User's Manual
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BLAZER SERIES User’s Manual AUGUST, 2008 VERSION 5.0 WRITTEN FOR BLAZER-EXPRESS BLAZER-PRO TJBEX-1620 TJB-1650 Tempe, Arizona USA Copyright Notices ©2004-2008 U.S. Screen Print & Inkjet Technology, Tempe, Arizona. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced mechanically or electronically or in any form without the prior written permission of U.S. Screen Print & Inkjet Technology (U.S. Screen). The information in this Manual is for informational use only, is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by U.S. Screen. U.S. Screen assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this document. T-Jet®, T-Jet® Blazer Express, Fast T-Jet® Blazer Express, Blazer PRO, Fast T-Jet Blazer PRO, FastINK™, FastRIP™, FastARTIST™, FastBRIGHT™ and FastFILMS™ are trademarks, trade names or registered trademarks of U.S. Screen Print & Inkjet Technology, Tempe, Arizona. All trademarks, trade names and copyrights are acknowledged for software and sample shirt images. PostScript®, Adobe® Photoshop® and Adobe® Illustrator® are registered trademarks of Adobe Inc. Apple and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Corp. CorelDRAW® is a registered trademark of the Corel Corporation. Epson™ is a trademark of Epson Corporation. Windows®, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 2000 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Federal copyright laws permit you to make a backup of any Software included with your Fast T-Jet Blazer Pro for archival purposes only. Any other duplication of this Software, including copies offered through sale, loan, rental or gift is a violation of law and subject to both criminal and civil penalties. We strive to continuously make improvements to our Inkjet-to-Garment printing system and we reserve the right to make product changes and improvements. This manual contains the latest and most accurate information as of its publication date. Some product photos or descriptions within this Manual may vary slightly from the currently shipped machine. U.S. Screen Print & Inkjet Technology Home of the U.S. Screen Printing Institute a division of U. S. Graphic Arts, Inc. 1901 E. 5th Street Tempe, AZ 85281 USA Printed in the U.S.A. iii T-Jet Blazer Series User’s Manual iv Version 4.5 Revised August, 2008 A Letter from the Developer Dear Valued Customer, I want to personally thank you for purchasing a new T-Jet Blazer Series Inkjet-to-Garment printer. We have made a major investment in hardware and ink development to make inkjet printing directly onto a shirt a reality. With the T-Jet Blazer Series, FastINK and readily available software technology, you will be able to print high quality, vibrant images on T-Shirts and other garments in a matter of minutes. Our T-Jet printers are ushering in a new level of sophistication for the garment decorating industry. I appreciate any comments or feedback you have on our machine and hope you enjoy using it as much as I have enjoyed developing it! Best Regards, Scott Fresener CEO v T-Jet Blazer Series User’s Manual vi Version 4.5 Revised August, 2008 Table of Contents A Letter from the Developer v Basic Safety Instructions xiiii Chapter 1 - Introduction 1 Manual Symbols and Icons 1 About the T-Jet Blazer Series Printers 1 The Basics 2 Maintenance 3 Poor Artwork 3 Important Support Information 3 About the Garment Decorating Business 4 The Book 4 Computer Graphics DVDs 5 Business and Marketing DVD’s 5 Internet 5 Trade Shows and Trade Magazines 5 Our Advice 5 Chapter 2 - Unpacking and Setup 7 Save the Crate and All Packing Materials 7 Blazer Express Setup 7 Removing from the Crate 7 Placement of the Blazer Express 8 Placement of the Shirt Board 8 Blazer PRO Setup 9 Unpacking the T-Jet Blazer PRO 9 Moving the Blazer PRO 9 Setting the Ground Supports 9 Installing the User Interface 10 Placement of the Shirt Boards 10 Environmental Controls and Humidity 11 Final Unpacking Instructions 12 vii T-Jet Blazer Series User’s Manual Chapter 3 - The Bulk Ink System 13 Filling the Bulk Ink Cartridges 13 Ink Care 15 Changing Ink Brands 15 Resetting the Bulk Ink Cartridges 15 Non-Genuine Epson Cartridge Message 16 Chapter 4 - Interacting with the Blazer Express 17 Identification Chart 17 Overview of Printer Connections 18 Plugging the Unit into AC Power 18 Powering the Blazer Express On and Off 18 Powering On 18 Powering Off 19 Connecting Your Printer to a Computer 19 Chapter 5 - Interacting with the Blazer PRO 21 Identification Chart 21 Overview of Printer Connections 22 Plugging the Unit into AC Power 22 Powering the Blazer PRO On and Off 23 Powering On 23 Powering Off 23 Connecting Your Printer to a Computer 23 Chapter 6 - Printer Driver Installation 25 Epson Printer Driver Installation 25 Determining the Correct Printer Driver to Install 25 Printer Driver Installation Steps 25 Chapter 7 - Learning LCD and User Interface Controls 29 About the LCD Display 29 The LCD Display Buttons 29 Service Only Button 29 Pause Button 29 Left/Paper Button 30 Version 4.5 Revised August, 2008 viii - Table of Contents Down Button 30 Up Button 30 Right/Clean Button 30 The LCD Display Icons 30 Sheet Icon 30 Roll Icon 30 Roll Scissors Icon 30 About the User Interface 31 Power Off Button (Emergency Off) 31 Power On Button 31 Send Print Button(s) 31 User Interface Touch Screens 31 Mode Select Screen 31 Manual Mechanism Movement Utility Screen 32 Platen (Print Bed) to Head Clearance Adjustment Screen - BLAZER EXPRESS 33 Platen (Print Bed) to Head Clearance Adjustment Screen - BLAZER PRO 33 System Printer Control Utility Screen 34 Alarm Select Screen 34 Chapter 8 - Initialization Utilities 35 Shirt Board Height Settings: Blazer EXPRESS 35 Leveling the Shirt Board 35 Adjust the Overall Height of the Shirt Board 38 Shirt Board Height Settings: Blazer PRO 40 Leveling the Shirt Boards 40 Adjust the Overall Height of the Print Bed Assembly 43 Power Cleaning Utility 45 Setting Up for a Power Cleaning 45 Activate the Power Cleaning 46 Nozzle Check Utility 47 Setting Up for a Nozzle Check 47 Activate the Nozzle Check Utility 47 Head Cleaning Utility 47 Print Head Alignment Utility - Blazer EXPRESS 49 About the LFP Remote Panel and Installation 49 BLAZER EXPRESS Setup 50 BLAZER EXPRESS Alignment Procedures 51 Selection and Entry of the Values 53 Print Head Alignment Utility - Blazer PRO - LFP Remote Panel 55 About the LFP Remote Panel and Installation 55 BLAZER PRO Setup 56 ix T-Jet Blazer Series User’s Manual BLAZER PRO Alignment Procedures - LFP Remote Panel 57 Selection and Entry of the Values 59 Print Head Alignment Utility - Blazer PRO - LCD Control Panel 61 BLAZER PRO Setup 61 BLAZER PRO Alignment Procedures - LCD Display 62 Selection and Entry of the Values 63 Quick Alignment (Optional) 65 Nozzle Check/Power Cleaning from the LFP Remote Panel 67 Chapter 9 - Software Overview 69 Graphics and RIP Software 69 FastARTIST and FastRIP 70 FastRIP 70 Using Computer Graphics Software 71 Image Types 71 Vector 71 Pixel Based Bitmap 71 Summary 72 Editing Bitmap Artwork in FastARTIST/Photoshop 72 A Quick Note about Photoshop 73 Check File Mode 73 Check File Size and Resolution 73 Check File Saturation 75 Sharpening Images 75 Using the Tone Curve 76 Bitmap Editing in FastARTIST 77 Selecting Areas 77 Channels and Layers 77 Setting Transparent Images in FastARTIST 78 Removing Backgrounds with Photoshop 78 Using the Magic Wand Tool 78 Using the Extract Filter 79 Making Your Selection a New Layer 80 Fixing Bad Line-Art in Photoshop and FastARTIST 80 Artwork for Light and Dark Garments 81 Refer to the FastARTIST User’s Manual 81 Chapter 10 - Printing Basics 83 Printing Basics Introduction 83 Version 4.5 Revised August, 2008 x - Table of Contents Shirt Boards 84 T-Jet Blazer Express 84 T-Jet Blazer PRO 84 Shirt Board Options 84 Shirt Board Placement and Care 84 Basic Printing Steps 85 When a Printing Job is Finished 91 Curing Your Garments 91 Printing Tips and Tricks 92 Preventative Maintenance 92 Export a FastARTIST Template 92 Resolutions, Speed and Quality 93 Saving a Spooled Print File 94 Canceling a Print Job 95 Emergency Off Switch - BLAZER EXPRESS 96 Kill Switch - BLAZER PRO 96 A Warning About Page Sizes 96 Height Sensor - BLAZER EXPRESS 97 Placing the Printer into Print Status 97 Print Modes and FastRIP 98 CMYK Cartoon and Photo Print Modes 98 High Speed Print Modes 98 Eight-Color Print Modes 99 Underbase Print Modes 99 Printing Concerns 99 Spots or Stains 99 Washability Related Concerns 99 Humidity Concerns 100 Temperature Tests Vs Wash Tests 100 Slight Discoloration 100 Chapter 11 - Advanced Printing with White Ink 101 White Ink Care 101 Beginning of the Day Agitation 101 End of Day Agitation 102 Breather Cap Airflow 102 Pretreatment Basics 103 Applying Pretreatment 103 Types of Pretreatment 104 Proper Pretreatment Application is Critical 104 Drying the Pretreatment 105 xi T-Jet Blazer Series User’s Manual Printing White Ink 105 File Setup 106 The Underbase Wizard 106 Set Print Modes 106 Cure the Print 107 Washing Directions 108 White Ink Troubleshooting 108 White Prints Seem Dull 108 You Should Perform Daily Cleaning of These Items 109 Chapter 12 - Printing Other Items 111 Location and Placement 111 Adjusting the Platen Height 112 Non-Textile Printing 113 Required Items and Overview 113 Getting Started 113 Fast T-Jet Non-Textile Primer 114 Fast T-Jet Non-Textile Pretreatment 115 Setting up an Image for Printing 116 Printing on Golf Balls 117 Golf Ball Holder Placement 117 Loading the Golf Ball Template (FastARTIST Only) 117 T-Jet Non-Textile