Marrutt Tips for Inkjet Quality & Reliability
KEEP YOUR PRINTER RELIABLE AND YOUR PRINT STANDARDS HIGH
TOP TIP OF THE MONTH FOR INK ECONOMY:
AVOID THE NOZZLE CLEAN – SAVE ON INK – EXTEND YOUR WASTE PAD LIFE!
If you fail to achieve a perfect weekly nozzle check (we always advise that you check this every week) simply print at the highest quality for a day or two. If your nozzle check is above 90% complete, the chances are that you will then get a perfect print with no banding. After a period of printing at the best quality, the extra ink you push through the print head should have cleared the blockage and you should have a perfect nozzle check – you can then return to your usual print quality.
If this is not the case, create an A4 page filled with the colour which is missing in your nozzle check (see below for our favourite method*) and print this page out at high resolution. – Now repeat your nozzle check print-out, which should now be perfect – If not, contact us – don’t delay, as the sooner you deal with a nozzle check interruption, the easier it is to correct.
This way, you save wasteful nozzle check cycles, and dramatically extend the life of your waste pads.
*Create an A4 page at 300dpi in Photoshop, then double-click the foreground colour to bring up the colour picker. Select the required colour using the C M Y K percentages, then use the paint bucket tool to fill your page with the required colour. Print at 1440 dpi or best photo quality to pull through just the right amount of ink to correct your printhead performance.
1) KEEP YOUR CIS AND REFILL CARTRIDGE INK LEVELS OVER 50% TOP TIP!
1) KEEP YOUR CIS AND REFILL CARTRIDGE INK LEVELS OVER 50% TOP TIP!Keep your ink system at optimum feed performance whether Continuous Ink System or refill cartridge. This assures you of optimum differential feed pressure to your print head.
Letting your ink levels drop down low increases the work required for the printer to draw ink up to the print head. This is particularly important in hot and humid conditions.
2) PRINT A NOZZLE CHECK EVERY WEEK
2) PRINT A NOZZLE CHECK EVERY WEEKThe pupose of this is so you have a weekly check on print head performance.
Write the date on each nozzle check print out, and keep it to continuously monitor the condition of your print head – a photographic printer without a weekly perfect nozzle check print out is not longer a viable photographic tool.
3) ONLY USE BEST QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHIC INKJET PAPER
3) ONLY USE BEST QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHIC INKJET PAPERAny paper selected by Marrutt has been passed in this respect – Many inferior papers shed their inkjet coating (you can see this as a white powder appearing inside the printer platen adjacent to where the paper exits the rollers).
This powder can be attracted towards your printer print head by static electricity, and may cause an instant ink blockage by drying your inks underneath your print head. This applies to any ink brand you use.
4) FROM PHOTO TO PRINT – THROWING AWAY QUALITY?
4) FROM PHOTO TO PRINT – THROWING AWAY QUALITY?Are you ACTUALLY printing to professional photographic standards? You may have invested in a high-end DSLR, which produces amazing images, but are you maintaining your quality level from the initial image to final print? Using consumer level inks and inkjet papers can decrease your quality levels through various stages of this process.
See the link below to compare your own in-house printing to our certified print original. You can download this file and we will post the accurate control print to you FREE of charge.
5) YOUR PRINTER IS A PRECISION PHOTOGRAPHIC TOOL
5) YOUR PRINTER IS A PRECISION PHOTOGRAPHIC TOOLLook after it accordingly. For professional and high-end enthusiast photographic printing, anything less than 100% perfect print is unacceptable: Remember to close your top printer lid after every printing session (to prevent dust ingress).
Keep your inkjet paper box lids shut at all times (maintaining correct moisture content).Always handle prints with scrupulously clean hands by the edges only, especially if the prints are fresh from your printer. Keep your Inkjet printer scrupulously clean at all times.
6) CHECK YOUR COLOUR MANAGEMENT REGULARLY
6) CHECK YOUR COLOUR MANAGEMENT REGULARLYGet us to post you our standard evaluation control print and download the same image – Compare the print we post to you against your own print – If they do not match contact us! – This image sets the standard for colour and monochrome imaging to professional standards, and it’s a free service.
We can easily put right any errors in ink flows or colour management, but you need to perform this check (say) monthly at least to give you peace of mind. This is a FREE service!
7) GET ACCURATE
7) GET ACCURATEGet your printer custom profiled by us for your favourite Marrutt Professional Inkjet Paper. – It is a free service, we get your colour, density, neutrality, smoothness of tone etc just right, and we monitor your output every six months thereafter.
This is a must-have for all Professional and keen Enthusiast Photographers who produce their own prints.
8) DON’T STRUGGLE ON YOUR OWN
8) DON’T STRUGGLE ON YOUR OWNPlease do not hesitate to contact us right away if you experience any difficulties or need any printing advice.
Marrutt are extremely experienced in supporting photographers helping them to print reliably and to a high standard. We also have access to many valuable contacts for colour management and printer repair.
