X S ervo D rive C o ntro ller m anag es
th e C arria ge D riv e S ervo M otor.
T his sam e ty pe of brushless servo m o to r driv es the S ub strate F eed
R o ller. T h e D rive R o ller uses a zero bac klash harm o nic drive u nit fo r
precision o peration . T he Y S ervo D rive C o ntro lle r m anag es the
S ubstrate F eed R oller S ervo m otor.
T he Tak eup a nd R ed irect R o llers are d riven b y A C m otors co nn ected to
a 90 -d egree w o rm gear red ucer (see F ig ure 2-8). E ach m o tor gearbo x
assem bly drive s o ne ro ller th ro ug h a series o f flex c oup lings an d a
m agn etic h yste risis c lutch.
T he to rq ue o f th e clutch is ch ang ed by v aryin g th e Tension p ara m eter
un der th e U ltraVu S etup m enu . F o r add ition al inform atio n o n se tting th e
Ten sion param eter, y ou w ill need to refe r to C hap ter 3 , O peration .

Figure 2-8 Takeup Roller Drive System Diagram

2-12

C hapter 2

Servo Controllers
T he prin ter uses tw o serv o con trollers: an X S ervo C ontro ller for
carriage m otion and p ositio nin g; an d a Y S erv o C o ntro ller fo r th e
S ubstrate F eed R oller m o tion an d po sition ing .
B o th servo s co m m u nicate w ith the P rinte r C o ntroller s C P U throu gh
R S 42 2 cab les. A lthou gh the S ervo C o ntro lle rs are iden tical un its, they
are co nfig ured an d prog ram m ed d iffe ren tly throu gh the u se o f
in div id ual P erson ality C o ntrol M od ules that are fo un d on the M ain
S erv o C o ntroller B oard. O n e useful featu re o f th e S ervo C on trollers is
th e n on -v olatile fault code m em ory w h ich sto res th e error co des fo r all
m otion an d p osition in g failu res th e printer h as incu rred sin ce it w as
shipped. F ig ure 2-9 sho w s th e layo ut for the S ervo C ontro llers.

Figure 2-9 Servo Controller Layout

O verview

2-13

X Servo Controller
T he func tio n of the X S ervo C on troller is to con trol an d m on ito r th e
serv om o tor driving the C arriag e. T he S ervo C ontro ller is co nne cted to
th e m o tor th ro ugh fo ur p ow er leads. T h e po sition ing feed back is via a
15 -co nd uctor R S 23 2-style cab le from th e interna l M oto r E n cod er to th e
S erv o C ontro lle r. T his cable has a D -typ e co nn ecto r at th e con troller end
and a m ilitary typ e co nn ecto r at the m oto r en d. T h e inc om in g po w er to
th e S ervo C on troller is a dire ct 23 0 VA C c onn ection . P ow er p asses
th ro ugh a S ch affn er F ilter, a c irc uit break er a nd a M ain C o ntacto r b efore
fe edin g th e S e rv o C on troller.
T he S erv o C o ntro ller con nects to th e C P U via a R S 4 22 ca ble. O ther
con nectio ns to the X S ervo C o ntro ller in clu de th e left and rig ht lim it
sw itche s, and the E m erge ncy S to p B u tto ns. In the case of a se rv o fau lt
or the E m ergency S to p B u tto n being p ush ed, sy stem po w er w ill be cu t
off. (T he E m ergen cy S to p bu tton is a 2 4-Volt high sid e sw itch that sen ds
a sign al to th e prin ter C P U and con tactor sim ultaneo usly.) A red lig ht o n
th e c ontro ller w ill ind icate a loss of signa l from an en cod er.
Y Servo Controller
T he func tio n of the Y S ervo C on troller is to con trol an d m on ito r th e
serv o m o to r tha t d rive s the S u b strate F ee d R oller. T h is m o d u le is
id entical to th e X S ervo w ith th e excep tion o f th e P erson ality M o du le
th at gives it the fu nctio nality n eed ed to p ro vide th e su bstrate m aterial
fe ed fu nctio n.
T he inco m ing po w e r to the S ervo C o ntroller is 2 30 VA C . P ow e r p asses
th ro ugh the S cha ffne r F ilter, th e circuit breaker, and the m ain co ntacto r
before fe edin g th e serv o con troller. T he S ervo C o ntro lle r is con nected
to th e m otor via fou r p ow er lead s. T he p ositio ning fee dba ck is via a 1 5con du cto r R S 23 2-style cable from th e intern al M o tor E nco der to th e
S erv o C ontro lle r. T his cable has a D -typ e co nn ecto r at th e con troller end
and a m ilitary ty pe con nector at th e m otor end . T he S ervo C o ntro lle r is
con nected to the C P U u sin g an R S 42 2 cab le.
O ther con nection s to th e Y S erv o C o ntroller includ e the E m ergen cy
S top B utton s. O ne po le of th e E m erg ency S to p B u tton also breaks th e
sup ply to th e M ain C on tactor. In th e ca se o f a servo fault or the
E m ergen cy S top B utton bein g pu shed , sy stem p ow er w ill b e cut o ff. T he
E m ergen cy S to p B u tto n is a 2 4-Volt high side sw itch that send s a sign al
to the prin ter C P U and contacto r sim u lta neo usly.

2-14

C hapter 2

Motor Encoders
B o th the S u bstrate F eed R oller D riv e M o to r a nd C arriage D rive M otor
hav e built in ro tary en cod ers. Tw o extern al enc ode rs, o ne o n th e
C arriage R a il an d the o th er on the S ub strate F eed R o ller, verify eac h
serv os p ositio n.
X Servo Linear Encoder
T he X S ervo u ses a linea r enc ode r to ch eck p rint h ead po sition a nd
com p ares it to th e internal en cod er o n th e C arriag e D riv e M otor. T he
L in ear E n coder uses a m agn etic strip that ru ns th e full len gth of the
prin ter. T h is strip, w hich is m oun ted on th e b ack of th e insid e C arriag e
R ail, c ontain s m ag netic m ark ers th at are sp aced o n a vernier scale,
givin g th e m a gnetic strip a resolution of 5 m .
A M ag netic P ick up S en so r that sen ses the m agn etic m arks is m ou nte d
on the P rint H ead C a rriag e. T h e P icku p S e nsor se nds a sig nal b ack to
th e E n cod er M odu le th at is lo cate d in the m id dle o f th e printer s
um bilical troug h. T h e en cod er prov id es p osition al fe edback inform ation
th ro ug h the co ntro l bo ard to th e C P U .
N o te: T he sensor and its ca ble are m an ufa ctu red as on e un it, req uiring
th at the com plete assem bly b e rep laced if the cab le is d am a ged or the
senso r fails.
C a u tion : T h e m ag netic strip is very sensitive to m ag netic fields. D o n ot
expo se it to an y kind o f m a gn etic m ateria l or use ab rasive o r corro sive
clea ners o r it w ill b e destroyed. C on ta m inatio n of the m ag netic strip ca n
resu lt in ina ccu ra te o r m issed reading s.
Y Servo Rotary Encoder
T his o ptical enco der m easures th e step d istance o f the su bstrate m ed ia.
T he en cod er feeds th e positio ning d ata direc tly to th e Y S erv o
C o ntroller. T he step size for the en cod er is prog ra m m ab le th ro ug h th e
U ltraVu P rog ra m . To ad ju st the step size, see C hap ter 3, O pe ration .
N o te: A ny co nta m ina tio n of th e E n cod er W heel can in du ce slipp ag e a nd
m a y cau se ina ccura te step read ing s.
B ecau se th is enc oder feeds d irectly bac k to the Y S erv o C o ntro lle r, an y
lo ss o f re ading (thro ugh w heel slip pag e or step erro r) from th e m aterial
w ill prod uce a step error. If the fe ed ro lle r adv ances th e m aterial and the
enco der do esnt de tect m o tio n, a step erro r w ill o ccur.
C a u tion : If the enco der is no t in con tact w ith the m aterial and is
allow ed to ro ta te, th e Su bstra te F eed R oller w ill rotate out of con tro l a t
a very high sp eed un til an error con ditio n is detected.

O verview

2-15

Platen/Preheater and Substrate Dryer Controls

T he U ltraVu x3 00 D igital P rin tin g S y stem s are eq uip ped w ith tw o sets
of heaters for p reh eating the sub strate an d dryin g th e in k. T h e
P late n/P reheater w arm s the sub strate m aterial b efo re the ink is ap plied .
T he S ub strate D ry er (he ater) ap plies he at to th e freshly prin ted substrate
to sp eed th e d ry ing p ro cess, an d to allow a g reater rang e o f sub stra tes to
be u se d. S o m e su bstrates w ill o nly w o rk e ffic iently w hen heated.
T he he aters o n th e U ltra Vu x30 0 prin ters w ork b y con du ctio n. T he
P late n/P reheater and S u bstrate D ryer P lates are heated inte rn ally and th e
heat con duc ts to th e m a terial as it p asses ove r th e p lates. In th e case of
th e P laten /P reh eate r, th e su bstrate c om es in co ntac t w ith th e heated
platen im m ediately before an d du ring the p rinting process, w a rm in g th e
m aterial b efore ink is ap plied . T he S ub strate D ry er is slightly cu rved
and lo cated o n top of the printer. A s th e p rinted im a ge m o ves ac ro ss th e
surfac e o f th e S u bstrate D ry er, heat is ap plied to d ry the in k before bein g
ro lled on to the Tak eup R oller.

2-16

C hapter 2

Chapter 3
Operation

Introduction
T his ch apter d escribes ho w to u se the U ltraVu x 300 P rin ter and the
U ltraVu C on trol P rog ram . Top ics cov ere d in clud e:
Starting and Shutting Down
S tartin g th e P rin ter
S hutting O ff th e P rin ter
R eco verin g from an E m ergency S to p
Working with Media, Ink, and Printer Setup
L oad in g M aterial
W orking w ith M ultip le R o lls
U sing the M esh O ption
A d ju stin g th e E n cod er W heel
M ainta ining Ink Viscosity
P rep sring the Jet P ackss
P rim ing the Jet P acks
R eco verin g fro P lu gg ed Jets
Understanding Printer Controls
U sing the In ternal Test P attern s
C o ntrollin g th e P laten Vacuu m L ev el
O p era tin g th e H eater C o ntro ls
U n derstan ding th e F ile F orm ats
U n derstan ding th e P rin t S peed s
U n derstan ding th e P rin t M o des
Using UltraVu Software
U n derstan ding U ltraVus C apab ilitie s
U p grading the x3 00 S o ftw are

O peration

3-1

U p grading the x3 00 F irm w are

F orm a tting R e m o vab le D isk C artrid ges
S tartin g th e U ltra Vu P rog ram
U n derstan ding th e U ltraVu M enu S tru ctu re

Improving Print Quality

P rint G ap
S tep S ettin gs
P late n/P reheater an d Vacu um S ettings
S ubstrate D ryer S ettings
Tak eup Tension S ettin gs
Jet O u tag e
Tria l R un s
L ow er R e so lu tio n R IP F iles

Starting and Shutting Down

Starting the Printer
To start the prin ter, press the C o ntrol P an els P ow er S w itch to O N .
E n su re th at b o th E m erg en cy S to p B u tto n s are fu lly o u t.

Shutting Off the Printer

To shut off th e p rinter, p ress the C ontro l P an els P o w er S w itch to O F F.
B e sure to sh ut do w n the N T O perating S y stem .

Recovering from an Em ergency Stop

If for an y reaso n an E m erg ency S to p B utton is dep ressed , yo u m u st w ait
a m inim u m o f 6 0 secon ds before restartin g th e p rinter.
C a u tion : F ailure to w ait the specified tim e period w ill cau se a n
overloa d current to da m a ge th e S ervo C o ntro ller C o nta cto r.

3-2

C hapter 3

Working with Media, Ink and Printer Setup

Loading M aterial
To load m aterial you sh ould refer to F igure 3-1 an d F igu re 3-2 and
p erform th ese step s:
1
2

Depress the Takeup Button to turn off the Takeup Rollers.

Depress the Bail Button to release the Pinch Rollers.

Figure 3-1 Control Panel

Place the substrate material on the Substrate Source Rollers and

position the material to ensure contact with the Rotary Encoder.
Spool the substrate off the Feed Roller, then up and behind the
Carriage Rail. If additional tension is needed (on material under five
meters in width), feed the material around the Substrate Source
Roller before feeding up behind the Carriage Rail.

O peration

3-3

Figure 3-2 Substrate Feed Path (side view)

3-4

C hapter 3

Go to the rear of the printer. With the Bail open pull the substrate over
the Redirect Bar and feed over the Drive Roller. Pull out enough
substrate so that its end reaches the floor in front of the printer. Pull
an additional 10" (25cm) of material so a fold can be made. Fold
excess substrate over and place on the shelf under the Feed Drive
Roller.

From the rear of the printer, feed the substrate over the Drive Roller
and under the Platen/Preheater. Pull all loose material to the front of
the printer until all the slack is taken up.

While viewing the front of the printer with the substrate hanging
down, check for alignment. This is done by visually aligning the left
edge of the loose material to the substrate coming off the Feed Roll.
Ensure that there are no wrinkles where the substrate leaves the
Source Rollers and on the Substrate Feed Roller.

When properly aligned, close the Pinch Rollers by depressing the

Bail Button.

Feed the substrate material up and over the Redirect Roller and over
the Substrate Dryer Plates until it reaches the Takeup Roller. From
the rear of the printer verify alignment by ensuring that the loose end
aligns with the substrate that is wrapped around the Feed Roller.

Attach the substrate material to the Takeup Roller by applying tape.

Tape at corners of material and work inward towards center. When
securely attached, depress the Takeup Button to engage the Takeup
Roller. On wide material, engaging the Tapeup Rollers once the
center of the substrate is secure will help keep tension on the
material while the taping is finished.

10 Ensure that the material is wrinkle-free and advance material until the
substrate is wrapped once around the Rear Takeup Roller.

Working with Multiple Rolls

W h en prin ting o n m ore than one su bstrate roll, ca re m ust b e taken to
avo id u neq ual im age len gths. S ince all ro lls use th e sam e S u bstrate
S ource R o lle rs, d iffere nt d iam eter rolls can cau se differences in the
m aterial feed rate . W hen m ultiple rolls share the sam e S ource R o lle rs,
on e ro ll can resist m o vem ent of the other causing m ate rial feed
p ro b lem s. If the sub stra te ro lls are n ew a n d are o f e q u a l len gth and
th ick ness, p rintin g c an p ro ce ed n o rm ally. If the rolls are u nequ al
diam eters, be st results are ach iev ed by u sin g an extern al m ateria l crad le
(b ehind the prin ter).
A n other m etho d w ou ld b e to un ro ll and fan -fold th e m aterial un der th e
m achine to m inim ize resistance fro m m u ltiple su bstrate rolls. B y fa nfo ld ing the m a terial m ultip le ro lls are less lik ely to c reate stepp ing errors
or un equ al leng th se gm ents caused by fee din g the su bstrates a t different
ra tes.

O peration

3-5

A n im porta nt p oin t to rem em ber abo ut w orkin g w ith m u ltiple rolls is

th at th ere m ust b e app ro xim ately 4 (1 0.2 cm ) o f spac e b etw een
adjacen t ro lls. If the su bstrate w alk s a nd the space b etw een tw o
adjacen t rolls beco m e s less th an 4 (1 0.2 cm ), e dge de tector erro rs can
re su lt. M e dia H ub s ca n be u se d to m ainta in this d istan ce by p re ven tin g
th e su bstrate rolls from m ov ing late rally (see F igu re 3-3).

Figure 3-3 Media Hub Diagram

Using the M esh Option

To en sure the v ery best prin ting results w h en w o rk in g w ith m esh
m aterials, y o u w ill n eed to u se th e V U T E K M esh K it O p tio n .T h e M esh
K it is desig ned to place b lo tte r m aterial o ver the P laten to ab sorb the in k
th at is no t abso rb ed by the m ate rial. O th erw ise, in k w ill co llec t on the
P late n and tran sfe r to the ba ck of the m esh.

3-6

C hapter 3

W h en p rinting in th e sing le strike m od e, set the p re-hea t tem p era ture to

12 0F (6 6 C ), an d th e D ryer tem peratu re to 15 0 F (4 9 C ). If the in k
beg in s to ru n, the n raise the p reh eat te m p era ture. F o r be st resu lts use
m esh w ith a larg e "scrim " su rface area and sm all ho le area.
N o te: V U T E K reco m m ends th at the D oub le Strike M o de no t be used
w ith m esh m a teria l.
To use the M esh B lotter p erform th ese step s:
1

Lower the Carriage to the lowest position by loosening the Carriage

Thumb Screws securing the Carriage to the plate. Turn the Height
Adjustment Knob to lower the Carriage position.

N o te: A lw a ys low er th e C arria ge b efo re locking dow n th e M esh H in ges.

E nsu re the C arria ge w ill clea r the M esh H ing es b efo re po w erin g up the
printer.
2

Lower the Mesh Hinges and rotate the Mesh Print Cam Levers
downward to hold them into place. Repeat for all Mesh Hinge
sections.

Place a roll of blotter material into the Dispenser and feed the blotter
material through the Mesh Fabric Guide then between the Platen and
the Mesh Hinge. Slide the material in from the enclosure, and pull
down the length of the Platen (see Figure 3-4).

Figure 3-4 Blotter Material Enclosure

Place a core on the Takeup Spool and tape the blotter material to the
core (wound clockwise).

O peration

3-7

Install two of the Mesh Paper Holders to the underside of the right
hand Upper Cabinet Cover (see Figure 3-5). These are magnetized
strips used to prevent the blotter material from sagging and coming
in contact with the Print Heads.

Move the Encoder Wheel Assembly down to a position of about

down from a straight line formed when a straight edge is placed from
the Mesh Hinge (lowered) to the front Redirect Roller.

End View

Front View
Mesh Paper Holder

Figure 3-5 Mesh Paper Holder Locations

Lower the Carriage to the lowest position by loosening the Carriage

Thumb Screws securing the Carriage to the plate. Turn the Carriage
Height Adjustment Knob to lower the Carriage.

N ote: A lw ays lo w er the C a rriag e before locking d ow n the M esh

H in ges. E n sure the ca rriag e w ill clea r the M esh H ing es befo re
pow erin g up the printer.
8

3-8

C hapter 3

Lower the Mesh Hinges and rotate the Mesh Print Cam Levers
downward to hold them into place. Repeat for all Mesh Hinge
sections.

Place a roll of blotter material into the Dispenser and feed the blotter
material through the Mesh Fabric Guide then between the Platen and
the Mesh Hinge. Slide the material in from the enclosure, and pull
down the length of the Platen (see Figure 3-6).

Figure 3-6 Mesh Fabric Guide Placement View

10 Place a core on the Takeup Spool and tape the blotter material to the
core.

11 Once the blotter material is installed into the Mesh Hinges on the
Platen, attach the Tension Measuring Scale (P/N P7734-A) to the end
of the blotter material as shown in Figure 3-7.

Figure 3- 7Tension Scale Setup for Tension Setting

12 Enable the Vacuum Always On option in UltraVus Printer Setup

Screen.

13 With the Vacuum Pump running, apply pressure to the Scale until it
shows 5 lbs. Adjust the Vacuum Adjustment Knob (located on the
right hand end panel) until the material pulls through the guides at 5
lbs. This will ensure that the material will move easily enough to
prevent the Takeup Motor from prematurely failing.

O peration

3-9

14 Enable the Vacuum in the UltraVu Program by selecting the Vacuum

On when Printing option in the Set Printer Parameters Screen (see
Figure 3-8). Enable the Mesh Kit Setting and enter a rate of speed for
the Mesh Winder Motor.

Figure 3-8 Set Printer Parameters Screen

15 Adjust Carriage Height to 0.060" (3 - 4 mm) below the mesh material.

N o te: E n sure that the C a rriag e is not ra ised too h igh , so tha t it w ill co m e
in co ntact w ith the M esh H in ges.
16 Check the blotter material and adjust the speed through the Set Print
Parameters Screen (see Figure 3-8) as necessary to prevent the ink
from dripping. This check should be performed after every large print
job or whenever new mesh is loaded.

17 After printing on mesh, you should always clean the Platen to remove
any ink over spray.

3-10

C hapter 3

Tips for w orking w ith m esh

C lean the print head often w hen printing on m esh.

A djust the M esh W inder Takeup Speed to keep the blotter
m aterial from becom ing saturated and dripping ink onto the
im age.
Avoid using m ore than 250% total ink.
Avoid double-striking on m esh. Ink w ill w ick around to the back of
the m esh and w ill cause sm earing.
The absolute m axim um length of an im age that can be printed on
m esh depends on the im age and the m esh. The use of heat m ay
increase the printing length. U se a higher preheat tem perature for
large im ages

Adjusting the Encoder W heel

To ac com m od ate th e use of a w id er va rie ty o f sub stra te m aterials the
E nco der W h eel on the U ltraVu X 30 0 p rinte rs is d esig ned to b e ad justed.
T his ad ju stm ent allo w s the o perato r to vary th e pressu re the en cod er
places on th e different su bstrate m aterials in o rd er to m inim ize slip pag e
on flex ib le or slip pery m aterials. A djusting the E nco der W h eel in this
m ann er im p ro ves prin t qu ality on fab rics and m esh m aterials as w ell.
To adju st th e E ncod er W h eel tension , refer to F igu re 3-9 an d follow
th ese steps:
1

Turn the Remote Adjustment Knob located on the left side of the
frame clockwise to increase pressure (CCW to decrease pressure).

Experiment with this setting to determine what works best for the
materials you may use.

Figure 3-9 Remote Adjustable Encoder Wheel Shaft (top view)

O peration

3-11

Maintaining Ink Viscosity

F or b est prin tin g results ink v isco sity n eeds to be prop erly m ain tained .
Viscosity sh ou ld b e ch ecked often . M easurem ents sh ou ld be ta ken from
th e m ain ink ta nks on ly after the ink h as b een circulating for at le ast o ne
ho ur. In k m easured d irectly from th e bottle m ay resu lt in a h ig her
re adin g. T h e c orrect o perating rang e for V U T E k in ks is 5 5-65 seco nd s
at a tem p erature of 6 5-75 F (18 -2 4 C ) usin g a V U T E k Viscosity C u p.
If, after prop er circu latio n, any v iscosity reading is ab ov e 70 seco nd s,
no tify V U T E ks P rod uct S up po rt S taff.
C a u tion : N ew in k in bo ttles sho uld be stirred, no t sha ken , p rio r to u se
in the U ltra Vu x30 0. D o n ot th in th e in k.

Preparing the Jet Packs for Printing

B efore an y p rinting op eratio n o ccurs yo u w ill n eed to p roperly care for
th e jet pa cks.
Before Printing Occurs
To p rep are the jet p ack s perform th ese step s:
1
2

Power up the printer.

Select the INK PURGE setting on the Printer Function Selector
Switch (see Figure 3-10). This will cause the Purger Plate to lift off the
jets assembly and the Carriage to move left and park in the head
maintenance position.

N o te: If th e prin ter is po w ered up w ith the P rin ter F un ction S elector
Sw itch is in the R E A D Y po sition , th e C arria ge w ill pa rk itself u nd er the
P urger P late. T h e P urger P late w ill then low er itself onto the Jet P a cks
after a 10 -seco nd d ela y.

Figure 3-10 Printer Selector Switch

3-12

C hapter 3

With the Carriage in the maintenance position, remove and discard

the polyethylene wrap covering the Jet Packs (applied to keep the ink
from drying on the Jet Packs during idle times).

Using only an approved wiper cloth (VUTEk part # P7240-A), press

the Color Buttons, one color at a time, and wipe clean those jets as
they become wet.

Move the Printer Function Selector Switch to the INK PURGE

position. Briefly depress the Color Buttons, wiping the ink from the
Jet Packs one final time.

Move the Printer Function Selector Switch to the FIRE JETS position.
Place a sheet of white paper over the jet packs and quickly depress
each Color Button to verify that the jets are firing correctly. When
satisfied with the performance of the jet packs, move the Printer
Function Selector Switch to the READY position. Once the Carriage
has moved under the Purger Plate, the UltraVu x300 printer is ready
to be put online.

After Printing Concludes

W h en th e prin tin g op era tio n is finished y ou n eed to care for the P rint
H ead. T h is proced ure is don e to p rev ent the in k fro m drying in th e jets.
To prep are th e jet pack s for w hen the p rin ter is n ot b eing used , you
n eed to p erform th e follow in g steps:
1

Move the Printer Function Selector Switch to the INK PURGE position
(see Figure 3-10).

Coat the jEt Packs with solvent and cover with polyethylene wrap to
minimize drying of the ink and to protect the Jet Packs from
contamination.

Press the Color Buttons to push ink out of the jets to mix with the
solvent and coat the Jet Packs to prevent drying.

Turn the Printer Function Selector Switch to the READY position.

This positions the Jet Packs under the Purger Plate. After a ten
second delay the Purger Plate will lower to seal the Jet Packs.

N o te: T h e printer h as a Weep F unctio n. P la cing th e C a rriag e un der th e

P urger P late (co vered w ith po lyethylene w rap ) ca n result in excess in k
run nin g out o f the C arria ge. T h e jets w ill w eep w h en und er the P u rg er
P la te.

O peration

3-13

Prim ing the Jet Packs

If any w ork has been do ne on the Ink S up ply S y stem or if a Jet P a ck has
air b ub bles in it, it w ill be nece ssa ry to p rim e th e in k system to re fill the
re se rv oirs and Jet P ack to regain all o f th e in k jets. If re pair w o rk h as
been do ne, v erify th at all o f the jE t P ack s are securely in place w ith th e
o-ring s seated an d screw s tig htened d ow n.
To prim e th e Jet P ack s refer to F igu re 3-11 an d p erform the
follow in g step s:
1
2

Power on the printer.

Select SOLVENT FLUSH on the Printer Function Selector Switch.

Depress the appropriate button for each color to fill the Jet Pack with
solvent. Hold the color button down until the solvent that flows into
the waste line is bubble free (this should take about 30 seconds).

If solvent does not appear to come out of all of the jets, kink or restrict
the waste tube for that color and solvent flush again. This will force
more solvent through the jets rather than down the Waste Line.

Select INK PURGE on the Printer Function Selector Switch to refill the
upper reservoir. Depress the appropriate button for each color to
refill the upper reservoirs. Stop the purge function when the ink tube
to the Ink/Solvent Solenoid for each color becomes full. Do not use
this function to fill the Jet Packs at this time. This function will
prevent air from being pushed into the Jet Packs when they are filled
with ink.

Figure 3-11 Jet Function Selector Switch

3-14

C hapter 3

Fill the jet packs with ink by selecting INK PRIME function on the
Printer Function Selector Switch. Depress each Color Button for
approximately 30 seconds or until no air bubbles can be seen in the
Waste Line. Wipe the jets while performing this step.

Select INK PURGE on the Printer Function Selector Switch and

depress the appropriate button for about five seconds for each color.
This will purge any remaining air from the jet packs. Wipe the jets
while performing this step.

To test the jets, select FIRE JETS on the Printer Function Selector
Switch. With the Print Head at the maintenance station, place an
ordinary sheet of paper on top of the Print Heads. Momentarily
depress the appropriate Color Button to fire the Jet Packs. The Jet
Packs should fire and leave eight lines of ink dots for each color on
the paper.

If any jets are missing, select the INK PURGE. Simultaneously

depress the appropriate Color Button for five seconds and wipe the
ink as it is being emitted. Repeat this step until all jets are firing.

Recovering from Plugged Jets

S om etim e s the in k jets can b e com e p lu g g e d . W h en this p ro b lem s o ccurs
it m ay be n ecessary to a pply a sm all a m o un t of solven t to the su rface of
th e jets an d th en co ver th em w ith po ly eth yle ne w rap for a perio d o f o ne
to 1 6 ho urs. T h is sh ou ld o nly be do ne w h en the prin ter is idle for a
perio d of tim e.
N o te: T he p rinter w ill run w ith u p to 1 5 to 20 jets m issing (no t
con secutive), w ith ou t a no ticeab le drop in prin t qu ality, w hen used in
th e E n ha nced and U ltra M od e.
A s a q u ick recovery for p lu gged jets, you can do th e follow ing:
1
2

Use the INK PRIME function for ten seconds.

Retest the jets. Repeat as necessary.

Use the INK PURGE function (one or two, one-second bursts) and
wipe excess ink from the Print Heads.

O peration

3-15

Potential hazards with jet packs

3-16

C hapter 3

The Jet P ack Array (orifice plate) is assem bled w ith glue. Ink other
than V U TE k U ltraVu ink m ay soften this glue. VU TE k
recom m ends that U ltraVu ink be used on all U ltraVu x300 D igital
P rinting S ystem s.
Ink viscosity is im portant, if the ink viscosity is out of specification,
the m eniscus can break and the jet w ill lose its prim e.
W ith norm al usage, the ink w ill start to clog the 8 m m blue filters
after about six w eeks. C hange these filters every m onth to avoid
clogging. R efer to C hapter 5, M aintenance, for the m aintenance
schedule and replacem ent procedures.
D irt on the exterior of the jet can cause the droplets to scatter or
fire in the w rong direction. Flushing, purging and w iping can clear
this problem .
D ried ink inside the jet orifice can cause a spiral effect, giving the
appearance of a zigzag line. To correct this problem , fill the jet
pack w ith solvent and place one or tw o w ipes on top of the heads
and soak w ith solvent. C over w ith polyethylene w rap and leave for
at least one hour (overnight, if possible) to dissolve the blockage.
A ny kind of m echanical dam age done to the surface of the jets w ill
cause problem s. Therefore, only use soft lint-free, cleanroom
cloths for cleaning. You can purchase these w ipes from V U TE k or
the vendor (or see V S B 102).
A n air bubble in a Jet P ack w ill cause the jets to lose its prim e. If
a bubble occurs, prim e and purge the w hole Jet P ack.

Understanding the Printer Controls

Using the Internal Test Patterns
T he U ltraVu x 300 D ig ital P rinting S ystem contain s sev en in ternal test
fun ctio ns that can b e used to fo r test p rint qua lity. T he Test B u tton w ill
run o ne of sev en test p rint patterns (the prin ter fu nction selecto r sw itch
do es no t hav e to be in th e R E A D Y po sition to prin t the test patterns).
To activate the Test F un ctions, refer to F igu re 3-12 an d p erform on e
of th e follow in g p rocedu res:
M eth od # 1:
1

Depress and release the Test Button on the Control Panel to initiate
a test pattern.

Press the Advance Button while printing the test pattern to change
the test number.

Depress the Test Button to terminate the test.

M eth od # 2:
1
2

Select and hold in the Test Button and the test number will display.

Depress the Test Button to terminate the test.

To step to the next test pattern, depress the Advance Button while
holding in the Test Button. When the desired test number is shown,
release the Test Button to initiate the test pattern selected.

N o te: T h e Test B utton resets th e ala rm du ring norm al o pera tio n.

Figure 3-12 Control Panel

O peration

3-17

T he seven test p attern s are describ ed below :

Test 1
Test 1 fires all 3 84 jets in all colors. C o lo rs are sp aced ap art to v iew
in div id ual jet ou tp uts.
Test 2
Test 2 fires all jets w ith n o spacing at 1 00 % d ensity. P ro duc es so lid
m ulti-color p attern s.
Test 3
Test 3 is a b i-direction al align m ent test. It p rin ts a test p attern o f a line
of do ts sp aced apart ho rizon tally, th en step s the m aterial and rep eats the
pattern in th e o pp osite directio n. T he lines sho uld be align ed v ertically.
If th e d ots d o no t app ear d irectly ov er on e ano th er, th en th e B idirectio nal A lign m en t P aram e ter m u st be ad ju sted . Yo u can c han ge th is
param eter (b y 0.0 1 or less or u ntil th e dots lin e u p vertically) usin g
U ltraVus S etting s M enu . T h e p aram e ter v alu e m u st be set for b oth
S tand ard and H ig h S peed
N o te: To initia te a m od e ch an ge, th e p rin ter m u st be printing .
Test 4
Test 4 prin ts a solid, 4 00 % fou r-color, black pattern.T he test is useful for
exercising the je ts and ch ecking for jet d ro p ou t.
Test 5
Test 5 is a step adjustm en t test. It prin ts a series of h orizo ntal line s, step s
th e m aterial and p rints ano th er set. T he ho riz ontal line segm en ts sh ou ld
app ear to b e o ne lin e (lin ed up ho rizon tally). T h e ho rizon tal distan ce is
con trolled throu gh th e step size param eter o n the U ltraVu S etup S cree n.
T he va lue can be adjusted to w ithin 0 .000 1.
Test 6
Test 6 is a jet plate align m e nt te st. It prin ts a yellow horizo ntal line
directly ab ov e a h orizo ntal black line.
N o te: F or p rinters th at are con fig ured to p rint m a gen ta first, the colors
w ill be m ag enta and bla ck.

3-18

C hapter 3

D u ring the test o nly th e rig ht-m ost b lack and the left-m ost y ellow jet
pack s w ill discharg e in k. P ro per align m ent occu rs w he n the y ellow and
black lines ju st to uch eac h other (see F igu re 5 -5 ).
N o te: T his align m en t is perform ed a t the fa ctory an d realign m ent shou ld
no t be necessary. If rea lign m en t is req uired, refer to C h apter 5,
M aintenan ce, for th e Jet P la te A lignm ent P rocedure.
Test 7
Test 7 c heck s each Jet P ack for prin t q uality an d p rint con sisten cy. T his
test p rints a series of c olo red ban d fo r each Je t P a ck. A ll jets are fired ,
sid e-b y-side, flank ed b y 10 0% of that colo r.

Controlling the Platen Vacuum Level

T he P latens v acuu m leve l is adjustab le o n th e U ltra Vu x30 0 prin ters. To
chan ge the vacu um lev el, ro tate the Vacu um A d juster (loc ated o n th e
righ t end o f th e P laten /P reh eate r A ssem bly). M ore air restriction (C W )
w ill increases the v acuu m level, w hile less air restrictio n (C C W ) w ill
decrease th e va cuu m lev el. O n w id er m aterials, such as 1 2 to 1 6 (4 m
to 5 m ), th e v acuu m lev el m u st b e d ecre ased to m inim ize ad hesio n to th e
surfac es o f th e P laten /P reheater an d S ubstrate D ryer. In add ition to th e
Vacuu m A djuste r, a Vacuu m D ive rter Valv e on the righ t pan el of th e
prin ter is a vailable to fin ely ad just v acu um leve l.

Operating the Heater Controls

W h en o n the H eate r C o n trol L C D d isplay s tw o n u m b ers: an u p p er
nu m b er an d a lo w er num b er. T he up per num b er d isplays th e curren t
tem p erature of the he ater a nd the lo w er n um b er sho w s th e target
tem p erature. W hen sw itched off, th e d isp lay w ill sh ow the am b ient
tem p erature of the he aters (prov id ed th e printer is p ow e red o n). W hen
th e p rinter O n/O ff sw itch is turned on, th e H eater C o ntro l L C D w ill
briefly d isp lay the m axim u m allo w ab le tem p erature.
N o te: T he m axim u m a llow a ble tem pera tu re for the P reheater and D ryer
ha s b een set a t th e factory as fo llo w s:
P re-hea ter
D ryer

120 F
200 F

49 C
93 C

B elow the n um be rs on th e L C D a re fou r b utton s. O ne is m a rk ed S et, th e

others are (), () and () arro w s.

O peration

3-19

To ad ju st th e tem p eratu re for the app rop riate h eater, refer to

F igure 3-13 and follow th e p roced u re b elow :
1

To set the operating temperature, depress the Set Button on the

desired Heater Control LCD. All numbers will flash with the selected
number position highlighted (i.e. 0085) allowing for modification.

To select a different number position, depress the () button. The

highlighted number will move one position to the left (i.e. 0085),
allowing modification to the tens position.

Push either the () or () button. The highlighted number will change

up or down, respectively. The target temperature can be adjusted to
any value required for the print media being used (i.e. 0095 if the is
depressed).

Figure 3-13 Heater Controls

3-20

C hapter 3

Platen PreHeater Temperature and Image Control

V U T E k has set the P late n P reh eater s u pp er te m p erature lim it, on 3 2
head printers, to 1 20 F (49 C ). V U T E k reco m m en ds th at yo u prin t
w ith as lo w a P late n P reh eater tem peratu re as p ossib le, b elo w 12 0F
(4 9C ). If after p erform ing tests o n a m aterial y ou find th at you n eed to
in crea se the te m p era ture abo ve 1 20 F (49 C ) y ou sh ou ld b e aw are th at
th ere are trade-offs in do in g so. T he P laten P reh eater w as orig ina lly
design ed and installe d to w arm th e m ed ia to a c onstant tem peratu re,
w h ich helps to crea te a m ore un iform p rinted im ag e. It w as no t inte nded
to b e used as an ink d ry er.
S etting the P laten P reh eater s tem perature too h ig h ten ds to w arp the
P late n and c ause it to arc d ow nw ard tow ard s the P rint H ead s. T his
chan ges th e distance s b etw een th e P rin t H ea ds and the m aterial
ty pic ally in th e m idd le o f the p rinte r. T his in turn offsets the am o unt of
do t gain in this area of the p rint. W ith the m ate ria l clo se r to the p rin t
head s, d ot g ain is d ecreased. T his can result in so m e a reas in a p rint
hav in g lo w er ink d ensitie s than o the r areas.
A d ditio nally w ith the P laten P re heater tem p era ture set high , th e
tem p erature am plifies the in con siste ncie s across th e len gth of the P laten
P reh eater. A gain th is can result in in k den sity shifts across th e im age,
w h ich w ill red uce im a ge qu ality.
A lso, w ith th e h ig her tem peratu re settin gs, the h eads te nd to gain heat
from the P late n P reheater and this inc reases the likeliho od of ink drying
in the jets a nd clog gin g th em . To help red uce th e lik eliho od o f jet
drop ou t, y ou sh ou ld p rin t w ith Jet B ars en abled. If this is n ot en ou gh,
th en th e Je ts can be cleared by p urg ing them .
If you intend to p rint o n cloth, m esh o r other w ov en m aterials y ou m ay
need to increase the tem peratu res. C lo th w ick s ink into the fib ers
in crea sing d ot g ain . T h is red uces th e ink den sity o n th e im age. S om e
custom ers are usin g th e P laten P rehe ater to w a rm the m aterial, w h ich
can qu ick ly dry the ink an d red uce dot g ain , this in tu rn increases th e ink
den sity.
If yo u need to in crease the P laten P re heater s up per tem peratu re lim it
abo ve 12 0 F (49 C ), th en co nta ct V U T E ks P ro du ct S upp ort S taff.

O peration

3-21

Push the Set Button. The lower number will now stop flashing, the
adjusted temperature setting will be saved, and the heaters will
operate respectively.

C a u tion : T h e D ryer C on tro l selecta ble tem p erature (low er n um ber o n

th e d isp lay) can no t be ad ju sted a bo ve a set lim it o f 20 0 F (93 C ) for
th e D ryer an d 12 0 F (4 9 C ) for th e P reh eater. T h is m axim u m
tem pera ture is set a t th e factory as a sa fety p reca ution . A lw ays shut the
hea ters off w hen the p rinter is not p rin tin g fo r a n extend ed period.
N o te: D ifferent sub strate m a teria ls req uire different tem p erature
setting s. We recom m en d th at yo u exp erim ent to fin d th e best settin gs.
Start at roo m tem pera tu re an d ad ju st the tem p eratu re u pw a rd in 10
in crem ents. Typical tem p eratures ran ge from 130 F - 18 0 F (5 5 C 82 C ) for th e Su bstra te D ryer a nd fro m O ff - 12 0 F (O ff - 49 C ) for th e
P la ten/P reh eater. Too h igh a tem pera ture setting o n either of the hea ters
m a y cau se the sub strate to dra g on the h eater p lates. T his d rag w ill
affect the qu ality o f th e p rinted im ag e.

Understanding File Form ats

T he U ltraVu x3 00 ca n process bo th C T an d P ostS crip t (v ecto r) file
fo rm ats.
VUTEk CT File Format
T he con tinuo us to ne (C T ) im age form at is sim ilar to bit m a pped im age
fo rm ats (e.g. T IF F o r B M P ) in that it con tains no h alf ton e frequ ency,
cod e or v ecto r inform atio n. T h is fo rm at w ill prin t at 18 .75 d pi, or 37.5
dp i. T h e C T fo rm at tend to kee ps file size sm all, bu t its p rints m ay
app ear to be g rainy.

VUTEk CT Format Highlights

18.75 dpi / 37.5 dpi CT input (similar to airbrush printer files
Easy and fast to process
Small file size
Fonts applied in PhotoShop
Color correction at prepress or printer

PostScript File Format

T he P ostS crip t file fo rm at is th e stand ard typ e used o n the U ltraVu x3 00 .
P ostS crip t is a p rint d escription lan gua ge th at w ill allow vector text to
be en larg ed to any size w ith ou t lo ss o f d etail. Im ag es in T IF F form at are
ra sterized into a fin e do t pattern fo r p rinting . W hile un der-sam pled T IF F

3-22

C hapter 3

im ag es w ill loo k grain y (as in C T m od e), ov er-sam ple d T IF F form at

im ag es create la rg e file sizes a nd do nt n ecessarily en han ce the qu ality
of the fin al ou tpu t im ag e.

Vutek PostScript Format Highlights

Resolutions: 50, 75, 100, 150, 300 pixels per inch (ppi)
300 dpi text or selected resolution
Accepts Type 1 and True Type fonts (PostScript Level II)
Type 0 fonts (Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, etc)
Color correction during process or with UltraWorks RIP
Preset plug and play calibration
PhotShop CMYK separation tables
PhotoShop - UltraVu Linearization
SWOP - UltraVu Linearization
ICC Profile for SWOP and UltraVu
Modification of ICC profiles

Understanding Print Speeds

T he U ltraVu x3 00 D ig ita l P rin tin g S ystem h as tw o p rint sp eeds,
S tand ard and H ig h S peed .
N o te: W h en ch ang in g th e S peed , th e B i-D irection al A lign m en t w ill
need to b e reset (both Stan da rd a nd H igh Speed M od es). R efer to
In tern al Test P a ttern s sectio n discussed ea rlier in th is cha pter fo r
details on p erform in g th e a lignm ent.
N o te: P rint speeds are cu rren tly ch an ging d ue to im p rovem en ts in
softw a re an d firm w a re. P lea se ca ll V U T E k fo r cu rren t specification s.
Standard Speed
S tand ard S peed o perate s th e Jet P acks in a co nservativ e m o de,
m inim izin g th e need for P rin t H ea d m aintenan ce du ring p rinting . A u ser
can prin t a d ense billb oard w itho ut sig nifica nt jet d ro p o ut an d w itho ut
th e n eed to in terru pt the prin tin g proc ess to pu rg e or w ip e the Jet
P acks.A s a resu lt, prin t qu ality an d detail w ill be im p ro ved .

O peration

3-23

High Speed
H igh S peed o perates th e Jet P acks in a less co nservativ e m od e that m ay
re quire p urging an d w iping d urin g the p rinting p ro cess to regain lo st
jets. W h en prin ting at no rm al b illbo ard d ensitie s, care m u st b e taken to
ensu re a qua lity p rint. M o re sa teliting o f e dge artifacts m ay occu r at th is
speed .

Understanding Print Modes

T he U ltraVu x3 00 D ig ita l P rin tin g S ystem h as the cap abilities of
prin tin g in three op era tio nal m o des, U ltra, E nh anced and L o R es.
Ultra Mode
U ltra M od e is the m ost p rec ise fo rm of printin g, g iv ing the h ig hest
qu ality im ag es. T h is m o de is recom m en ded for printin g sm a ll, hig h
qu ality im ag es fo r view ing u p clo se.
Enhanced Mode
T he E nh anced M o de is design ed to b e the regu lar print m o de used fo r
day to day printin g. T h is m ode is ideal for gene ral p rinting that w ill be
view ed from any d ista nce.
Lo Res Mode
T he L o R e s M o de is the draft or b illbo ard m od e. O nce th e ope rator
un derstan ds th e m eth od of prin tin g it m ay m ake sen se to use L o R es for
billb oard p rin ting . T his m o de prin ts every other do t in the ho rizon tal
directio n. In stead o f p rinting 300 dp i ho rizon tally, th e printer o utputs at
15 0 dp i. Ve rtical resolution rem ain s u nch ang ed. In practice, this m od e
pu ts d ow n h alf the am o un t o f in k o n the im ag e as d oes the other m od es.
To u se the m od e prope rly the u ser m ust p rep re ss th e im age to in crea se
qu arter an d m id tones. W ith practice the L o R es M ode ca n prod uce
ou tstan ding results.
A draw back to L o R e s p rinting is that saturated colo rs are no t as v ib ran t
as w ith th e U ltra or E nh ance d m od es. In g eneral th e U ltraVu x 30 0 ink s
hav e a ery stro ng co lo r in ten sity, so th is m od e m ay be very u se fu l w h en
high throug hp uts are req uired .
N o te: T he C T fo rm a t m a y not p ro du ce hig h qu ality p rints in L o R es
M od e beca use th e h alf to ne cell structure is o ptim ized fo r the other
m o des of p rin tin g.

3-24

C hapter 3

Using UltraVu Software

Understanding UltraVus Capabilities
T he U ltraVu P rinte r C o ntrol P rog ram w ill p ro cess b oth C T and
P o stscrip t file fo rm ats. T h ese file fo rm ats can b e p rin ted in tw o sp eed s,
S tan d ard an d H ig h S p eed . E ach sp eed can b e co n fig u red in th re e
d ifferen t p rin t m o d es, U ltra, E n h an ced an d L o R es. F o r d etaile d
in fo rm ation o n th e prin t speed s an d m od es, refe r to the prev iou s sec tio n
fo r d etails.
Data File Types
T he U ltraVu softw are su ppo rts the follow in g data file typ es:
S cite x C T (S C T w ind ow s v ersion)
.RT L (sp ecific ty pe)
F or ad ditio nal in fo rm ation o n file form ats, p lease re fer to C hap ter 7 , R IP
S tation , for d etails on h ow to prepa re an d loa d im age s into the U ltraVu
x3 00 D ig ital P rin tin g S yste m .
Workstations
T he U ltraVu x3 00 D ig ita l P rin tin g S ystem inclu des an U ltraVu
W orkstatio n for op eratio n o f the printer and to provide file m anagem ent
task s. T his W o rk station is config ured as a W ind ow s N T w orkstatio n.
T he system is co nfig ured to a llo w file h and lin g to take p lace du ring
prin tin g an d to p ro vid e a netw ork co nn ection for p eer to peer file
han dling . T h is w ill allow the o perato r to o rgan ize im ag es and p ro cess
files w h ile p rinting to allow alm ost co ntinu ou s p rinting to oc cur.
A lso availab le is an o ption al secon d W orkstation for R IP processing.
T his R IP S tatio n is co nfigu red id entical to th e U ltraVu W o rk station w ith
bo th hav in g the U ltraW orks R IP so ftw are residen t o n the hard driv e. T he
exce ption b ein g th at on ly o ne licensed D on gle is provided . B o th
w o rk station s are prov id ed w ith a 1 00B ase-T ne tw o rk card so tha t the
U ltraVu W o rk station ca n b e c able d d irectly to an existin g W ind ow s N T

O peration

3-25

N etw o rk o r the U ltraW orks R IP S tatio n as a p eer to peer netw o rk

partn er.V U T E k d oes no t, ho w ev er, recom m end or supp ort th at either of
th ese sy stem s be setu p as an N T S erv er.
C a u tion : D o no t con vert th e U ltra Vu Workstation to a W ind ow s N T F ile
server. T his w ill m ake th e prin ter in opera ble.
N o te: T h e U ltraVu x300 D ig ital P rin ting S ystem s a re provided w ith
U ltraWorks raster im ag e pro cessor (R IP ) a nd P o sterWo rks im a ge
prepa ration so ftw are. T he U ltra Works R IP is loca ted o n th e ha rd d rive
on the U ltra Works R IP S tatio n. A lso in clu ded o n th e h ard drive are
detailed do cum entation an d techn ica l b ulletins for the U ltraWorks R IP
an d U ltra Vu So ftw are. T he P o sterWo rks so ftw are is su pp lied sepa rately
an d can resid e on the U ltraVu (printer) Wo rkstation or on the
U ltraWorks R IP Station .
T he U ltraWorks So ftw are su ppo rts th e follow ing da ta file typ es:
.E P S
P ostscript (P S) form ats.
T IF F

Upgrading UltraVu x300 Software

U ltraVu com es in stalled on the W o rk S tation h ard d rive. P eriod ically
V U T E k prov id e u pg rad es to th e U ltraVu softw a re. W h en it b ecom es
nece ssa ry to up grade th e prog ram th en U ltraVu w ill h ave to b e
re installe d.
A ty pica l so ftw are an d firm w are up grade (see nex t section fo r firm w are
up grade p ro cedu re) fo r th e U ltra Vu x 30 0 prin ter con sists of tw o 3 .5
flop pies labeled U ltraVu and F irm w are U pgrad e.
To in stall the u p grade, follow th e step s ou tlin ed b elow :
1
2
3

Install Disk #1 of 2 into the floppy drive.

From the Windows Desktop screen, select Start and Run.
Type A:\Setup then click OK.

N o te: A lterna tively, click the M y C om pter a nd 3-1/2 F lo ppy (A :)

ico ns. D ou ble-click o n Setu p .
4

3-26

C hapter 3

Select Next at the selection option and click Yes. Select Next for the
remaining selection options.

At the installation prompt, insert disk #2 of 2 and select OK. The

upgrade will proceed automatically.

N o te: N ot a ll p rinters w ill req uire D isk # 2.D u rin g a reinstallation of the
softw a re, o r d uring a n up grad e, so m e files used b y the existin g w ill still
be p resent. If th e pro per files are presen t, th e second disk m ay no t be
need ed.
6

When the setup is finished, remove disk #2 of 2, and select Finish.

The UltraVu Workstation will perform an automatic reboot. After the
system has rebooted, restart UltraVu. The printer is now ready to
proceed with the upgrade. Please follow the procedures below to
upgrade the firmware.

Upgrading UltraVu x300 Firm ware

To up grad e th e firm w are, you m u st h ave th e flop py set lab eled
U ltraVu an d F irm w are U p grad e or cop y of th e E m ergen cy
R ecovery D isk #2. F ollow th e in stru ctions b elow to perform th e
in stallation p rocedu re.
1
2

Insert disk #2 of 2 into the floppy drive.

Start the UltraVu Software. Select Setup and then Update Firmware.
This procedure will read from the floppy drive and display all files on
Disk #2 of 2. Double click on the file labeled VX300. You may also find
this file in the directory: C:\Program Files\Vutek\UltraVu on a new
installation of the software.

On the Printer Status LCD Readout, the message Update

Requested will appear.

Press the Advance Button on the printer Control Panel (press Error
to cancel). The message Writing Data will be displayed on the Printer
Status LCD. When done, the Update Completed message will be
displayed.

To activate the new firmware, reboot the Printer Controller by

depressing the Reset Button on the Printers Control Panel.

Place the printer online. The update procedure cannot proceed

unless the printer is online.

N o te: If th is proced ure fails, u se the E m ergen cy R ecovery D isk #2

provided w ith the up gra de. T h is is also ava ila ble a t
w w w.vu teksu pp ort.co m .
7

After the printer has restarted, place the printer online and start the
UltraVu Software. Select Help and then About UltraVu. This will
display the UltraVu Software and Firmware Revision Levels. Verify
the software and firmware revisions are the same.

O peration

3-27

Form atting Rem ovable Disk Cartridges

T he follow in g proced ure describ es h ow to form at a rem ov able disk
cartridg e.
N o te: If a C a rtrid ge w a s p reviou sly fo rm atted , it w ill no t be necessary
to create a new p artition in the follow ing p ro cedu re.
To form at a disk you w ill need to p erform th ese steps:
1

Select My Computer under Windows and note the removable disk(s)

letter(s). Record the letter(s) here for future reference: ____________
(For example- F:\)

If a JAZ Cartridge is being formatted, insert the cartridge into the

drive. If a MO Cartridge is being formatted, insert the unformatted
cartridge into the drive with the side to be formatted facing up.

From the desktop menu select Start in the lower left corner. Select
Programs, then Administrative Tools (Common) and then Disk
Administrator.

4
5

Click OK to the warnings and Yes to confirm.

Select Create. This creates the necessary partition information on the

selected removable cartridge. Click OK.

Right click on the removable disk letter inside the diagonal lined box.
This is the letter that was assigned in the first step above.

8
9

Select Commit changes now, click Yes to confirm, and then click OK.

Right click on the removable disk letter inside the diagonal lined box.
This selects the disk to be formatted.

Right click on the removable disk letter located inside the diagonal
lined box.

10 Select the Format option. In the format menu box, go to File System
and select either FAT (File Allocation Table) or NTFS (NT File System)
disk formats.

N o te: If this ca rtrid ge w ill be used w ith a p rep ress system , th e o pera tor
m u st use th e FAT (F ile A llocation Ta ble) fo rm a t.
11 Under the Format Options, select Start and click OK when the
warning box appears. The format process will begin.

12 If a MO Cartridge is being formatted, turn the cartridge over and

repeat the above procedure to format the other side. If a JAZ
Cartridge is being formatted, the format process is complete.

13 Close all currently opened windows.

3-28

C hapter 3

Starting the UltraVu Control Program

To start th e U ltraVu p rinter con trol softw are, do uble click o n the U ltraVu
pro gram ico n on the W in dow s N T D esk top .

Understanding the UltraVu M enu Structure

T his section d escribes each of the fu nction s p erform ed by th e p ull-do w n
m enu s and the B utton B ar ic ons d isp layed on th e m ain U ltraVu S cre en.
R efer to F igure 3-14 for the U ltraVu S o ftw are m a in m enu layo ut. F igu re
3-15 sh ow s the m enu stru ctu re.

Figure 3-14 UltraVu Printer Control Program Menu Screen

O peration

3-29

UltraVu Menu Structure

File
Open

O pens file for printing

Recent File

Shows last four files printed

Exit

Exits UltraVu Software

File Info

Displays selected file inform ation size in bytes, resolution, etc.

Print O ptions

Print

Print M odes

Print M odes, Print Speeds, Segment Spacing, and Edge Detect

Settings

Media Layout

M edia width, m argin settings, multiple roll setup

Borders

Sets borders on printed image for top, bottom , left, and right,
border color select

Unit

Selects inches or m etric display values within UltraVu

Duplications

Duplicates selected im age both vertically and horizontally.

O utput Resolution

Specifies output resolution for RTL and CT files

Select Area

Im age and printer statistics. Prints specific area of im age.

Print Selected Area

Print selected area or complete im age

S 1/8

Displays selected image 1/8 norm al size

S 1/4

Displays selected image 1/2 norm al size

1/2

Displays selected image 1/2 norm al size

Norm al

Displays selected image norm al8 normal size (default)

2X

Displays selected image 2 tim es size

View

4X

Displays selected image 4 tim es norm al size

Display Bitm ap

If set on (default) when im age is opened, will display selected

im age. View size is defined by above View size selection

Edit Luts/G roups

Used with CT files. M odifies LookUp Tables for CM YK values.

Manage Groups

M anages the Luts/G roups

Printer Settings

Bi-Directional Adjustm ent, Take-up Tension Setting, Printer

Vacuum Setting, M edia Step Size, Maxim um M edia Accuracy
Setting, Save and Read Default Functions, Mesh Kit Settings

Default Path

Set up the default path for Im age files, Dither Pattern, LUT files,
Job files

Update Firm ware

Using 3.5" floppy update printer firm ware. Also displays current
firmware revision level

Enter Password

Password activates UltraVu Software

Lookup

Setup

Help
Help Topics

Lists Help Topics

About UltraVu

Displays UltraVu and Firmware revision levels, free disk space,

and physical mem ory size (RAM )

Get Printer Rev

Displays Firm ware Revision level

G et Media Stats

Displays the print m edia settings

Figure 3-15 UltraVu Menu Structure

3-30

C hapter 3

Button Bar
B elow the com m an d m enu is a bu tton b ar co ntaining sev en sho rtcut
com m an d bu tto ns. T h e ico ns rep re se nt th e fo llo w ing co m m a nds (from
left to rig ht): O pen , P rin t, A b ou t, H elp, A u to -D ry, M edia A d van ce and
U se S elec ted A rea . S om e of the se fun ctions m ay also be acce ssed usin g
th e p ull-do w n m en us. B elow is a d escriptio n of the fun ctio ns for the
seven sh ortcu t com m an d to ol b utton s.

O p en - T h e O pe n bu tto n func tio ns th e sam e as th e

F ile - O pen m e nu co m m an d.
P rin t - T he P rint p erform s the sam e fu nction as the
P rint S elec ted A rea co m m an d.

A bo ut - T h e A bo ut bu tton fun ctio ns th e sam e as the

H elp A bou t U ltraVu com m an d. T his fu nction w ill
prov id e revisio n lev els of the firm w are and
softw are, as w ell as d isk an d m em ory param ete rs.

H elp T h e H elp b utto n fu nction s the sam e as the

H elp m enu .
A uto-D ry - T h is fu nction is n ot su pp orted o n th e
pu ll-do w n m en u. W h en sele cted , th e A u to-D ry
fu nctio n w ill au tom atically ad van ce the su bstrate
m aterial un til th e end of th e prin ted im age is on th e
S ubstrate D ryer. T he m aterial w ill ad van ce at th e
sam e m aterial feed rate th at th e im age is p rinted at.

M edia A dva nce - T his functio n is n ot sup po rted by

a pu ll do w n m en u co m m an d. S electing this b utton
w ill ad van ce the su bstrate m aterial app ro xim a tely
2.5 (6.35 cm ). T h e A d van ce butto n on the prin ter
C o ntrol P an el also initia tes this fun ction .

O peration

3-31

U se Selected A rea T his bu tton is u sed in

con ju nction w ith the P rint S elected A rea com m and .
It allo w s th e ope rator to selec t a portion o f an im age
to p rint u sing the P rint S elected A rea com m and .
M esh M od e T his b utton calls up a second ary
w ind ow for se lecting M esh S etu p P aram eters.

Wa lk-up T h is bu tto n w a kes up the system .

A uto Sh utd ow n T his b utton a uto m atic ally sh uts

do w n the system .

3-32

C hapter 3

File Menu
To acce ss th e F ile M enu , select F ile o n the m enu b ar. R efer to F igu re 31 6 for the F ile M en u w ith F ile O p en S cree n . T h e c o m m an d struc tu re fo r
th e F ile m enu is as follow s:
File

E xit

Open

O pens a specific file for printing

Recent File

Show s last four files opened

Exits U ltraVu S oftw are

Figure 3-16 File Menu with File Open Screen

O peration

3-33

Print Menu
To a ccess the P rint M en u, se lect P rint on the m enu bar. R efer to F igure
3-17 for th e P rin t P u ll-D ow n M en u.

Figure 3-17 Print Pull-Down Menu

T he co m m an d structure is as follow s:
P rint
File Info

D isplays selected file inform ation (e.g

size in bytes, resolution)

Print O ptions

D isplays P rint M ode, M edia Layout,

Borders, U nits of m easurem ent O ptions

Print M odes

Print M odes, Print S peeds, S egm ent

Spacing, and E dge D etect settings

M edia Layout M edia w idth, m argin settings, m ultiple roll

setup
Borders

Unit

3-34

C hapter 3

Sets borders on printed im age for top,

bottom , left and right, border color select
S elects Inches or m etric display values
w ithin U ltraVu

Duplications

D uplicate selected im age both vertically

and horizontally

O utput Resolution

Specifies output resolution for RTL files

Select A rea

Im age and printer statistics. Selects

specific area of im age

Print

Selected P rint S elected Area of im age or

Area com plete im age

disp lay s p ara m eters o f th e se lected file. F ile in fo rm atio n

display ed inclu des Im a ge S ize (in pixels) and D im en sio ns (h eig ht an d
w idth ), R eso lutio n and Im age S ize in by tes (see F ig ure 3-18 )l.

File Info

Print O ptions allo w s yo u to ch oo se from P rin t M o des, M edia L a you t,

B o rd ers or U n its.

Figure 3-18 File Information Screen

T he P rint M ode s S creen (see F igure 3-19 ) co ntrols S tand ard o r H igh
speed print sp eeds an d a cho ice of L o R es, E n han ced , or U ltra p rint.
E dg e D ete ctio n can b e selected or deselected . E d ge O v erlap can be set
as w ell as the ve rtical sp acin g betw een se gm ents. W hen ch eck ed, the
D o ub le S trike O ption B ox en ables the p rin ter to p rint B a ckligh t
display s.

Figure 3-19 Print Mode Screen

O peration

3-35

T he M ed ia L ay ou t S creen (see F igu re 3 -2 0) e nab les op erator to selec t

th e a m o un t of left m argin a nd m ed ia w idth fo r each roll of m edia load ed
on th e p rinter. T h is screen also en ables the use o f righ t m arg in s to h elp
con trol edg e o verlap , fo rce d p anel en din gs, an d oth er sim ilar con ditio ns.
T he E dg e D etecto r (loc ated o n th e C arria ge A ssem bly) autom atically
detects each su bstrates w idth w he n the p rinter is first p ut o nline .

Figure 3-20 Media Layout Screen

T he B o rd ers S creen (see F igu re 3-21 ) allow s the user to select a bo rd er,
specify w id th an d co lor fo r ap plication to a print.

Figure 3-21 Borders Screen

3-36

C hapter 3

T he U n its S creen (se e F ig ure 3-22 ) allow s for selection o f U S or M etric

dim e nsio ns to b e used d uring printin g of the sele cted im age.

Figure 3-22 Units Screen

allow s for th e d up lic atio n of selected im ag es b oth

vertically and horiz ontally, en ablin g th e u ser to prin t m ultip le im ag es o n
th e su bstrate. R e fer to F ig ure 3 -2 3 for d etails on this screen.

Duplications

Figure 3-23 Duplications Screen

O peration

3-37

Output Resolution specifies output reso lution for RT L files o nly (see F igu re

3-2 4) .

Figure 3-24 Output Resolutions Screen

Select Area allow s the u ser to sp ecify w hat area of an im ag e is to be
prin ted . T h e u ser c an set th e U se M o used A rea S ettin g (see F ig ure 3 -2 5)
after a section of an im ag e has b een outlined w ith the cursor. To o utlin e
an area of im age , h old dow n the m ou se b utton and d ra g th e box aro un d
th e section of th e im ag e that is d esired. T he area ou tlined by th e m ou se
bo x w ill b e p rinted.

Figure 3-25 Select Printing Areas Screen

3-38

C hapter 3

Print disp lay s th e p rint pa ram eters fo r th e selected im a ge and in itiate s

im ag e p rinting . It is im po rtant to check these p aram eters before prin tin g
(see F ig ure 3-26 ).

Figure 3-26 Print Parameters Selected Screen

View Menu
To ac cess the View M enu (see F igu re 3 -2 7), select th e View fro m the
U ltraVu M en u B ar.

Figure 3-27 View Pull Down Menu

O peration

3-39

T he View com m and stru ctu re is as fo llow s:

View
S 1/8

D isplays selected im age 1/8 size

S 1/4

D isplays selected im age 1/4 size

1/2

D isplays selected im age 1/2 size

Norm al

D isplays selected im age norm al

size (default)

2x

D isplays selected im age tw o tim es

norm al size

4x

D isplays selected im age four tim es

norm al size

DISP LAY B ITM A P

If set w hen file is opened, w ill display

selected im age. D isplay size is defined by
above View size selection - D efault is O N

LookUp Menu
T he L oo kU p M en u sup po rts the E dit L uts/G rou ps a nd th e M an age
G rou p fu nction s. R efer to F ig ure 3 -2 8 fo r the E dit L uts/G rou ps S creen
lay ou t. T h is com m and chan ges th e L U T (L o ok U p Tab le) files fo r C T
files on ly. T he pu rp ose o f th is fu nction is to prov id e a m etho d fo r
m aking m in or c han ges to ex isting C T files o n th e U ltra Vu D ig ital
P rinting S ystem . W ith this op tio n th e u ser can lo ad th e C T file an d app ly
m ino r co lo r adjustm en ts before prin tin g.

Figure 3-28 Select Luts for this Job Screen

3-40

C hapter 3

T he E dit L uts F un ction ca n app ly eith er a S igm a or G am m a C urve , or

straig hte n an existing cu rv e. T h e G am m a c urve lightens or darken s an
im ag e, allo w in g the user to app ly a co rrection in o ne d irection o nly. T h e
S igm a C u rv e w ill allow c orrectio ns in m ultip le d ire ctio ns, such as
lightening the lo w er part of a curve w h ile d arken ing the u pp er en d to ad d
or rem ov e con trast (n ote the S ig m a C urve in F ig ure 3-29 ).

Figure 3-29 Edit Luts Screen

To ad ju st and save C T M od e L ooku p s:

1
2
3
4
5

Select LookUp

6
7

Select OK when finished.

Select OK when finished and save the default Lut path. Use the
current Lut Group.

Select Edit Luts/Groups

Select Edit Luts
Select the color requiring adjustment
Select Sigma or Gamma for the curve shape or Straighten Button for
straight line Luts.
If a Lut has been renamed, select Save Group on the Edit
Luts/Groups Screen if the settings must be retained for future use.

T he M an age G ro up F u nction is u sed to m an age the L uts/G rou ps.

O peration

3-41

Setup Menu
T he S etu p m enu allo w s th e u ser to access printer settin gs, file default
path and the u pd ate firm w are fun ction (see F igu re 3-30 ).

Figure 3-30 Setup Pull-Down Menu

T he co m m an d structure is as follow s:
Setup

3-42

C hapter 3

Printer Settings

Bi-D irectional A djustm ent, M edia

Step S ize, Takeup Tension, Printer
Vacuum S ettings, M axim um M edia
Accuracy setting, M esh K it E nabled
setting, R ead and Save default settings
function

Default P ath

Specify default path for Im age and

LU T Files, D ither P attern and Job Files

Update Firm w are

U pdate printer firm w are using 3.5

floppy. A lso displays current Firm w are
revision level installed

Enter Passw ord

U ltraVU H ardw are K ey (dongle)

passw ord. P roper passw ord m ust be
entered to activate dongle, and therefore
U ltraVu softw are.

Printer Settings T h is op tio n op ens th e S et P rin ter P aram eters S creen

(see F ig ure 3-31 ) w h ich a llo w s th e u ser to set th e P rin ter Vac uum
S etting s to O n w hile prin tin g, O n a ll th e tim e or O ff a ll th e tim e. T he
op era tor can also read curren t defau lt prin ter setting s, m od ify or sa ve
setting s a s the current d efau lt.

T he Takeu p Ten sio n S etting allow s the u ser to spec ify th e R ed ire ct an d
Tak eup R o ller ten sion settin gs fo r different sub strate typ es an d w idth s.
T he ad justm e nt is m ade b y changing the percen tag e of tensio n needed
in 5 % increm ents.

Figure 3-31 Set Printer Parameters Screen

T he M ed ia S tep S ize S etting is u se d to calib rate the p recise

adv ance m e nt of th e m ed ia. T his va lue typically in cre m e nts (or
decrem en ts) in 0.00 01 (0.0 25 m m ) step s d epending o n th e alig nm en t
on th e im ag e. A dark lin e at th e top of a ban d o f print m ay in dica te that
th e o verlap is too great an d the ste p size sh ou ld b e increased by 0 .000 1
(0 .002 5 m m ). If a lig ht or a w h ite line ap pears, the step size is too great
and has to b e d ecreased. T he o perato r sho uld start at th e default value
and adju st th e step size b ased up on the ab ove criteria.

O peration

3-43

T he B i-D irection al A d ju stm ent S ettin g allow s y ou to adjust th e B idirectio nal A lig nm en t (the vertical alig nm ent o f row s o f do ts). T h is
adjustm en t is m ade using Test P attern 3 to adjust to the p ro per
align m en t. O n ce th is align m ent is se t, it sh ould n ot requ ire adjustm en t.
T his sh ould be set for both high an d stan dard sp eeds.
M ax im um M edia S ize S ettin g is used w hen m axim u m im age qu ality is
desired . T h is se tting w ill inc rease p rint tim e in m ost cases. T his is
acco m p lish ed by allow ing the Y S ervo (S ub strate F ee d R oller) to settle
ou t to w ithin 0 .001 (0 .0 25 m m ) o f accu racy before th e X S e rv o
(C arriag e) m o tio n is in itiated .
N o te: A lw ays record you r d efa ult setting s b efore cha ng ing any
pa ram eters on this screen.
M esh K it E n abled S etting (see F igu re 3 -3 2) enab les m otion o f th e S poo l
Tak eup F u nction to con tinu ously cycle the ink ab sorben t back in g
m aterial. W hen u sing the M esh K it, a b acking m aterial m ust b e c ycle d
beh in d th e im age to a bsorb all excess in k passing throug h th e im age .
T his w ill prev ent dripp in g or spilla ge o f ex cess ink on to the m esh . W he n
enab led , the S po ol Tak eup S p eed S ettin g w ill de term ine th e speed a t
w h ich th e back in g w ill be cy cled . T he sp eed ca n be adjusted from 0 (o ff)
to 1 00 (fast), allow in g the o perato r to w o rk w ith variety of back ing
m aterials.

Figure 3-32 Mesh Kit Settings Screen

3-44

C hapter 3

Default Path T his o ption o pen s the D efau lt P ath s S creen (see F igu re 3 33 ). T his allow s the u se r to set up d efau lt im a ge, L u ts, D ither P a ttern
and job file directory paths fo r q uick access to file s.

Figure 3-33 Defaults Path Screen

T his o ptio n o p e n s the U pd ate F irm w are S creen (see

F igu re 3-34 ) w hich allo w s the user to v iew th e cu rrent revision nu m ber
fo r the resid ent firm w are . T h e U p date F un ctio n for th e firm w are is also
in clu ded o n th is screen .

Update Firm w are

Figure 3-34 Update Firmware Screen

O peration

3-45

T h is optio n op ens th e P assw ord E ntry S creen (see

F igu re 3-35 ) w hich allo w s the user to en ter tw o n um b ers to a ctiv ate th e
U ltraVu S o ftw are.

Enter Password

A t the tim e o f shipm ent all 32 h ead U ltraVu prin ters w ere eq uipped w ith
hardw are k eys, otherw ise, kn ow n as D o ngles. D on gle s are used to
con trol the prin ter's use. T h e D o ngle K ey req uires a p assw o rd to be
in stalled at sp ecific tim es d uring the y ear. W h en a m essage ap pears o n
th e w orkstation m on itor screen that a p assw ord is requ ired, you m u st
sup ply one. You can procu re a p assw ord fro m V U T E k b y callin g th e
P ro duct S u pp ort S taff at (60 3) 279 -4 63 5.

Figure 3-35Password Entry Screen

To in stall a D on gle p assw ord :

1

Select the Setup menu and click Enter Password. A Password

Window will appear (see Figure 3-35). Two numbers are required;
your Key which you should already have and the actual Password
assigned by VUTEk.

Enter the Key first, followed with the Password Code. Only the exact
numbers provided by VUTEk will work. If incorrect numbers are
input, the window will close after three attempts.

Click Ok. The UltraVu Program should now be activated.

N o te: To p erfo rm the steps a bo ve yo u w ill need U ltra Vu Versio n 2 .0 4 o r

ab ove.

3-46

C hapter 3

Help Menu
T he H elp P ull-D o w n M enu (see F igu re 3 -3 6) p ro vides access to the
H elp To pics, A b ou t U ltraVu, G et P rinter R ev, an d G et M edia S tats
S cree ns. T h e H elp com m and stru ctu re is as fo llow s:
Help
Help Topics
About U ltraVu
Get P rinter R ev
G et M edia Stats

Figure 3-36 Help Pull-Down Menu

Help Topics

T his o ption is n ot av ailable a t th is tim e.

O peration

3-47

About UltraVu T his op tio n op ens the A b ou t U ltraVu by V U T E k S cre en

(see F ig ure 3-37 ). It d isplays th e S o ftw are B uild an d F irm w are
R ev isio n. T he M em ory S ize an d D isk S pace F re e P aram eters are also
display ed o n th is sc reen .

Figure 3-37 About UltraVu by VUTEk Screen

T h is o ption o pen s th e P rin ter F irm w are R evision L ev el

S cree n (see F ig ure 3 -38) and d isp lays th e curre nt V U T E k F irm w are
R ev isio n.

Get Printer Rev

Figure 3-38 Printer Firmware Revision Level Screen

Get Printer Stats

3-48

C hapter 3

T h is op tio n displays th e P rint M ete r Valu e in M 2 .

Im proving Print Quality

T his sectio n discu sses so m e o f the fa ctors tha t can affect prin t qu ality
and offe rs sug gestion s for im prov ing print q uality.

Print G ap
T he P rint H ead m ust b e adjusted fo r m inim um print gap (w itho ut h ittin g
th e m ed ia) fo r im p ro ving p rint q uality. R e fer to C hap ter 5 , M ain ten ance,
fo r the p ro cedu re to a dju st th e prin t g ap. B elow are so m e su gg estions for
gap sizes:
R eco m m en ded p rint gap for 8 (2.5 m ) w id e o r less m ate rial is 0.06 "
- 0 .1 0" (1 .5 m m - 2.5 m m ).
16 fo ot (5 m eter) w id e vinyls m ay req uire larger prin t g aps o f 0 .1 0"
- 0 .2 0" (2 .5 m m 5 m m ), du e to w rin kles, seam s, etc. L arg er p rint
gap s result in fu zzier lin es du e to in k drop let satellites hitting the
m edia la ter than th e m ain d roplet. T h e jet pack arrays w ill a ccum ulate
m ore ink o n th eir face p lates than w ith sm a ller prin t gap s. T his
gen erally doe s n ot cau se jet ou tag e prob lem s, b ut the jet p acks m ay
need to b e w ip ed m ore frequ ently to m aintain p rint q uality.

Step Setting
G en erally, th e S tep S ettin g shou ld b e set betw een 1.22 - 1.25 .
To verify th at this setting is accu rate, ru n P rin ter Te st 5 . Test 5 p rints
a ho rizon tal lin e pattern fo r alig nm ent of the step func tio n. E nsu re th e
test p attern is perfec tly alig ned since this ad justm e nt is critical to
prin t size.
To increase im a ge p rint q uality, try red ucing the step size by on e unit.
F or ex am ple, if th e perfec t alig nm en t value is 1 .2 42 ", try prin tin g
at 1 .2 41 ". T his p ro vides fo r im ag e ov erlap allow in g th e prin tin g to be
m ore fo rgiv in g in the solid fill area s.

Platen/Preheater and Vacuum Settings

In gen eral, sta rt w ith the P laten/P reh eater at ro om tem p erature. T h is
allow s the m ost d ot ga in an d un iform ity in th e so lid fill areas. Vinyl
sub stra te m aterial w ill differ in re ceptivity to th e ink . F ollo w th e
gu ide lin es belo w to inc rease im ag e qu ality from th e printer.
If th e ink run s o r d rips, y ou sh ould either in crease the P late n/P reheater tem peratu re or ru n th e im age throug h prep ress process w ith
less in k. F o ur-co lo r blacks sho uld no t excee d 75 % (50 % preferred)
fo r eac h of C M Y K colors.

O peration

3-49

 If w h ite line s ap pear du rin g de nser ink co verag e (at 0 .3 " p itch in
E nh anced M od e), th en th is m ay in dic ate th at th e P laten /P re heater
tem p erature m a y need to be d ecreased.
H o w m uch P laten /P reh eate r hea t is req uired ? N orm ally 10 0F
(3 8C ) w ill su ffice fo r m ost m aterials. F o r fabrics requ irin g a higher
setting , V U T E k reco m m en ds startin g at roo m tem peratu re an d
gradu ally in crea se the tem p era ture in 1 0F steps un til an op tim u m
perform an ce is ach iev ed - 1 20 F (49 C ) m ay be re quire d. H ow ever,
to o hig h a tem pe rature o n th e P la ten /P reh eate r can cau se the viny l to
adh ere to th e P laten /P reh eater resultin g in w hite lin es.
N o te: If the m edia do t g ain is no t h igh eno ug h, the result w ill a lso b e
w h ite lines on the im a ge. Vinyl in co nta ct w ith th e P la ten/P reh eater
w ill ha ve a different dot gain in the no nco ntacted area.
Turn ing the v acuu m o ff w ill have a dram atic im pact on prin t qu ality w h en
prin ting o n 16 ft. (5 m ) w id e vin yl. H igh vacuum , in con jun ction w ith high
P laten/P reheater tem peratures, m ay th e vin yl to adh ere to the P laten an d
S u bstrate D ry er P lates.

Substrate Dryer Settings

T he S u bstrate D ry er heaters sho uld b e set fo r th e m in im um tem peratu re
need ed to adeq uately d ry the im ag e. U sually, a tem pe rature ran ge of
13 0F -1 80 F (55 C 82C ) is recom m end ed. A t these te m p era tures,
vinyl m aterial w ill adhere to the S ub strate D ryer. B y m inim izin g th e
drying tem peratu re , the ad hesio n o f the v iny l to th e P late n and S ubstrate
D ryer is re duced. A d hesio n is stron gest if the viny l has rem ain ed static
and in co ntac t w ith a ho t S ubstrate D ryer fo r som e tim e . V U T E k
re com m end s that y ou ad van ce th e m aterial w ith the A dvan ce B u tto n
im m ediately before beg in nin g a new im age p rint cy cle. T his w ill h elp
re duc e the prob lem s of step erro rs cau sed by o ver heatin g the v in yl.

Takeup Tension Settings

Tak eup an d R ed irect R o ller Ten sio n P aram eters can b e set th ro ugh the
U ltraVu S o ftw are un der S etup - P rin ter. Ty pical te nsio n percen tag e
values sho uld ran ge betw een 5 5-75 % (60 % is reco m m en ded ). U sua lly,
lo w erin g th e tension results in few er step errors (w h ite line s). H ig her
ten sion s m ay be necessary for very lo ng job s o r on h eav y vinyl. Tensio n
setting s also w o rk in c onjun ction w ith the h eat an d v acuu m setting s; i.e.
high tensio n settin gs w ith h igh h eat an d vacuu m w ill increase adh esio n
of the v iny l to the P laten an d S u bstrate H eaters. S etting the ten sion as
lo w as p ossib le, (5 5-65% ) w ill decrease m edia tensio n, red ucing frictio n
betw een the m aterial and heater surfaces.

3-50

C hapter 3

Jet Outage
L iste d below are som e of the facto rs th at cau se jet ou tag e.
T he P rint H eads are com in g in c ontact w ith the sub strate.
H igh P laten tem p eratures are ca usin g th e ink to dry o n un der u sed
jets.
L arge prin t ga ps are accu m ula tin g exc ess ink o n th e Jet P ac ks.
D irty m edia is ca usin g du st to acc um ulate on the Jet P ack s.
D u st, e xcess in k or c ontact w ith the m edia is causing the Jet P ack
surfac es to beco m e dirty.
N o te: H ig h in k viscosity do es n ot jet w ell an d w ill cau se blo cka ges.

Trial Runs
Try u sing a scaled d ow n version of the billboard y ou p lan to prin t.
P ro cess the file throu gh U ltraW o rk s as y ou n orm ally w o uld , ex cep t at a
re duc ed size. O n ce the im a ge has be en ripp ed, print the file . F or
exam p le, a 2' x 6' (0 .6 m x 1.8 m ) sam ple can b e used fo r m o st trial ru ns.
C o lors w ill still m atch w he n scaled a nd p rinted on the sam e vin yl.

Low er Resolution RIP Files

You m ay n eed to rip files using low er resolu tions. W ith so m e
app lications, 50 d pi w ill loo k better than 30 0 dp i. O bv io usly, for sm all
or closeu p w ork, h ig her reso lutio ns are n eeded .

O peration

3-51

3-52

C hapter 3

Chapter 4
Installation

Purpose
T his ch apter p ro vid es im po rtant installation inform ation, w h ich the
custom er sh ould review. T h e initial in stallation an d testing of the
U ltraVu x3 00 D igital P rin tin g S ystem w ill b e con ducted b y an
autho rized V U T E k representative to en sure tha t the eq uipm ent is
fu nctio nin g to sp ecifica tio n.
T he in fo rm atio n presented in this ch apter is in ten ded to serve as a
plann ing aid fo r the installation of th e system o r if th e system is m ove d
to a d iffe ren t lo cation.
N o te: If th e equ ipm ent is to be m oved after the insta lla tion, V U T E k
stro ng ly recom m en ds tha t you con tact our P ro du ct Service Sta ff b efo re
m a kin g th e m ove.

Site Preparation
In order to ensu re a tim ely an d succ essful installatio n yo u sho uld
th orou ghly rev iew yo ur V U T E k Site P rep aratio n G uide and th is ch apter
prio r to th e arrival o f the system . T he facility th at w ill hou se the printer
sho uld be U ltraVu x3 00 R eady . A ll asp ects such a s sub con tracto r
sched uling sh ou ld b e don e before the sy stem 's arriv al. E ach
sub con tracto r m ust com p lete the req uired w o rk before the sy stem in stall
date.

Space Requirem ents and Dim ensions

T his section d eta ils th e reco m m en ded sp ace req uirem en ts and the actu al
prin ter d im en sion s o f th e U ltraVu x30 0 prin ters.

Installation

4-1

UltraVu 3300 Digital Printing System

T he U ltraVu 3 300 has floo r sp ace re quirem en ts of 10 x 2 8 (3 m x 8 .5
m ). In ad d itio n y o u sh o u ld allo w sp ace fo r th e rem o v al an d d ry in g o f
im ag es. T his w ill req uire an un ob structed area o f 60 x 28 (18 m x 8.5
m ), preferab ly located in front o f the prin ter.
T he U ltraVu 33 00 h as these d im ensions (see F igu re 4-1):
H eigh t

62 inch es (1 .6 m )

L eng th

25 0 in ches (6.35 m )

D ep th

45 inch es (1 .1 5 m )

W eig ht

40 00 lbs (1 .8 M etric Tons)

Figure 4-1 UltraVu 3300 Digital Printing System

4-2

C hapter 4

UltraVu 5300 Digital Printing System

T he U ltraVu 53 00 h as floor space requ irem ents o f 10 x 3 5 (3 m x 11
m ). In ad ditio n yo u sho uld allow sp ace fo r th e rem o val an d drying o f
im ag es. T his w ill req uire an u no bstructed area of 60 x 35 (18 m x 11
m ), preferab ly located in front o f the prin ter.
T he U ltraVu 33 00 h as these d im ensions (see F igu re 4-2):
H eigh t

62 inch es (1 .6 m )

L eng th

33 6 in ches (8.55 m )

D ep th

45 inch es (1 .1 5 m )

W eig ht

55 00 lbs (2 .5 M etric Tons)

Figure 4-2 UltraVu 5300 Digital Printing System

Installation

4-3

Environm ent
T he U ltraVu x3 00 printers o perate b est in a co ntro lled env ironm en t. T he
ro om sho uld b e clean , d ust-free, and m a intain a sta ble tem peratu re
betw een 68F and 85F (2 0C an d 29 C ). T he p rinte r sho uld not be
in stalled ne ar viny l seam w eld in g equ ip m en t or any o th er sou rc es o f
stron g R adio F req uen cy In terferen ce (R F I). T he floo r shou ld b e easy to
clea n and sh ou ld n ot ge nerate du st or static electricity. It is also
im po rtant that the roo m ha ve neu tral gray co lo rs and is equ ipp ed w ith
pu re w hite (d ayligh t) lig hting . T he n eutral g ray colors an d dayligh t
lightin g w ill aid op erators a nd clien ts in ju dg ing color ac curacy.

Ventilation
To en sure tha t the roo m is safely v entilated , a fu m e extraction sy stem
sho uld be used to re m o ve solven t vap ors that occu r du ring the drying
process. V U T E k do es n ot su pp ly a ven tilation sy stem , b ut d oes
re com m end a v entilatio n ho od d esign (see A ppendix A ). T h e blo w er
w ill n eed to b e capa ble o f extra ctin g 60 0 cfm at 1 .9 in ches of W a ter
(H W G ).
W A R N IN G : C u stom ers are requ ired to su pply a blow er an d
ven tilatio n h oo d. S in ce so lven t fu m es are p oten tially flam m ab le, th e
blow er m u st b e equ ip ped w ith a Totally E n clo sed F an C oo led (T E F C )
m oto r a n d an alu m in u m im peller.

Pow er Requirem ents

T he U ltraVu x3 00 p rinters can ac cept a 2 00 - 2 50 VA C , S ing le P hase ,
50 /60 H z, electrical co nn ection. E ach printer is ship ped w ith a 10 (3 m )
8/3 Ty pe S O p ow er cable (w ith no term inatio n). T h e U ltraVu 33 00 has
a curren t requ irem e nt o f 40 A m ps to p ro perly o perate, w h ile the U ltraVu
53 00 requ ires 50 A m p s to op erate. T he to tal p ow er co nsum p tio n is
10 ,0 00 w atts.
T he A C po w er circuit m ust b e w ired w ith an in dep end ent circ uit breaker
and circuit groun d (com pu ter grade) that is isolated from oth er
equ ip m e nt. P o w e r sho uld not be suscep tib le to voltag e fluctu ation s.
N o te: In areas w ith u nsta ble p ow er so urces, it is reco m m ended th at a
P ow er C o nd ition ing S ystem (P C S ) w ith a cap acity of 10 kW (or 1 2 kVA )
be in sta lled . To p ro tect the system s com puters a nd electron ics, the
U ltraVu x300 prin ters ha ve w ired to h ave a n in terna l po w er
con ditio ning system in stalled . V U T E k recom m en ds a 2 kVA P C S be
in stalled . To install a P C S you sh ou ld refer to In sta lling the P C S (P o w er
C o nditio ning S ystem ) fo un d la ter in this ch apter.

4-4

C hapter 4

Air Requirem ents

A ll U ltraVu x 30 0 D igital P rin tin g S y stem s req uire an air sup ply w ith a
m inim um of 5 0 psi (3.52 kg/cm ) at 2 cfm (0 .0 56 cm /m ) th at is oil and
w ater fre e. T he air co nn ectio n is a (6 .3 m m ) m a le fitting .

Installation Procedures
T his d escribes som e im po rtant installation p ro ced ures sh ould th e p rinter
ever b e m ov ed. Top ics co vered in clud e leveling the p rinter and relaxing
and alig ning the ra il.
It a lso prov id es instru ctio ns fo r installing o ption al equ ip m en t, such as,
th e P o w er C on ditio nin g S yste m , th e B ann er K it, and the M e sh K it.

Leveling the Printer

T he U ltraVu x3 00 D ig ital P rin tin g S yste m requ ires a level location fo r
in stallation. O n ce th e p rinter is m ov ed in to p lace, it is critical that the
prin ter be lev eled fro m fron t to b ack. L ev eling w ill elim inate an y tw ist
in th e carria ge rails and m aterial ro lle rs that m ay oc cur from an un even
floo r.
To level th e p rin ter d o th e follow in g:
1

Locate the two precision bubble levels that are built into the printer.
These levels are mounted on each end of the x300 frame, between the
Substrate Drive Roller and the Takeup Roller.

Adjust the front and rear legs appropriately until both bubbles
indicate a level condition. The adjustable legs require a 7/8 (22 mm)
wrench to adjust.

Relaxing and Aligning the Rail

N o rm al sh ipm en t of the p rinte r w ill cau se the rails to m ov e o ut o f
align m en t a s m uch as.0 50 . T his occu rs w hen eve r the printer is p laced
on or rem ov ed fro m a sh ipp in g p allet. B ec ause o f this, the ra ils m u st b e
re laxe d an d a lig ned at the tim e of th e in itial installatio n or w h enev er th e
prin ter h as been m o ved to ano th er lo cation .

Installation

4-5

To p erform this task a special set of to ols is require d.

.
Tools Required
T Handle Allen Wrench 3/16
Rail Alignment Fixture T50915

To relax an d align th e rails, you w ill n eed to p erform these step s:

1

Position the Carriage in the center of the printer where the left and
right rails join together.The Carriage should cover four Rail Mounting
Bolts - labeled #1 through #4 (see Figure 4-3).

Figure 4-3 Rail Relaxation and Alignment

4-6

C hapter 4

Starting at one end and working towards the center, loosen all of the
remaining bolts holding the rail in place. Do not loosen the center
four bolts (#1 through #4). These are the bolts that join the two rails
together.

Holding the Rail Alignment Fixture firmly down on the rail, push the
rail towards the Drive Roller until the upright piece is against the
Drive Roller on the left end. Tighten the bolt closest to the bolt #5. Do
not use excessive force to push the rail and Rail Alignment Fixture
against the Drive Roller. Repeat for the right end of the printer and
tighten bolt #6.

Loosen the bolts #1 through #4 and repeat Step 3 using the Rail
Alignment Fixture. Retighten bolts #1 through #4. Again, do not use
excessive force to push rail and Rail Alignment Fixture against the
Drive Roller.

With the Rail Alignment Fixture, retighten all the remaining bolts
starting from the center and working towards the each end.

Installing the Pow er Conditioning System

T he U ltraVu x3 00 printers are config ured to allo w for th e in stallation of
a P o w er C on ditio ning S ystem (P C S ) un it to con ditio n th e pow er. A 2
kVA P C S u nit is reco m m en ded . T h e con nection fo r th e P C S is m ade
after p o w er is d istrib ute d to the h ea ters an d m o tor c irc u its, w h ich are n ot
protected by th is system .
To in stall the P C S, d o th e follow in g:
1

Locate the main Ac Distribution Panel at the left rear of the printer.
and switch off the Main Breaker.

Remove the Access Panel (see Figure 4-4). The panel is located to the
right of the Ac Distribution Panel, below the Takeup Roller. There are
two screws on the left side of the panel that must be removed from
the outside and two screws located on the right side of the panel that
can only be removed from inside the cabinet. You can access the
inside screws by opening the access doors (front side of printer) in
front of the X and Y Servo Controllers. The screws will be on the
inside edge of the panel.

AC Distribution

Access Panel

Figure 4-4 Access Panel (rear, left)

Installation

4-7

Once the panel has been removed, there will be a male/female twistlock plug held to the side of the distribution box. Disconnect this plug
to install the PCS unit. The plug is a HBL4570C (Hubbell) and the
receptacle is a HBL4579C (Hubbell). If the connections on the PCS
are not compatible, contact your electrician to have the plug and
receptacle changed. The PCS can be mounted on the cabinet bottom.

Installing the Banner Kit Option

T he B an ner F a bric K it (A A 7 02 11) includes the fo llow ing :
Quantity

Part Num ber

Description

P7630-A

G lass Fabric, PTFE Paper, 24 R oll

P7699-A

Tape, Polyester Silicon

To in stall the k it, p roceed as follow s:

4-8

C hapter 4

Cut the banner material (P7630-A) to the required length. The material
comes in a 24 roll, 40 wide. The material must be cut into pieces of
either of two lengths, 40or 68, depending on the type of heater
installed on the printer. If the printer has the wide top heater (32 head
production models), then 68 lengths will need to be cut. If the printer
has the standard top heater (32 head field upgrades), then 40
lengths will be required. In the case of the UltraVu 3300 printer, three
pieces of material at the pre-determined length are required; the
UltraVu 5300 requires four pieces of material at the pre-determined
length. It is critical that the material be cut perfectly square.

To install the material on the printer, unroll a strip of tape (P7699-A)

at least 40 long and place it on a table, sticky side up. Take one of
the pieces of the pre-cut banner material (cut end) and press it to the
tape so that of the width of the tape is covered by the banner
material.

Move the taped end of the material to the top heater and hold in place
with the adhesive side up. Have another person loop the untaped end
of the material around the heater under the frame and match up with
the other end of the material.

Lay the material out and line up the edges and seal to the tape. It is
important to ensure that the ends are square to each other.

When the material is attached correctly, lay down another strip of

tape to cover the joint. Cut off any excess tape.

Repeat the procedure for the other banner strips.

Installing the M esh Kit O ption

To install th e M esh K it O ption , yo u ne ed to o btain V U T E k S up po rt
B u lletin (V S B 71 -3 ), U ltra Vu x3 00 M esh K it - R evised: In sta lla tion and
O p erating Instruction s. T his d ocu m e nt can b e o btain ed from V U T E ks
W eb page:
w w w.v ute ksup po rt.co m

Installation

4-9

4-10

C hapter 4

Chapter 5
M aintenance

Maintaining the Printer

T his c hap ter con tain s m a intenan ce proc edu res an d a sch edu le de tailin g
ho w o fte n to perfo rm th em . Yo u m ust m a intain the U ltraVu x 30 0 p rinter
on a regu lar basis to keep it ru nn in g at th e hig hest p erform ance level.

Schedule Details
B elow is d etailed inform a tio n for p erform in g different levels o f
m ain tena nce as ou tlined in th e M ain ten ance S ched ule fo und a t the en d
of the ch apter. V U T E k reco m m ends th at th e sched ule b e cop ied an d
placed w here it can b e seen, i.e. o n th e printer o r nea r th e ope rator s
station .
After Printing Each Segment
C le an the surfa ce o f th e Jet P ack A rrays w ith U ltra Vu H ead C leaning
F luid (ink so lv ent).
R eco ver any lost je ts before startin g th e nex t se gm ent.
Every Eight (8) Hours
T he carriage rails o n th e U ltraVu x 30 0 prin ter m u st be lu bricated
every eigh t ho urs w ith petroleum base d oil (e.g. 3 in 1 oil).
C au tion : D o no t use synthetic oil. Syn thetic oil w ill da m a ge th e
carriage b earin gs.
Daily
C h eck filter an d w a ter trap on inco m ing A ir S u pp ly S y stem s. E m pty
w h en ne cessary.
C h eck th e In k O v erflo w A b sorber loc ated o n th e back side o f th e
C arriage.
N o te: T his is a leng th of felt rop e lyin g in a sm all tray th at stretch es the
fu ll w idth o f th e C a rriag e. T h e felt is used to a bsorb an y run off of ink or
solvent from the rear of the C a rriag e. T h is felt rop e sh ou ld b e checked
an d rep la ced as necessary.

M aintenance

5-1

 C h eck th e blo tter m aterial on th e P rin t H e ad P urger P late. If it is

satu rated w ith ink , replace m a terial w ith a fresh piece.
C h eck th e blo tter m aterial on th e P rin t H e ad P urger P late. If it is
satu rated w ith ink , replace m a terial w ith a fresh piece.
C h eck th e W aste Tan k and e m p ty w hen necessary.
C le an bo th the substrate feed and P in ch R o lle rs as w ell a s th e ro tary
enco der w h eel w ith U ltraVu H ead C leaning F luid .
C au tion : B e sure tha t th e prin ter is po w ered off w hen m an ua lly
tu rnin g th e R o ta ry E n cod er W heel.
N ote: U sing so lven ts other th an U ltra V U H ead C lean in g F luid (or
P M A ceta te) ca n lea ve a residu e on th e ro llers th at w ill a ffect
printing .
Weekly
R ep lace o r clea n the foam filter o n th e o utside o f th e fan o n th e
C arriages C oo lin g F an.. E n sure the fan blades are clean b efore
re plac ing
Monthly
R em ov e and c lean the Ink L ev el S ensors,.
C h ang e the blue in line in k filters fo r the C M Y K Ink F eed L ines.
R em ov e and c lean the S econ dary Ink C a ns.
C le an th e E d g e D etecto r len s w ith a clean lin t free c lo th o r w ip e.
C au tion : D o no t clea n w ith solvent o r clea ner.
C h eck th e C arria ge D riv e B elt Tension.
R em ov e du st from the D C P ow e r S upp lies (i.e. P rin ter C on troller an d
U ltraVu W orksta tio n)
Every Six Months
T he Tak eup /R edirect D rive G earb ox o il sh ou ld be ch ang ed.
R em ov e du st from P o w er S upp ly an d S erv o C o ntro llers w ith
com p ressed air.
Yearly
C h ang e the tw o blue filters o n the C arriag e fo r th e so lv ent an d A ir
F eed L in es.
C le an th e P rim ary Tan k F ilters.

5-2

C hapter 5

Maintenance Procedures
Cleaning the UltraVu x300
W ith the ex ception of the je t pack su rfaces, the U ltraVu x 300 D ig ital
P rinting S ystem m ay b e clean ed w ith gene ral c lean ing cloths and
clea nin g com p ou nds. W h en cleaning the Jet P ack A rray surfa ces, a
clea n ro om style lin t-free clea nin g clo th o r w ipe m ust b e used .
N o te: O n ly a clea n roo m style lint-free clea nin g cloth o r w ip e th at m eets
V U T E k sp ecifica tio ns m ay be used to w ipe the in k an d solvent fro m the
Jet P a ck su rfa ces. U sing o th er types o f clea nin g cloth s o r w ipes w ill
da m a ge th e Jet P ack su rfaces a nd vo id the w arra nty o n th e Jet P acks.
You m ay p urcha se the spec ial lint-fre e c lean ing c loth fro m V U T E k o r
directly from the m anu fa ctu rer that produ ces th is produ ct to V U T E k
specification s.
Lint-Free C leaning C loth
Fisher Scientific
711 Forest Avenue
P ittsburgh, PA
U S A 15219-4785

VU TE k P art # P 7240-A
Vendor P art # - 33330
Tel: 973/467-6400
Fax: 973/379-7638
Tel: 800/766-7000 U S A only

Caring for the Jet Pack

T he surface of the jet pack a rrays m ust b e k ept w et w ith eith er ink o r
U ltraVu H ead C lean in g F luid. F ailu re to use U ltraVu H ead C lean in g
F luid w ill resu lt in dam ag e to the jet pac ks. If the prin ter is no t g oing to
be u se d, lig htly coa t the Jet P ack s w ith th e flu id an d th en co ver the
surfac es w ith po lyethy len e w rap to p rev ent dryin g.
N o te: P o lyethylene w ra p ha s b een th e on ly plastic clin g w ra p fou nd to
w ithstand the ink solvents.
If th e prin ter is goin g to b e id le for an extend ed p eriod of tim e (Tw o
d ays or m ore), you w ill n eed to d o the follow in g:
1
2

Coat the surface with UltraVu Head Cleaning Fluid.

Place polyethylene wrap over the Jet Pack surface to retard drying.

M aintenance

5-3

If it is necessary to rem ove th e Jet P ack s, you w ill need to do th e

follow in g:
1

Flush the Jet Packs with solvent and lightly coat the heads with
UltraVu Head Cleaning Fluid.

Store Jet Packs in an air tight plastic bag.

N o te: F a ilu re to store the Jet P a cks correctly w ill result in clog ged jets
an d w ill perm an ently da m a ge th e Jet P ack A rrays. A ny Jet P a ck B oards
returned to V U T E k for servicing m ust be p rep ared in this m ann er or
th ey w ill be rejected.

Rem oving the Jet Packs

To rem ove th e Jet P ack s, d o th e follow in g:

5-4

C hapter 5

Empty the jEt Packs of ink. Use EMPTY PACK for each color in
sequence until no ink flows from the jets.

Flush the Jet Packs with solvent. Use SOLVENT FLUSH for each
color in sequence for approximately 30 seconds.

3
4

Alternate a SOLVENT PURGE with a SOLVENT FLUSH.

Empty the Jet Packs of solvent. Use EMPTY PACK for each color in
sequence until no solvent flows from the waste orifices.

6
7

Power down the printer.

Remove the two screws holding each Jet Pack Assembly to the
Alignment Plate and pry up to remove the board from the backplane.
When removing the Jet Packs, start at the left side and place each in
the order they were removed on a cleanroom-type, lint-free cloth.

Each purge and flush should be five seconds. You will need to do this
step five times or until purged solvent exiting the jets appears clear.
This ensures that no ink is left in the pack to dry the orifices.

Remove the Cooling Fan from the left side of the Carriage to allow
access to the inside of the Carriage.

Installing the Jet Packs

To in stall the Jet P acks, do th e follow ing:
1

Ensure o-rings are installed into the recessed holes located on the
Alignment Plate.

If all jet packs will be installed, begin with the right most Jet Pack
Assembly. Reach into the carriage through the Cooling Fan opening
to guide the Jet Pack Board into position. You should feel the board's
edge connector and seat it into its mating connector.

Install Bezel Screws to hold unit in place. Lightly tighten the screws,
proceeding from front to back. It is important that all screws holding
the Jet Pack are evenly torqued before tightening them.

Tighten the screws.

Changing the Color Order of the Jet Packs

To red u ce b i-d irection al effects in som e im ages th e ord er of th e
Yellow and M agen ta Jet P ack (U ltraVu x300 F irm w are 2.04 or
ab ove) w ill need to b e ch anged . T h is can b est b e p erform ed by
follow in g th e steps b elow :
1

Before shutting the system down, the Yellow and Magenta Secondary
Ink Tanks and jet packs must be emptied. Use the UltraVus Printer
Function Selector Switch and the Yellow and Magenta Color Buttons
for this operation.

Select EMPTY PACK and press the Yellow and Magenta Buttons until
Jet Packs show bubbles

Select the Solvent Flush Function and press the Yellow and Magenta
Buttons until the output lines from the Carriage Back Plate appear
clear.

Select SOLVENT PURGE and press the Yellow and Magenta Buttons
until the solvent from the Jet Packs is clear.

5
6
7

Shut down the workstation.

Power down the printer.
Swap the sensor wires from the Yellow and Magenta Tanks. Inside of
the Ink Supply Plate, the sensor wires from the Yellow and Magenta
Tanks must be swapped (connect yellow up to where magenta was
connected and magenta up to the original yellow connection).

M aintenance

5-5

On the Carriage Plate swap the ink lines from the Magenta and Yellow
Ink Tanks. Locate where the Ink Supply Lines come into the Carriage
from the umbilical supply lines. Disconnect the Luer fitting in the
Yellow and Magenta Supply Lines and reconnect with yellow to
magenta and magenta to yellow.

Using a small flat blade screwdriver, remove the colored cap on the
Yellow and Magenta Control Buttons. Swap the caps and snap them
back on.

10 Power up the printer.

11 Ensure there are no leaks.
12 Enter the Printer Diagnostic Mode. You will need to refer to the Printer
Diagnostics Mode in Chapter 6, Troubleshooting, for details.

13 Enter Function code 11 and select the color order.

14 Select INK PURGE and press the Yellow and Magenta Buttons until
you see the proper colors feeding through the ink lines into the ink
tank. This will take about ten seconds.

15 Select EMPTY PACK and press the Yellow and Magenta Buttons until
Jet Packs show bubbles

16 Select SOLVENT FLUSH and flush the Yellow and Magenta Jet Packs
with solvent. This will take about ten seconds.

17 Select INK PRIME and prime until the output returning from the
Carriage Back Plate is the correct color. This will take about ten
seconds.

18 Perform the Ink Purge Function until the ink color coming out of the
Jet Packs is correct.

19 Load some material and print a test image.

5-6

C hapter 5

Changing G earbox Oil

T he o il in the Ta keup and R ed irect G earb ox es sho uld be ch ang ed ev ery
six m on th s. W h en ch ang ing o il V U T E k reco m m en ds tha t you order o ne
th e the follow in g kits:
Parts Required
Parts

Description

AA70239

Gearbox Oil Change

AA70239-F

Gearbox Oil Change w/ Fittings

(only needed first time)

The kit includes:

P2006-A

Tubing

P7680-A

Oil, Mobil SHC 634, 1Quart

P7687-A

Dispenser Bottle w/ Dispenser Cap, 4 oz.

P7688-A

Bottle, 500 ml

P2040-A

Teflon Tape, 1 Roll

P7672-A

Oil Relief Fitting (2)

P7673-A

Oil Adapter Fitting (2) -F Kit Only

-F Kit Only

To chan ge oil you w ill n eed to follow these steps:

1
2

Shut down the printer and turn off power at the Circuit Breaker Panel.

Remove the Right Upper End Panel. The Upper Panel is secured by
two 5/32 Allen Cap Screws under the black hole plugs at the top. If
the printer is equipped with a fan mounted on the End Panel,
disconnect the wires. If the Vacuum Adjuster is installed, remove the
two hoses from the valve (inside of the panel).

Remove the Right End Top Cover. From inside the cabinet, remove
the three 5/32 Allen Cap Screws holding the Top Cover to the frame.
Also inside, remove the four 5/32 Allen Cap Screws at the bottom
edge of the panel behind the Feed Roller Drive Motor. On the bottom
left corner (still inside), remove the 3/8 nut. On the Workstation side
of the frame upright (behind the end of the heater and rollers) remove
the six 5/32 Allen Cap Screws. Remove the two Flat Head Phillips
Screws located on the frame under the front Redirect Roller.

Remove the right rear access panel. This is done by removing two
5/32 Allen Cap Screws at the top (and two additional screws in the
middle on some models) and loosening three 5/32 Allen Cap Screws
at the bottom.

M aintenance

5-7

5
6

Disconnect the Air Supply Line.

Drape a scrap piece of vinyl over the rails under the Redirect Motor
(front).

Remove the upper right hand bolt from the motor mount to gain
access to the upper back plug on the gearbox (see Figure 5-1). You
will need a 9/16" (or 5/16" Allen) Wrench.

With the help of another person, lift up the back edge of the Top
Cover and move the cover forward to access the slot over the power
cord. Remove cover and place in a secure area to prevent damage.

Figure 5-1 Redirect and Takeup Motor Drawing

Using a 1/4 Allen Wrench, remove the upper back plug on the
Redirect Motor. Screw the Oil Relief Fitting (P7672-A) into the Oil
Adapter Fitting (P7673-A) and tighten with a 7/16 Wrench. Be sure to
wrap the Adapter Fitting threads with Teflon tape before installing.
Install the Adapter Fitting (Vent Plug) into the rear hole and tighten
with a 5/8 Wrench.

N o te: If ven t fittings a re used , disreg ard Step 9.

10 Place a funnel under the Redirect Motor Roller and place the 500 ml
Bottle (P7688-A) under a funnel to collect the waste oil.

11 Remove the Front Fill Plug and the lower right Bottom Drain Plug and
drain the used oil into the bottle.

5-8

C hapter 5

12 Reinstall the Bottom Drain Plug once the oil has stopped draining. Be
sure to wrap the plugs threads are wrapped with Teflon tape before
installing. Clean up any left over oil that may stay on the mounting
frame and wipe area clean.

13 Fill the dispenser bottle with the oil (P7680-A) provided. Cut off the
tip of the Dispenser Bottle, leaving the stem small enough to fit into
the tubing supplied (P2006-A) with the kit.

14 Connect one end of the tubing (P2006-A) to the stem of the Dispenser
Bottle. Place the other end of the tubing into the front fill hole on the
Gearbox and fill Gearbox with oil. When oil starts to run out of the fill
hole, remove the tubing and allow oil to completely drain. Wrap the
Fill Plug threads with Teflon tape and reinstall.

15 Replace the upper right hand bolt into the Motor Mount. Use a 9/16
Wrench or a 5/16 Allen Wrench and tighten. You should refer to
Figure 5-1 for placement.

16 Move to the rear Takeup Motor and drape a scrap piece of vinyl over
the top of the Power Distribution Panel. This is directly under the
Takeup Motor gearbox.

17 Place the funnel and the oil collection bottle under the mounting
frame of the Takeup Motor. The Drain Plug is at the bottom on the
motor side of the Gearbox. This will cause the oil to drain onto the
mounting frame and drip down both sides. Ensure that the funnel is
wide enough to catch the oil that will drip from both sides of the
mounting frame.

18 Remove the lower left hand bolt from the Motor Mount to gain access
to the Bottom Drain Plug.

19 Use a 1/4 Allen Wrench and remove the upper right Fill Plug. Screw
the Oil Relief Fitting (P7672-A) into the Adapter Fitting (P7673-A) and
tighten with a 7/16 Wrench. Wrap the Adapter Fitting threads with
Teflon tape before re-installing. Install the Adapter Fitting into the
upper right Fill Plug. Tighten with a 5/8 Wrench.

N o te: If ven t fittings a re used , disreg ard Step 19 .

20 Remove the bottom Drain Plug with a 5/16" Allen Wrench and drain
the waste oil into a pan. When the oil has stopped draining, wrap the
Drain Plug threads with Teflon tape and re-install. Clean up any left
over oil that may stay on the mounting frame and wipe area clean.
Use a 1/4 Allen Wrench and remove the front Fill Plug. Fill the
dispenser bottle with the oil (P7680-A) provided.

21 Connect the Tubing (P2006-A) to the end of the Dispenser Bottle.

Place the end of the tubing into the front fill hole on the Gearbox and
fill. When oil starts to run out of the fill hole, remove the tubing and
let it drain until it stops (this will insure the oil level is up to the drain
hole and no higher). Wrap the Fill Plug threads with Teflon tape and
reinstall the Fill Plug. Use a 1/4 Allen Wrench and tighten.

M aintenance

5-9

22 Install the lower left hand bolt that was removed in Step 18.
23 Turn on the power and run the motors for one hour, at idle (with the
rollers turning freely) or during operation and then change the
Gearbox oil again (only the first time that the oil is changed). Repeat
Steps 7-8, 10-19.

24 Replace the Rear Top Panel and End Panels in the reverse order of
Steps 1-6.

25 Dispose of waste oil responsibly.

Lubricating the Carriage Rail

T he carriage rails o n th e U ltraVu x3 00 p rinter m ust be lub ricated e very
eig ht h ou rs w ith a pe tro leu m b ased o il (e.g . 3 in 1 oil).
C a u tion : D o n ot u se syn thetic o il. It w ill dam ag e the ca rriag e slid ers.
To oil th e C arriage S lid e R ails, p erform th ese steps:
1

Apply a small amount of oil to a lint free cloth or wipe. With the
Carriage in the home position, apply a thin film of oil to each rail
using the oiled cloth or wipe. Be sure that oil is distributed evenly
over all surfaces of the Carriage Rails over the full length.

C a u tion : Avoid a pplyin g o il d irectly on th e rails. Too m u ch o il m ay drip

on to the sub strate a nd d am ag e a prin t.
2

After applying the oil to the rails, take the printer offline, open the
Bail, close the Bail, and then return the printer nnline. The Carriage
will move to the right and return to the home position.

Using a cloth, wipe the rings at the Carriage both ends of the Carriage
rail. Wipe any excess oil from the rails and the Linear Encoder Strip
(under rear rail) before returning the printer to operation.

Replacing the Ink and Air Filter

To replace th e C arriage P late F ilte rs fo r the A ir an d S olv ent L ines, yo u
m ust first tu rn th e M ain A ir R egu lator to z ero and ble ed o ff all pressure
from th e S o lv ent Tank S ystem .
Older Models
O n old er m o dels the p rinte r used a filter arra ngem en t (P 705 9-A B lue Inline F ilter) tha t con sisted o f a 90 elb ow fittin g (g ra y pla stic o -ring
fitting s) to c onn ect into the ink lines. T hese fittin gs req uired the
com p ressio n of the In ner R ing (dark gray) to release the filter stem fro m
th e fitting.

5-10

C hapter 5

To rep lace th ese filters, d o the follow in g:

1
2

Place a cloth under the filter to collect any spilled ink.

3
4

Put filter in place and snap Quick Disconnect Fittings back on.

Compress the Inner Ring (dark gray) on the Quick Disconnect Elbow
Fittings and snap off.
Reapply pressure to the system.

Newer Models
O n n ew e r m od els the p rinter uses a filter arran gem en t th at con sists of
tw ist lo ck rem ova ble fittin gs to co nn ect in to the in k lines
(see F ig ure 5 -2 ).

Figure 5-2 In-line Ink Filter

To chan ge th e filter, you w ill n eed to perform th e follow ing step s:

1
2
3

Shut down workstation and power down the printer.

Remove the filter from the Carriage by sliding it out of its tie wrap
holder securing it to the Secondary Ink Tank. Place the filter in a
container to collect the ink that may spill.

Release the tubing clamps (P7744-A) on both ends of the tubing that
is connected to the Ink Filter Stem. Pull the twist lock fitting (P5379A) from the end of the hose. Slip the clamps off of the hose and save
for reuse.

Cut 1 (3.8 cm) of ink tubing (P7743-A) for each end of the filter
(P7059-A). Slip the piece of the tubing over the Ink Filter Stem and
slide on two clamps.

Install the Twist Lock Fitting (P5379-A) into the end of the tubing and
compress the clamps (P7744-A) until they are secure on the Filter
Stem and the twist lock fitting.

Place a cloth under the filter to be removed to collect any spilled ink.
Rotate the Twist Lock Fittings (P5379-A) to release the Filter
Assembly from the ink line.

M aintenance

5-11

Reinstall the new filter into the Filter Holder and connect the ink
plumbing at the twist lock fittings. Ensure the direction arrow on the
filter is pointing towards the Secondary Ink Tank.

9 Turn on the printer.

10 Ensure there are no leaks and that the Secondary Ink Reservoir is
receiving ink flow.

Cleaning the Prim ary Ink Tank Filters

T he P rim ary Ink Tank F ilte rs req uire cleaning o r ch ang ing o n a yea rly
basis. T h e filter co nsists of a m esh b ag (rec tan gular) th at is pressed o nto
th e en d of th e ink p ick up tu be. T h is filter c an be clean ed in solven t a nd
re used o r re plac ed. A plugg ed filter slow s in k pu m p ra tes or can cause
th e d eco uplin g of the m agn etic drive b etw een th e pu m p and m otor.

Cleaning the Ink Level Sensors

T he in k lev el sen so rs are loc ated in th e top o f the S econ dary Ink
C o ntainers and m ust b e rem o ved and cleaned on a m on thly basis. T he
end s of th e senso rs co llect sm all drop lets of in k that m a y d ry and bu ild
up to create a sm all ba ll o f drie d in k. T his w ill affec t th e se nsor s ability
to d etect low and h ig h ink con ditio ns.
To rem ove an d clean th e In k L evel S en sor, d o th e follow in g:
1
2

Remove the hoses from the top of the Secondary Ink Tank.

Soak the ends of the sensors in UltraVu Head Cleaning Fluid (or PM
Acetate). Clean off with a lint free cloth. VUTEk recommends that a
spare set of ink level sensors be available to install while one set is
being cleaned.

Replace the cover o-ring and reinstall the cover onto the Secondary
Ink Container.

Remove the screws holding the cover to the Secondary Ink tank and
lift the cover off.

Cleaning the Secondary Ink Tanks

To clean the S econd ary Ink Tan ks, do th e follow in g:
1
2

5-12

C hapter 5

Remove the cover as outlined above.

Disconnect the hose and remove the tank.

Clean the inside and outside of tank with UltraVu Head Cleaning
Fluid.

4
5

Reinstall the tank and reconnect the hoses

Reinstall the cover as outlined above.

Cleaning the Carriage Cooling Fan

T he C o oling F an on th e C arriage has a foam filte r re quiring w eekly
m ain tena nce. T his filter is u sed to redu ce du st bu ild u p on the F an
B lades and C arria ge com p onents.
To clean th e C arriage C oolin g F an , you n eed to perform th ese steps:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Power down the printer.

Remove the snap-on plastic from the Filter Holder.
Remove the Filter.
Clean the Fan Blades and Fan Guard with a vaucuum cleaner.
Clean or replace the Filter, i.e. vacuum or wash and dry.
Ensure the Fan can move freely.
Reinstall the filter. Reinstall the snap-on Filter Holder onto the Fan
Guard.

Cleaning the DC Power Supply Fans

O v er tim e, d ust c ollects in sid e the D C P ow e r S up plies fo und on the an d
causing them to o verhea t W hen the P ow er S up plies gets too h ot, th ey
w ill turn off an d shu td ow n the W o rk station a nd th e P rin ter C on troller.
A fter a few sec ond s, the P ow er S up plies w ill coo l eno ug h to
autom atically turn th em selv es on. A s they get ho t th ey sh ut them selv es
off ag ain . T his cy cle of shu t w ill co ntinu e u ntil som e m ajor co m p on ent
is dam ag ed.
U sing an A ir G un w ith a m axim u m pressure of 50 psi, rem ov e any du st
from in side the P ow er S up ply (see F ig ure # 1). A s a m in im um , this
proce dure sho uld be perform ed at least o nce a m on th .

M aintenance

5-13

Checking Carriage Belt Tension

To check the C arriage D rive B elt Ten sion you w ill n eed to p erform
th ese steps:
1

Position the Carriage Plate in the center of the printer (see Figure 53).

Measuring from the left side of the Carriage Plate Drive Belt Mounting
Bracket, place a mark on the Carriage Drive Belt at the 4 (1.2 m) and
5 (1.5 m) distance. The Carriage Drive Belt should be touching the
Drive Belt Guide between the 4 and 5 marks.

N o te: B etw een 0 a nd 4 (1 .2 m ) distan ce, the C a rriag e D rive B elt

sho uld not tou ch th e D rive B elt G u id e. If th e C arria ge D rive B elt
to uch es the D rive B elt G uide w ithin th e first 4 (1 .2 m ), then the D rive
B elt is lo ose an d n eeds to be tigh ten ed. If th e C arriage D rive B elt d oes
no t tou ch th e D rive B elt G uide w ithin the 4 5 (1.2 1.5 m ) ran ge, the
D rive B elt is to o tigh t an d m u st be lo osen ed.
3

If you need to adjust the belt, follow the procedure described below.

Adjustm ent Procedures

Adjusting the Carriage Drive Belt
To ad just th e C arriage D rive B elt, you sh ou ld p erform th e follow ing
step s:

5-14

C hapter 5

1
2

Position the Carriage Plate in the center of the printer.

3
4

Loosen the locking nuts that hold the adjustment bolts in place.

Loosen, but do not remove, the two bolts that hold the Carriage Drive
Belt Bearing to the frame. These two bolts are located in the Carriage
Drive Belt Bearing adjustment slots. The two bolts should be tight
enough to stop the bearing from rocking up and down, but loose
enough to allow the block to be adjusted.
If the Carriage Drive Belt is loose, turn the adjustment bolts turn
clockwise. If the Carriage Drive Belt is tight, turn the adjustment bolts
turn CCW.

The Carriage Drive Belt should be touching the Drive Belt Guide
between the two marks placed on it. Between 0 and 4 ft (0 - 1.2 m)
marks, the Carriage Drive Belt should not be touching the Drive Belt
Guide (see Figure 5-3).

Figure 5-3 Carriage Belt Layout

If the Carriage Drive Belt touches the guide within the first 4 (1.2 m),
then the Drive Belt is loose and needs to be tightened. If the Carriage
Drive Belt does not touch the Drive Belt Guide within the 4 - 5 ft (1.2
1.5 m) area, the Drive Belt is too tight and must be loosened.

After the correct tension has been set, the Carriage Drive Belt
Bearing must be aligned to the Carriage Rails. The alignment process
will center the Carriage Drive Belt on the pulley.

N o te: T h e fa cto ry ha s an align m en t fixtu re a vailab le for this p ro cedu re.

C o nta ct V U T E k P ro du ct Su pp ort fo r m ore inform ation .

M aintenance

5-15

Place a straight edge against the outside edge of the rail and measure
the distance from the Carriage Drive Belt Bearing (location A) to the
straight edge (see Figure 5-4). Then measure the distance from the
Carriage Drive Belt Bearing (location B) to the straight edge. The
distance at location A must be the same as location B. If the
distances are not the same, adjust accordingly. No adjustment is
required to the Carriage Drive Belt at the right end of the printer.

Tighten the two bolts in the adjustment slot and the locking nut on
the adjustment bolt.

Figure 5-4 Carriage Belt Adjustment Layout

5-16

C hapter 5

Verifying the Jet Plate Alignm ent

T his p ro cedu re is p erform ed du ring the m anu fa cturin g process an d
re adju stm en t in m o st in stan ces shou ld not be n ecessary. H ow ever, if yo u
fe el that th e Jet P ack P late is ou t of adjustm en t, p lease fo llo w the below
procedure.
C o rrect align m ent is ob tain ed b y using Test #6 and adjusting the jet pac k
plate so tha t the ye llo w line is tou ching an d abo ve the b lack line. R efer
to F ig ure 5-5 (v iew ed fro m ab ov e the redirec t ro ller) for th e co rrect
yello w to b lack lin e o rientation ,.
To verify th e Jet P late align m en t, you sh ou ld perform th ese step s:
1

Take the printer offline. While holding down the Test Button, use the
Advance Button to move to Test 6. Release the Test Button to activate
the test.

Allow the printer to complete one pass. Then, depress the Test
Button to terminate the test.

Advance the material so that the Test #6 pattern is visible above the
Redirect Roller.

Compare the printed test pattern with the diagram on Figure 5-5 and
adjust the Jet Pack Plate accordingly. You may need a magnifying
glass or eye piece to correctly determine line orientation.

Figure 5-5 Jet Plate Alignment Test Pattern

M aintenance

5-17

Aligning the Jet Plate

To align th e Jet P ack s, you sh ould d o the follow in g:
1

Remove the two Material Deflector Plates at both ends of the Jet Pack
Plate. The removal of the right-side material deflector plates will
expose the Jet Pack Mounting Plate Screws on the right end. The
screws are numbered 1, 8, 7, on the left end; 3, 4, 5, on the right end;
and four unnumbered screws (see Figure 5-6)

Figure 5-6 Jet Plate Alignment Screw Location

2
3

Loosen all screws, except those number 1, 3, 5, and 7.

Move the left end of the Jet Pack Plate away from the printer. Lightly
tighten screws #1, #5, and #7.

If the yellow line is below or overlaps the black line, loosen all screws
except #3. (Screw #3 will act as a pivot point).

N o te: T he m ovem en t of the Jet P ack P late is lim ited by th e difference

betw een the ho le d iam eter an d th e screw size. T he ho le diam eter is
slig htly la rger th an the screw size. T he sm a llest m o vem en t w ill affect the
align m en t process.

5-18

C hapter 5

If the black line is above or overlaps the yellow line, loosen all screws
except #7. (Screw #7 will act as a pivot point).

Move the right end of the Jet Pack Plate toward the printer. Tighten
screws #1, #3, and #5.

Repeat Test #6 (refer to the first 4 steps above). You may have to
perform the alignment procedure a few times to correctly align the
Jet Pack Plate.

After the alignment process has been completed, tighten all twelve
screws in an alternating pattern.

Perform Test #6 again to verify a correct alignment.

Setting the Print G ap

T he U ltraVu x 30 0 p rinter has been de sign ed w ith a p rint gap that can be
adjuste d to acco m m o date varyin g sub strate th ick nesses. T h e p rint h ead
m ove s u p and d ow n on A djuster P osts to allo w for p rint g ap
adjustm en ts. T h e C arriage H eigh t A d ju ster K no b is lo cated on the left
sid e o f th e C arriage.
To set th e p rin t gap , you should p erform these step s:
1

Loosen the four thumb screws securing the Carriage to the Carriage
Plate (see Figure 5-7).

Turn the Carriage Height Adjuster Knob to either increase or

decrease the print gap.

Zero the Print Head Gap Dial Indicator. This is done by placing a
sheet of paper on the heads and move the Carriage under the Platen.
Raise the Carriage until the paper can no longer be moved between
the Platen and the Print Heads.

Loosen the Lock Down Knob on the Dial Indicator and set dial to zero.
Tighten Lock Down Knob.

Set the gap to 0.060" by lowering the Carriage Height Adjuster Knob
until .060" is indicated on the Dial Indicator. The minimal print gap for
the UltraVu x300 printers is 0.060 (1.5 mm). The print gap is typically
set to 0.10 (2.5 mm).

Tighten the four thumbscrews.

N o te: If a M esh K it is in stalled , th e P rin t H ea d m u st b e low ered to clea r

th e M esh K it ra ils b efore pla cin g th e prin ter on lin e.

Figure 5-7 Print Gap Adjustment

M aintenance

5-19

Adjusting the Edge Detector

T he E dg e D etector m ay n eed to be readjusted for so m e m esh and v in yl
m aterials. T he E d ge D e tecto r is attach ed to the rig ht rear sid e of the
C arriage (see F igu re 5-7). O n th e side o f th e detecto r th ere is a row o f
L E D s labeled 0 th ro ug h 10 , the O u tp ut L E D , and an op ening for the
S ensitiv ity A djustm en t S crew.
To adju st th e sen sor level, you w ill n eed to p erform th e step s b elow :

5-20

C hapter 5

Enter the Diagnostic Function Key code #9. This function allows the
Carriage to be moved using the yellow and black Control Panel
Buttons.

With no material loaded, move the Carriage to the right until the
detector is on the Redirect Bar. Adjust the Sensitivity Screw until it
just reads 1. Now move the carriage to the right and find the
position that gives the highest reading along the length of the
Redirect Bar.

Reduce the reading with the Sensitivity Screw so that at its highest
point it is just below 1 (i.e. just off scale).

Move the Carriage back and forth across the Redirect Bar to check if
it is always off scale (i.e. below 1).

When the material is loaded, repeat to ensure that full scale is

achieved (i.e. 10) when the detector is over the substrate.

Exit the Diagnostic Function Mode and return to normal printer

operation.

Adjusting the Encoder W heel

T he E n cod er W heel can b e adju sted to acc om m oda te a w ider variety of
sub stra tes. T h is adjustm en t allow s the op era tor to v ary the E n code r
W h eel p ressure on the sub strate m ate ria l to increase prin t qua lity fo r
fa bric and m esh , an d to co m pen sate for su bstrate slipp age cau sed by
sm ooth m aterials. To com pen sate for m aterials hav in g slick surfac es,
th e tension o n th e e ncod er w heel m ay need to be increased (see F igu re
5-8).

Figure 5-8 Encoder Wheel Adjustment Layout (right view)

To ad ju st th e ten sion of th e E n cod er W h eel, you w ill n eed to

p erform th ese step s:
1

Place a straight edge against the Platen and the Redirect Roller (see
Figure 5-8).

Measure the distance from the straight edge to the wheel as it

presses into the material. The encoder wheel should extend down
(6 mm) below the edge of the straight edge. This should represent the
starting adjustment for the encoder (see Figure 5-8).

Use the Adjustment Knob to increase or decrease the Encoder Wheel

tension as needed (see Figure 5-8).

M aintenance

5-21

Verifying Platen Alignm ent

V U T E k has set the P late n P re-H eater s up per tem pe rature lim it, o n 32
h ead p rinters, to 1 20 F (49 C ). W e reco m m e n d that y o u p rint w ith a s
lo w a P laten prehe at tem peratu re as po ssible. A fter perfo rm in g a serie s
of tests on m aterial y ou m ay fin d yo u need to in crease the tem p eratu re
abo ve 12 0F (4 9C ). H ow ever, yo u sho uld b e aw are of trade-off
in volved .
T he P laten P reh eate r w a s o rigin ally design ed and installed to w arm the
m edia to a con stant tem peratu re , w h ich help s to create a m ore unifo rm
prin ted im ag e. It w as n ot inten ded to be used as a n ink d ry er. S ettin g the
P late n P reh eater s tem peratu re too h igh tend s to w a rp the P laten and
cause it to arc do w n w ard to w ards th e P rin t H ea ds. T h is chan ges th e
distanc es b etw een th e prin t head s an d th e m a terial typ ically in the
m idd le of th e p rinter. You can dete rm in e if an y w a rp ing has occu rred
w ith the V U T E k P laten A lign m ent Tool (T 5 001 9).
To verify th e P laten s align m en t, you n eed to p erform th e follow in g
step s:

5-22

C hapter 5

1
2
3

Shut down workstation.

Remove the right hand Material Deflector from the top of the
Carriage. To do this remove the three screws securing it to the
Carriage.

Remove the top plate from the Platen Alignment Fixture (see Figure
5-9).

Remove the Dial Indicators from the box and install into the two
bottom holes in the bottom plate.

Rotate the indicators to a 45 degree angle so that they are easier to

see as well as provide clearance to the Feed Roller to prevent
contact. Tighten the Allen set screws at the base.

Using the three screws provided with the fixture, attach the fixture to
the edge of the Carriage using the same holes that the Material
Deflector was attached to.

Replace the top plate on to the Platen Alignment Fixture and set the
Dial Indicators to zero. Verify that the Revolution Indicator on the Dial
Indicators are on the same revolution. This will ensure that your
reading is not off by one revolution or more.

Power down the printer.

Remove the Edge Detector. This is done by removing the two Phillips
head screws holding it in place. Be sure to leave the Carriage to the
normal print gap distance of 0.060 (1.5mm).

10 While holding down the Dial Indicator Shafts, remove the plate and
move the Carriage under the Platen.

11 Take several data readings along the length of the Platen. Plot a
graph of these readings. If significant deviations are noted, you need
to contact VUTEks Product Support for further direction.

12 Remove the Platen Alignment Fixture from the carriage and replace
the Material Deflector and the Edge Detector.

Figure 5-9 Platen Alignment Fixture Layout

13 Place the three screws provided with the platen alignment fixture and
return.

Adjusting the Jet Pack Tem perature

T his p ro cedu re w ill e xplain h ow to v erify an d calibrate the Jet P ack
Tem pe rature S en sor. T his p ro cedu re m u st be fo llow ed w h enev er a
tem p erature sh ift is susp ected , o r th e jE t D riv er B oard is re pla ced.
To ad ju st th e Jet P ack tem p eratu re, you w ill n eed to d o th e
follow in g:
1

Enter the Diagnostic Menu by connecting the video monitor and

keyboard up to the Printer Controller or by switching to B on those
printers equipped with the A/B Switch Boxes. Depress the Escape
Button to enter the Diagnostics Menu. Select Key Code #5 to display
the head temperature reading.

M aintenance

5-23

2
3

Attach a temperature meter or probe as shown in Figure 5-10.

Ensure that the Heating/Cooling LED is OFF (red = heating, green =
cooling), insuring the Carriage Cooling Fan is not running or the
heater is not on.

Figure 5-10Temperature Probe Placement

Locate the Adjustment Screw and turn the screw slowly until a
change occurs on the screen (CCW lowers the temperature).

Locate the Adjustment Potentiometer on the Jet Driver Board (see

Figure 5-11). The potentiometer is located on the front right corner
behind the LED labeled Heating/Cooling. Adjust the Potentiometer
until the reading on the monitor equals the reading from the
temperature probe. For example, if the temperature probe measures
90F and the temperature reading on the monitor is 84F, then you
must adjust the Potentiometer on the Jet Driver Board until the
monitor reading equals 90F.

N o te: B e p atient, th e sam pling ra te is slo w. It w ill ta ke ten second s o r

m o re fo r tem p erature ch an ges to sh ow o n th e m on ito r.

5-24

C hapter 5

Figure 5-11 Potentiometer Location on Jet Driver Board

After making an adjustment, allow the Carriage temperature to

stabilize for 10 to 15 minutes before re-checking the calibration.

Maintenance Chart
V U T E k re com m end s that a schedule be fo llow ed to insure m ain tenance
tak es p lac e at ind icated in tervals red ucing d ow n tim e an d m a xim izin g
prin t qu ality. C op y th e M ain ten ance S che dule (sh ow n below ) and p ost
it o n or near you r p rinter.

M aintenance

5-25

UltraVu x300 Maintenance Schedule

Frequency

Procedure

After printing each segm ent

Clean the surface of the Jet Packs with solvent.

Every 8 hours

Oil the rails.

D aily

Check the water trap and filter on the incoming Air Supply System to the printer. Replace as necessary.
Check the felt rope behind the Carriage Plate.
Replace Purger Plate Pad.
Clean both Feed and Pinch Rollers with Head Cleaning Fluid.
Feed Roller rubber coating should not be smooth; slightly tacky
is preferable.

W eekly

Clean Purge Plate Pad.

Clean Carriage Fan Filter.
Clean Cooling Fan Filter.

M onthly

Replace iNk Supply Line Filters for CMYK on Carriage Plate.

Clean sEcondary Ink Tank Sensors and Secondary Ink Tanks.
Check tension of the cArriage Drive Belt.
Remove dust from DC Power Supply.

Every 6 m onths

Change the oil in the Takeup and Redirect Drive Gearboxes.

Yearly

Replace solvent and air filters on the Carriage.

Clean or replace the Primary Ink Tank Filters.

5-26

C hapter 5

Chapter 6
Troubleshooting

Overview
T his ch apter p ro vid es so m e h in ts fo r trou blesho oting error m essag es
th at th e p rinter can d isp lay an d prob lem s yo u m ay exp erienc e w ith th e
prin ter.
A t so m e p oint d uring the life o f prin ter yo u m a y hav e questio ns or
enco un ter ope ration , q uality, o r com m un icatio n prob lem s. It is easy to
correct m ost o f th e p ro blem s an d co nsequ ently n ot d elay o peration for
very lo ng .
In add ition to th e tro ub lesho otin g charts fo un d th ro ug hou t th e chap ter,
w e h ave prov id ed a nu m b er o f ele ctrical a nd m ech anic al draw ing s o f
critical system co m pon ents. Yo u m a y w an t to refer to the m w hen
trou blesh oo ting.
N o te: If yo u enco un ter an error th at p ersists or a prob lem yo u do not
un dersta nd , co nta ct V U T E ks P rod uct S up port G ro up for assistance.
Tel: (60 3) 279 -4 63 5

F ax: (6 03 ) 27 9-61 91

E m a il: vutek@ vu teksu pp ort.co m

Error M essages
UltraVU Software Error M essages
Invalid Date with Last Checked
T he U ltraVu .exe P rog ra m w ill check th e S ystem D a te ea ch tim e it is
ru n. It w rites this d ate into th e S ec urity D o ngle. If the U ltraVu P rog ram
enco un ters a date th at is earlier tha n the date w ritten in the D on gle, the
softw are w ill resp ond w ith th e m essag e In valid D ate w ith L a st
C h ecked and d isab led the syste m .
If U ltraVu is ru n w ith an inc orrect date, it w ill o nly w o rk on a d ate later
th an th e date it w as last run . T h is do es n ot p ose a prob lem on a system
w h ich h as been set to a date prior to the actu al d ate; sim p ly co rrect the

Troubleshooting

6-1

date to reflect th e actu al da te. If the system d ate is acciden tally set
sufficie ntly forw ard of the actual d ate , th e security tim e-ou t on the
D o ng le m ay exp ire. T h ere fo re, sim ply setting the system tim e to the
actu al tim e w ill no t corre ct th e p ro blem . T he u ser w ill b e prom pted to
enter a p assw o rd to e nab le it. If yo u hav e n ot receiv ed th e p assw ord fo r
th e date th e syste m is set to , the D o ngle w ill disab le the m ach in e un til a
passw ord is entere d. Yo u w ill n eed to acqu ire the co rrect D on gle
passw ord from V U T E k.
N o rm ally, in the ev ent o f a B IO S failure, the S ystem D ate reverts to an
earlie r date. T h erefo re, it is im p ortan t to v erify the d ate at th e tim e o f
po w er-u p.
C a u tion : It is im p orta nt th at the system date be correct. D o no t a ttem pt
to set the S ystem D ate ahead of the actual da te for a ny reaso n. D oin g so
can disa ble the m a chine un til a rep la cem en t D o ng le is in stalled .

LCD Error M essages

C ertain errors app earing on th e P rinte r L C D m ay be o verw ritten by th e
last detected erro r, the reb y g iv ing a false in dic atio n of th e true erro r. To
determ ine the co rrect reason for the error c ond ition , it is recom m end ed
th at a m o nitor be con nected to the P rinter C o ntroller or the A -B S w itch
set to p ositio n B . N o t all erro r m essage s are sent to th e P rin ter L C D ,
som e erro r m essag es are sent on ly to the m o nitor. M essages sen t to th e
P rinter L C D are also sen t to the m on ito r.
N o te: If th e prin ter sto ps w itho ut a m essage o n th e P rinter L C D o r the
m o nitor, p lease refer to L in ear E nco der A la rm sectio n below.
Print Error # 1
Cause C arriage m o vem en t error, X S ervo re late d (C arriage m o vem en t)
or Y S erv o related (substrate ad van cem ent), see exp lan atio n of X and Y
S erv o errors below. View in g the m essag e sequ ence on the m o nitor w ill
defin e this error furth er.
P ress R eset butto n o n the prin ter co nso le. P lease call V U T E k
P ro duct S u pp ort if an exce ssive nu m ber o f P rint E rror # 1m essages
occu r.

Solution

X Servo Error
Cause N o rm ally th is is th e sec ond m e ssag e to o ccur after o ne of the
below X S ervo errors occu r.
Solution

fu rther.

6-2

C hapter 6

View ing the m essage s o n the m o nitor w ill defin e this error

X Servo Echo Time-out

Cause E ach c o m m an d se n t to the X S e rv o is e ch o e d b a ck to th e p rin ter
con troller. If th is doe s n ot o ccur w ithin a sp ecifie d tim e, an X S ervo
E cho Tim e-ou t m essage o ccurs.
P o ssib le lo ss of po w er to th e X S erv o. M alfu nction o f the X
S erv o. R eset prin ter. P lea se ca ll V U T E k P ro du ct S upp ort

Solution

X Servo Echo Error

Cause E ach co m m an d sent to the X S ervo is ech oed b ack to the P rinter
C o ntroller. If the com m and ech oed b ack is n ot th e sam e as th e c om m and
sent, th e m essa ge X S ervo E ch o E rror occu rs. T his m essag e m ay
app ear at po w er u p and w ill in dic ate that the C on troller and X S erv o are
perform ing a S yn c ope ration . If the prin ter fun ction s n orm ally after
com p letion o f the po w er up seq uen ce, this m essage sho uld be igno re d.
P o ssib le prob lem w ith th e X S erv o, R S 422 In terfac e B oard,
P rinter C on troller o r cab le fro m the R S 42 2 In terface B oard to the X
S erv o. R eplace as necessary.

Solution

Error Jogging X
Cause T his m essage ap pears on the m onito r on ly an d no t on the P rinter
L C D D isplay. S e rv o com m an d s a re sen t fro m the co n tro lle r to the X
S erv o. If th e co m m an d is n ot un derstoo d b y the servo , this m essag e and
th e c om m and sen t to the servo is then sen t to the m on ito r.
P o ssib le prob lem s w ith th e R S 422 In terface B oard: the cab le
from R S 4 22 In terface to th e X S e rv o C o ntro lle r is no t co rrectly seated;
or there is a prob lem w ith th e X S erv o C o ntroller.

Solution

Y Servo Error
Cause N o rm ally the seco nd m essa ge to occu r after on e o f the below Y
S erv o erro rs occu r.
Solution

View ing the m essage s o n th e m o nitor w ill defin e this error

fu rther.
Y Servo Echo Time-out
Cause E ach co m m an d sent to the Y S ervo is ech oed b ack to the P rinter
C o ntroller. If th is do es n ot o ccur w ithin a specified tim e , a Y S ervo
E cho Tim e-ou t m essage o ccurs.
P o ssib le lo ss of po w er to th e Y S erv o. M alfu nction o f the Y
S erv o. R eset prin ter. P lea se ca ll V U T E k P ro du ct S upp ort

Solution

Troubleshooting

6-3

Y Servo Echo Error

Cause E ach co m m an d sent to the Y S ervo is ech oed b ack to the P rinter
C o ntroller. If the com m and ech oed b ack is n ot th e sam e as th e c om m and
sent, then th e m essage Y S ervo E c ho E rror occurs. T h is m essage m ay
app ear at po w er u p and w ill in dic ate that the C on troller and Y S erv o are
perform ing a S yn c ope ration . If the prin ter fun ction s n orm ally after
com p letion o f the po w er up seq uen ce, this m essage sho uld be ig no red .
P o ssib le prob lem w ith th e Y S erv o, R S 422 In terfac e, P rinter
C o ntroller or cab le fro m the R S 4 22 In terface to th e Y S ervo . R epla ce as
nece ssa ry.

Solution

Y-Position TIme-out
Cause A p pears on m on itor as W aitin g fo r Y p ositio n tim e -o ut. T his
m essage m ay b e ov erw ritten w ith Y S ervo E rror on the P rin ter L C D .
T he error is a failure o f th e S ub strate F ee d R oller to m ov e to the m a terial
th e sp ecified step v alu e. R efer to th e Y R u naw ay D etecte d S o lu tio n
S ection for m o re d etail.
A prob lem w ith the m ov em e nt o f th e S u bstrate F eed R oller.
m ay exist. T h is can include the m aterial slip pin g on the F eed R oller.
M aterial m ay be sticking to th e low er P la ten/P reh eater or the u ppe r
S ubstrate D ry er H eater. Takeu p R oller ten sio n m ay ne ed to be increased
or decreased. E nsu re F eed R o ller is clean.

Solution

Y Runaway Detected
Cause T he in ternal Y S e rv o E nco der and the S ubstrate E nco der
m onito r m aterial m o vem en t ov er th e P laten /P reheater an d E nco der
W h eel. B o th th e E nco der w he el and S u bstrate F eed R oller m ust m o ve
th e sam e distanc e. If th ere is a 0 .060 (1 .5 m m ) d iffe ren ce in m ov em e nt
betw een the E n cod er W heel an d S ub strate F eed R o lle r, th is error
m essage is displa yed . T his m essag e m ay be ov erw ritten on the P rinter
L C D w ith a Y S e rv o E rror. View in g th e m essag es o n th e m o nito r w ill
defin e this error furth er.
W h en th e m a terial ad van ces, it m ust be in con stan t con tact
w ith the E nco der W h eel. M ate rial sags m ay be cau sed by the take-up
ten sion b eing lo w or th e m aterial m ay be stick ing to th e S ub strate D ryer
A ssem bly. Va cuu m m ay also be ho ld ing m a terial ag ain st the
P late n/P reheater, in crea sing friction, not allow in g the m edia to m o ve the
specified distan ce. M aterial m ay a lso be slipp in g on the S ou rce F eed
R o ller c ausin g th e roller to creep . H e nce, the enco der w he el w ou ld n ot
m ove the sam e distance as th e feed ro ller.

Solution

N o te: A ll ro llers sho uld be cleaned w ith P M A ceta te da ily.

6-4

C hapter 6

Error Receiving Y
Cause T his m essage app ears on th e m o nitor o nly an d no t o n th e L C D .
T his m essage w ill only ap pear if the prin ter c ontro ller is placed in th e
E scape M enu o f th e D iagno stic M od e an d Te st F u nction #18 is
activated. Tu rn in g th e w hee l on the enc oder sho uld provide feedb ack
data to th is E scape M enu F un ction . If no feed back is detected , th e
m essage E rro r R ece iving Y w ill be d isplayed .
Solution

P o ssib le prob lem w ith en cod er, enc ode r cab le or C on troller

B o ard .
Error Jogging Y
Cause T his m essage ap pears on the m onito r on ly an d no t on the P rinter
L C D . S erv o co m m an ds are sen t from th e con troller to the Y S ervo . If
th e com m and is n ot u nd erstood by th e serv o, this m essag e and the
com m an d sent to th e Y S ervo is se nt to the m o nitor.
P o ssib le prob lem s w ith R S 4 22 In terfac e B oard: th e cable from
R S 42 2 In terface to th e Y S erv o C o ntro ller is no t correc tly se ated ; or
th ere is a prob lem w ith the Y S ervo C o ntro lle r.

Solution

Linear Encoder Alarm

Cause M essag e m ay (or in so m e case s m ay n ot) app ear o n th e P rin ter
L C D and th e m o nitor. T his ind icates a p roblem w ith th e L in ear E nc ode r.
If th e p rinter sto ps fo r no app aren t reason , please chec k tha t th e L E D
In dicato r o n th e L inea r E nc ode rC o ntro lle r is activ e. T h e L inea r E nc oder
C o ntroller is loca ted in th e ce nter of the m ach ine b elo w th e U m bilica l
Trou gh .
R e-adjust th e distance fro m the L in ear E n cod er to the
M ag netic E nco der S trip. In sp ect the L in ear E n cod er, E nco der S trip, or
cable fo r da m ag e.

Solution

Rename Error
Cause T his m essage w ill only occur in th e p rocess of u pg rad in g th e
F irm w are. It w ill ap pear on the P rinter L C D an d a R en am e E rror #
w ill ap pear on the m on ito r. T h e R en am e E rro r # w ill be an M S -D O S
erro r nu m ber.
Solution

P lease call V U T E k P rod uct S u ppo rt fo r fu rther in stru ction s.

Erase Error
Cause T his m essage w ill only occur in th e p rocess of u pg rad in g th e
F irm w are. It w ill app ear on the P rin ter L C D an d an E rase E rror # on
th e m o nitor. T he E rase E rror # w ill b e an M S -D O S error nu m b er.

Troubleshooting

6-5

Solution

P lease call V U T E k P rod uct S u ppo rt fo r fu rther in stru ction s.

E Stop Error
Cause A ctiv atio n of the E -S top S w itch. E v en m om en tary activa tio n
w ill create this erro r. A ctivation o f th e E -S to p S w itch w ill also cre ate X
and Y S e rv o E rrors, E ch o E rrors, Tim e-ou t E rrors and p ossib ly o th er
ty pes of errors.
A n E S to p E rror m a y also b e caused from a loss of the 24 V S upp ly, a
sho rt circu it, or P ow e r S upp ly m alfu nction .
R eset the E -S top S w itch (pu ll o ut) an d press th e E rror B utto n
to reset the erro r.

Solution

Start Print Time-out Error

Cause X S ervo p ro ble m , L im it S w itch ac tiv ated , C arriage m ove m en t or
L in ear E n cod er p ro ble m . C arriage d id n ot m o ve to start of m edia w ithin
th e sp ecified tim e pe riod.
C he ck th e X S e rv o to assu re green lig ht is illu m inated.
P ossib le problem s w ith the C arriage D riv e S y stem , m otors o r cou pling s,
o r L in ea r E nco d er S y stem .

Solution

Umbilical Error
Cause C hecked at pow er-u p on ly. C hecks lo gic o n C on troller B oard,
Jet D riv er B o ard and the U m b ilical C able fro m the C o ntro ller B oa rd
C o nnector J10 to th e Jet D river B oard C onn ector J2 11. S ee S hift
R eg ister E rror below.
C he ck con nectors a t left end of Jet D river B oa rd , C ab le
con nectio ns in th e ce nter of the U m bilical Trou gh . C h eck C o nnector J10
at th e Jet D riv er B o ard . R eplace Jet D riv er B o ard or C ontro ller B o ard .
P ossib le cable prob lem in th e um bilical. R eseat the bo ard s a nd th e
con nectors.

Solution

Shift Register Error

Cause C he ck ed a t p o w er-u p o n ly. T he C o n tro ller B oa rd p erfo rm s a test
on the S hift R eg isters. If this te st fails, a S hift R e gister E rro r w ill o ccur.
T his erro r w ill a lso create an U m bilical E rro r w h ich w ill ov erw rite the
S hift R eg iste r E rror o n the P rinter L C D . If a m on ito r is con nected to
th e P rin ter C on tro ller, bo th errors w ill app ear.
R ep lace C o ntro ller B oa rd . R esea t all cab les an d verify
con nectio ns.

Solution

6-6

C hapter 6

Color Overflow
Cause T he S econ dary Ink C ontain er is filled to capacity. T his m ay
occu r if th e ink se nsors are no t functio ning co rrectly, the Ink an d
S olv ent P urg e B u ttons are dep re sse d for an ex ten ded p eriod, or th e ink
is flow ing too rap id ly in to the can .
D ep ress th e E m p ty P ack B utton fo r fo ur secon ds. T h is w ill
re m o ve in k fro m th e S e con dary In k C o ntainer. If the prin ter is plac ed
on lin e, p rin ting sho uld co ntinu e. C lean th e Ink L ev el S en sors; replace if
th e p ro blem occu rs again. F or the last con ditio n, in stall a set of In k L ine
R estric to rs after th e b lu e filte rs.

Solution

Waste Can Full

Cause T he W aste C a n is fu ll.
Solution

E m pty th e W aste C an. P lace the p rinter o nline , p rinting sho uld

con tin u e .
Color Supply Low
Cause T he P rim a ry Ink C on tain er is low o n in k.
A d d add ition al in k to the specified co lo r. Yo u m ay perform
th is fun ctio n w h ile the prin ter is printin g. B e sure to po ur slo w ly in o rder
to av oid disturbing the Ink L ev el S ensor F loat.

Solution

Solvent Supply Low

Cause T he S olvent P rim ary C o nta iner is lo w on S o lven t.
A d d add ition al S olven t to th e prim ary con tainer. You m a y
perform this fu nction w h ile the prin ter is prin ting. S lo w ly rem ove the lid
from th e con tain er as it is p re ssu rized u p to 5 p si.

Solution

Check Color Filter

Cause In k usag e is hig her tha n th e ink p um p can rep len ish.
R ep lace ink filters, filter m ay b e restricting flow of ink . C lean
in k senso rs in seco nd ary ink can. R em ov e and clean S econ dary Ink
C o ntainer. R eplace rou nd filte rs o n soleno id s, this allo w s the S eco nd ary
In k C o nta ine r to b rea th (th ere sho uld be no ink in th is filter). R em ove
and clean restrictor betw een Ink F ilte r and S eco nd ary In k C o ntainer.

Solution

No Paper Detected
Cause T he E dg e D etecto r did no t detect m ate rial.
O b serv e the row o f L E D s o n th e E d ge D etector. It sh ou ld
m o v e fro m z ero to 1 0 w he n m aterial is b elo w th e E d g e D etecto r.
D ep end in g on the m aterial used, adjustm en t m ay be n ecessary.

Solution

Troubleshooting

6-7

Too Many Rolls

Cause T he E d ge D etecto r d eterm in ed there w ere m ore th an fo ur ro lls of
m aterial o n th e printer, o r th e E d ge D etector is m alfu nctio nin g.
If you hav e m o re th an fou r rolls o f m ateria l on the prin ter,
re m o ve th e ad ditio nal rolls o f m aterial. Verify that the E dge D etector is
fu nctio nin g correctly. S ee C h apter 5 , M aintenan ce, for setting u p th e
E dg e D ete ctor.

Solution

Roll Detector Error

Cause T he E dg e D etecto r determ ined there w ere m ore left edg es o f
m aterial d etec ted than rig ht ed ges of m a terial o r m ore right edge s o f
m aterial d etec ted than left e dge s o f m aterial.
T he E d ge D etector m a y be m alfu nctio nin g o r m ultip le rolls of
m aterial m ay b e to o clo se to on e ano ther. M inim um distance b etw een
ro lls is 4 (10 cm ).

Solution

Capper Stuck Down or Capper Stuck Up

Cause T he P urge r P late (C ap per) is n ot in the ex pected p osition to
allow C arriag e m o vem en t.
C he ck sw itch at to p of P u rger P late, the to p con nector for the
blue w ire and m id dle con nector for the w h ite w ire. C heck P urg er P late
air reg ulator pressure loca ted b y th e P rim ary In k C o ntaine rs. P ressure
setting sh ou ld be 3 0 psi (2.1 kg /cm ) to 35 psi (2.46 kg/cm ). A d justm e nt
m ay also b e req uired a t the P u rg er P late A ir C y lin der. A dju st so th at
P urger P late slo w ly lo w ers o nto th e jet p ack A ssem b ly. A ra pid
lo w erin g of the P urg er P late o nto th e Je t P ac ks w ill rem o ve the prim e
from th e Je t P a ck A rra y O rifices.

Solution

Color Pack Error

Cause O n e o r m ore of the sp ecified c olo r Jet P ack B oards is no t
correctly plu gg ed in to the slo t.
E m pty the Jet P ack s for the sp ecific color. R em ov e and
re install all Jet P ack B o ard s for th at color. F ollow p roced ure for
re cov ery o f lo st jets to re fill Jet P ack s.

Solution

6-8

C hapter 6

Printer Diagnostic M ode

Entering the Diagnostic Mode
To en ter the d iag nostic m od e o n th e U ltraVu x30 0 D igital P rintin g
S ystem , the W o rk station m o n itor and k ey b o ard m ust b e c o n n ecte d to
th e P rin ter C ontro ller. T h is is do ne by turnin g th e A -B S w itch (located
on th e rig ht side of th e U ltraVu W orksta tio n C P U C a rd C ag e) to th e "B "
po sition (P rinter C o ntroller). P ress E S C to en ter the D iagn ostic M od e.
N o rm al p rinter op eratio ns are su spen ded w hen the p rinter is in the
D iagn ostic M od e. T h e diag no stic fun ctions are describ ed on the pages
th at fo llow.
Caution: T he D ia gn ostic M od e is in ten ded to be u sed by trained F ield
Service E ng ineers o nly. P lea se b e aw a re th at u sing this m od e w ill
disable all p rin ter safety fea tures. U se cau tio n arou nd th e m a chine.

Troubleshooting

6-9

P rinter D iagnostics F unctions

Key
Code

Function

Description

Exit

Fault history X Servo

Displays HH:MM since printer AC power turned ON.

(Field Service use only)

Fault history Y Servo

Displays HH:MM since printer AC power turned ON.

(Field Service use only)

Test Purger Plate

When active, raises and lowers the Print Head Purger

Plate with keys 1 (raise) and 2 (lower).

Test Mesh Motor

Press M to start, S to Stop, and ESC to exit.

Display Head Temperature

Displays Jet Pack temperature. Should be 84 F+/-1.

Interlace Mode ON or OFF

Enable or disable Interlace Mode (Also selectable in the

UltraVu Software).

Change Edge Detector

Yes Edge Detector is active.

No Edge Detector is inactive.

Display Servo Peaks

Displays peak values for servo parameters.

(Field Service use only)

Edge Detector Setup

Used to verify the Edge Detector is properly adjusted for

detecting material.
It will display the Linear Encoders position as a number.
This value will increase when the Carriage moves right
and decrease when Carriage moves left. The Edge
Detector status will change from black to white when the
Edge Detector is in front of the material. The Yellow Color
Selection Button moves the Carriage left. The Black
Color Selection Button moves the Carriage right.
With the Workstation keyboard and monitor connected to
the Printer Controller (refer to Diagnostic Mode above),
the and arrow keys will move the Carriage in that direction continuously. The arrow key will stop the movement.

10

6-10

Change Step Sizes

C hapter 6

Default value is 1.242. A value must be entered to Exit.

P rinter D iagnostics Functions (Continued)

Key
Code
11

Function
Overrides (Defaults in bold)

Description
1. Jet Pack Override (T/F)
2. Paper Edge (T/F)
3. Wiper Override (Not Available)
4. Purger Plate Override (T/F)
5. Solvent Level Override (T/F)
6. Beeper Override (T/F)
7. Y Position Readout (T/F)
8. Maximum Media Accuracy[0.001] (Y/N).
9. Machine Type (5300/3300)
A. Weep Period [0-50] (10)
B. Weep Count [0-30] (20)
C. Jam Detect Override (T/F)
D. Color Order (YMCK/MYCK)

12

Carriage Shuttle

13

Not Active

14

Set Purger Plate Position

Adjusts value to position Carriage under Purger Plate station. Default value is close to 18.3 inches.

15

Save Default Values

Saves default values to disk.

16

Check and Set Servo Settings

Displays servo settings and updates firmware

(Field Service Use Only).

17

Switch Status

Checks the functionality of Control Panel Buttons, Level

Sensors, E-Stop Buttons, and Limit Switches.

18

Y Servo Encoder Position

Displays Y Servo position.

19

Check and Reset Minimum

and Maximum Step Sizes

Allows for adjustment of the print step setting using Test

5. This is also settable through the UltraVU Software.

20

Set Left Print Edge

Adjust left margin. Adjusts start of printing to the physical

edge of the material. This adjustment compensates for the
difference in the slight light direction between different
edge detectors. After changing this value, you must save
the defaults using Key Code 15 (above), then reset the
controller. This function is activated only when printing images. Has no effect when using test pattern functions. Default is 3.25"; value must be entered to exit.
(Field Service use only)

Moves Carriage from left to right to left.

(Field Service use only)

Troubleshooting

6-11

P rinter D iagnostics Functions (Continued)

Key
Code

Function

Description

21

Print Delay = 0

Delays carriage at each end of print line to maximize image quality. Increments by seconds. Use the Maximum
Media Accuracy Setting under the UltraVu Setup Printer
Settings screen.

22

Take-up Tension Roller

Operator selectable in UltraVu, sets Takeup Roller Adjustment Tension to a range of 50-150%.

23

Unidirectional Printing

If set to R, prints only when carriage moves to right.

If set to L, prints only when carriage moves to left.
If set to B, prints in both the left and right directions.
(Field Service use only)

6-12

C hapter 6

Corrective Procedures
Recovering from RO M Disk Failure
If th e X 30 0 R O M D isk beco m es inacc essible fo r any reaso n, the p rinte r
can still b e restored to w orking o rd er the X 3 00 P rinter R e cov ery
P ro gram - R E C 20 4.E X E . T his p ro gram w ill perfo rm s th ree tasks:
D o w n loa d th e S ervo P aram eter F ile an d w rite to th e S ervo s.
R eform at of the P rinter R O M D isk.
B o ot th e V X 30 0 P rog ra m .
You c an o b tain the latest v ersion o f R E C 2 0 4 .E X E fro m th e V U T E k
S upp ort W eb P age:
http:://w w w.vu teksu pp ort.com
S im ply do w nload the p ro gram , run, and fo llo w th e instru ctions on the
scre en.

Troubleshooting

6-13

Printer Controller
Printer Controller Overview
T he U ltraVu x3 00 D igital P rintin g S y stem uses a D O S -based C ontro ller
to m an age th e data tra nsfe r to the W orkstation as w e ll as con trol all
prin ter fu nctio ns. T he follo w in g sectio n w ill prov id e an overv iew of th e
P rinter C on troller layo ut, B IO S values, bo ard p in -o uts an d
fu nctio nality.

Figure 6-1 Printer Controller Block Diagram

6-14

C hapter 6

Printer Controller CPU Bios Values

T he B IO S values listed b elo w are p ro vided for inform ation p urpo se s
on ly. T hese va lues m ust n ot b e m o dified.
Bios for 2A59CM2G (200 MHz) Processor

Troubleshooting

6-15

6-16

C hapter 6

Bios for 2A591M2D (233 MHz) Processor

Troubleshooting

6-17

6-18

C hapter 6

Printer Controller Layout

T his sectio n w ill de tail the C o ntro lle r C ard C ag e lay outs, p in ou ts and
bo ard fun ctionality. T h e U ltraVu x3 00 D igital P rinting S ystem p assive
back plane p ro vid es fo r:
In tercon nectin g bo ard fo r P rinte r C o ntroller C ircuit B o ard s.
P ow e r S up ply Test P oin ts.
C ab le distribu tio n p oin t.

Figure 6-2 Printer Controller Backplane (Left Side)

Troubleshooting

6-19

Figure 6-3 Printer Controller Board Configuration

6-20

C hapter 6

Printer Controller CPU M odule: P7028-A

T he U ltraVu P rinte r C o ntroller C P U M o dule (2 33 M H z, P en tium )
prov id es the fo llow ing fu nction s:
In teracts w ith V G A In terfa ce M od ule to display the P rinter
C o ntroller s p ara m eters an d diagn ostics
K ey bo ard In terfac e for softw a re in pu t and interac tio n
In teracts w ith the P C I In terface M odu le to transfer im ag e
in fo rm ation from the U ltraVu W o rk station C ontro ller.
F lop py D rive Inte rface fo r firm w are installatio n

Figure 6-4 Printer Controller CPU Module (233 MHz)

Troubleshooting

6-21

For 32 Head Upgrade Versions Only- (200 MHz, Pentium)

Figure 6-5 Printer Controller - CPU Module (200 MHz)

N o te: M em ory m ust be a dd ed to b oth versio ns of P rin ter C o ntroller

C P U M o du les.

6-22

C hapter 6

Q ty

P /N

D escriptio n

P 72 29 -A

4-M B M em ory

Controller Board: AA70012

T he C o ntro ller In terfa ce B oard m on ito rs an d con trols the fo llow ing ::

S w itches
H ea ter S trip s/C o oling F an
Vacuu m
Tak e-u p/R e-direct M oto rs
S olen oids

C arriage P ositio n
B eep er
E rror R ep ortin g
L ig hts
E dg e D etecto r

Figure 6-6 Printer Controller Controller Interface

Troubleshooting

6-23

Pixel Board: AA70176

T he tw o P ixe l B o ard s in th e P rinte r C ontro ller a re iden tic al (see F ig ure
6-7). O n e bo ard transfers y ellow /m agen ta d ata to the P rin t H e ads w hile
th e sec ond boa rd tran sfers the cy an/black data. T h e interface cab les
determ ine w hich color d ata (i.e. y ellow /m agen ta or cy an/bla ck) a P ixel
B o ard w ill process.

Figure 6-7 Printer Controller Pixel Board

6-24

C hapter 6

RS422 Interface Board: AA70021

T he P rinte r C on troller R S 4 22 Inte rface B oa rd p ro vid es these fun ction s:

C o m m u nicates to X S ervo th ro ug h C om 1 (C P U M od ule C om 1 o ff)

C o m m u nicates to Y S ervo th ro ug h C om 2 (C P U M od ule C om 2 o ff)
A d ju sts the L C D intensity w ith P o ten tio m e ter R 18
P ro vid es D ata for L C D R e ado ut D isplay

Figure 6-8 Printer Controller RS422 Interface

Troubleshooting

6-25

ROM DISK Board: P7029-A

T he R O M D isk B o ard stores rep etitiv e instru ctions (firm w are) in
m em ory (see F ig ure 6-9). T he resid ent firm w are is easily up -g rad ed
from flop py d isk.
N o te: S etting s a re a s indicate on R O M D isk B oa rd sh ow n b elo w.

Figure 6-9 Printer Controller ROMDisk

6-26

C hapter 6

VGA Monitor Interface: P7127-A

T he V G A M onito r In terface M od ule lin ks a m o nitor to the P rinter
C o ntroller (see F igu re 6 -1 0). T he V G A B o ard fo r the P rin ter C o ntroller
prov id es a d ire ct com m un icatio ns po rt into the P rinter C o ntro ller
allow ing access to set u p param eters and initiate diag no stic s.
N o te: T his b oa rd m ay b e u sed w ith 3 2 H ea d U p gra des (2 00 M H z
P ro cessor w itho ut video p ort).

Figure 6-10 Printer Controller VGA Monitor Interface

Troubleshooting

6-27

Workstation Controller
Workstation Controller Overview
T he U ltraVu x3 00 D ig ita l P rin tin g S ystem inclu des a W ind ow s N T
W orksta tio n th at func tio ns as the file m an ager fo r th e printer. T he
custom er h as the o ption o f using a seco nd W in do w s N T -based
w o rk station th at can b e u sed as th e U ltraW o rk s R IP S tation . T he
w o rk station s h ave iden tica l con figuration s, in clu ding the use of a
S ecurity D o ngle fo r th e prop rietary softw are.
T he W orkstation C o ntro lle r in terfac es w ith (see F ig ure 6-11 ):
V G A Interface M od ule to allow disp lay of N T W ind ow s and U ltra Vu
S oftw a re
K ey bo ard /B all/M o use fo r softw are inp ut an d in teraction
1 0 0 B a se -T E th ern et n etw o rk c ard for p eer-to -p e er file tran sfer
fu nctio ns
S C S I C ontro ller to interact w ith h ard d rives, flop py disk , rem ov able
m edia an d C D -R O M
P C I Interface M o du le to tran sfer im age inform a tio n to P rin ter
C o ntroller
P arallel C om m un ication s P o rt (L PT ) for D on gle atta chm ent and
com m un icatio n
N o te: T he U ltra Vu Wo rkstatio n C on troller and the U ltra Works R IP
Station (o ption al) a re co nfigu red sim ila rly a nd are typically co nn ected
as a netw o rk for file tran sfer fu nction s.

6-28

C hapter 6

Figure 6-11 Printer Workstation Block Diagram

Troubleshooting

6-29

UltraWorks RIP Station O verview

T he U ltraW orks R ip S tation interfaces w ith:
V G A Inte rface M o dule to allow disp lay o f N T W in do w s and
U ltraW orks R IP S oftw are
K ey bo ard /M ouse for so ftw are in put and inte ractio n
10 0B a se -T E th ern et netw o rk c ard for peer to p eer file tran sfe r
fu nctio ns via a 3 -C o m F o ur P ort H ub
S C S I C ontro ller to interact w ith h ard d rives, flop py disk , rem ov able
m edia an d C D -R O M
C o m m u nica tio ns P ort (L PT ) (for S ec urity D on gle a ttac hm ent)
T he w orkstatio n uses a passiv e back pla ne to interco nn ect w orkstatio n
m odu les.
N o te: T he U ltra Vu Wo rkstatio n C on troller and the U ltra Works R IP
Station (o ption al) a re co nfigu red sim ila rly a nd are typically co nn ected
as a netw o rk for file tran sfer fu nction s.

6-30

C hapter 6

Workstation and RIP Station Bios Values

T he B io s v alues listed o n the follo w in g p a g es are p ro vid ed for
in fo rm ation p urpo ses o nly. T h ese values m u st no t be m od ified . T h e
U ltraVu x 30 0 D ig ital P rin tin g S ystem W orkstatio n a nd th e U ltraW o rk s
R ip S tatio n u se the sam e B io s v alues.
C a u tion : It is very im p ortant tha t th e d ate be set correctly in th e
Wo rkstation C P U B ios b efo re the U ltra Vu prog ram is run . A n incorrect
da te in the B io s valu es m ay rend er the system ino pera ble.
Bios for 2A69KN09 (400 MHz) Processor

Troubleshooting

6-31

6-32

C hapter 6

Troubleshooting

6-33

Workstation Controller Layout

T his sectio n w ill de tail the W o rk station C ontro ller C ard C ag e L ayo ut,
pin ou ts and b oard functio nality.
T he P rinter W orkstation p assive b ackp lan e p ro vides fo r:
In tercon nec tin g bo ard fo r W orkstatio n C o ntro ller circuit m od ules
P ow e r S up ply test po in ts
C ab le distribu tio n po in t

Figure 6-12 Workstation Controller Backplane (Right Side)

6-34

C hapter 6

Figure 6-13 Workstation Controller Board Configuration

Troubleshooting

6-35

UltraVu Workstation CPU M odule

T he U ltraVu W orkstatio n C P U M odu le (40 0 M H z, P entiu m , 25 6 M B )
con trols the fo llow ing fun ction s:

W orkstatio n D a ta P ro cessing
K ey bo ard and Trackb all Interco nn ection
ID E , P arallel, and F lo pp y In tercon nec tio n
S C S I D riv e In teraction

Figure 6-14 UltraVu Workstation CPU Module (400 MHz)

6-36

C hapter 6

UltraWorks RIP Station CPU M odule

T he U ltraW orks R IP S tatio n C P U M o du le (400 M H z, P entium II, 256
M B ) con trols th e fo llo w ing fun ction s:

R IP S tatio n P rocessing
K ey bo ard and Trackb all Interco nn ect
ID E , P arallel, and F lo pp y In tercon nec t
S C S I D riv e In teraction

Figure 6-15 UltraWorks RIP Station CPU Module (400 MHz)

Troubleshooting

6-37

PCI Interface Board: AA70175 / AA 70203

T he W orkstations P C I In terface bo ard c om m unicate s d irectly w ith the
P rinter C on troller s P C I In terface B oard. T he P rinter C on troller s P C I
In terface b oard translates th e U ltraW o rk s im ag e d ata be fo re transferring
it to th e jet driv er circu itry.
N o te: T he P rinter C o ntroller s P C I Interface B o ard an d th e
Wo rkstation C on tro ller s P C I In terfa ce B oa rd a re id entica l, except for
J C on nector la beling . T he J4 and J5 la bels (see F igu re 6-16 ) o n th e
P rinter C on to ller s versio n is la beled J3 an d J4 , resp ectively, on the
Wo rkstaions version .

Figure 6-16 PCI Interface Board (Printer Controller version shown)

6-38

C hapter 6

Print Head Control

Jet Pack M odule: AA70185-32
T he Jet P ack M o dule assem bly (1 6 pe r un it) tran slates im a ge da ta pu lses
in to ink d ro plets o n th e substrate m a terial. T his m o dule con tain s sm all
re se rv oirs o f ink to su pp ly th e piezo jets d uring printin g and is m od ular
fo r easy rep lacem en t

Figure 6-17 Jet Pack Driver

Troubleshooting

6-39

Jet Driver Board: AA70181

T he Jet D river B oard receiv es p ix el data from th e P rin ter C on tro ller s
P ixel B oards an d send s it to the Jet P acks. It also m on ito rs th e E dge
D etecto r, H eater/C ooler A sse m b ly, In k L ev el S ensors and S oleno id s.
V R 1 adjusts th e bia s for the Te m p era ture C o ntrol C ircuit.

Figure 6-18 Jet Driver Board

6-40

C hapter 6

Carriage Backplane Board: AA70184

Figure 6-19 Carriage Backplane

Troubleshooting

6-41

Carriage Backplane Connections: AA70184

Figure 6-20 Carriage Backplane Connectors

6-42

C hapter 6

Pow er Distribution System

Pow er Board: AA70233
T he U ltraVu x3 00 p ow er b oard distribu tes vo lta ges and co ntro ls sign als
to an d fro m the fo llow ing conn ecto rs:
J17 - To B eeper/S o leno id s
J18 - To C arriag e
J19 - To Take-up C lu tch
J20 - To R elay b ox
J21 - F ro m P ow er S up ply
J22 - To Ink P u m p D riv er
J23 - F ro m C o ntro lle r B o ard
J24 - To P u rg er P la te and L inear E nco der S o len oid s
J25 - To H eate r C o ntrols
J26 - F ro m P ow er S up ply

Figure 6-21 Power Supply Distribution Connectors (Bottom)

Troubleshooting

6-43

Figure 6-22

6-44

C hapter 6

Power Supply Distribution Connectors (Top)

Pow er Distribution Panel Layout

T he U ltraVu x3 00 P o w er D istributio n P a nel co ntro ls the follow in g:
P ow e r to C on tactor B ox
S w itches M a in P ow er o ff/o n
P ro vid es ind iv idu al circu it b reak er p ro tection to the fo llow ing :
-S ervo s
-P laten /P reh eate rs
-S u bstrate D ry er H eaters
-W o rk station and P rinter C o ntro lle rs
-Vac uum M o to r
-Take-up and R edirect M otors

Figure 6-23 Power Breaker Panel

Troubleshooting

6-45

Pow er Distribution Contactor Panel

T he U ltraVu x3 00 C on tacto r P an el rec eive s ipow er from the M a in
P ow e r D istribu tion P anel toand d istrib ute s it to individual circuits (see
F igu re 6 -2 4). T h is p ow er is inte rrup ted w hen the E m ergen cy S to p
bu tto ns are en gag ed. H e at fro m the H eater R elay dissipates th ro ugh th e
fin n ed h ea t sin k .

Figure 6-24 Power Distribution Contactor Panel

6-46

C hapter 6

Pow er Supply Distribution Box: AA70028

T he U ltraVu x3 00 P o w er S u pp ly D istrib ution B ox co ntains th e D C
P ow e r S up ply an d the F use P an el. T he P o w er S up ply prov id es vo ltag es
fo r all of the d ifferen t circuits w ithin th e printer. L ocated in the P ow er
D istribu tion B o x are the + 55V and + 24 V Test P o ints an d th e
Tak eup /R ed irect M o to r P ow er Te st P o in ts. A lso located in the P ow er
D istribu tion B o x are the fuses fo r each voltag e area o r pe riphe ral.
N o te: A fu se is open (d efective) if its corresp on din g L E D is on .

Figure 6-25 DC Power Supply Distribution Box

Troubleshooting

6-47

Figure 6-26 Distribution Box (Top View)

6-48

C hapter 6

Chapter 7
RIP Station

UltraWorks
Overview
T his ch apter is in ten ded to fam iliarize yo u w ith th e m ain featu res o f
U ltraW orks R IP (R aster Im ag e P roce ssing ) S oftw are. U sing it as a
Q u ick R eferen ce G uide, yo u can im m ed iately b egin usin g th e R IP
W orkstatio n w ith out hav ing to read th e o nline S criptW orks M an ual
(U ltraW o rk s is a cu stom ized ve rsio n of S c riptW o rk s).
T he full, in d epth S c riptW o rk s M anu al has been installed in P D F form at
on the R IP W orkS tation H ard D rive. T he A d obe A c ro bat ap plication ha s
also b een su pp lied so th at yo u can refer to th e m an ual onlin e. R ead th is
chap ter to g et started and then read the full onlin e S crip tW orks
M an ual w hen a m o re de tailed ex pla nation is req uired.
A V U T E k servic e e ngineer w ill w alk y ou throug h th is cha pter. A
ru dim e ntary k no w led ge o f basic com pu ter skills is assum ed, such a s,
using a m ou se, un derstan ding files an d fold ers, and so fo rth. F o r th is
train in g, it is also h elp fu l if y ou have a b asic un derstan din g of th e
P ostscrip t fo rm at. T h is m anu al is no t m eant to te ach yo u P ostscript, bu t
it w ill po in t o ut som e o f th e m ain P ostsc rip t pitfalls that can o ccur w hen
w o rk in g w ith U ltraW orks.

Additional Docum entation

In ad ditio n to this m an ual and th e o nline S crip tW o rk s M an ual, V U T E k
has sup plied sev eral oth er im p ortan t re ferenc e d ocu m ents for y ou r
con ven ien ce, includ ing so m e state-of-the-art color m an age m en t
softw are. P lease tak e the tim e to re ad th e lite rature su pp lie d on th e hard
driv e. A ll d ocu m en ts are in th e A crob at fo rm at a nd can be accessed
th ro ug h the U ltraW o rk s D ocu m entatio n sho rtcut o n th e W indo w s N T
D esk to p.

R IP S tation

7-1

T he do cum en t set co nsists o f:

H arlequins in stall n otes
C o lor S y nc W hite P ap er (A p ple C olor S yn c S p ecific atio ns for M ac
users)
R IP F u ll.pd f (D etailed R IP O perato rs M an ual)
IC C M an ual.p df (IC C and C olor M anag em ent O perato rs M a nual)
IC C 33 .pdf (IC C S pec ification M anu al)
P s3 .pdf (P o stscript 3 P review )
C o m p osite F o nts.p df 9 4.09 .0 6
D isk P e rform ance.p df V 1.0 94.0 3.07
P erform ance.p df V 1.1 9 4.04 .10
N T N o tes.pd f V 1.4 9 6.06 .6
F ireW orks.pd f V 1 .1 94.0 4.10
U tilities.p df V 1 .2 96 .0 3.07
H arlequin S creenin g L ib rary.pd f V 1 .8 96.0 7.26
In tel P en tiu m C hip s.pdf V 1 .0 94.11 .2 9
M o risa w a fo nt su pp ort.pd f V 1 .0 95.0 4.03
N T N o tes 2.p df V 1 .0 96 .0 3.12
T he G enL in utility prog ra m .p df V 1.0 96 .0 7.29
S pot fu nction s.p df V 1 .4 9 6.04 .15
P S S etu ps.pd f V 1 .0 96 .0 7.01
N am ing.p df V 1 .0 96.0 9.05
C u stom iz e.p dfV 1 .4 96 .10.0 9
C R D .pdf V 1 .0 96 .11 .2 0
T IF F it.p df V 1 .0 9 6.12 .0 4

RIP Station Features

T he U ltraVu D igital P rinting S y stem s are p ro vid ed w ith tw o iden tical
R IP W orkS tatio ns, o ne intern al to th e p rinter and a separate system fo r
re m o te setu p. B oth syste m s in clu de th e features listed below :

7-2

C hapter 7

M icro soft N T O p era tin g S ystem

N etw o rk read y (1 00 B ase-T E th ernet card )
M acintosh A ppleTalk protoco l in the R IP
12 8M B R am

D u al H a rd D rives
R em ov able Jaz D rive
17 " S on y M o nitor
U ltraW orks - cu stom ized versio n of the H arlequ in R IP S o ftw are
P osterW orks (M ac or W ind ow s N T Versio n)

Printer O perating Modes

T he U ltraVu D ig ital P rin ting S yste m and the U ltraW orks R IP S oftw are
can p ro cess in on e of tw o file operating m o des: C T an d P ostscrip t.
CT File Mode
T he C T (C o ntinu ou s To ne) im ag e is sim ilar to T IF F (Tagg ed Im age F ile
F orm a t) o r B M P (B it M app ed) im ages, in that they h ave no half to ne
freq uen cy, co de o r E P S /vector inform ation. T his form at prin ts at 18 .7 5
P P I or 3 7.5 P P I, the reb y, k eeping size of the files sm all. F or a m o re
detailed exp lan ation o f th e C T fo rm at, re fer to ch apter 8, P rep ress).
T he V U T E k C T file m od e supp orts th e fo llo w ing:
- 1 8.75 P P I an d 37 .5 0 P P I rasterized C T in pu t
- Very qu ick and easy
- S m aller file siz es
- F on ts app lie d in P ho to S h op
- C o lo r correction at p re press o r prin ter
Postscript / Vector Mode
T his is th e stand ard U ltraVu P rinter op eratio n m ode. P ostscrip t m ode is
a print descrip tio n fo rm at that w ill allow v ecto r te xt to be enlarged to
any size w itho ut lo ss of detail. Im ag es in T IF F form a t are rasterized in to
a fine do t pattern.
N o te: W h en w o rkin g w ith im ag es, yo u sho uld a void bo th u nd errasterizin g an d over-rasterizin g the im a ge. N either prod uces an effect
th at is d esirab le. U n der-sam p led im a ges ten d to app ear gra in y
(p ixelized ), bu t ha ve sm all file sizes. O ver-sam pled im ag es o n the other
ha nd create large file sizes, but do n ot necessarily enh ance the qu ality
of the fina l ou tpu t.

R IP S tation

7-3

T he P ostsc rip t file m od e supp orts th e fo llo w ing featu res:

- A ccepts P ostscript L evel 2 files
- T IF F 6.0 o r T IF F -IT ra ster files
- 3 00d pi text (or selected resolu tion)
- A ccepts Typ e 1 ,3,4 and TrueTyp e fon ts
- Ty pe O fon ts (C hin ese, Jap ane se , A rab ic, and o th ers.)
- C o lo r correction at P repress or R IP
- R e so lu tio ns of 300 , 1 50 , 10 0, 75 an d 50 dp i
- P re se t plug an d play calibration and line arization
- P ho to S h op C M Y K S ep aratio n Tab les
- S W O P U ltraVu L ineariza tio n as D efault
- IC C P ro file fo r S W O P & U ltraVu
- IC C P ro file Tw eeke r

Understanding UltraWorks
T he U ltraW orks R IP (R aster Im a ge P ro cessor) S oftw are is u se d to
con vert a P ostscrip t (o r ve ctor line draw ing ) im ag e into a pattern of o n
and off d ots (see F igure 7-1).

Figure 7-1 Pixel to Cell Processing Representation

F or ex am p le, a ssu m e a pixel from an im age created w ith P ho to S h op ha s

a value of 0% cyan , 5 0% m agen ta, 0% yello w and 0 % black. T he
specific pixel w ill b e represented u sing U ltraW orks as a g ro up , or cell
of on an d o ff do ts. In this ex am ple, the cy an, black and yellow hav e 0%
values. U ltraW o rk s w ill p rocess these th re e co lo rs to h ave no d ots in this
cell. O nly the w hite of the su bstrate m ate rial w ill sho w. M age nta w ill

7-4

C hapter 7

hav e 5 0% o f the cell area co vered w ith d ots of in k and the other half of
th e cell w ill h ave n o do ts. In processin g the file U ltraW o rk s ran do m izes
th e d ots so the im ag e app ears sm oo th to the ey e.
N o te: T he cell area ca n be a ny size, w hich m ea ns U ltraWorks can
expa nd o r con tract your file. T h is is typ ica lly p reset in P osterWorks so
you do n ot ha ve to b e con cerned w ith im a ge size a nd rota tion a nd ca n
qu ickly p ro cess the file fo r prin tin g.

Installation
Installing UltraWorks
U ltraW orks com es installe d on th e R IP S tation hard d rive. P erio dic ally,
ho w ev er, V U T E k w ill p ro vide up grade s to the U ltraW o rk s S oftw are.
T he up grades are m ade availab le th roug h V U T E ks W eb page:
w w w.v ute ksup po rt.co m
If U ltraW orks beco m es co rrup t for an y reason , th en it w ill hav e to b e
re installe d from th e o riginal C D -R O M su pp lie d w ith th e system .
To in stall U ltraW ork s, you should d o the follow in g:
1

To reinstall UltraWorks copy the latest Ultra Folder from the

removable disk and replace the old UltraWorks Folder in its entirety.
UltraWorks will require you to enter a password for selected features.

To start UltraWorks, go the Windows NT Desktop, open the Start

Menu, select VUTEk and click UltraWorks. This will start the
UltraWorks application (see Figure 7-2).

Figure 7-2 UltraWorks Screen

R IP S tation

7-5

Select UltraWorks from the main menu bar and click the Configure
RIP Option (see Figure 7-3).

Figure 7-3 UltraWorks Configure RIP Screen

Select the Extras Button and the Configure RIP Extras Screen will
appear (see Figure 7-4).

Figure 7-4 UltraWorks - Configure RIP Extras Screen

7-6

C hapter 7

Enter the password for each of the features (see Figure 7-4) with a
"Yes" listed along its side.

When finished, select OK. The passwords are written to the Harlequin
Dongle.

Working with the UltraWorks Dongle

U ltraW orks uses a D o ngle, w hich is a hardw are d evice th at resides on
th e p aralle l po rt o f th e U ltra W o rks R IP S tation . T h e D on gle req uires a
key and co de to activate the U ltraW orks prog ram . If you get an error
m essage th at N o D o ngle is attached to th e com pu ter, first ch eck th at
a D o ngle is atta ched and th at it has no t com e lo ose du ring sh ipp in g.
E ven if it app ears attach ed, ensure th at it is p ro perly installed . If y ou
hav e just installed or h ave o verw ritten the existin g W in dow s N T
S ystem , then yo u m ay still get a D on gle N ot F o un d m essage.
To rem ed y this, you m ay have to reinstall th e softw are d river for th e
D ongle.
1

To verify that the Sentinel Driver is installed, open the Start Menu on
the Windows NT Desktop.

2
3

Select Settings, then Control Panel.

Select the Devices menu to view all of the installed device drivers
(see Figure 7-5). If the Sentinel for i386 Systems Driver is not present,
it will need to be installed.

5
6

To install, select Add to open the Install Drivers Screen.

Within the Control Panel Screen, select the Multimedia icon and the
Multimedia Properties Screen will be displayed.

Select Unlisted or Updated Drivers, and select OK. This will open the
Install Drivers Screen.

Figure 7-5 Multimedia Properties Screen

R IP S tation

7-7

Within the UltraWorks folder there is a folder labeled Sentinel. Select

Sentinel for i386 Systems and click OK. This will load the required
driver (see Figure 7-6).

Figure 7-6 Add Unlisted or Updated Driver

From the Config RIP Screen click the Options Button. This will open
the Configure RIP Options Screen (see Figure 7-7).

Select the desired settings. and click OK.

N o te: U se these settin gs fo r p rocessing u ltra-w id e im a ges.

Figure 7-7 UltraWorks - Configure RIP Options Screen

7-8

C hapter 7

UltraWorks Operation
Getting Started
To perform a R IP to a file w ith th e U ltraW ork s P rogram , do th e
follow in g:
1

From the Windows NT Desktop, select Start Menu, VUTEk, and

UltraWorks. This will launch the application.

From UltraWorks Program Menu Bar, select UltraWorks, and click the
Print File Option. The Print File Window is displayed (see Figure 7-8).

Figure 7-8 UltraWorks - Print File Screen

Select the Postscript File you wish to RIP.

N o te: F o r a m ore detailed exp lan ation of h ow to prep are a P ostscript

file, refer to cha pter 8, P repress. P osterWorks is su pp lied o n the printer
ha rd d rive in b oth M acintosh an d N T versio ns. Includ ed on the h ard
drive is a n excellen t m a nu al o n w orking w ith P ostS crip t and large
ou tpu ts (M ann tful.p df).
4

Select the page setup you require. For example, if you select Default
Page Setup, UltraWorks will perform a standard RIP, using no color
correction, rotation or image scaling. The UltraWorks software will
first read in the file and then perform the RIP on the file. Finally, it will
output an RTL File to the specified hard drive. The RTL File is now
ready for printing with the UltraVu Software.

R IP S tation

7-9

Determ ining RIP Speed

T here are m any fac tors th at ca n in fluen ce th e proc essing speed of a R IP.
To b etter un derstan d th e com plexity o f th e factors inv olv ed, w e h ave
given yo u tw o scenario s to con sid er: a b est case and a w orst case. B o th
scena rio s assu m e th at U ltraW orks u ses the stan dard R IP con figuration .
L ater on in th e c hap ter w ell de sc ribe ho w to o ptim ize R IP sp eed.
Worst Case Scenario
C o nsid er th e w o rst case scen ario of a typ ical 1 4 ft x 48 ft b illbo ard
prin ted at 15 0 D P I. A ssum e the billb oard uses tw o 5 0 M B T IF F files: an
im ag e of a so da b ottle, and an im ag e of a person . A dd a log o and som e
P ostS crip t tex t gen era ted in Q u ark X P ress an d sav ed as an E P S file. Ta ke
th e files to create the billb oard an d process th em throu gh P osterW o rk s
to set the size an d rota tio n, before sa vin g it a s a P ostS crip t (.P S ) file.
U sing U ltraW ork s, rip th e 100 + M B file to create a 1 G B RT L file. If
yo u w ere to p ro cess th is sam e file at 7 5 D P I, it w ou ld red uce the o utput
RT L file size to ab ou t 2 50 M B . T he w h ole R IP process w ill take abo ut
15 m in utes. If yo u h ave lim ited hard drive space availab le, o r y ou r disk
driv e is fragm en ted , then a R IP w ill ta ke lo ng er th an if th is w as n ot the
case.
Best Case Scenario
If y ou process the sa m e billb oard at 1 8.75 D P I in th e C T m o de, then no
R IP w ill b e req uired . A 1 29 M B file is saved from P hotoS ho p as a C T
and then printed as a norm al V U T E k file .
N o te: L ow ering th e reso lu tio n of the im ag e w ill not ch an ge the sp eed of
th e p rinter. H ow ever, it w ill m ake you r file m an ag em en t and R IP o utp ut
easier to dea l w ith d ue to the m o re m ana gea ble file sizes.

Determ ining Input File Size

D eterm inin g an o ptim al in pu t file size w hen u sing U ltra W o rk s is
sam pling a m atter of tra din g off the tim e it req uires to R IP p ro cess a file
against ou tp ut im ag e q uality. T his is largely determ ined by the lev el o f
digital sam pling used to cre ate th e b it m ap ped im ages. In g eneral, th e
larg er th e file size, th e b etter th e qu ality of the o utp ut im age. H o w ev er,
th is gen era lizatio n is true o nly to a ce rtain ex ten t. T he efficie ncy o f the
R IP proc ess m ust b e co nsidered as a n im po rtant facto r. F o r exam p le, if
yo u w ere to p ro cess a 1 0 ft x 10 ft at 3 00 D P I (32 -b it) T IF F file one -to on e, yo u w o uld p ro du ce a 10 ft x 1 0 ft at 30 0 D P I (fou r-bit) RT L ou tp ut
file. You w ou ld h ave sup plied U ltraW o rk s w ith m o re inform a tio n th an
it really ne eds to reprod uce the im ag e. T h is w as caused by o ver-

7-10

C hapter 7

sam pling the in put T IF F file. O v er-sam pling a dds very little to th e fin al
qu ality of th e im age w h ile se verely d egrading the tim e it tak es to R IP
th e file.
If yo u w ere go to th e oth er ex trem e and p ro cess a n extrem ely sm all T IF F
file, yo u see a v ery different situatio n. T he file w o uld process very
qu ick ly, m u ch faster than the p rev io us ov er-sam ple d exam p le, but the
qu ality o f th e im age w ou ld h ave de graded to an u nac ceptable level. Yo u
w ill see larg e pix elized squ ares o n th e im age, an ex am ple o f un dersam pling .
T he ke y to d eterm ining a n op tim u m file size is to no t ov er o r un dersam ple the o riginal bit m a pped im ag e. O nly b y ex perim entin g w ill yo u
kn ow h ow m u ch sam pling y ou w ill need fo r yo ur partic ular situ ation .
N o te: T he a bo ve exam ples a re fo r T IF F im a ges on ly. S in ce P ostscript
text is com pletely sca lab le, it h as no effect o n file size.

Custom izing the Page Set-up

To create a cu stom page set-u p , you w ill n eed to p erform the
follow in g step s:
1

From the UltraWorks Main Menu, select UltraWorks, and then select
Page Setup Manager Option (see Figure 7-9).

Figure 7-9 UltraWorks - Page Setup Manager Screen

R IP S tation

7-11

Select the Default Page Setup and then click Copy. The New Page
Setup Screen will display (see Figure 7-10). By selecting the Copy
command the existing settings from the Default Page Setup can be
used.

C a u tion : D o n ot select the E dit F u nction ; th is w ill o verw rite th e existing

defau lt settin gs.

Figure 7-10 New Page Setup Screen

N o te: F o r the rem aining steps of th is proced ure a ssum e tha t th e im a ge

need s to b e ro ta ted by 90 an d a n existing curve correction need s to b e
ap plied to the file.
3
4
5
6

From the menu Select Rotate and the desired rotation setting.
Select a curve adjustment from the Calibration Menu.
Select Save As.
At the prompt enter a logical name for the setting (e.g. Rotate 90).
Notice the two pull-down menus, Calibration and Color Setup. The
Color Setup Menu will allow to load an ICC Profile. The Calibration
Setup allows you to load a set of lookup curves. For more information
on color calibration curves, refer to Generating Custom Calibration
Curves later in this section.

N o te: W hen p ro cessin g a T IF F file, it m u st be pre-sized in P h otoSh op or

P osterWorks to the finish ed size. T he pa ge la you t sho uld be defin ed
prior to p rinting .

7-12

C hapter 7

From the New Page Setup Screen, select Page Layout. This will open
the Page Layout Screen (see Figure 7-11). Make any adjustment for
media size and image placement.

Figure 7-11 Page Layout Screen

Once you have made your choices, click OK. This will set the page
layout parameters.

R IP S tation

7-13

Working with RTL Files

Destination Disk Selection - RTL File
T his p ro cedu re is u sefu l if y ou req uire m ore disk sp ace and w ish to setu p
ano th er de stin ation d riv e fo r th e ou tpu t file.
To setu p th e d estin ation d rive, d o th e follow ing:
1

From the New Page Setup window, select Configure Device. The RTL
Printer Configuration Screen will display (see Figure 7-12).

N o te: T h e drive letter sh ow n in F igu re 7-12 w ill va ry d epending o n yo ur

con figura tio n.

Figure 7-12 RTL Printer Configuration Screen

7-14

C hapter 7

Select the Output Folder Button and the destination drive or folder.
This will place the next output file in the specified folder. The
destination folder will appear in the box next to the Output Folder
Button.

Destination Disk Selection - Workspace File

To select a disk for you r w ork sp ace file, d o the follow in g:
1

From the Menu Bar, select UltraWorks and Configure RIP Option (see
Figure 7-13).

Figure 7-13 UltraWorks - Configure RIP Screen

To select a new destination for the working scratch disk of the RIP,
select Change. The Select Folder Screen will be shown (see Figure 714).

Figure 7-14 Select Folder Screen

R IP S tation

7-15

Select the appropriate disk or folder for your workspace file and click
OK.

Selecting Options
E ach p rint resolu tion (50 /75 /1 00 /15 0/300 dpi) can be assig ned its ow n
characteristic s throug h vario us op tion settin gs.
To set th e op tions for each p rin ter resolution , d o th e follow in g:
1

Select UltraWorks from the main menu bar and select Page Setup
Manager Option.

2
3

Select the desired resolution, for example, 150 dpi.

Select the Edit function and then Options. Each Page Setup Screen
contains a Page Setup Options Menu. Once selected, the Page Setup
Options Menu will appear with the default settings shown (see Figure
7-15).

Figure 7-15 Page Setup Options Screen

A n im porta nt o ption assigned to the prin t reso lu tio n is th e use of fon t

sub stitution s. F on t substitu tion are disa bled w h en th e A bort th e jo b if
any fo nts are m issing settin g is selected.
To view th e availab le fon ts resid en t in U ltraW ork s:
1
2

7-16

C hapter 7

From the Main Menu bar of UltraWorks, select Fonts.

Select List Fonts.

Backing Up (Restoring) RIP Settings

To b acku p or restore the R IP settings, you w ill n eed to p erform th e
follow in g step s:
1
2

Select the Print File Menu under UltraWorks.

To restore the setting, run Config.ps as a normal Postscript File. This

will restore the original page and calibration settings.

Select the Configback.ps File that resides found in the Utility Folder.
RIP this file as you would any Postscript file. This will place a file
called Config.ps in the Utility Folder.

N o te: If during the resto ration of the backup file C o nfig.ps, th e R IP fin ds
a file w ith th e sam e n am e as the b acku p restoratio n, it w ill o verw rite
existin g file and substitu te th e ba ckup file.

Calibrating Colors
T he k ey to an y co lo r ca lib ratio n is k no w ing h ow th e file w as orig in ally
separate d from R G B to m ake C M Y K . If the sou rce is un kno w n , th en it
m ay hav e been se parated as a S W O P F ile.
Id eally yo u sho uld ob tain the R G B files fro m the client an d m ake the
separation s y ou rself. A less desirab le w ay is to gu id e the client o n ho w
to sep arate their files from R G B to C M Y K . O n e so lu tio n is to separate
th e files as S W O P 20 % . T his can b e do ne w ith a C M Y K S can ner or by
lo ading th e S W O P 20 % settin gs su pp lie d in P h oto S ho p an d separating
from R G B to C M Y K .
Default Page Setup
U ltraW orks req uires th at a color c orrected, C M Y K im ag e b e prepared .
P ro bab ly th e easiest w ay to calibrate prep ress colors to th e U ltraVu
prin ter is to use th e D efault P age S etu p. T here are d efau lt p age setu ps
fo r 5 0, 7 5, 10 0, 1 50 a nd 3 00 d pi. T he m ain variable to co nsid er from th is
po int o n is sub strate m aterials u sed. C hang ing from one vin yl m anufacturer to
an oth er w ill lik ely lead to d ifferent colo r d en sities and colo r sh ifts.

N o te: V U T E k h as ad op ted the SW O P C urve Setting a s a d efa ult R IP

setting in U ltra Works fo r a ll p rinters sh ip ped a fter 1 5 Jun e 199 8.

R IP S tation

7-17

PhotoShop Color Correction

C o lor correc tio n in P h oto S hop can be acc om plished usin g th e D efault
P age S etu p in U ltraW o rk s.
To p erform color correction , you w ill n eed to p erform the follow in g
step s:
1

From the main menu, select UltraWorks, Page Setup Manager, and
Options.

In order to get the file color corrected from the prepress, load the
SWOP (Coated) Separation Setup that is supplied with PhotoShop.
This will load the SWOP Color Separation and Ink Setup Tables that
are supplied with PhotoShop. Figures 7-16 and 7-17 show the SWOP
Inks Setup and the SWOP Separation Screens.

Figure 7-16 PhotoShop - Printing Inks Setup Screen

Scan the image in as a RGB File and separate it into CMYK format.
The SWOP ink and separation setup must be loaded in order for the
tables to take effect.

Figure 7-17 PhotoShop - Separation Setup Screen

7-18

C hapter 7

Apply the desired color balancing. A neutral gray area will have equal
amounts of Magenta and Yellow with slightly higher Cyan values. For
example, a midtone Gray might consist of 61% Cyan, 48% Magenta
and 47% Yellow.

Send the image directly to UltraWorks as a TIFF File, or send it to a

page layout program like QuarkXPress or PageMaker. If the image is
sent to a page layout program, add any vector-based text or graphics,
and export the completed image as a Postscript file.

N o te: T he p referred m eth od o f gen erating a P ostscript file is to first

ou tpu t an E P S fro m Q uarkX P ress. T hen ru n th e im age thro ug h
P osterWorks. T his m eth od w ill a llo w for m o re a ccu ra te sizing as w ell as
providin g a d yna m ic link to th e fon ts. You sh ould to refer to F on t E rrors
discussed later in this ch ap ter fo r m ore d eta ils.
If a T IF F F ile is sent d irectly to U ltraW o rk s, th e file m u st be an
un com pressed , C M Y K , an d in IB M form at. If an R G B im age is
proce ssed w ith U ltraW o rk s u sing th e D efault m od e, a C M Y sep aratio n
w ith an em pty blac k chan nel w ill be prod uced. T h e U ltraVu prin ter m ay
prov id e the desire d effects, b ut V U T E k d oes no t recom m end it.
U ltraW orks app lies the dispersed screening to each co lo r, and m ak es a
color a dju stm ent in th e D efault M o de. T he R IP m ak es a d ensity
adjustm en t from a S W O P 2 0% separation an d perform s a sligh t color
correction b y low ering the C yan co ntributio n to the color m ix.
PhotoShop Linear Page Setup
T his pag e setup w ill app ly a cu rv e co rrection to a lin ear C M Y K file. If
yo u create a graph ic in an ap plication like P ho toS h op , Q uarkX P ress or
Illu stra tor and then u se the P ho to S h op L inear setting in U ltraW orks, it
w ill o utpu t th e correct C Y M K values to th e prin ter. F or ex am p le, if yo ur
im ag e u ses P anton e 5 07 c, th e P an to ne color w ill c onv ert to 15 % C yan ,
50 % M agen ta an d 23 % Yello w and 0% B lac k.
W h en bu ildin g a file in U ltraW o rk s, ap ply th e P h oto S hop L inear P age
S etup to rip the file. U ltraW orks w ill au tom atically select th e
app ro priate lo oku p cu rv e an d prod uce a n ou tp ut w ith th e co rrect am o un t
of C M Y K .
N o te: T h e printer is cap able of con sisten tly prin tin g a 2% d ot. T he cu rve
correction in P ho toS ho p L inea r P a ge S etu p Screen w ill n ot w o rk for
im ag es tha t have b een sep arated from R G B to C M Y K , because the
sepa ration tables u sua lly ha ve a 20 % D ot G ain a pp lied at th e sa m e tim e
th at the file is sepa rated . T his curve correction a ssu m es a ra w lin ear
file.

R IP S tation

7-19

UltraVu Page Setup

T he U ltraVu P ag e S etup w ill ap ply a curve co rrection to a C M Y K F ile.
It w orks in the sam e w ay as the de fau lt settin g abo ve, bu t it is n ot
nece ssary to ap ply a m id-to ne 5 0% redu ced to 30 % w hich is applied at
th e R IP. In oth er w ords, you w o uld apply th e U ltraVu se parations
in stead o f th e color co rrection s p rior to proc essing throu gh U ltraW o rk s.
Preview Page Setup
W h en th is setting is se lected, the RT L F ile can b e v iew ed.
ICC SWOP Mode
T he IC C S W O P M o de p erform s the sam e fu nction as the S W O P 2 0%
setting doe s, exc ept it is don e as a sp ectral ad justm e nt u sing IC C
P ro files. T h e targe t inp ut file in th is case is a C G AT S W O P C oate d
S eparation S etu p. F o r m ore inform ation see th e H arleq uin IC C M a nu al.
It p rovides a go od starting p oint if yo u need to follow IC C C olor
C alibration S tan dards.

Generating Custom er Calibration Curves

To gen erate a cu stom calib ration cu rve, d o th e follow in g:
1
2
3

Select Output from the UltraWorks Menu Bar.

Select Calibration Manager (see Figure 7-18).
Select the desired setting, i.e. PhotoShop Linear. This will allow for a
curve adjustment to be made to your incoming files.

Figure 7-18 Calibration Manager Screen

7-20

C hapter 7

4
5

Ensure the Device Menu is set to UltraVu.

Select the new setting. The Edit Uncalibrated Target for UltraVu
Screen will be displayed (see Figure 7-19). You can either create a
new set, or work from an existing set of curves.

If you are going to modify an existing curve, select Copy. This will
ensure that an existing setting is not overwritten.

Select a Calibration setting such as PhotoShop Linear and then

select Copy. This step will create a new setting.

Figure 7-19 Edit Uncalibrated Target for UltraVu Screen

After making your curve changes, select Ok and save the settings
with a new name. This curve setting will then appear in your page
setup choices.

R IP S tation

7-21

Using ICC Profiles

T he IC C P ro file is th e b uilding blo ck up on w h ich yo u ca n p ut to gether
a closed loo p colo r m anag em ent p ro cess. F or a detaile d explanatio n on
ho w to u se the IC C P ro files, w e ask y ou to refer to th e IC C S ta nda rd
Sp ecifica tio ns (see A dd ition al D o cum en tation ea rlier in th is se ctio n). In
add ition tw o prepared p age setup s labeled, IC C S etting s, hav e also b een
prov ided fo r y our use.
N o te: W hen u sin g th e IC C settin gs, U ltraWo rks w ill take lon ger to
process th e file. T he D efa ult S etu ps is th e q uickest w a y to p rocess th e
rip ped files.
H ere are so m e co nsid eratio n y ou nee d to k eep in m ind w h en usin g IC C
P ro file:
A ll th e m ajor m an ufactu re rs in the digital co lor im aging m arke t
(M icroso ft, A pp le, K oda k an d o th ers) ag reed up on th is form a t early
on , so it is easy to pass an IC C P ro file from on e p latform to another.
IC C P ro files are no w w idely u se d. T he m anu factu rers of dig ital co lor
equ ip m ent, such as, K od ak, Te ktron ix , L inotyp e H ell an d others hav e
ado pted IC C P rofiles as a sta ndard .
In divid ual IC C P rofile s can be ob tained fro m each m anu facturer s
w eb site.
T he U ltraW orks IC C P ro file is sup plied w ith the prin ter and ca n be
fo un d on the hard d rive.

Working with the SW OP ICC Page Setup

T he IC C D efa ult se tup app lie s a cu rv e correction to th e file to allow for
any d ot gain an d then the c olo rs are shifted into th e g am ut of th e d evice.
T his IC C P age S etu p assum es a co lo r corre cted S W O P F ile as its inp ut.
T hen a cu rv e corre ctio n is ap plied to a llo w for the do t gain of th e
U ltraVu P rinter. T he IC C P rofile w ill c orrect each pix el in the T IF F F ile
fo r color, com p ensating for th e p igm en tatio n o f the in ks, th e co lor o f th e
vinyl and am b ien t lig ht co nd ition s.
A rang e o f test targe ts (w ith abo ut 20 00 tiles) are sen t to the target
dev ice a nd w he re ea ch tile is read for its spectral values. T he valu es are
th en com p ared w ith w hat w as ask ed for a nd w hat w as a ctu ally outpu t.
It is called an IC C O utp u t P ro file and is n o t o n ly spe cific to this p rinter s
characteristic s, bu t it also take s in to ac cou nt th e pig m entatio n of the inks
and slig ht co lorin g of th e v in yl. T he co nditions o f th is golden state are
specified in the H arlequ in R IP C olor M anag em ent S o ftw are.

7-22

C hapter 7

To use the E d it C olor S etu p S creen (see F igu re 7-20):

1
2
3

Select Color from the UltraVu Main Menu Bar.

Select the Device, i.e. UltraVu.
Select Copy to modify existing settings for a new setup. For more
information you will need to refer to the ICC RIP Operators Manual
supplied on the printer hard drive under the Documentation Folder.
This window reveals the conditions that the ICC Profiles were made
under. It also shows the type of file the color management program
is expecting in order to make the proper adjustment.

Figure 7-20 Edit Color Setup Screen

Encountering RIP Problem s

If a p ro ble m is enco un tered d urin g the R IP, U ltraW orks w ill generate an
erro r m essage. T he erro rs usu ally fall in to o ne of the follow in g
cate gories. D isk F u ll E rrors, P ostS crip t E rrors, an d F ont E rrors.
Disk Full Errors
U su ally a disk full erro r is an indication of U ltraW orks trying to w rite its
ou tpu t file to a full d isk. It also co uld b e try ing to u se a w o rk sp ace area
th at is to o sm all. T his typ e p ro blem cou ld also show u p as an IO E rror,
w h ich is a indication of an inte rface p ro ble m . In this instan ce, either th e
im ag e file bein g read, or the file b ein g w ritten , is hav in g trou ble
com m un icatin g w ith the disk .
T he w orkspa ce area is sim ilar to a scra tch d isk for U ltraW o rk s. In
order to h and le th e file, U ltraW o rk s w ill first try to sto re th e file in to
m em ory. If the size of th e file exceed s the av ailable R A M , th e
app lication w ill th en try to use a po rtio n of th e h ard d rive as a tem po rary

R IP S tation

7-23

m em ory space. U sing the disk as a b uffer w ill ce rtainly slo w do w n the
R IP, b ut w ill allo w y ou to com plete a larg e job w itho ut run nin g ou t of
m em ory.
T he solution to disk fu ll errors is to clo sely m on itor the U ltraW orks
W in d o w m essag es a s the file is b e ing p ro cessed . T his w ill u su a lly
in dicate w h en yo u are ru nning o ut o f d isk spac e. If yo u get a d isk full
erro r w hile U ltraW orks is try in g to process the file du ring a P rintin g to
disk fun ction, try m ov ing the w orkspace (see D estin ation D isk
S election - W orksp ace F ile discussed earlier in this c hap ter). If the d isk
fu ll error o ccurs du rin g th eS en ding Im age to P rin ter m o de o f th e R IP
process, try m ov ing the o utp ut file (see D e stin atio n D isk S electio n RT L F ile d iscu sse d earlier in this ch apte r).
Postscript Errors
M o st o f th e o th er prob lem s enco un tered w ill likely be P o stscrip t errors.
In correctly processed im age files, po ssibly con tainin g an u nrecog nized
com m an d or the so ftw are trying to w rite an illeg al co m m an d w ill c ause
m any o f th e prob lem s a sso ciated w ith P o stscript F iles.
If th e file is b uilt an d processe d in-ho use, th en th ese problem s u sually
disappe ar. P o sterW orks has sup plied th e m eans fo r ch ecking an d
trou ble sh oo tin g file s for P o stscript e rrors.
T he solution to this ty pe of p ro blem is to rem ake th e file. R e view the file
at the P re press p hase. C h eck to see if there is an y un usu al elem e nt in th e
orig ina l Q u ark X P ress F ile. P ossib ilities in clud e a cu stom filter app lied
to the orig in al file th at w a s n ot sen t w ith th e file, or a C o re l D raw F ile
has be en em bed ded in an A do be Illu stra tor graph ic.
It m ay be w o rthw hile to call th e c lien t to discu ss w hat files a nd
prog ram s w ere used to prep are th e file. T he prob lem is usually an
in com plete file, a poo rly assem b led file , or a file w ith an u nrecog niz able
P ostS crip t com m and . T h e su rest w ay to avo id P ostS c rip t erro rs is for
yo u to d o yo ur ow n prepress w hen build ing the file an d run it thro ugh
P osterW orks to em b ed th e fon ts and che ck for errors be fo re m ak in g it a
P ostscrip t file. F o r m ore in fo rm ation o n th is to pic y ou sh ould refer to
C h apte r 8, P rep ress.
Font Errors
T he last categ ory of erro rs are th e font erro rs. A P ostscript file is m ade
up o f v arious elem ents, tex t, im ages, ob jects o r lo go s an d blend s o f
m any o f th ese. T h e file sho uld con tain everythin g th at U ltraW orks
re quires to build an d th en rend er th e file. If the file u ses a fon t, fo r

7-24

C hapter 7

exam p le, E ras bold, a co py of the relev ant fon t folders m u st a ccom pa ny
th e file. If the fon ts are no t includ ed w ith th e file, th en a fo nt erro r w ill
occu r.
A typ ical Q u ark X P ress (o r P age M ake r) do cum en t receiv ed from a client
sho uld h ave a set o f fo nt fo ld ers w ith the specified fon ts in it a nd a folder
con tainin g th e graph ic file2 o f ev ery bit m ap im age in the file. B o th
Q u ark X P ress an d P ageM aker hav e features to sho w th e fo nts, im ag es
and o the r elem en ts n eede d for the file. U se this featu re to ch eck the file
fo r fon ts.
N o te: M a rkzw are (w w w.m a rkzw are.com ) prod uces softw a re called
F lightcheck tha t w ill check the file prior to p ro cessing throu gh
U ltraWorks an d w a rn of an y m istakes that m a y exist in th e file. C on ta ct
M arkzw a re - Tel: (71 4) 75 6-51 00 or from w ithin th e U S (800 ) 300 -3 53 2.
To av oid fo nt errors, th e fo llo w ing su ggestio ns shou ld b e rem em b ered .
T he fo nt sho uld b e em b edd ed in th e file du ring th e P repress F un ction
w h en the file is crea ted, either at the E P S stage o r the P ostscript stage.
P osterW orks w ill no tify yo u w hich fo nt is m issing an d then allow y ou
to e m b ed it in to the P ostsc ript file. W hen con figured this w ay, th e file
w ill p ro cess co rrectly w ith no fon t w arning s, sin ce the fon ts are
in clu ded w ith the file.
B y d efa ult U ltraW o rk s has been setup to sto p p ro cessing the file if the
correct fo nt is n ot av ailable. If y ou d isable this feature, then
U ltraW orks w ill su bstitu te the clo sest sim ilar typeface , w h ich m ay or
m ay n ot loo k like the req uested fon t, bu t co ntinu e processing th e file.
N o te: V U T E k stro ng ly recom m en ds tha t you use A do be Type 1
F on ts rath er tha n Tru e Typ e F on ts. True Type F on ts can often
prod uce in con sisten t resu lts.

R IP S tation

7-25

7-26

C hapter 7

Chapter 8
Prepress

Quick Start
Overview
T his ch apter co nta ins in fo rm ation fo r prep aring a la rg e fo rm at im a ge
file for o utput to th e V U T E k U ltraVu D igital P rinting S y stem s. Includ ed
in this c hap ter are step-by -ste p in struction s fo r prep aring a n im ag e from
start to fin ish u sing a v ariety o f tools (no t in clu ded w ith yo ur U ltraVu
x3 00 ). F iles are p rep ared using P ho to S h op , Illu strato r, Q u ark X P ress
and P o sterW orks.
T his ch apter assum es yo u have a w o rk ing kno w ledg e of the W ind ow s
95 /98 /N T and th e M acinto sh O p eratin g S y stem s, includ ing h ow to use
a m o use, th e k eyb oard, m enu s an d com m an d key s, an d som e basic
kn ow led ge of produ cin g P ostS crip t F iles fro m Q uarkX P ress
do cum en ts.
You are expe cted to h ave a w o rk ing kn ow led ge o f som e d ig ital prepress
term in olo gy. M o st of th ese term s are self ex planatory an d are defin ed in
th e g lo ssa ry at the en d of m a nua l.

Printing Guidelines
T he follow in g gu idelin es are recom m end ed for p rep aring a file fo r th e
th e U ltraVu D ig ita l P rin tin g S yste m :

S ave yo ur im age file as a T IF F in P ho to S h op .

O p en th e T IF F in Q u arkX P ress and g enerate text, if necessary.
C reate an E P S file in Q uarkX P ress.
P lace th e Q u ark X P ress E P S file in a P osterW orks do cum en t.
P rint th e P o sterW orks do cum en t to a P ostsc ript file.
R ip the P osterW o rk s P o stscrip t F ile u sin g th e U ltra W o rk s R aster
Im ag e P roce sso r.

P repress

8-1

Creating A File in Adobe PhotoShop

To create a file in P h otoSh op, you w ill n eed to p erform th e follow in g
step s:
1

Start PhotoShop and open an image file for printing. Files may
include image scans and imported files with other formats. Figure 81 shows a TIFF file opened with PhotoShop.

Make the necessary color corrections to the file.

N o te: You shou ld refer to C h apter 7, R IP Station , if yo u n eed ad ditio nal

in form ation on C o lo r C orrectio n.
The im age file should contain as m uch data as possible w ithout oversam pling the im age for its intended final output. For exam ple, if the final
output dim ension is 14 x 24, the im age file size should be approxim ately
75 to 150 M B. O f course, you can create an im age w ith a larger file size,
but it w ill not im prove the quality of the output, it w ill only create an
unnecessarily large (over-sam pled) file.
How ever, under-sam pling has its ow n set of problem s, nam ely that it will
affect final output quality. For instance, if a 4 M B file is used for the sam e
size output im age (14x 24) as that in the previous exam ple, the im age
would not contain enough usable data for the output size needed and
would result in obvious pixelization. A good rule to follow w hen sam pling
an im age is to use a file size of about 150 M B for a final output size
m easuring 14 x 48.

Figure 8-1 PhotoShop Showing TIFF Image

8-2

C hapter 8

PhotoShop Printing Inks Setup

To use P h otoS h op s P rin t In ks S etu p F un ction, you w ill n eed to
p erform th e follow in g step s:
F ro m th e P h oto S h op F ile M enu , selec t C olor S etting s an d th en P rin ting
In ks S etu p. T h e P rin t In ks S etu p S c reen w ill app ear (see F igu re 8 -2 ).
You m ay n eed to re fer to ch apter 7, R IP S tatio n, for add ition al
in fo rm ation o n th e P rin t Inks S etu p P aram eters.

Figure 8-2 PhotoShop - Printing Inks Setup Screen

PhotoShop Separation Set-up

To use P h otoS h op s Sep aration fun ction, you w ill n eed to perform
th e follow in g steps:
1

From the PhotoShop File Menu, select Color Settings and then
Separation Setup. This will display the PhotoShop Separation Setup
Screen (see Figure 8-3). You should refer to Chapter 7, RIP Station, if
you need additional information.

Figure 8-3 PhotoShop - Separation Setup Screen

P repress

8-3

Select the UCR Option for the Separation Type. Ensure that Black Ink
Limit is set to 75% and Total Ink Limit is set to 300%.

N o te: T here is a w ide ran ge of valu es for th ese tw o settings.

B la ck In k L im it: 75 -9 0%
Total Ink L im it: 22 0-300 %
In k shou ld b e varied acco rd ing to m aterial a nd en viron m en tal
con ditio ns.
3

From the Image Menu, select Image Size. The Image Size Screen will
appear (see Figure 8-4).

Figure 8-4 PhotoShop - Image Size Screen

8-4

C hapter 8

Write down the image size given in the Image Size Window. You will
need to use this information later. For the purpose of this discussion,
assume the image size is 3.5 X 12 (8.9 cm X 30 cm). These
dimensions maintain an aspect ratio of a 3.43:1, the same aspect
ratio as a 14 X 48 (4.2 meter X 14.6 meters) billboard.

Save the file with a TIFF format.

Creating a File in QuarkXPress

Q u ark X P ress is u sed to p ro vide pa ge lay ou t fu nction s n eed ed to
com b ine b oth text an d im ag es in th e sam e file. T he ou tp ut file w ill b e in
E P S form a t.
To create a file in Q u ark X p ress, p erform th e follow in g steps:
1

From the File Menu select New and type the same sizes (3.5 X 12)
into the dialog box as were found in PhotoShop. This creates a new
QuarkXPress document page.

Select the rectangle tool and drag a box to the same size as the page
you have created. This creates a borderless background image for
your text.

3
4

Select File and the Get Picture Option.

Select the Text/Hand tool (box with an I beam and hand in it) to add
text to your sign. Figure 8-5 shows Postscript text placed over the a
TIFF image.

Select File and Save Page as an EPS file.

Select the image created in PhotoShop and import it into

QuarkXPress (see Figure 8-5). Size the image to fill the box.

Figure 8-5 QuarkXPress - PostScript Text Over Image

N o te: A d obe Illu strator F iles th at are saved in th e E P S fo rm at ca n b e

used d irectly w ith P osterWorks w itho ut th e need for perform ing the
Q u arkX P ress p rocedure.

P repress

8-5

Creating a File in PosterWorks

P osterW orks is a color p oster prod uctio n app lication for the A pple
M acintosh, P o w erP C , and M icrosoft W ind ow s 3.1 /95 /9 8/N T p latfo rm s.
It en ables y ou to co m p ose and p rin t lay ou ts u p to 10 ,0 00 squ are feet on
any P o stscript d evice. Typ e a nd g rap hic e lem ents are im p orted in E P S
fo rm at fo r the la you t. S cann ed, pa inted o r rend ere d im ag es are im porte d
in C Y M K T IF F form at. P o sterW orks gen erates a P o stscrip t file.
T his sectio n describ es the proc edu re for g enerating a file for
U ltraW orks. A s yo u exp lo re P osterW o rk s, yo u w ill d isco ver it co ntains
m any ad van ced featu re s, such a s error ch ecking . H ow ever, the
fo llow ing p ro ced ures are all that is req uired to prepare a file fo r
U ltraW orks.
To create a file in P osterW ork s, perform th ese step s:
1

From the Windows NT Desktop double click the PosterWorks icon.

This will launch the PosterWorks application.

2
3
4

From the PosterWorks File menu, select Tile Setup.

Click the Color button from the Print Format Option.
Enter the dimensions required for the actual output size of the image
you want to print.

N o te: P o sterWo rks n eeds a tile size g rea ter tha n th e im age size. You
m u st in crea se the tile size by 1 in both X an d Y d im ensio ns to
com pen sate for th is and gen erate a tile w ith the p rop er dim ension s.
5

Select Trim and select all of the checked boxes (see figure 8-6). If you
want to keep the corner marks, do not deselect the corner box.

Figure 8-6 PosterWorks - Trim Area Setup Screen

8-6

C hapter 8

When complete, select Ok twice. A new window will appear with the
tile sized correctly for the requested output size (see Figure 8-7).

Figure 8-7 PosterWorks - Page Layout Screen

7
8

From the File menu, select Place.

Select the grabber tool and place the tool on the lower right hand
corner of the preview image. Click and drag until the image fills the
tile (see Figure 8-8).

Locate the EPS or TIFF File you want to place in PosterWorks and
click OK.

Figure 8-8 PosterWorks - Placed Image Screen

P repress

8-7

10 From the Arrange menu, select Layout Options. The Layout Options
Window will appear (see Figure 8-9).

Figure 8-9 PosterWorks - Layout Options Screen

11 Select the Shrink layout down to the edges of all elements Option.
Figure 8-10 shows the reduced print area created by cropping the
layout down to the exact size of the image itself.

Figure 8-10 PosterWorks Showing Cropped Image

8-8

C hapter 8

12 From the File Menu select Print. A dialog box will appear listing the
options available for printing the file (see Figure 8-11).

Figure 8-11 PosterWorks - Print Screen

13
14
15
16
17

Ensure that All is selected for Print Range.

Check the Print To PostScript File Option.
Select the Layout Option for Source.
Select the Level 2 Option for PostScript and click the Option Button.
Select the Allow Interpreter To Process Variable Area Option and
select Ok.

18 Click the Font Usage Button. Fonts that are not embedded in the EPS
file will appear without a black mark next to them.

19 Select Link or Link All to embed the fonts.

20 Locate the folder with these fonts and select each font. You must
select Adobe Postscript Printer Fonts.

21 Select Print when you have linked all fonts to the file.
22 Name the file (include the .PS extension).
23 Click OK. PosterWorks will generate a Color PostScript File that is
now ready to be processed by the UltraWorks RIP Software.

24 Save the new Postscript file to a removable disk.

P repress

8-9

8-10

C hapter 8

Chapter 9
Specifications

UltraVu 5300

S pecifications

9-1

UltraVu 3300

9-2

C hapter 9

Appendix A
Ventilation Hood Design

V U T E k do es n ot su pp ly a ventilation sy stem fo r th e U ltraVu x30 0

D igital P rinting S y stem s, b ut d oes recom m end a v entilatio n ho od
design . T he follow in g pag es deta il th at design .

Ventilation H ood D esign

A -1

A -2

A ppendix A

21.5 [546]

21.5 [546]

.75 [

.75 [

2.5 [

SHUTTER
34.5[876] LONG
6 PLACES TYP

PLENUM

3.0 [

GAP

1.0 [

SECTION A - A

72.0 [1829]

65.0 [1651]

BOTTOM VIEW

DIMS:

MATERIAL:

INCHES
[MM]

400-500 CFM[17-20 M
@ 1.5-2.0" [38-50MM] H
6"-8"[150-200] INLET DIA

VELCRO CLARIFICATION

A
SCALE

3/24/98
3/24/98

SIZE

DATE:

JD

WINONA

TITLE

CHECKED:

APPROVED:

DRAWN:

SUGGESTED BLOWER SPECIFICATIONS

GAP

HOLDING BRACKET

PLENUM 24 GA GALV STEEL

HOLDING BRACKET
RIVET IN PLACE

HOOD/SHEET METAL

SHUTTER

F 5/26/99

JPP

JD

JD

JD

APPRD

VELCRO HOOK

NONE

EXHAUST

Winona Drafting Service

RR 1 Box 153A, Winona Rd.
Ashland, NH 03217

DRAWING NO.

LAYER

SHEET

AA73126

ASSY 3300
HOOD/CURTAINS

1 OF 5

REV.

3300
3332

PROJECT

VINYL
CURTAIN

HOOD

RT 104, WAUKEWAN STREET, MEREDITH, NH 03253, TEL (603) 279-4635

INC.

VELCRO LOOP

GROUP

12.0 [305]

ECN 589

ECN-Q 566

ECN 402

ECN-Q 486

ECN-Q 477

ECN NO.

QTY PER 1

DETAIL
VELCRO APPLICATION

APPLY VELCRO LOOP

.75 [20] ALONG BOTTOM
ALL 4 SIDES TYP
SEE DETAIL

44.0 [1118]

PLENUM

DIMENSIONAL CHANGES

D 9/1/98

JD

RIGHT END VIEW

HANGER BRACKET
WITH EYE BOLT
6 PLACES TYP

MIDDLE CURTAIN DIM

C 6/25/98

E 10/19/98 CHG TITLE BLKS

DIMENSIONAL CHANGES

B 6/15/98

DESCRIPTION
RELEASE

A 3/24/98

REV DATE

144.0 [3658]

FRONT VIEW

L-1 X 1 X 1/8
[L-25 X 25 X 3]
FOR CENTER CURTAIN

HOLDING BRACKET
3.0 X 3.0 [76 X 76]
5 PLACES TYP
3.0 X 2.0 [76 X 50]
2 PLACES TYP

1.0 [

PLENUM

74.0 [1880]

FLANGE 8"
IN CENTER OR LEFT
OF CENTER PREFERRED

3300

END CURTAIN

VELCRO LOOP

VELCRO HOOK

VINYL

HOOD

DETAIL
OUTSIDE CURTAINS
AT TOP

VELCRO HOOK

VINYL

PRINTER FRAME

Ventilation H ood D esign

INCHES
[MM]

DIMS:

DRAWN:

A
SCALE

3/24/98
3/24/98

SIZE
CHECKED:

JD

WINONA

DATE:

APPROVED:

TITLE

FRONT CURTAIN

END CURTAIN

SHEET METAL HOOD

END CURTAIN

NONE

Rainer Rall
PoBox 7, Winnisquam, NH 03289

EXHAUST

DRAWING NO.

LAYER

SHEET

AA73126

ASSY 3300
HOOD/CURTAINS
GROUP

22.0 [559]

2 OF 5

REV.

3300
3332

PROJECT

REAR
CURTAIN

21.0 [533]

18.0 [457]

QTY PER 1

RT 104, WAUKEWAN STREET, MEREDITH, NH 03253, TEL (603) 279-4635

INC.

26.0 [660]

44.0 [1118]

RIGHT END VIEW

PLOT DEVICE HPDM SIZE C ZALL:X-28.9Y43.6,X282.5Y-175.4

CURTAINS .030-.040
[0.7-1.0 MM] VINYL
3/4" VELCRO
MATERIAL:

HOOD/VINYL CURTAINS

VELCRO HOOK (ON CURTAINS)

TO VELCRO LOOP (ON HOOD)
.75 [20] ALL CUTAINS TYP
SEE DETAIL

144.0 [3658]

FRONT VIEW

VELCRO LOOP

DETAIL
FRONT CURTAINS
AT BOTTOM

4 PIECES @ 36-0" [914] OR 3 PIECES @ 48-0" DEPENDING ON AVAILABLE MATERIAL

44.0 [

3300

A -3

3300

A -4
A ppendix A

END VIEW LEFT

FRONT VIEW
SHEET METAL HOOD

144.0 [3658]
44.0 [1118]

VUTEk

VUTEk

78.000 [1981.20]

VUTEk 3300
Digital Printing System

FLOOR

EXHAUST HOOD INSTALLATION

UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES ARE:
FINISH
32

XX|.032

DRAWN:

WINONA

APPROVED:

JD

CHECKED:

3/24/98

DATE:

INC.
RT 104, WAUKEWAN STREET, MEREDITH, NH 03253, TEL (603) 279-4635

DECIMALS ANGLES

3/24/98

TITLE

PROJECT

010'

ASSY 3300
HOOD/CURTAINS
SIZE

A
SCALE

DRAWING NO.

GROUP

CURTAINS
NONE

3300
3332

Winona Drafting Service

RR 1 Box 153A, Winona Rd.
Ashland, NH 03217

REV.

AA73126
LAYER
.

SHEET

F
3 OF 5

3300

CURTAIN SET HANDLING

INSTRUCTIONS

1. All surfaces where Velcro is applied must be

free of oil, grease and ink residue. Clean
sheet metal surfaces with Acetone or equivalent.
2. Follow the instructions on drawing AA73126
precisely. The Velcro cannot easily be removed
and reapplied.
h

3. These curtains are expensive and are easily

scratched. Do not use solvents to clean the
curtains - clean with a mild detergent only.
Instruct operator to avoid putting them on
the floor or near objects with sharp corners.
Front and Back curtains have velcro applied on
both sides. If you need to remove one curtain
you can stick it to the curtain beside it.
This avoids putting the cuurtains on the ground
or bench where they can be damaged.

Ventilation H ood D esign

UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES ARE:
FINISH

INC.
RT 104, WAUKEWAN STREET, MEREDITH, NH 03253, TEL (603) 279-4635

DECIMALS ANGLES

32

TITLE

XX|.032

PROJECT

010'

DRAWN:

WINONA

APPROVED:

JD

CHECKED:

3/24/98

DATE:

3/24/98

ASSY 3300
HOOD/CURTAINS
SIZE

A
SCALE

GROUP

DRAWING NO.

CURTAINS
NONE

3300
3332
REV.

AA73126
Winona Drafting Service
RR 1 Box 153A, Winona Rd.
Ashland, NH 03217

LAYER
200

F
SHEET

4 OF 5

A -5

3300

A -6
A ppendix A
VINYL CURTAINS
REAR

FABRICATED SHEET
METAL HOOD

END CURTAIN
VUTEk 3300
PRINTER
VINYL CURTAINS
FRONT

CURTAIN SET INSTALLATION

UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES ARE:
FINISH
32

XX|.032

DRAWN:

WINONA

APPROVED:

JD

CHECKED:

3/24/98

DATE:

INC.
RT 104, WAUKEWAN STREET, MEREDITH, NH 03253, TEL (603) 279-4635

DECIMALS ANGLES

3/24/98

TITLE

PROJECT

010'

ASSY 3300
HOOD/CURTAINS
SIZE

A
SCALE

DRAWING NO.

GROUP

CURTAINS
NONE

3300
3332

Winona Drafting Service

RR 1 Box 153A, Winona Rd.
Ashland, NH 03217

REV.

AA73126
LAYER
.

SHEET

F
5 OF 5

21.5 [546]

21.5 [546]

.75 [

.75 [

72.0 [

2.5 [

Ventilation H ood D esign

4

SHUTTER
34.5[876] LONG
6 PLACES TYP

PLENUM

3.0 [

GAP

1.0 [

SECTION A - A

BOTTOM VIEW

70.0 [1778]

214.0 [5436]

FRONT VIEW

DIMS:

SHUTTER

INCHES
[MM]

GAP

600-700 CFM[17-20 M
@ 1.5-2.0" [38-50MM] H
6"-8"[150-200] INLET DIA

DIMENSIONAL CHANGES

C 9/1/98

A
SCALE

9/19/97
9/19/97

SIZE

TITLE

44.0 [1118]

RIGHT END VIEW

JPP

JD

JD

APPRD

VELCRO HOOK

INC.

NONE

EXHAUST

Winona Drafting Service

RR 1 Box 153A, Winona Rd.
Ashland, NH 03217

DRAWING NO.

LAYER

SHEET

AA70126
1 OF 5

REV.

5300
5332

PROJECT

VINYL
CURTAIN

HOOD

RT 104, WAUKEWAN STREET, MEREDITH, NH 03253, TEL (603) 279-4635

ASSY 5300
HOOD/CURTAINS
GROUP

12.0 [305]

ECN 589

ECN-Q 566

ECN 402

ECN-Q 477

ECN NO.

QTY PER 1

DETAIL
VELCRO APPLICATION

APPLY VELCRO LOOP

.75 [20] ALONG BOTTOM
ALL 4 SIDES TYP
SEE DETAIL

RR

VELCRO LOOP

VELCRO CLARIFICATION

DATE:

010'

PLENUM

E 5/26/99

D 10/19/98 CHG TITLE BLKS

DIMENSIONAL CHANGES

B 6/16/98

DESCRIPTION
RELEASE

A 12/4/95

REV DATE

CHECKED:

JD

WINONA

XX|.032

DECIMALS ANGLES

APPROVED:

DRAWN:

32

FINISH

UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES ARE:

SUGGESTED BLOWER SPECIFICATIONS

HOLDING BRACKET

PLENUM 24 GA GALV STEEL

HOLDING BRACKET
RIVET IN PLACE

MATERIAL:

FLANGE 8"
IN CENTER OR NEAR LEFT END PREFERRED

HOOD - SHEET METAL

L-1 X 1 X 1/8
[L-25 X 25 X 3]
FOR CENTER CURTAIN

HOLDING BRACKET
3.0 X 3.0 [76 X 76]
5 PLACES TYP
3.0 X 2.0 [76 X 50]
2 PLACES TYP

1.0 [

PLENUM

107.0 [2718]

HANGER BRACKET
WITH EYE BOLT
8 PLACES TYP

5300

A -7

A -8

A ppendix A

VELCRO LOOP

VINYL

HOOD

VELCRO HOOK

VINYL

PRINTER FRAME

CURTAINS .030-.040
[0.7-1.0 MM] VINYL
3/4" VELCRO
INCHES
[MM]

MATERIAL:

DIMS:

A
SCALE

9/19/97
9/19/97

SIZE

DATE:

010'

TITLE

CHECKED:

JD

WINONA

XX|.032

DECIMALS ANGLES

APPROVED:

DRAWN:

32

FINISH

UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES ARE:

FRONT CURTAIN

END CURTAIN

SHEET METAL HOOD

HOOD - VINYL CURTAINS

53.5 [1359] DEPENDING ON AVAILABLE MATERIAL

214.0 [5436]

FRONT VIEW

VELCRO LOOP

DETAIL
FRONT CURTAINS
AT BOTTOM

VELCRO HOOK (ON CURTAINS)

TO VELCRO LOOP (ON HOOD)
.75 [20] ALL CURTAINS TYP

DETAIL
OUTSIDE CURTAINS
AT TOP

END CURTAIN

VELCRO HOOK

44.0 [1118]

END CURTAIN

21.0 [533]

18.0 [457]

NONE

Rainer Rall
PoBox 7, Winnisquam, NH 03289

EXHAUST

DRAWING NO.

LAYER

SHEET

AA70126

ASSY 5300
HOOD/CURTAINS
GROUP

2 OF 5

REV.

5300
5332

PROJECT

REAR
CURTAIN

22.0 [559]

QTY PER 1

RT 104, WAUKEWAN STREET, MEREDITH, NH 03253, TEL (603) 279-4635

INC.

26.0 [660]

44.0 [1118]

RIGHT END VIEW

5300

5300

END VIEW LEFT

FRONT VIEW
SHEET METAL HOOD

214.0 [5436]
44.0 [1118]

VUTEk

VUTEk

78.000 [1981.20]

UltraVu 5300
Digital Printing System

FLOOR

EXHAUST HOOD INSTALLATION

Ventilation H ood D esign

UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES ARE:
FINISH

DECIMALS ANGLES

32

XX|.032

DRAWN:

WINONA

APPROVED:

JD

CHECKED:

9/19/97

DATE:

INC.
RT 104, WAUKEWAN STREET, MEREDITH, NH 03253, TEL (603) 279-4635

9/19/97

TITLE

PROJECT

010'

ASSY 5300
HOOD/CURTAINS
SIZE

A
SCALE

DRAWING NO.

GROUP

CURTAINS
NONE

5300
5332

Winona Drafting Service

RR 1 Box 153A, Winona Rd.
Ashland, NH 03217

REV.

AA70126
LAYER
.

SHEET

E
3 OF 5

A -9

5300

A -10
A ppendix A

CURTAIN SET HANDLING

INSTRUCTIONS

1. All surfaces where Velcro is applied must be

free of oil, grease and ink residue. Clean
sheet metal surfaces with Acetone or equivalent.
2. Follow the instructions on drawing AA7012
precisely. The Velcro cannot easily be removed
and reapplied
3. These curtains are expensive and are easily
scratched. Do not use solvents to clean the
curtains - clean with a mild detergent only.
Instruct operator to avoid putting them on
the floor or near objects with sharp corners.
Front and Back curtains have velcro applied on
both sides. If you need to remove one curtain
you can stick it to the curtain beside it.
This avoids putting the cuurtains on the ground
or bench where they can be damaged.

UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES ARE:
FINISH

INC.
RT 104, WAUKEWAN STREET, MEREDITH, NH 03253, TEL (603) 279-4635

DECIMALS ANGLES

32

TITLE

XX|.032

PROJECT

010'

DRAWN:

WINONA

APPROVED:

JD

CHECKED:

9/19/97

DATE:

9/19/97

ASSY 5300
HOOD/CURTAINS
SIZE

A
SCALE

GROUP

DRAWING NO.

CURTAINS
NONE

5300
5332
REV.

AA70126
Winona Drafting Service
RR 1 Box 153A, Winona Rd.
Ashland, NH 03217

LAYER
200

SHEET

E
4 OF 5

5300

FABRICATED SHEET
METAL HOOD

VINYL CURTAINS
REAR

END CURTAIN
UltraVu 5300
PRINTER

VINYL CURTAINS
FRONT

CURTAIN SET INSTALLATION

Ventilation H ood D esign

UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
TOLERANCES ARE:
FINISH

DECIMALS ANGLES

32

XX|.032

DRAWN:

WINONA

APPROVED:

JD

CHECKED:

9/19/97

DATE:

INC.
RT 104, WAUKEWAN STREET, MEREDITH, NH 03253, TEL (603) 279-4635

9/19/97

TITLE

PROJECT

010'

ASSY 5300
HOOD/CURTAINS
SIZE

A
SCALE

DRAWING NO.

GROUP

CURTAINS
NONE

5300
5332

A -11

Winona Drafting Service

RR 1 Box 153A, Winona Rd.
Ashland, NH 03217

REV.

AA70126
LAYER
.

SHEET

E
5 OF 5

A -12

A ppendix A

Glossary

Air cylinders Am bient -

pn eum atic dev ices, w h ich raise an d lo w er the p late n.

te m p erature of air in th e ro om w he re eq uip m ent is located.

Blotching -

m o ttled ap pearance in prin ted im a ge.

Carriage bearings - ball bearing assem blies w h ich su pp ort th e p rint

head carria ge on the T ho m son rails.

carriage m o tor. cap stan , an d enco der, the ir

bearin gs, pu lley s and m ou nting plates, an d th e drive b elt an d en cod er
cou pler.

Carriage drive assem bly -

Carriage m otor -

D C m otor u sed to m o ve th e carriage.

Carriage ribbon cables - m ulti-color 2 ~ p in flat ca bles w hich

in tercon nect the circu it b oards on the carriage.

g aug es w hich sho w th e am o un t of reg ula ted

air pressure su pp lied to the color jets.

Color pressure gauges -

sheet-m etal bo xes on the to p of each en d of the

prin ter. w h ere p rinter co ntrols a re lo cated .

Console covers -

step s in w h at sho uld be eve n color g ra dation s in th e

prin ted im a ge.

Contouring -

Control m onitor -

C RT m onito r w h ich d isp lay s the U ltraVu con trol

softw are.
Default Lookup - au to m a tica lly lo aded in to prin ter at p ow er-up . re se t. or
re so lu tio n ch ang e; causes all jets to fire at full den sity for testing .

electron ic m od ule o n th e ca rriag e w hich sen se s the

edg e of the sub strate on the p late n.

Edge detector -

Encoder - an e lectric al dev ice w hic h prov ides th e com p uter w ith
in fo rm ation o n carriage p ositio n.
Harm onic drive -

gearbo x on the step per m o to r; turns th e p laten shaft.

Ink level sensor -

flo at sw itch in secon dary in k tan k w hich senses ink

lev el in tank .
air-activated m od ule w hich m ov es ink from p rim ary ink
tan k to sec ond ary ink tan k.

Ink pum p -

G lossary

G-1

Ink pum p solenoid valve -

electric v alv e w hich co ntrols air flo w in to

in k pu m p .
lo ng po lye thy len e tu bes betw een in k p um ps and th e
prin t head carriag e.

Ink supply tubes -

cable w hic h interco nn ects th e im ag e c om pu ter an d the

Interface cable -

V U T E k prin ter.
po ly eth ylen e tu be betw een se con dary in k tan k and jet.

Jet tube Lines -

h orizo ntal stripes, of any w id th, in the prin ted im age.

M otor pulley -

too the d m etal gear b y w h ich th e ca rriag e m o tor turns the

driv e b elt.
o rifice in jet assem b ly w hich discharg es a stream of atom ized
in k drop s.
Nozzle -

ny lon skeleton w hich sup po rts an d protects th e tub es and

cables in th e um bilical assem bly.

Nylatrac Panels -

flat sheet-m etal pieces w h ich co ver the p rinte r's fram ew ork.

sm all w h ite spo ts in the im ag e, 1 m m or less in diam eter,

app earing in g ro ups or ran do m ly.

Pinholes -

rub ber w he els below p late n: h old su bstrate a gainst

platen to preve nt slipp ing .

Pinch Rollers -

Platen - rub ber-co ated ro ller w h ich m o ves the su bstrate fro m the feed
ro ller to the take-up roller.

m etal b a rs w h ich su p p o rt p laten sha fts at b oth

Platen support arm s -

end s.
Posterization -

see C o ntou rin g.

Prim ary ink tank -

5 -liter pla stic ta nks lo cate d in the in k draw e r

assem bly.
Printer controller -

intern al com p ute r w h ich c ontro ls all p rinter

op eratio ns.
large b ox in rear of c ontro ller co m p artm ent;
prov ide s sp ecial v oltag e u sed by printer.

Printer pow er supply Sanding

v ertica l stripe, of any w id th, in the prin ted im age.

Sateliting of artifacts - sm all d epo sits of ink scattered abou t th e ink

drop let. T his effect o ccurs in th e ho rizon tal d irection o f th e p rint an d
usu ally m a nifests itself to th e user as a ha lo.
Secondary ink tank -

G-2

G lossary

sm all ink tank o n carriage.

Skewing -

su bstrate tra cking u nev enly on p late n and take-up .

Sludge -

m u d-lik e substance form ing in in k can s fro m ink p articles.

Spatter -

do ts o n p rinted im ag e that app ear to b e fo rm ed of d enser in k.

Spray shield -

m etal plate on fro nt o f jet assem bly.

m otor w hich tu rns the p late n.

Stepper m otor -

Stepper torsion bar -

m etal bar con necting stepp er m o tor to p late n

sup port arm .

Takeup tension control -

po ten tiom eter w h ich co ntro ls am oun t of

to rq ue on takeup roller.
co ntro ls torqu e m o to r directio n: forw ard (w in d); off o r
re verse (un w ind ).

Tension sw itch -

Thom son (Trade Nam e) rails -

p rec isio n ra ils on w hich th e carria ge

travels.
Torque m otor -

tu rn s take-up ro ller.

Transition boards - sm all circuit bo ard s w hich in tercon nect the p rinte r
con troller, the prin t head s, an d th e den sito m e ter co m po nen ts.
Um bilical assem bly -

tu bes and cables en clo sed by N ylatrac.

hardw are w hich im m ov ably fixes tw o ad joining

N y latrac seg m e nts to su pp ly ex tra su pp ort.

Um bilical link lock Valve assem bly -

air m o dulato r va lves an d th e b ox h ou sing them .

ex cessiv e ink or su bstrate resultin g in v ery un even d ry in g,

sim ilar to w av es in w ater.

Waves -

G lossary

G-3

G-4

G lossary

Index

A
About xxi, 3-31
About This Manual xxi
About UltraVu by VUTEk Screen 3-48
Add Unlisted or Updated Drive 7-8
Additional Documentation 7-1
Adjusting the Carriage Drive Belt 5-14
Adjusting the Edge Detector 5-20
Adjusting the Jet Pack Temperature 5-23
Advance 1-7
Advance Button 1-11, 3-17
Air 1-5
Air Pressure Regulator 1-5
Air Pressure Regulators And Solenoids 2-10
Air Requirements 4-5
Air Solenoids 1-5
Air, Solvent and Waste Lines 2-8
Aligning the Encoder Wheel 5-21
Aligning the Jet Plate 5-18
Aligning the Rail 4-5
Auto-Dry 3-31

B
Backing Up (Restoring) RIP Settings 7-17
Bail 1-7
Bail Actuators 1-7
Bail Button 1-11
Banner Fabric Kit 4-8
Bi-Directional Adjustment Setting 3-44
Bi-Directional Alignment 3-23
Black 1-7
Blotter Material 3-11
Blotter Material Enclosure 3-7
Borders Screen 3-36

C
Calibrating Colors 7-17
Calibration Manager Screen 7-20
Capper Regulato 2-10
Capper Stuck Down or Capper Stuck Up 6-8
Caring for the Jet Pack 5-3

Carriage 2-3
Carriage Backplane 1-6, 6-41
Carriage Backplane Board 6-41
Carriage Backplane Connections 6-42
Carriage Belt Adjustment Layout 5-16
Carriage Belt Layout 5-15
Carriage Components 2-3
Carriage Cooling Fan 1-6
Carriage Drive Motor/Gear Box 1-5
Carriage Height Adjuster 1-6
Changing Gearbox Oil 5-7
Check Color Filter 6-7
Checking Belt Tension 5-14
Checking Ink Viscosity 3-12
Cleaning the Ink Level Sensor 5-12
Cleaning the Primary Ink Tank Filters 5-12
Cleaning the UltraVu x300 5-3
Color Correction In PhotoShop 7-18
Color Function Buttons 1-7
Color Overflow 6-7
Color Pack Error 6-8
Color Supply Low 6-7
Configure RIP Options Screen 7-8
Control Panel 1-7, 3-14, 3-17, 3-20
Control Panel Layout 1-8, 1-9, 1-12
Controls and Indicators 1-8
Conventions xxii
Cooling Fan 2-3
Creating A File in Adobe PhotoShop 8-2
Creating a File in QuarkXPress 8-5
CT File Format 3-22, 7-3
Cyan 1-7

D
DC Fuse Panel 1-6
DC Power Supply 1-6
Default Page Setup 7-17
Defaults Path Screen 3-45
Determinig Input File Size 7-10
Determining RIP Speed 7-10
Diagnostic Functions 6-10
Diagnostic Mode 5-6, 6-9
Directional Solenoids 1-6
Disk Full Errors 7-23
Dongle 3-46
Duplications Screen 3-37

Index

I-1

E
E Stop Error 6-6
Edge Detector 1-6, 2-4, 5-2
Edit Color Setup Screen 7-23
Edit Luts Screen 3-41
Edit Uncalibrated Target for UltraVu Screen 7-21
Emergency Stop Buttons 1-5
Empty Pack Setting 1-13
Encoder Wheel 3-11
Encoder Wheel Adjustment Layout 5-21
Encoder Wheel Assembly (right side) 3-11
Enhanced Mode 3-24
Entering the Diagnostic Mode 6-9
Environment 4-4
Erase Error 6-5
Error 1-7
Error Button 1-11
Error Jogging X 6-3
Error Jogging Y 6-5
Error Messages 6-1
Error Receiving Y 6-5

F
Features 1-2
File Information Screen 3-35
File Menu 3-33
Filters (Ink, Air, and Solvent) 1-6
Fire Jets Setting 1-13
Font Errors 7-24
Function Buttons 1-7

G
Generating Custom Calibration Curves 7-20

H
Heater Control LCD 1-14, 3-19
Heater/Cooler 2-3
Heating Elements 1-6
Help 3-31
Help Menu 3-47
Help Pull-Down Menu 3-47
High Speed 3-24

I
ICC SWOP Mode 7-20
Image Control 3-21
Ink and Solvent Carriage Components 2-5, 2-6
Ink and Solvent Control 2-4

I-2

Index

Ink and Solvent System Solenoid Functions 2-8

Ink Level Sensors 2-4
Ink Prime 5-6
Ink Prime Setting 1-13
Ink Pumps 1-5, 2-9
INK PURGE 3-14
Ink Purge Setting 1-13
Ink Supply Lines 2-7
Ink, Solvent and Air Supply Layout 2-7, 2-9
In-line Ink Filter 5-11
Installation Requirements 4-5
Installing the Banner Kit Option 4-8, 4-9
Installing the Jet Packs 5-5
Installing the Power Conditioning System 4-7
Installing UltraWorks 7-5
Invalid Date with Last Checked 6-1

J
Jet Driver 6-40
Jet Driver Board 1-6, 6-40
Jet Pack 2-1
Jet Pack Arrays 1-6
Jet Pack Boards 2-3
Jet pack Boards 1-6
Jet Pack Driver 6-39
Jet Pack Module 6-39
Jet Plate Alignment 5-17
Jet Plate Alignment Screw Location 5-18
Jet Plate Alignment Test Pattern 5-17

L
LCD Display Error Messages 6-2
Linear Encoder Alarm 6-5
Linear Encoder Sensor 1-6
Lo Res Mode 3-24
LookUp Menu 3-40
Lubricating the Carriage Rail 5-10

M
Magenta 1-7
Main Pressure Regulator 2-10
Maintaining the Printer 5-1
Maintaining the Thermoelectric Cooler 5-14
Maintenance Schedule 5-25
Material Advance Encoder 1-5
Maximum Media Size Setting 3-44
Media Advance 3-31
Media Hub Installation Layout 3-6
Media Layout Screen 3-36
Media Step Size Setting 3-43

Mesh Kit Enabled setting 3-44

Mesh Kit Option 3-6
Mesh Kit Settings Screen 3-44
Mesh Kit Takeup Spool 1-7
Mesh Paper Holders 3-8
MO Cartridge 3-28
Motor Encoders 2-15
Multimedia Properties Screen 7-7
Multiple Rolls 3-5

N
New Page Setup Screen 7-12
No Paper Detected 6-7

O
On/Off Switch 1-12
Online 1-7
Online Button 1-9
Open 3-31
Operator Requirements 1-3
Output Resolutions Screen 3-38

P
Page Layout Screen 7-13
Page Setup Options Screen 7-16
Password Entry Screen 3-46
PCI Interface Board 6-38
PhotoShop - Image Size Screen 8-4
PhotoShop - Printing Inks Setup Screen 7-18
PhotoShop - Separation Setup Screen 7-18
PhotoShop Showing Tiff Image 8-2
PhotoShop Linear Page Setup 7-19
PhotoShop Printing Inks Setup 8-3
PhotoShop Printing Inks Setup Screen 8-3
PhotoShop Separation Set-up 8-3
PhotoShop Separation Setup Screen 8-3
Piezo Jet Fill and Fire Waveform 2-1
Piezo Jet Operation 2-2
Piezo Principle 2-1
Pinch Roller Regulator 2-10
Pixel Board 6-24
Pixel to Cell Processing Representation 7-4
Platen 1-7
Platen Alignment Fixture Layout 5-23, 5-24
Platen Stepper Motor 1-5
Platen/Preheater 1-7, 1-14, 2-16
Pneumatic Pinch Rollers 1-5
PosterWorks 8-6
PosterWorks - Placed Image Screen 8-7
PosterWorks Showing Cropped Image 8-8

PosterWorks - Trim Area Setup Screen 8-6

PosterWorks Layout Options Screen 8-8
PosterWorks Page Layout Screen 8-7
PosterWorks Print Screen 8-9
PostScript 3-22
Postscript / Vector Mode 7-3
PostScript Errors 7-24
PostScript File Format 3-22
Potentiometer Location on Jet Driver Board 5-25
Power Board 6-43
Power Breaker Panel 6-45
Power Conditioning System (PCS) 4-4
Power Distribution Contactor Panel 6-46
Power Distribution Panel 1-5
Power Distribution Panel Layout 6-45
Power Distribution System 6-43
Power On/Off 1-7
Power Requirements 4-4
Power Supply Distribution Box 6-47
Preview Page Setup 7-20
Primary Ink Cans 1-5
Primary Ink Reservoir 2-9
Priming the Jet Packs 3-14
Print 3-31
Print Error # 1 6-2
Print Head Capper 1-7, 2-11
Print Head Control 6-39
Print Heads 2-4
Print Menu 3-34
Print Menu Screen 3-34
Print Mode Screen 3-35
Print Parameters Selected Screen 3-39
Printer Component Location 1-3
Printer Controller 2-4
Printer Controller Controller Interface 6-23
Printer Controller CPU Module 6-21
Printer Controller Pixel Board 6-24
Printer Controller ROMDISK 6-26
Printer Controller RS422 Interface 6-25
Printer Controller VGA Monitor Interface 6-27
Printer Controller Backplane 6-19
Printer Controller CPU 1-6
Printer Controller CPU Bios Values 6-15
Printer Controller Layout 6-19
Printer Controller System Block Diagram 6-14
Printer Firmware Revision Level Screen 3-48
Printer Function Buttons 1-9
Printer Function Selector Switch 1-7, 1-12
Printer Operating Modes 7-3
Printer Selector Switch 3-12
Printer Selector Switch Logic 2-8
Printer Status LCD 1-7, 1-9
Printer Workstation Block Diagram 6-29
Printing Guidelines 8-1
Purger Plate 2-11

Index

I-3

Purpose 1-1

Q
QuarkXPress - PostScript Text Over Image 8-5

Start Print Timeout Error 6-6

Starting the Printer 3-2
Substrate Dryer 1-7
Substrate Feed Path 3-3, 3-4
Substrate Feed Roller 1-7, 2-13
Substrate Platen/Preheater 1-7
Substrate Source Roller 1-7

R
Rail Alignment 4-7
Rail Relaxation and Alignmen 4-6
Ready Setting 1-14
Recovering from ROM Disk Failure 6-13
Redirect and Takeup Motor Drawing 5-8
Redirect Roller 1-7
Removable Disk Cartridges 3-28
Removing the Jet Packs 5-4
Rename Error 6-5
Replacing the Ink and Air Filter 5-10
Reset 1-7
Reset Button 1-11
RIP Problems 7-23
RIP Station 3-25
Roll Detector Error 6-8
ROMDISK Board 6-26
RS422 Interface Board 6-25
RTL Printer Configuration Screen 7-14

S
Secondary Ink Reservoir 2-7
Secondary Ink Tanks 1-6
Select Folder Screen 7-15
Select Luts for this Job Screen 3-40
Select Printing Areas Screen 3-38
Selects Mesh Mode 3-32
Servo Controller Layout 2-13
Servo Controllers 1-5, 2-13
Set Button 3-20
Set Printer Parameters Screen 3-10, 3-43
Setting the Print Gap 5-19
Setup Menu 3-42
Setup Pull-Down Menu 3-42
Shift Register Error 6-6
Shutting Off the Printer 3-2
SIte Preparation 4-1
Solenoids 2-7
SOLVENT FLUSH 3-14
Solvent Flush 5-6
Solvent Flush Setting 1-13
Solvent Purge Setting 1-13
Solvent Reservoir 2-10
Solvent Supply Low 6-7
Standard Speed 3-23

I-4

Index

T
Takeup 1-7
Takeup and Redirect Drive Assemblies 1-5
Takeup and Redirect Rollers 2-12
Takeup Button 1-11
Takeup Roller Drive System Diagram 2-12
Takeup Rollers 1-7
Takeup Tension Setting 3-43
Test 1-7
Test Button 1-10, 3-17
TIFF 3-22
Too Many Rolls 6-8

U
Ultra Mode 3-24
UltraVu 3-29
UltraVu 3300 9-2
UltraVu 3300 Digital Printing System 4-2
UltraVu 5300 9-1
UltraVu 5300 Digital Printing System 4-3
UltraVu Controling Software 3-1
UltraVu Head Cleaning Fluid 5-1
UltraVu Menu 3-29
UltraVu Menu Structure 3-30
UltraVu Page Setup 7-20
UltraVu Printer Control Program Menu 3-29
UltraVu Workstation 3-25
UltraVu Workstation CPU 1-6
UltraVu Workstation Keyboard 1-6
UltraVu Workstation Monitor 1-6
UltraVu Workstation Peripheral Devices 1-6
UltraWorks 7-1
UltraWorks - Configure RIP Extras Screen 7-6
UltraWorks - Configure RIP Screen 7-15
UltraWorks Configure RIP Screen 7-6
UltraWorks - Page Setup Manager Screen 7-11
UltraWorks - Print File Screen 7-9
UltraWorks Screen 7-5
Umbilical Error 6-6
Understanding Print Speeds 3-23
Understanding UltraWorks 7-4
Units Screen 3-37
Update Firmware Screen 3-45
Use Selected Area 3-32

Using ICC Profiles 7-22

Using the Internal Test Patterns 3-17

V
Vacuum Pump Motor 1-5
Ventilation 4-4
Verifying Platen Alignment 5-22
Verifying the Jet Plate Alignment 5-17
VGA Monitor Interface 6-27
View Pull Down Menu 3-39

W
Waste Can Full 6-7
Waste Out Line 2-8
Waste Tank 5-2
Working with RTL File 7-14
Working with RTL Files 7-14
Working with the SWOP ICC Page Setup 7-22
Workstation CPU Module 6-36
Workstations 3-25

X
X Servo Controller 2-14
X Servo Drive Controller 2-12
X Servo Echo Error 6-3
X Servo Echo Timeout 6-3
X Servo Error 6-2
X Servo Linear Encoder 2-15
x300 Digital Printing System 1-3, 1-4

Y
Y Runaway Detected 6-4
Y Servo Controller 2-14
Y Servo controller 2-14
Y Servo Drive Controller 2-12
Y Servo Echo Error 6-4
Y Servo Echo Timeout 6-3
Y Servo Error 6-3
Y Servo Rotary Encoder 2-15
Yellow 1-7
Y-Position Timeout 6-4

Index

I-5

I-6

Index