Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Table of Contents
Quick Start
Policy On Lost Or Stolen Security Devices................................................. 13 Step 1 Program Installation......................................................................... 13 Step 2 Printer Installation and Setup......................................................... 14 Step 3 Creating a Production Queue......................................................... 15 Step 4 Test Print to Digital Factory........................................................... 16 Configuring Queues for White and Black Garments................................. 18 Setting the Underbase for a Queue............................................................... 19 Graphics with an Underbase.......................................................................... 21 Output from CorelDraw................................................................................. 21 Output from PhotoShop................................................................................ 23 Output from Illustrator................................................................................... 24 Other Important Features............................................................................... 25
Preview/Interactive view...............................................................................................25 Templates and hotfolders...............................................................................................25 Applications Printing chapter........................................................................................25 Underbase from Transparency......................................................................................26 Costing .............................................................................................................................26 View Raw Data................................................................................................................26
13
Installation Notes
27
Table of Contents
1. First Time Setup Dialog.............................................................................. 31 2. Printer Driver Selection.............................................................................. 31 3. Create Queue Wizard Intro........................................................................ 32 4. Select a Printer Queue................................................................................. 32 5. Media Setup.................................................................................................. 32 6. Layout Mode................................................................................................. 33 7. Name Your Production Queue.................................................................. 33 8. Output Options............................................................................................ 33 Getting the latest updates for your printer................................................... 34 Output Port....................................................................................................... 34 USB Port............................................................................................................ 34 Multiple Queues............................................................................................... 36 Manage Printers................................................................................................ 37 Setting up Queues Options............................................................................ 37
31
39
Starting and Stopping Print Jobs................................................................... 42 Cancelling a Print Job...................................................................................... 42 Queue Tabs....................................................................................................... 42 Active List.......................................................................................................... 43 Archived and hold Jobs................................................................................... 43 Preview / Interactive View............................................................................. 43 Context Menu................................................................................................... 43 Preview Pane With Job Selected.................................................................... 44 Creating Copies in Visual Production Manager.......................................... 45 Croping and Tiling jobs................................................................................... 45 Signlab DTG Print Jobs.................................................................................. 47 Restoring an Archived Job.............................................................................. 47
Transparency and underbase and settings...................................................................46 Always Use These Settings When Importing ............................................................47
Table of Contents
49
Setting the Page Size........................................................................................ 56 Working with a Fixed Sheet............................................................................ 57 Creating a Custom Page Size.......................................................................... 57 Selecting a Template........................................................................................ 58 Creating a Custom Template.......................................................................... 58 Template Settings............................................................................................. 62
Select Underbase Print Mode........................................................................................53 Underbase Strength:........................................................................................................53 Gamma adjustment.........................................................................................................54 Choke the Underbase.....................................................................................................54 Highlight White...............................................................................................................55 Underbase Repeats..........................................................................................................55 Color Passes.....................................................................................................................55
Templates hot folder........................................................................................ 64 Scheduling Settings.......................................................................................... 66 Layout Jobs As They Arrive........................................................................... 67 Enable Archiving.............................................................................................. 68 Material cost ..................................................................................................... 70 Surface Treatment Cost................................................................................... 71 Black, Colored and White Ink costs.............................................................. 71 Notes.................................................................................................................. 71 Color and White Ink passes............................................................................ 71 Ink Contingency............................................................................................... 71 Labor Cost........................................................................................................ 72 Tax 1................................................................................................................... 72 Tax 2................................................................................................................... 72 Time................................................................................................................... 72 Record Costing Data........................................................................................ 72 Dot Profiles ...................................................................................................... 72 Job Properties Costing................................................................................. 73
Import Template Job Dialog.........................................................................................62 Layout Adjustments and Options.................................................................................62 Multiple Layout................................................................................................................63 Shirt and Cap Layout......................................................................................................64
Table of Contents
Job Processing
75
Archiving a Job................................................................................................. 82
Application Printing
Basic concept for black/colored shirt designs............................................. 85 Photoshop KnockOut Plug-Ins..................................................................... 86 Image Preparation............................................................................................ 87 Using KnockMeBlackOut............................................................................... 87 Using KnockMeColorOut.............................................................................. 90 Apply Soft Edges Using KnockMeColorOut.............................................. 92
85
Anti-Aliasing for a White Underbase............................................................ 97 Directly Adjusting the Underbase................................................................. 98 Color Management in PhotoShop............................................................... 100
Dealing with Working Space Mismatches..................................................................101
Using the History Brush................................................................................................94 Using the Magic Wand Click and Delete..................................................................95 Using the Extract Filter..................................................................................................96 Making Your Selection a New Layer............................................................................96 Color Range......................................................................................................................97
Color Management in DTG Rip Pro C5.................................................... 101 On-screen Proofing in Photoshop.............................................................. 101 Manually sending Files from PhotoShop................................................... 102 Color Management in Illustrator................................................................. 104 Color Management in DTG Rip Pro C5.................................................... 105 On-screen Proofing in Illustrator................................................................ 105 Manually sending Files from Illustrator...................................................... 106 Color Management in CorelDraw............................................................... 107
Dealing with Working Space Mismatches..................................................................105
Table of Contents
Print Modes
Color Management in DTG Rip Pro C5.................................................... 108 Manually sending Files from CorelDraw.................................................... 109 Exporting / Saving Art for Printing........................................................... 109 CorelDraw....................................................................................................... 110 PhotoShop....................................................................................................... 110 Illustrator......................................................................................................... 110 CMYK.............................................................................................................. 111 Underbase........................................................................................................ 111 High Speed (HS)............................................................................................. 112 2 Pass................................................................................................................ 112 Applying a Print Mode to a job.................................................................... 112 Manage Print Modes...................................................................................... 113 Copying a Print Mode................................................................................... 113 Editing a Print Mode..................................................................................... 113 Setting the Default Print Mode Within a Queue....................................... 113 Protected Queue Mode................................................................................. 114 Overriding the Print Mode Setting of a Print Job.................................... 114 Color Adjustment (Shadows, Midtones and Highlights)......................... 114
By Levels.........................................................................................................................115
111
ICC Profiles..................................................................................................... 118 Printer Options............................................................................................... 118 Halftone........................................................................................................... 119 Image Adjustments........................................................................................ 119
Image Sampling.............................................................................................................119 Sharpen / Blur...............................................................................................................119 Image Saturation............................................................................................................120
Show splash screen........................................................................................................122 Always on top................................................................................................................122 Show advanced settings................................................................................................122 Automatically track items.............................................................................................122 Allow Selection of Windows ports............................................................................122 Select pages when importing multiple page job.......................................................122 7
121
Table of Contents
Performance.................................................................................................... 126
Set display unit...............................................................................................................122 Set decimal places..........................................................................................................122 Reset hidden dialogs......................................................................................................122 RIP System Location....................................................................................................123 RIP Memory Allocation...............................................................................................124 RIP Priority Level..........................................................................................................124 Concurrent RIP Operations........................................................................................124 Generate thumbnail previews......................................................................................125 Preview quality...............................................................................................................125 Gamma adjustment.......................................................................................................125 Preview image bits per pixel........................................................................................125 Limit number of previews...........................................................................................126
127 129
Queue log........................................................................................................ 133 Page log............................................................................................................ 133 Job log.............................................................................................................. 133 Preview log...................................................................................................... 133 Test Files ......................................................................................................... 133 Check your USB connections....................................................................... 133 Reinstall the Control panel printer driver if you are using this............... 134 Other Dongle or RIP Conflicts................................................................... 134 Check Your Computers Resources............................................................. 134 Start DTG Rip Pro C5 BEFORE Sending a Print Job............................ 134 When All Else Fails........................................................................................ 134 Random thin HORIZONTAL lines through image ............................... 135 -or- INK lines appear on the outside of the image.................................. 135 Cant find Send To... buttons for Corel, Illustrator or PhotoShop......... 135 Cant find RIP driver or access advanced print options........................... 135
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
10
PC System Requirements
VPM is a 32-bit Windows application. The following system configuration is the minimum requirement: `` 2GHz or faster processor `` 2GB RAM `` 80GB free hard drive space `` Windows XP Service Pack 3 or Windows 7 `` USB 2.0 `` 1024x768 monitor resolution or better
The following system configuration is recommended: `` Dual or Quad Core Processor `` 4GB RAM `` 200GB free hard drive space `` Windows 7 64-bit `` Dual USB 2.0 (meaning two separate USB controllers, not front/back ports) `` 1600x1200 monitor resolution or better
Chapter 1
Quick Start
Security Device Dongle
DTG Rip Pro C5 is provided with a USB security device to prevent unauthorized use or pirating of the software. This device plugs into a standard USB port of the computer, and it is transparent to other applications. Only DTG Rip Pro C5 is aware of the device.
`` Manual Add jobs to the Preview Pane without attempting to conserve media. `` Auto Nest Not intended for garments. `` Auto Page Use this option when garment printing. Append a page break to each job as it is received.
5. The Output Options page is used to choose how jobs are held when received by DTG Rip Pro C5. For garments, choose either Hold, or RIP Now, Print later. 6. Once these wizard pages have been completed, DTG Rip Pro C5 will launch. Proceed to Step 4 - Test Print to DTG Rip Pro C5.
Page Overlay
Queue menu >> Properties >> Layout Manager tab
If the Process multiple page jobs as overlay checkbox has been ticked, then the colour layers within a job (i.e., CMYK and spot colour layers) will remain stacked, as opposed to being nested as separate jobs.
The main elements of the DTG Rip Pro C5 window are: `` A standard Menu Bar that provides the main DTG Rip Pro C5 controls. `` The Queue menu provides controls for adjusting queue parameters. `` The Jobs menu provides controls for adjusting selected print jobs. `` The Printers menu provides management for printers. `` The Tools menu provides access to advanced RIP settings. `` Below the Menu Bar, a Toolbar provides basic ( Start / Stop ) controls. `` Below the toolbar are tabs for viewing the contents of each queue. `` A list of scheduled jobs that are waiting for printing. `` A list of both unscheduled jobs, and previous jobs (i.e., archived for later reprinting). `` An interactive Preview Pane that shows where each job will be positioned on the media. Selecting a job will reveal positioning and scaling handle. `` A context-sensitive Media Settings pane. When a job is selected, values can be set for scaling, rotating and positioning. When no job is selected, queue settings are available.
Multiple Queues
Queue menu >> Manage Queues
DTG Rip Pro C5 provides the ability to organize two-or-more queues for sorting jobs according to the types of garment, sizes of garments, different printers, and so on. From the perspective of a designer, each queue name will appear as a printer destination (e.g., when using File menu >> Print in the graphic design application). The media profile information can also be set on a per-queue basis, such that you can have queues for highly specialized purposes. For example, suppose that you are going to be printing to both white and colored shirts. For the white shirts, you decide that no underbase is required, though the colored shirts require an underbase. In this case, creating two queues will provide a convenient means of organizing the two types of jobs.
After installation, a setup wizard helped you configure your first queue, which you presumably configured for either white or color garment types. The following steps show how to add a queue for your other garment type: 1. From the Queue menu, choose Manage Queues to open the Queue Manager dialog. 2. Click the Add Queue button to launch the Create Production Queue wizard.
10
3. Proceed through the wizard steps to choose the queue settings (i.e., the printer name, port settings, print mode, page size, etc.). 4. When the wizard is finished, the new queue will be listed in the Queue Manager dialog. 5. Click OK to close the Queue Manager dialog. 6. Below the menu and toolbar, the tab for the new queue will be available.
2. On the General tab are the Default device settings, which include the substrate color and priming controls.
3. The Substrate color is optional, and it is used when performing an on-screen preview of the printed garment.
Note: If a black Substrate color has been set, and the Enable priming checkbox has not been ticked, then the on-screen preview will appear black (as it would print).
11
5. Confirm that the correct Priming print mode has been assigned to the queue. 6. Click the Import Options tab.
7. Tick the Hide Image Import dialog and use the following settings option. 8. Tick the Create prime layer from transparency layer (if it exists) option. 9. Set the print mode according to what should be used with a given transparency layer. 10. Click OK to close the Queue Properties dialog.
12
13
2. Then click either the Send to DTG Rip Pro v5 or DTG Rip Pro v5 with Underbase from the menu bar. 3. When printing without an underbase, you can use either the DTG Rip Pro v5, or DTG Rip Pro v5 with Underbase options. But if you want an underbase you must use the with Underbase and have the Queue configured to create an underbase from the transparency (see import options in the queue - properties).
14
2. Then choose File >> Automate>> Send to DTG Rip Pro v5.
15
2. Then choose File >> Send to DTG Rip Pro v5 or File >> Send to DTG Rip Pro v5 with Underbase When printing without an underbase, you can use either the DTG Rip Pro v5 or DTG Rip Pro v5 with Underbase options. But if you want an underbase you must use the with Underbase and have the Queue configured to create an underbase from the transparency (see import options in the queue - properties).
16
17
Costing
The Costing feature is used to collect ink usage data and estimate the production costs associated with the completing print runs. As more data is collected, an average trend in ink usage should be apparent, thereby providing greater ability to predict anticipated material needs for upcoming jobs. Likewise, you will be able to predict materials usage for a given job within the queue. Costing information can be exported to a standard format, for use in database programs such as Excel. Costing information must first be send up under Queue >> Properties. Enter the cost of raw materials. To determine the cost of a job, choose Rip Only. When the job finishes ripping, right-click it, choose Properties >> Show for Page Content >> Other >> Costs to see the per color and total costs of the job.
18
Chapter 2
Installation Notes
The Chapter 1 Quick Start included a step-by-step procedure for installing DTG Rip Pro C5. This chapter provides additional notes concerning the equipment that will be connected to the computer (e.g., USB connections, device drivers, etc.).
Computer Connections
The following sections will cover connecting your DTG Rip Pro C5 dongle to your computer as well as your printer.
Dongle Connection
For your USB security device, please ensure that you follow the installation steps as presented in the Chapter 1 Quick Start. Generally, installing your USB security device will be the first that you do, so that the DTG Rip Pro C5 software can confirm that it can detect the device.
19
In a computer, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a technology that allows for multiple USB devices and equipment to be conntect to the computer. However, having an excessive number of USB devices connected will increase the power supply demands. If you have several USB devices connected (other than a mouse and the USB security device), then you may want to consider removing some of the devices if you are experiencing communication issues with your printer.
NOTE: We recommend using a dedicated computer to control your Garment printer. Avoid using extra USB ports for items such as a webcam, joystick, additional printer etc.
The Operator Manual for your printer should provide additional details about connecting your printer.
5. For more information, refer to the Operator Manual for your Garment Printer. 6. Turn your printer ON. 7. A message balloon may appear in the bottom right hand corner of your computer screen stating New hardware found. After a few moments, another balloon may appear that lists your printer name, make and model. At this point, your computer should automatically recognize the printer when it is connected. 8. As confirmation of this, you can go Start menu >> Printer and Faxes. An icon representing your
20
21
22
Chapter 3
NOTE: You may return to this screen at a later time to add additional printers.
23
`` From the next screen, select the option Dont search automatically Choose the appropriate printer package from your downloaded installation directory.
Click on Next. Click on Next. Click on Finish. When the Configuration Complete window appears, click on Next.
5. Media Setup
The Media Setup page asks you to define the media size and margins. For garment printing you will want to use Fixed Sheet or Templates, if unsure used Fixed sheet and select your total print area `` Roll is used for Roll feed devices, where you have a continous roll of media and want to print continoulsy. Garment are not roll feed machines, so this is not a good choice.
24
`` Fixed Sheet allows you to select a fixed size that will always be used, this is useful if you want to do your own absoulte positioning or if you always use the same size such as standardboard. This option does allow you to reposition the graphics in DTG Rip Pro C5. `` Automatic sheet mode will allow you to select different sizes when printing from Signlab DTG and other programs like PhotoShop and will use the size selected in the program. But this doesnt allow you to reposition the graphics, you must get the positioning correct in the design program. `` Templates give you complete control over postitioning and allows you to setup your own board sizes and poistions, for both single and multiple jobs. This is the only mode used for the DTG Viper.
6. Layout Mode
The Layout Mode window lets you select how to handle jobs as they are imported. For Garment Printers, Auto page is your best default. When finished, click Next.
8. Output Options
The last window in the Create Queue Wizard is the Output Options window. This lets you set the default scheduling for print jobs. For DTG printers, select Hold. When finished, click Finish.
25
Printer Updates
Getting the latest updates for your printer
To obtain the latest print modes for your printer: 1) Ensure your Internet connection is active. 2) From the Printers menu, choose Manage Printers. The Manage Printers dialog will open. 3) Click the printer name that will be checked. 4) Click the Check for online updates button. If updated print modes are available, then the Update printers button will become available. 5) Click the Update printers button to update the print modes.
Port Selection
Output Port
1) From the Printers menu, choose Manage Printers. 2) The Manage Printers dialog will open. 3) For the given printer, the Port column indicates the output port. 4) To change the port, choose a port from the drop-list. 5) To change the port settings, click the ellipsis button (three dots) that is to the right of the drop-list.
USB Port
This is the recommended output port to use with DTG Rip Pro C5. A Universal Serial Bus (USB) port has the benefit of allowing new hardware to be added without configuration concerns or hardware conflicts. In addition, a USB device may be added without requiring the workstation to be restarted. 1. When the Epson printer is connected to the computer via its USB port, Windows will automatically
26
detect the USB printer. 2. In DTG Rip Pro C5, the USB port name for this printer should now be available. 3. From the Printers menu, choose Manage Printers. 4. The Manage Printers dialog will open. 5. From the Port column drop-list, choose the USB port that is named specifically for your Epson model. Example: For the Epson 4800, the USB port will be listed as EpsonStylus Pro 4800_ USB00X+port name.
27
Multiple Queues
DTG Rip Pro C5 comes with support for an unlimited number of queues to help you manage your work flows better and to allow you to have different custom work flows for differnt types of jobs that suite your place of business. You can use the multiple queues for all sorts of reasons, some examples `` Setup different settings for printing white garments and colored / black garments `` Want to manage jobs for different shirt sizes or types of garments `` Setup different costings for white and black shirts `` You have multiple printers In the Queues menu is the Manage Queues... option.
New queues can be created using the + icon in the toolbar, if you are going to be printing both white shirts (no underbase) and colored shirts (with underbase), we recommend that you create two queues. One for printing with an underbase and one without (you can create more as required). Click on the + icon and follow the steps earlier for creating a second queue and name it appropriately such as black or underbase.
28
Manage Printers
As well as supporting Multiple Queues, you can also support different printers in the queues. To Add new printers, use the Printers - Manage Printers menu option
29
30
Chapter 4
Jobs in the Active List are positioned in the Preview Pane. Selecting a job provides additional controls for modifying its layout.
31
`` The Jobs menu provides controls for adjusting selected print jobs. `` The Printers menu provides management for printers. `` The Tools menu provides access to advanced RIP settings.
32
`` Properties open the Job Properties dialog `` Show log console when printing a job, open a log window. Same as Jobs menu >> Properties >> Log tab
Below is the list, from left to right, of the 10 buttons in the Toolbar and what they do. `` Open: This is the first icon in the list. The Open Icon lets you import a new job into the Queue list (shortcut of File>Import). `` Remove: By pressing the Remove button, all of the jobs that are currently selected (highlighted) in the Queue Window or Archived window will be removed. You cannot undo a remove command. `` Release Job: `` Hold Job:
33
`` Clear Errors: `` Abort Job: Lets you cancel a job from spooling or printing. `` Start Queue: By clicking the Start Queue button, all jobs will be processed according to the scheduling settings within the queue properties. `` Stop Queue: The Stop Queue button will cause all jobs to be held, regardless of the scheduling settings within the queue properties `` Configure Queue: Lets you setup and configure queue settings to a job that is currently in the queue list (shortcut for Queue>Properties Pull-down Menu selection). `` Printer Status and Settings: This button will allow you to adjust printer settings and to view the current status of the printer.
Queue Tabs
Select between printers using the Queue Tabs located below the Main Toolbar. Each tab will display the printer title that is associated with it and the number of current/holding jobs located in its Active and Archive List.
34
Active List
In this section of the RIP Window you can view each job that has been imported into DTG Rip Pro C5 and control its current status or settings. When you click on a job, in the active list the DTG Rip Pro C5 view will automatically focus on that job. If you wanted to adjust or cancel a job you can click on the job, then select either a function from the main Toolbar or right click on the job for options. Jobs can be dragged back and forth between the Active and Archive panels. At the top of the Active List is a section title showing particular information about the jobs; such Job Name, Copies, Print mode. By right-clicking on any of these titles, you can specify which ones are present. In this example all options are present. Each line between the titles can be dragged to expand the information under that title. The scroll bar at the bottom of the window lets you view the information of the job when expanded.
Context Menu
This area will change, depending if you have a job selected or no job selected. When a job is selected, this area provides an interface for job menu for exact positioning, sizing, croping and other job functions. When no job is selected this provides a Queue / Page based menu, so you can set the number of copies you want to print of the page or change the layout mode. For example if you are in template mode, you
35
defining the size and position of the cropped area. `` (D) Duplicate - Create a single copy of the selected job. `` (E) Job Size, Position, Scaling - These fields provide controls for adjusting the physical parameters of the job. `` (F) Rotate - From the drop-list, choose the job rotation in increments of 90 degrees. `` (G) Crop Mark - This button is a toggle. Clicking once will place crop marks at the corner bounds of the job, whereas clicking again will hide the crop marks. `` (H) Invert - Invert the image colours to create an effect like a photographic negative.
36
2. You can the specify the number of horizontal and vertical copies required and spacing. 3. You can also create copies in the Preview/Interactive view by draging on the vertical and horizontal anchor points.
37
EPS, BMP, TIFF, etc.) or you can select File>>Import. Alternatively, an image file can also be drag-and-dropped onto the DTG Rip Pro C5 window, causing that file to be imported. In either case, the File Import Options are applied when importing the given file type. `` Scaling: This Option lets you scale the image either by preserving the aspect ratio (checkbox) or changing it to fit your needs.
`` Optimize Image for Speed: This option will jpeg compress bitmap images in order to print faster. `` Always use these settings when importing: This option will allow you to use the same import settings for all file types. If checked, the Image Import dialog will no longer open every time you import an image. In this case, to gain access to this dialog in the future, go to Queue >> Properties >> Import Options tab. Uncheck the Hide Image Import dialog and use the following settings checkbox. This will gray out the screen and allow you to make the necessary settings each time you import an image into DTG Rip Pro C5.
38
transparent image.
Select the Underbase Print Mode and other options. See Chapter 5 Queue Properties and Import Options for more information on using these settings.
39
40
Chapter 5
There are three main sets of options in Queue Properties. Settings - These tabs cover default print modes, hot folders, media setup and are covered in detail in this chapter. Print mode overrides - These tabs cover options to override the print modes settings, most of this is covered in Chapter 8 - Print modes Other - The Costing tab is covered in this chapter and the Log is covered in chapter 11 Troubleshooting.
41
General Tab
Select your prefered default print mode (if you are not sure use the Default). Typically higher resolutions will put down more ink and give you a more saturated and brighter colors, but also take longer to print.
If you are going to be using this queue for printing with an underbase, you can select a substrate color (only do this if you will be using this queue with an underbase). You can now select the color of the garments you will print onto with this queue and the Preview/ Interactive view will display your graphics as they will print on this color garment.
Note: If you select black and print without an underbase the image will appear black (as it would print).
42
43
44
Import Options
The import options are the same options as you get when you add a new job to a Queue, see Chapter 4 Main Interface and Importing a file and import options. You can hide the import dialog and setup settings to always use when importing, so that the jobs are setup correctly automatically. You can select to always scale to a specific size, optimize bitmaps for speed and automatically create an underbase from transparency.
Underbase Strength:
This has 4 settings for determining the Underbase to be created. `` None: Doesnt create an Underbase, would only typically be used if you just wanted a highlight white on the image `` Weak: Converts the transparency information to an Underbase and then processes the Underbase to remove areas of the Underbase where the colors in the main image are black (as you do not need to print white under black). The Weak setting uses the least amount of ink for the Underbase. `` Medium: Converts the transparency information to an Underbase and then processes the Underbase to remove areas of the Underbase were the colors in the main image are black (as you do not need to print white under black). The Medium setting is best at maintaining colors and darker shadows. `` Strong: Will create an Underbase from the transparency without modification.
45
Note: Medium is recommended setting, minimum will use the least amount of white ink.
Gamma adjustment
Gamma is another term for the levels adjustment found in programs like PhotoShop. Gamma Adjustment applies a gamma adjustment to the white Underbase either lightening or darkening the midtones and has a small proportional effect on highlights and shadows. 100% pure color and 0% pure color are not affected at all. Gamma Adjustment is very useful for controlling the amount of white used when blending in a graphic with the shirt color and as an additional trapping tool. A low value will put down less white ink where the image is partially transparent, while a high value will put down more black ink in the same area. This graphic shows the gamma effect on a white underbase gradient with values of 10, 128 and 245, so higher values will use more white under partial transparent areas (to much can create a white halo effect) smaller values will use less white and act as a choke on the white underbase in these areas. Too little and all that will show through though is the shirt color. Default is 128. You can use this to control how much white ink is used in areas that are partially transparent, and how much shirt is displayed in these areas.
Note: The accuracy of the choke depends upon the resolution of the image, (see the AVIs on choking for more information), but typically you want 300/360dpi images to get a good accurate choke. If you choke too much, then it can cause other problems (most noticeable on lighter color shirts) and create what looks like a stroke color around the object. Best defaults are Minimum or Medium for Light color shirts and Medium or Maximum for Black shirts. You should only use this if you have registration issue between the white and color pass.
46
Highlight White
The Highlight White setting creates a highlight white to be printed as part of the color pass `` None Doesnt create a highlight white `` Weak Creates a weak highlight white, uses the least amount of white ink in white areas only. `` Medium - Uses more white ink for the highlight in areas of pure white. `` Strong Use 100% white ink in areas of pure white.
Note: Using too much white, especially in the color pass, can cause your colors to become washed out. This happens when the White ink and color inks mix. Its best if you can avoid using a highlight white for DTG and get a good white underbase instead. If you do use this, use it sparingly to avoid color shifts, unless you are printing white ink only.
Underbase Repeats
Underbase Repeats is the number of Underbase passes to be printed. Using Underbase Repeats can make registration issues more apparent.
Color Passes
Color Passes is the number of Color passes to be printed. Using multiple Color Passes can make registration issues more apparent.
47
`` Roll media - DO NOT USE. `` Fixed sheet media - Preview jobs in terms of a fixed page width and height. This is a good option to select for garment printers, use this or templates. Use Fixed Sheet Media for the DTG HM1. `` Automatic sheet media - Use the sheet width and height that was defined in the design application. Use this only if you want to do the layout and positioning inside the application and will use Control Panel to print to DTG Rip Pro C5. `` Templates - Select form existing templates and/or create your own templates. These can be used to pre determine print jobs position and/or for copies and multiple shirts per platen. Use Template media for the DTG Viper. From the Name drop-list, choose a preset media. For most garment devices you will be using the Fixed Sheet or Template option.
48
Some of the uses for templates are: `` Setting up a custom board size, where you can select the size of the print area and its exact position inside the print area of the bed `` Setting up custom nesting of jobs, multiple board/print areas inside the print area of the bed (for example, on the DTG Viper setup 4 different shirt boards). `` Automatic duplication for printing the same image on a number of objects at the same time.
49
Selecting a Template
Queue Menu>> Properties>>Media Setup tab To use templates, you must first make sure you have your Queue properties > Media setup configured for Templates. 1. Under the Type drop-down arrow, select Template Media. 2. To select a existing template, under Name drop-down arrow, select one from a list.
NOTE: To select a template from another location (a custom template in a custom location) click the icon to browse for the custom template. See next section, Creating a Custom Template.
`` Select Add New Media from the main window in the smart menu area (with no job selected) you can select Add New Media from the Template Media options drop down selection.
50
2. Set Name and Page Size The Template Setup Dialog will open. `` First, enter in a name for the template under Name. For this example, well be setting up a 4-up Shirt Board template for the DTG Viper `` Next, select the total page size under Based on Sheet. For this example, 16.5x29 inches is the total printing area of the machine.
NOTE: You can enter in a custom size by selecting Custom from the list. Enter the dimensions under
Size.
3. The next step is to define the first slot. Slots are somewhat like nesting where you set the printable areas and later assign the images to those areas for printing. For this example, the slots will represent the Shirt Boards on the 4 up platern (4 shirts at a time). Jobs are printed inside of the slots and areas outside of the slots are the nonprintable areas or masked areas. You can have multiple slots in several different arrangements to accommodate any need, if required. Each slot will have a number assigned to them (from 1 to 9). Slots assigned with a unique number can be for separate jobs or slots that share the same slot number will print the same job. `` To define the first slot, under Slot Label, select 1 (use the up and down arrows to adjust. `` Next, the Position fields act as margins. For this example we will set the left and right margins to 0.0 inches and the top and bottom to 0 inches. `` Under Size, enter in the print area dimensions. (7.5 wide and 13 high for this example). `` Under Alignment, set at center for the job to be automatically centered in the slot. `` You can set Automatic Scaling to enable jobs to be scaled and positioned after they are added to the template. This feature can help to ensure that the job is the right size before printing. For this example we are leaving it as is. `` Under Rotate, you can select to have the template automatically rotate the artwork based on landscape/portrait settings. For this example, we have selected Rotate 270 (90 x 3 clockwise) based on having the shirt loaded with the neck of the shirt on the left of the slot (shirt board). If you wanted to load the shirts on the right side, you would select Rotate 90.
51
Once you have added all the details for your slot, click on Add to create and it will show in the preview.
4. Add Additional Slots (if necessary). Additional slots can be created by repeating step 3. Deselect current slot and continue with the next dimensions. If the next slot overlaps the current slot, it will not let you add. If the next slots will be the same (dimensions etc), you can easily make duplicates of the first slot or any other slot. There are five icon tools that will help in the creation of your template layout. Copy selected slot down in position Copy selected slot to the right Delete selected slot Move selected slot up Move selected slot down The Copy slot spacing will allow you to adjust the measurement between the copied slots (either by left and right or by above and below).
52
So, if you wanted extra space between the first slot and the one that will go below it, do the following: `` Select the slot to copy `` Enter the extra measurement in the appropriate field `` Click Copy selected slot down in position.
NOTE: If an icon is grayed out, it is not available for use, i.e., not having enough room on the template available.
Copying slots will leave all the slots with the same slot number (1). This is fine if you are for printing copies of the same job. If you want to print different designs on each slot, change the slot numbers of the duplicate slots. `` Select the slot you want to change `` Adjust the slot label number to a new number. Click Update to apply the change Any other changes you want to make can be made in the same way. Click Save to save your new template.
Note: You can create as many different templates as you want and select them from the main interface as discussed in the earlier section, Selecting a Template.
53
Template Settings
Import Template Job Dialog
In the Layout Manager you can choose how jobs are added to the templates. By default the Show import template job dialog is enabled. This means as each job is added to DTG Rip Pro C5 a dialog will display which template and slot are used, allowing you to edit the setting. If this is disabled then the Express method is used. `` Express will import the job into the next available slot, using the currently selected template in the queue. `` Select will allow you to select which template and slot you want to add this job to. `` Select the template you want to use from the drop list. `` Select the slot you want to use by using either drop down list on clicking on a slot. `` Cancel will cancel and the job will not be added.
54
Multiple Layout
This example template layout shows a possible template for printing tennis balls, all of the slots are slot 1 and this means when an image is added it will be duplicated in all the slots and is a simple way of printing the same image on many Tennis balls at once.
Note: Select Scale to fit, under Scaling on the first slot so the job will be scaled down to fit inside the slot area, in each slot number.
Simply add a job and the job is scaled and correctly laid out ready for printing. Slots can also be setup with different sizes (even if they have the same slot number).
55
56
Note: If the queue is Stopped, then all jobs are automatically placed on Hold, regardless of the Output Scheduling settings.
57
Scheduling Settings
The Output Scheduling controls are set according to the type of job.
The scheduling controls are differentiated according to print jobs, DTG Rip Pro C5 doesnt support cut jobs. For Print only jobs you can Hold, so all jobs are not automatically processed on arrival. RIP Now, Print later, which means the job will be RIP and ready for printing but not automatically printed or RIP and Print now, which will RIP and Print the job as soon as the printer is ready.
58
`` ON = incoming jobs will be placed in the active list, and positioned in the Preview Pane `` OFF = place jobs in the unscheduled list The Template options are explained earlier in this chapter in the Template section in Media Setup. Process Multiple page jobs as over lay is for multiple page jobs which are generally not used in Garment printing.
Printer Status
With most Epson-based printers, you can setup a scheduled head clean in this tab. This is useful if you are leaving the printer for a period of time and want to keep a regular flow of ink through the head. Some manufacturers recommend this as part of preventive maintenance.
59
Enable Archiving
Queue Pull-down Menu>>Properties>>Job Reserve tab The Archiving tab in the Queue Properties dialog offers a few functions, one of which allows you to enable the Archiving function.
This dialog also gives you the option to save the spool file on job completion and gives statistics of how many jobs have been archived.
Disk.
Note: You can also enable job archiving by right clicking on a completed job and selecting Archive to
60
This will ensure that your files print with the same settings as they were designed with on your computer.
NOTE: It is generally preferred to use the same settings for the Line Art and Bitmap tags.
61
Costing Interface
Queue Pull-down Menu >> Properties >> Other >> Costing tab DTG Rip Pro C5 allows you to keep track of costs in several different variables.
Material cost
The material cost can be calculated in one of three ways using the drop down box. `` Per Unit A fixed price per print and typically used for T-shirts and other fixed price items when printing and will calculate the price using the value entered `` Per Square Foot This option, will calculate the price based on the actual area printed using the value per square foot.
62
`` Per Square Meter This will calculate the price based on the actual area printed using the value per square Meter.
Notes
Allows you to add a text description, containing any notes you wish.
Ink Contingency
With all inkjet printers, there is a certain quantity of ink waste that occurs during head cleaning and other routine maintenance tasks. The amount of ink used in these tasks will depend upon the printer and also the amount its used (the more you print, normally the lower the ink wastage as an overall percentage). Entering a % in this field will add this to the total ink used and effect the cost, so you can factor in the running costs including head cleaning and other maintenance.
63
Labor Cost
All printing requires some labour, from loading the materials, to pre treatments, lamination and packaging for shipping. You have three ways you can calculate this. `` Per Unit is a fixed price per print and typically used for T-shirts and other fixed price items when the labour is typically the same for each item. `` Per Square foot will calculate the price based on the actual area printed using the value per square foot. `` Per Square Meter will calculate the price based on the actual area printed using the value per square Meter.
Tax 1
This allows you to apply a tax to the total cost of the job. Its added as a percentage of the total cost of the job
Tax 2
This allows you to apply a tax to the total cost of the job. Its added as a percentage of the total cost of the job when you select regular tax and is includes that costs of Tax 1 when you select Additive tax as in some countries / states.
Time
This does not effect the cost and is just for information purposes. `` Per Unit is a fixed time per print and typically used for T-shirts and other fixed printing and application timed items. `` Per Square foot will calculate the time based on the actual area printed using the value per square foot. `` Per Square Meter will calculate the time based on the actual area printed using the value per square Meter.
Dot Profiles
In order for the costing to be calculated, it required that the software knows what the dot volumes are when printing and these will vary depending upon the resolution and other factors. This information is normally provided in the driver (when available). However you can change the dot volumes (based on a per print mode) and/or if they are absent, add your own estimates.
64
65
66
Chapter 6
Job Processing
This chapter will explain the various stages of printing a job, changing settings on an individual job and checking the data and costing information.
If you right-click on a job in the Active list it will display a menu of options (these are a duplicate of options found in the Jobs Main menu. The properties option can be accessed directly by double clicking on the job. Note: Jobs are in one of three main states, (Open Page) Pending, (Closed Page) Ripped or Processing (being Ripped or being Printed). To access the properties, the job must be in the Open page or Close page state, you cant do anything while its actually RIPing the job or Printing. The list of available options in the menu and what functions you can apply to a job depends on if its Pending or Ripped (Open or Closed Page). When the job is Pending (Open page), before it has been Ripped. You can resize, position, rotate, crop and change any settings on the job.
67
Once the job has been Ripped (Closed page), you are no longer able to make these changes. If you need to make these changes, use the Open Page from the right mouse click menu. This will remove the Ripped data (so you will need to process it again before output), but will then allow you to make changes as required to size, position and anything else. Note: If you setup your scheduling to anything other than None (See Chapter 5 - Layout Manager), the new jobs will automatically be Ripped and you will always have to Open the page. If you are always adjusting the layout or other options, change this to None in Queue properties - Layout Manager. When a page is closed and the paged Ripped, its creating the actual output data for the printer, the preview you see in the DTG Rip Pro C5 view is a low resolution version of this data.
Open Page
In the Open page state, each jobs is accessible separately. You can select each job individually and make changes to its size, print mode, position and many other options to how it will print.
Multiple jobs can be placed on the same page, arranged as required. If there are multiple jobs on a page (for example doing a 2up, 2 shirt boards loaded at the same time), when you RIP one job, the page will be closed and all jobs on that page with be Ripped. Note: All jobs on that page must share the same print mode (or at least the same printer options). If you go into Job Properties, you can change the print mode or any of the print mode settings for just that job. For more information on these settings see Chapter 8 - Print modes
68
Closed Page
Once a page is closed and Ripped you can no longer make changes to its size, location etc..
If there is just one job on the page, then it will remain as a single entry in the Active list view. The properties is now available for both the page and the job itself. The Page properties you can still specify the number of copies of this page you want to print, it will also display the printer options (which must be common to all jobs). The page content properties (job properties) will display the rest of the settings used by the job such as ICC profiles. These cant be changed (without Opening the page), but you can still view them. Also in the properties of the job you can now view the costing information, this is only available once the job has been Ripped. If there are multiple jobs on a page, then you will get a nested view and can access page and individual job properties by clicking on the appropriate object in the list view.
69
Costing on a job
By going to the Job properties of a job once it has been Ripped (in the closed state), you can click on the costing tab to view the costing information.
You can do a quick print of this information or export it as a CSV file for Excel or other accounting programs.
70
4) Click the Plane Select button if its not already being displayed.
You can use the Plane Select dialog to turn on and off layers or individual channels.
For example to view just the white underbase layer. Clicking on the background color will allow you to change the background (garment color)
71
Using the View Raw Data you can capture a lot of problems before they are printed, saving time, Ink and money.
For example in this case we can clearly see a white halo around our text, this has been caused be AntiAlias text in PhotoShop (see chapter 7 - PhotoShop).
Save
Select the Save button to save the picture as a bitmap image for comparisons or later viewing.
Print
Select the Print button to print the preview. For example, the preview can be printed to a desktop printer for use as a sample.
Zoom Tools
Select Zoom In, Zoom Out, or select a Percent Zoom to view the image as a whole, or particular sections within the image. You can also use Control + and Control -
72
Color Planes
Clicking the Planes Select button opens the Select Planes to View dialog. The color channels used to print the image will be listed. Unchecking layers and/or color channels is useful as a means of confirming the inks that will be used when rendering the image and on what passes. Note: If you double click on a color name, you can change the color its uses to display on screen and its level of opacity.
Configuration
Click the Configure button to open the Preview Configuration dialog. `` Treat Process as Spot This option is typically off. However, when viewing color separations that are a combination of process and spot colors, setting this option = ON can help to obtain an improved view of the color blends and control opacity on process colors. `` Show True Pixels Resolution Many printers have different horizontal and vertical resolutions. The image that appears in the viewer is automatically adjusted to account for this, when Show true pixels resolution is unchecked. Checking Show true pixels resolution will show the image without this automatic adjustment, which will cause the image to appear stretched. `` Cache Size If the viewer is drawing too slowly, and additional memory is available on the hard drive, then increase the size of the memory cache to increase the viewer speed. `` Units Select the units of measurement from the drop list (pixels, inches, or centimeters). The units of measurement appear in the bottom right corner of the View Raw Data dialog.
Image Information
Clicking the Image Info button will open an Image Info dialog. The dialog includes a list of information specific to the image including the printer, resolution, color planes, image size, and file location.
View as Black
Check the View as Black option to change the background color to white, and all other colors to black, within the image preview.
73
Archiving a Job
1. Right-click the job and choose Properties. If the job has already been spooled (printed) a flyout menu will open; select either Show for Page Output or Show for Page Content. Both options will open the Job Ticket Properties Dialog. Note: if selecting Show for Page Content, there will be a few more options, such as compression settings etc. For typical output archiving, select Show for Page Output.
2. Select the Archiving tab. 3. Tick the Enable job archiving checkbox (if not already). 4. To cause the spooled print data to be included with the archive (optional), tick the Spool checkbox. Note that spool files are quite large in comparison to the corresponding original PostScript file. 5. Under Archive Job Ticket, confirm that the Location indicates where you want the archive file to be stored. To set the destination, click the button.
74
6. Click the Archive button. 7. You will be prompted to name the archive file.
The archive will now be created at the given location (stored as a JTB file type).
75
76
Chapter 7
Application Printing
Introduction
The following section details how to print from the main software applications, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Corel Draw as well as other programs. In order to simplfy the work flow for printing on to dark shirts, the Software Developer has provided plugins for 32-bit versions of PhotoShop, Corel and Illustrator to make it easier to create designs and send the to DTG Rip Pro C5 without having to actually create an underbase, it will be generated automatically for you.
NOTE 1: When the 64-bit versions of Photoshop and Illustrator are installed, the 32-bit versions are also installed automatically. The plugins will not work in the 64-bit versions, but you can choose to manually launch the 32-bit versions of Photoshop or Illustrator from the Start Menu.
For other programs you can use the Windows File-Print Menu , it works the same no matter what program you are using, you can use this to print on to White shirts from any application. For other programs and black shirts, if you can save your output and use specific file types having a transparent backgroud to import into DTG Rip Pro C5, this will greatly simplfy your work flow.
77
This is easier to use than the File- Print as all you have to do is select the queue you wish to print to. You can use this for both white and colored/dark shirts with an underbase. Note that DTG Rip Pro C5 will print ALL layers of a Photoshop image, regardless of whether or not they have been hidden.
78
Image Preparation
Before running these plug-ins for your image, ensure that the image is on its own layer, and NOT on the default Background layer. To do this, select from the Layers Pull-down Menu, Duplicate Layer. A second layer will be visible in the layers palette named Background Copy. You now have a duplicate of the default background layer that you name and apply actions to, separately. You will need to be familiar with editing layers in your design, as it is not possible to setup an underbase on the default Background layer. Delete the original background layer.
Using KnockMeBlackOut
This plug-in is optimized for creating an underbase for either black or near-black colors. If you have an image that already has a black background, and you want to print onto a black shirt, then this plug-in provides a one-hit sequence for preparing the image. The KnockMeBlackOut Dialog allows you to remove black and gray backgrounds from your images and preview the result. To open up the KnockMeBlackOut Dialog, select it from the CADLink flyout of the Filter Pull-down Menu. The window will display the original image above a preview of how it will appear with the black background knocked out. By adjusting the Underbase strength, shades of gray can be included with the knocked out portions. This plug-in is optimized for creating an underbase for either black or near-black colors. If you have an image that already has a black background, and you want to print onto a black shirt, this plug-in effectively provides a one-hit sequence for preparing the image.
79
`` Preview The original image is shown above the filtered image. At the bottom-right is a zoom control for inspecting the filter results. When the zoomed image does not fit within the available space, click and drag to reposition the preview. `` Transparent This is a preview mode that shows how the image will appear once it is saved back to PhotoShop. This is the best view for inspecting the color that will be printed. `` Show Underbase This preview mode shows the white underbase that will be created. Note that the preview is inverted, such that black areas represents the white underbase, and the white areas will not be applied with underbase. `` Shirt Color This preview mode combines the shirt color, underbase and color components to show the preview as it would appear on the finished shirt. The color picker can be used to choose the specific hue that represents the shirt color. `` Underbase Use this field to adjust the underbase strength (0-255) that will be applied to the shirt. The default underbase setting is 64 (about 25% of maximum). Increasing this value will cause more Underbase (and a corresponding amount of color) to be laid down when printing. `` Reset Set all the dialog controls to their recommended defaults.
80
Changing the underbase setting does not change areas that will have 100% white ink in the underbase, nor areas that require no white ink in the underbase. Instead, the underbase setting will change the amount of white ink used to blend the black color (of the shirt) into the color of the graphics. As more white ink is used (i.e., in the shadow regions of the image), more ink in the color pass will be required in order to maintain the shadow. The end result is that shadow regions will be lighter and more visible.
The Underbase slider controls how much white underbase to put down. In the Show Underbase preview mode, black portions show Naturally, increasing this value will where the underbase will be lay down more underbase (i.e., spot applied. white). However, as a consequence of laying down more underbase, a corresponding increase in colors will occur to balance this.
In the Shirt Color preview mode, the underbase and the finished design are previewed on the shirt (shown here as red).
This is a clipped area of the original image. In this example, well use this image with the KnockMeBlackOut Plug-in.
81
Here are all three preview modes with the default Underbase of 64. From left to right, the preview modes are listed below.
Transparent
Show Underbase
Shirt Color
Here are the same preview modes with the Underbase set at its maximum level of 255.
Transparent
Show Underbase
Shirt Color
Using KnockMeColorOut
The KnockMeColorOut plug-in is similar to the KnockMeBlackOut dialog, except that a specific hue can now be selected and removed from the image. The KnockMeColorOut Dialog allows you to remove any color background from your images and preview the result. To open up the KnockMeColorOut Dialog, select it from the PhotoShop flyout of the Filter Pull-down Menu.
82
1. Click on the original (top) image to select a color to remove or 2. Click the Color to Remove color picker and the color to remove from a color selector Again, the rest of the tools and options in the KnockMeColorOut Dialog (Preview modes: Transparent, Shirt Color, Show Underbase, the Preview Window, Underbase Strength etc.) will work much like the ones in the KnockMeBlackOut Dialog. The Underbase setting can vary from 0 to 1000, with a default of 100 (i.e., 10%). In the following two images, Underbase settings of 100 and 650 have been applied. At the higher Underbase setting, less ink will be applied, allowing more of the shirt color (e.g., a red shirt) to show through and blend with the image.
With an Underbase setting of 100, only about 10% of the selected hue is knocked out, which provides a greater background contrast with the shirt color. This would be appropriate when printing onto a black shirt, so as to retain more of the red image.
With an Underbase setting of 650 (65%), this would be appropriate for printing to a red shirt. Less ink would be used to print the image color, thereby allowing the image to blend more naturally into the shirt color.
83
If the shirt color were black, then the Underbase setting of 100 would be suitable because more of the red image background would be retained. However, if the shirt color were red, then an Underbase setting of 650 would allow a more natural blend between image background and the shirt color.
For the image on the left, we want to knock out the white background for application to a black shirt. However, the preview on the right shows that off-white pixels will create a halo effect around the doe.
If we inspect a small region of the does back, then we can see why this happens. The fur of the doe is difficult to select and remove correctly. Though increasing the tolerance of the Magic Wand tool can capture more of the off-white pixels, removing bits of the off-white fur will produce a hard edge that detracts from a natural image. What is really needed here is to retain the fur and blend it into the black of the shirt.
By increasing the Overprint setting, more of the white halo is removed. However, fine detail is lost (i.e., the doe hair).
84
The solution is to create a duplicate layer of the image, then use the Magic Wand tool to clean the outer contour of the underlying layer image.
On the left, the Magic Wand tool was used to carefully remove the off-white portions along the fur, including the hairs of the fur. On the right, we have a second layer copy of the doe with fur intact.
The KnockMeColorOut tool can then be applied to the top-most image to remove white and off-white. Adjust the Underbase setting to achieve the desired blend of fur with the black shirt background. This will remove the white spots from the top-most image, but the white spots from the underlying image will now show through (thereby preserving the image quality).
The KnockMeColorOut can now be applied to the top image. This removes off-white from along the hairline, though removes white from the animal pelt as well.
85
Once the top image is ready, use the Layers Pull-down Menu > Merge Layer command to combine it with the underlying layer image. The image is now ready for application to a black shirt. Using these techniques, you can blend even complex images like fur and hair into your shirt, thereby obtaining the highest quality t-shirt printing results.
Once white has been removed from the top image, right-click the layer and choose Merge Down. This will combine the top image with the underlying image (which still has the white spots on its coat).
86
5. In the History palette, tick the checkbox that is at the far-left of the Pasted layer. This indicates to the History tool that this step in the editing history will be the source. 6. At this point, the History brush is like a regular brush. Adjust the size of the brush and then click on the image where portions from step (2) need to be reversed.
Click to indicate that the original pasted layer will be the source for the History tool.
87
piece of art (JPEG) with 1 layer named: Background, you need to first duplicate this layer to switch to PSD file mode to get the transparent background. The original layer can then be deleted. Depending upon the variations and gradients in the background, it may require some trial and error with Tolerance settings and several selections before the background is completely removed. If the first click of the Magic Wand does not get all the unwanted areas, you can add to the selection by holding down the [Shift] key and clicking another area. You can subtract from the selection by holding down the [Alt] key and clicking on a area.
NOTE: Keep in mind, the Magic Wand and Extract filters perform best when the background is a solid color and not a gradient.
88
Color Range
Under the PhotoShop Select menu, the Color Range tool is used to select a specific hue (or range of hues). However, for black or near-black, the KnockMeBlackOut performs significantly better than Color Range. `` For other hues (including white), both Color Range and KnockMeColorOut will produce comparable results. However, the advantage of KnockMeColorOut is its ability to show results in three preview modes (Transparent, Show Underbase, and Shirt Color).
NOTE 2: Avoid saving the finished file in JPEG format, as the compression method used for JPEG can introduce aliasing issues.
NOTE 3: When copy and pasting objects from (say) Illustrator or CorelDraw into PhotoShop, these objects will be anti-aliased by default.
89
Creating a selection from the currently defined underbase, which was defined when using the KnockMeBlackOut tool.
4. The previously created underbase will now be the active selection. 5. From the Select menu, choose Save Selection. 6. From the Channel drop-list, choose Layer 1 Mask (i.e., the name of image layer).
90
7. Click OK to continue. 8. In the Layers palette, there will be a Layer Mask Thumbnail
The complex selection has now been defined as a distinct mask, which will be editable (i.e., the underbase can be edited using the PhotoShop tools).
9. Clear the current selection (i.e., Select menu >> Deselect). 10. Select Channels from the Windows drop-list.
In addition to the RGB channels, there will be a Layer 1 Mask channel. At this point, any of the PhotoShop tools can be used to modify the underbase (e.g., brush tools, Image menu adjustments, etc.), by selecting this channel.
11. For example, in the Channels palette, click the Layer 1 Mask.
91
12. Then from the Image menu, choose Adjustments >> Levels. 13. Use the Levels dialog to adjust the midtones of the underbase, so as to modify how much of the shirt color will show through. 14. Once the adjustments are complete, the channel can be removed in the Layers palette (i.e., in the Layers palette, right-click the Layer Mask Thumbnail and choose Apply Layer Mask).
NOTE: If your design applications are already set for Adobe RGB, then no further changes are required because this is the same default that DTG Rip Pro C5 will use.
For whatever working space settings that you decide upon, make certain that they are consistent across the applications that you are using. By having consistent working spaces, this means that importing new elements into your design will be automatically provided with correct color management.
NOTE: For the Adobe Creative Suite products, note that the Adobe Bridge component is used to set the working spaces, which will then be enforced across the entire suite of products automatically.
92
93
2. The Color Settings dialog will open. 3. Within the Working Spaces section, click the CMYK drop-list and choose Load CMYK 4. Browse to the following location, where all of the DTG Rip Pro C5 profiles are stored: C:\DTGRIPProV5\rip\system\clinks 5. Within this location is a sub-directory that is named for the model garment printer that you are using. For example: C:\DTGRIPProV5\rip\system\clinks\DTGVIPER 6. For some models there can be a subsequent sub-directory that is named for the color model that the profile was designed for. 7. Regardless, once you have found the correct sub-directory, choose the ICC profile that is used in your print mode. Once this ICC profile has been chosen in the Color Settings dialog, the View menu >> Proof Colors toggle will correctly preview your job on-screen . However, keep in mind that this setting is specific to the given printer, and you may want to reset the profile to its default for working with other devices.
NOTE: This feature works best when you have calibrated your monitor, such that you are using a custom input profile for your monitor.
94
This is easier to use than the File- Print as all you have to do is select the queue you wish to print to. You can use Send to DTG Rip Pro v5 for white shirts and Send to DTG Rip Pro v5 with Underbase for colored/ dark shirts with an underbase.
When using the Send to DTG Rip Pro v5 feature, only the graphics in the document setup (Artboard) is sent, so ensure all the graphics you want to print are inside the Artboard area. In the Windows menu, there is a Send to DTG Rip Pro v5 that will display a floating menu from which you can also send your current job to DTG Rip Pro C5.
When creating graphics in Illustrator, you can use transparency and other features to allow the shirt color to show through an object and control the opacity (and the amount of underbase) that will be printed. To visualize this its easiest to create an additional layer at the bottom of the stack, call it background and create an object the size of your Artboard (document setup) and fill it with your shirt color.
95
NOTE: If your design applications are already set for Adobe RGB, then no further changes are required because this is the same default that DTG Rip Pro C5 will use.
For whatever working space settings that you decide upon, make certain that they are consistent across the applications that you are using. By having consistent working spaces, this means that importing new elements into your design will be automatically provided with correct color management.
NOTE: For the Adobe Creative Suite products, note that the Adobe Bridge component is used to set the working spaces, which will then be enforced across the entire suite of products automatically.
96
97
7. Regardless, once you have found the correct sub-directory, choose the ICC profile that is used in your print mode. Once this ICC profile has been chosen in the Color Settings dialog, the View menu >> Proof Colors toggle will correctly preview your job on-screen . However, keep in mind that this setting is specific to the given printer, and you may want to reset the profile to its default for working with other devices.
Note: This feature works best when you have calibrated your monitor, such that you are using a custom input profile for your monitor.
This is easier to use than the FilePrint as all you have to do is select the queue you wish to print to. You can use DTG Rip Pro C5 for white shirts and DTG Rip Pro C5 with Underbase for colored/dark shirts with an underbase.
98
When using the Send to DTG Rip Pro C5 feature, only the graphics in the page area is sent, so ensure all the graphics you want to print are inside the page area. When creating graphics in Corel, you can use transparency and other features to allow the shirt color to show through an object and control the opacity (and the amount of underbase) that will be printed. To visualize this its easiest to create an additional layer at the bottom of the stack, call it background and create an object the size of your page size and fill it with your shirt color.
99
NOTE: If your design applications are already set for Adobe RGB, then no further changes are required because this is the same default that DTG Rip Pro C5 will use.
For whatever working space settings that you decide upon, make certain that they are consistent across the applications that you are using. By having consistent working spaces, this means that importing new elements into your design will be automatically provided with correct color management.
100
101
CorelDraw
For CorelDraw buttons, on your remote computer use your Network explorer to go to the DTG Rip Pro C5 installation location and then run the INIFixer.exe in this location. This will add the buttons to the Application launcher next time you start CorelDraw. When you first use the buttons, use the browse button and browse again across the network and select the DTG Rip Pro C5 installation folder and select OK. You should then be able to use the Send To... buttons to send jobs to the remote DTG Rip Pro C5 from Corel.
PhotoShop
For PhotoShop buttons, on your remote computer use your Network explorer to go to the DTG Rip Pro C5 installation location and then copy the file PhoToQueue.8bf to your local machine and place it into you PhotoShop plugins directory Automate folder. eg. C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Plug-Ins\Automate This will add the buttons to the Automate menu next time you start PhotoShop When you first use the buttons, use the browse button and browse again across the network and select the DTG Rip Pro C5 installation folder and select OK. You should then be able to use the Send To... buttons to send jobs to the remote DTG Rip Pro C5 from PhotoShop.
Illustrator
For the Illustrator buttons, on your remote computer use your Network explorer to go to the DTG Rip Pro C5 installation location and then copy the two files IlluToQueue.aip and productp.ini to your local machine and place it into you Illustrator plugins directory. eg. C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS3\Plug-ins This will add the buttons to the File menu next time you start Illustrator When you first use the buttons, use the browse button and browse again across the network and select the DTG Rip Pro C5 installation folder and select OK. You should then be able to use the Send To... buttons to send jobs to the remote DTG Rip Pro C5 from Illustrator.
102
Chapter 8
Print Modes
Print Mode Introduction About Print Modes
Each DTG Rip Pro C5 Print Mode has been painstakingly crafted to obtain high quality output that takes into account the absorbency characteristics of the given media, so as to avoid under-inking conditions (i.e., pin-holing) and over-inking conditions (i.e., bleeding). As such, the expectation is that reliable reproduction will be obtained from your given model of Epson printer, per version of DTG Rip Pro C5. The information outlined in this chapter is based on a general Garment printer.
CMYK
CMYK Print Modes are used for the color pass printing, these Print Modes are designed to lay down highly accurate colors, reproduce an extremely detailed image and allows you to utilize a higher dpi (up to 1440 x 1440) to ensure the highest print quality possible.
Underbase
Underbase Print Modes are designed for printing a white Underbase. An underbase is needed to print vibrant images on dark garments, but there are different settings that will effect the amount of white being printed. You will also need a different amout of underbase depending upon the color of the shirt. For example a light colored shirt will need less white ink than a black shirt. Higher resolution underbase modes will put down more white ink than lower resolution modes.
103
Because of the head height from the garment, bi-directional prints will never be as crisp or hold fine detail as well as uni-directional print modes.
2 Pass
The 2 Pass Print Modes are designed to be printed using two passes of the printer (they do not automatically print two passes and you must set this separately in the Import Options in Queue properties or when you import a transparency job, set the color passes = 2). 2 Pass printing can introduce registration problems.
104
105
106
You have two modes: By Levels and By Density, if you want to adjust the colors you will probably find it easier to use the By Levels mode and Select Append to so as to work with existing color Adjustment (this only works in the Queue properties or Job properties), In the Manage print mode this will always be used as Override.
By Levels
The Shadows Slider adjusts the black point, which is the lower end of the curve. Increasing the Shadows value causes the darkest parts of the print to be recognized as pure black, which also causes the darkest details to be lost in the shadows. The Midtones Slider adjusts the gamma curve, which affects the midtones without changing the black and white points (the lower and upper ends of the curve, respectively). Raising the midtone of a color plane results in laying down less ink on the media for that color. The Highlights Slider adjusts the white point, which is the upper end of the curve. Lowering the Highlights value causes the lightest parts of the print to be recognized as pure white, which causes the lightest details to be lost in the highlights.
Density Curve
The Density Curve is used to set values for each color plane by percentage This curve is normally created by to using a photospectrometer as part of creating a print mode and ICC profile.
107
Separation Curves
Some printers are capable of printing a wider range of color hues for cyan, magenta and black, by mixing inks of the same hue together. For example, a printer might use two inks, cyan and light cyan, or three inks, light, medium, and dark black. By using two or three different inks of cyan, and mixing them together, the color is adjusted to give the maximum range of color density. For these printers, the color calibration is adjusted automatically so that the correct amount of ink is used for each color plane, for example cyan and light cyan. For this example, the default print mode settings are shown for the selected printer. The straight line on the graph represents cyan, while the curved line represents light cyan. The percentages of cyan ink are shown in the Curve data section. `` The x axis (horizontal line) represents the percentage of ink input into the curve data (for example, to get 50% cyan). `` The y axis (vertical line) represents the percentage of ink output from the particular printer in order to get the ink density requested through the curve data input. `` The top right corner of the graph represents 0, 0 where no ink has been input or output. `` The bottom left corner of the graph represents 100,100 where maximum ink has been output.
NOTE: Changing the separation curves will invalidate the color adjustment settings for the corresponding curves. The color adjustment settings will likely require adjusting following any changes to the separation curves.
108
Max Ink
Ink Volume Adjustments
The ink volume is the physical quantity of ink that is applied when printing, which is regulated by the MaxInk setting within the print mode. Each print mode is assigned a MaxInk setting that is appropriate for the inks and media that the print mode was designed for. Sometimes the MaxInk settings need to be adjusted when the print mode is considered a close match for a substitute media. For example, a print mode for glossy white media (from one manufacturer) can be sometimes be appropriate for glossy white media (from another manufacturer). In such a case, the Max Ink setting would be adjusted to compensate for the slightly different absorbency of the substitute media. `` The Maximum Ink Level setting is the target ink volume that will be used when ink volume needs to be reduced. `` The Blend In Ink settings (From, To) are the range of inks for which the Max Ink setting will be enforced. If the volume of ink falls within this range, then the volume will be adjusted to below the Maximum Ink Level. Though the ink volume is reduced, the proportion of blended inks will be maintained to avoid harsh gradient transitions. `` The graph (within the dialog) depicts the Maximum Ink Level and Blend In Ink settings. The horizontal axis represents the Total Ink Volume Requested, and the vertical axis represents the Total Ink Volume Delivered. `` For the range of the graph that falls within the Blend In Ink bounds, note that the graph typically becomes a horizontal line to indicate how ink volume will be attenuated to the Maximum Ink Level.
Note that the graph has adjustment handles that can also be used to modify the Max Ink settings.
109
ICC Profiles
The ICC Profile tab indicates the color profiles used in the RIP process. During the RIP process, the input and output profiles are used to preserve color quality between the original design and the resulting print. `` The input profiles represent the colors as seen when displaying the design on a monitor. `` The output profile represents the colors that the printer is capable of reproducing.
Its a good idea to configure the input profiles in the Queue Properties to match the working space of the graphics programs you use to do the designs with. See chapter 7 Application printing.
Printer Options
The Printer Options tab provides access to printerspecific options within the print mode. These printer-specific options are defined within the print mode, such as plane order, resolution, etc. Please note that these options vary according to the printer model. For more information about these settings, please consult the operator manual that was provided with the printer.
110
Halftone
The halftone allows you to configure a print mode to print using PostScript halftones. Halftones is a type of screening used when printing typically used by screen printers. For most users you will not want to use halftones as the output doesnt look as good as with the alternative stochastic screening used by DTG Rip Pro C5. However if you want to emulate what a print might look like when screen printed then you can enable halftones and can configure the halftone settings to match the screen print settings.
Image Adjustments
The Image Adjustment tab provides some additional controls for improving the image quality of the printed output.
Image Sampling
The Image Sampling slider is used to upsample images, such that their resolution meets a minimum percentage of the printer resolution (i.e., the resolution set in the print mode). For example: a) Suppose that the Image Sampling slider is set to 10%. b) If the printer resolution is set at 720 dpi, then 10% of 720 is 72 dpi. c) So for an image of less than 72 dpi, it will be automatically upsampled to 72 dpi before printing. d) If an image were already 72 dpi or more, then no upsampling will be performed for that image. For designs that contain two-or-more images of varying resolutions, the Image Sampling slider is a convenient means of automatically enforcing a minimum image resolution. However, note that the Image Sampling slider is capped at 40% to avoid losing image definition (i.e., upsampling by an excessive amount risks losing fine detail within the image). Though upsampling images will require more processing time, the trade-off is greater uniformity in print quality.
Sharpen / Blur
The job may be set to either Sharpen or Blur the printed images. `` The Sharpen setting is useful to compensate for devices that otherwise produce mediocre output. `` The Blur setting is useful as a means of creating the effect of a painted image.
111
Image Saturation
The saturation is the colourfulness of an area in consideration of its brightness level. For example, as a colour falls under increasing levels of shadow, the colour appears darker, even though its saturation remains constant. The Image Saturation slider is used to create an artistic touch. As with the tonal settings, the saturation may be applied to each colour plane separately. In general: `` Increasing the Saturation produces a more colourful print. `` Decreasing the Saturation produces a more grayscale print.
Critera
The critera configures the setting used in the print mode which you can use later to select the print mode, you can select print modes by different criteria.
112
Chapter 9
113
Always on top
If this checkbox is ticked (ON), then the DTG Rip Pro C5 Window window will always remain in the foreground above other windows.
114
115
Processing Settings
From the Tools menu, choose Options and then click the Processing tab.
116
If you find that you are waiting after a job has completed printing for the next job to be processed increase this to 2, if you are using mutiple devices then you can increase by even more.
Note: If you set this to high, you will have to many RIPs running at once and your system will run out of resources (memory, processor power) and your machine will run slower.
Preview Options
From the Tools menu, choose Options and then click the Preview Options tab. By default, when a new job is received by the DTG Rip Pro C5 Window, its name is listed in the Active List of jobs, a thumbnail image of the job is shown next to its name, and a thumbnail preview of the job is shown in the Preview Pane. Typically, these thumbnail previews are of medium quality, though the preview quality can be increased using the Preview Options.
Generate thumbnail
previews
Clearing this checkbox (OFF) will prevent thumbnail previews from being automatically created. However, previews can be manually created by rightclicking the given job and choosing Jobs menu >> Generate Preview Image.
Preview quality
Adjusts the screen resolution of the generated preview. Higher quality will require the greatest amount of time in generating the preview.
Gamma adjustment
Adjusts the relative brightness of the generated preview.
117
118
Chapter 10
Managing Devices
Manage Printers
In the Printers - Manage Printers menu, you can add additional printer support to DTG Rip Pro C5. You can then setup new Queues for these printers.
Use the + key to add a new printer (See chapter 3 Setting Up DTG Rip Pro C5 for more information on the following steps as it adds the printer). The Software Developer maintains all the printer drivers online and updates them frequently with new print modes. By selecting a printer in the Manage Printers dialog and clicking on the check for online updates menu button, your DTG Rip Pro C5 Queue will automatically update your printer driver for you if you are connected to the Internet.
119
Printer Status
For most Epson-based printers (and some other manufacturers) you can get printer information and perform other printer specific features such as nozzle checks.
1. Go to the Queue - Manage Queues and click on the ellipsis by the printer name. 2. The printer must be on and connected for this to work. 3. DTG Rip Pro C5 will query the printer and display the current remaining Ink volume (or how the printer sees the chips on the cartridges) and provide additional buttons for extra functions such as nozzle checks and head cleans. 4. You can scroll down for additional button such as power cleans that are not available in the normal Epson driver.
120
Chapter 11
Troubleshooting
Printing a Test Page
Under the Printers menu, choose Print Test Page. The Print Test Page dialog provides several types of target charts for testing your printer output. More than one test page can be printed at a time. Check each test page that is required and then click OK. If you have any problems printing, print a test page and see if that works as a first step.
Test Page
This Test Page is specifically designed to help recognize changes due to tonal adjustments. For example, the individual tints can be checked by referring to the tint percentage boxes, whereas the overall balance is checked by looking at the color graduation. For advice concerning how to interpret this test page, please refer to the Color Adjustments settings that are available through the Queue Properties.
121
Chapter 11 - Troubleshooting
122
Chapter 11 - Troubleshooting
Output Speed
DTG Rip Pro C5 will RIP your whole file before starting to print, depending upon the speed of your computer and the amount of memory as well as the actual complexity of the job it might take a few seconds or a few minutes. But because the whole job has been completely processed DTG Rip Pro C5 will guarentee to run the printer at its full-rated print speed. If the printer does slow down during printing, it is therefore most likely that its a mechanical issue with the printer and not the software. For example Epson monitors the print head temperature and when the print head gets too hot (which does occur sometimes at high resolution such as 1440x720 and 1440x1440), it slows down the printing speed. You can always print to File and use the Direct to Port feature, which will just send the print data with no Queue/RIP processing and/or use a windows port at the same time to completely eliminate DTG Rip Pro C5 if you need to prove to yourself a slow down is printer or software. If you do find that you are waiting for the next job to be Ripped after the last job has completed printing. You can increase the number of processes, so that you can RIP the next job while printing the first job. See chaper 9 DTG Rip Pro C5 Settings and Processing tab
123
Chapter 11 - Troubleshooting
This is used for diagnostics, you would configure a queue to print to File in the Manage Queues dialog. This will make a printer specific output file, this file can then be used with the Direct To Port to send the print data directly with no other DTG Rip Pro C5 processing. From the drop-list, select the port where the print jobs will be sent. To the right of the drop-list, click the button to edit the port settings. Using the Direct To Port feature a job can be tested on another machine to prove if a problem is a printer issues or a software problem.
Windows Ports
By default the Windows printer ports are hidden, this is because DTG Rip Pro C5 is much better at managing print jobs than the generic WIndows spooler system. DTG Rip Pro C5 communicates directly with the Epson USB device drivers and also TCP/IP devices and other printers and this ensures faster printing, more reliable canceling of jobs and generally a more trouble free product. If you ever want to use Windows ports (even if its for just diagnostics) such as with the Direct to Port feature, you can enable them in the Tools - Options menu Allow Selection of Windows ports. If you select a Windows port in the Direct to Port feature and send a print file, then the whole process of sending the data is handed by the Windows spooler. You can use this to eliminate/isolate comminications issues between DTG Rip Pro C5 and your printing device.
Logs
DTG Rip Pro C5 creates a series of logs for diagnostics of problems, do not worry if you dont understand the contents of these logs. They are meant to be read by the Developers technical support staff and help us to work out different problems you might be having. All the Log files can be saved, printed or sent directly via e-mail to Developer technical support. Whenever reporting a problem, please try and provide the log files as this will greatly speed up the ability for technical support to find the problem.
124
Chapter 11 - Troubleshooting
Queue log
In Queue properties is a Log tab and this will display the Queue log. The Queue log is the highest level of logging. It consists of message about the Queue starting, devices being added and a very basic overview of the jobs and pages being processed and printed.
Page log
The Page log is only created once the page/job has been Ripped (closed page state). It is accessed by either going to the Page properties or for single processed jobs going to the properties for the page output. It gives an overview of the jobs being Ripped but contains the detailed information on the actual printing (sending) of the print data to the printer. This is an essential log if you have a problem during the actual printing process, such as the printer stops printing before the end.
Job log
The Job log is only created once the job has been Ripped (close page state). Iti s accessed by going to the job properties (or properties for page content). It contains the full log of the RIP process from the Interpreters and any errors as well as the ICC processing information and dot count information used in costing. For any jobs that error during the RIP process or if the print data looks incorrect, this information is essential.
Preview log
The Preview log is found before the job is Ripped and its still in its open page state. It is found in the Job properties and contains information about the job as its processed for creating a preview. If a job errors when its added to DTG Rip Pro C5 or the preview is incorrect. Then this log should be provide to technical support.
125
Chapter 11 - Troubleshooting
issues. Try and avoid adding additional devices, expecially external hard drives and memory sticks to the same USB bus that you are using to connect the printer. Note: Most computers that have 4 or 8 USB connections, actuall have only 1 or 2 USB buses and the connections on the computer share the BUS internally. Some USB devices are powered by the USB bus connection (from the computer), memory sticks and dongles are common examples. When laptops are not connected to AC power, they use power-saving features that reduces the amount of power on the USB hub. This can cause problems for memory sticks and other devices to work properly. While the printer doesnt get its power from the USB bus, it does effect the quality of the signal. If you are running from a laptop, always have it connected to the AC power supply. Always use a high quality cable.
Reinstall the Control panel printer driver if you are using this
Open DTG Rip Pro C5 and go to Printers > Manage Printers. Uncheck the box under the Control Panel for the Fast Garment printer and click Close. Return to the Manage Printers screen and check the box under the Control Panel for the Fast Garment printer. Click Close. This will reinstall the control panel driver.
126
Chapter 11 - Troubleshooting
Random thin HORIZONTAL lines through image -or- INK lines appear on the outside of the image
In this case, the prints show random thin HORIZONTAL lines through image or INK lines appear on the outside of the image. In 90% of these cases, the clear horizontal lines are caused by clogged nozzles on the printer. Try the following steps to see if you can get rid of the clear lines. `` Run 4 or 5 head cleanings and do a test print to see if the problem is fixed. `` If the horizontal lines remain, print a Nozzle Check on film using the regular Epson driver or from the printer status (see chapter 10: Managing Devices). Check to see if there are any breaks in any of the inks. `` If you did not notice any breaks in the pattern created by a Nozzle Check, create a small, solid box of that color in a graphics program, like Photoshop and try printing it. `` Print this box on film through DTG Rip Pro C5. If you still notice horizontal lines, run 3-4 more head cleanings and print out the box again on film. If the clear lines improve, try running more head cleanings until the problem is resolved. `` If the clear lines remain visibly unchanged when the second box is printed, the nozzles are clogged with dust/debris/dry ink. You will need to have your printer professionally cleaned by an Authorized Repair Technician. They may be able to clean the nozzles or they may have to replace the print head. When they replace the print head, it replaces the nozzles on the printer.
127
Chapter 11 - Troubleshooting
128
Chapter 11 - Troubleshooting
129