Epson XP-15000 Setup

[Mdrake2016]

On 5/13/2021 at 6:02 PM, johnson4 said:

BUT if you do it right, without the head clean, and reset the ink before it shows empty on the printer, you don't need to worry about it. Holding the film so it doesn't spit it out doesn't damage the film or the printer, it does leave a mark on the backside of the film where the gripper roller is, but it doesn't affect anything. I will say, if you manage to do one of those things it sucks, having to cut/remove, restart and resume the printing process, so I'd avoid those if possible. 

Yea I’m not worried about ink running out. I deal with an issue like that currently so I’m used to it.
 

My only worries now when it comes to this printer are:

 

1. Roll printing - I do want the auto shaker/curing machine hopefully in a month or so. I planned to print each image individually one file at a time and just let the whole system do it’s thing. But it looks like according to what you’re saying, I will need EK Print to do that so it doesn’t spit the film out after each file finishes printing.
 

How can I get/make that special file so it doesn’t spit out the film after each print? Are you still selling the EK Print license for $300?

I print a lot of narrow images (2 x 15 for example) so ganging them would be best for me, which is why CADLink would be the best option. But the problem with the film spitting out after each print and needing a special file for that makes other RIPs a deal breaker for now I guess. 

2. Shaking the inks/refilling. You explained the process of filling the cartridges but what about mixing the white ink so it doesn’t separate. I’m assuming I just replace the cartridges every morning with my spare set after running a head clean?

[johnson4]

15 minutes ago, Mdrake2016 said:

Yea I’m not worried about ink running out. I deal with an issue like that currently so I’m used to it.
 

My only worries now when it comes to this printer are:

 

1. Roll printing - I do want the auto shaker/curing machine hopefully in a month or so. I planned to print each image individually one file at a time and just let the whole system do it’s thing. But it looks like according to what you’re saying, I will need EK Print to do that so it doesn’t spit the film out after each file finishes printing.

 

As far as I know, that’s right. 
 

How can I get/make that special file so it doesn’t spit out the film after each print? Are you still selling the EK Print license for $300?

I can find it and send it to you, I have already sold it, sorry. 

I print a lot of narrow images (2 x 15 for example) so ganging them would be best for me, which is why CADLink would be the best option. But the problem with the film spitting out after each print and needing a special file for that makes other RIPs a deal breaker for now I guess. 
 

you could always gang them then save that as a single file, open it in EKprint. 
 

I don’t think Cadlink supports it, even without that file. They didn’t when I started anyway. They might have a feature like that, I’m not sure. They update things constantly. 

2. Shaking the inks/refilling. You explained the process of filling the cartridges but what about mixing the white ink so it doesn’t separate. I’m assuming I just replace the cartridges every morning with my spare set after running a head clean?

I just put the rubber plug in, took it out and shook it, then reverse. I didn’t have an issue the week or two I was using it. 

Edited May 15, 2021 by johnson4

[Mdrake2016]

On 5/14/2021 at 9:07 PM, johnson4 said:

I just put the rubber plug in, took it out and shook it, then reverse. I didn’t have an issue the week or two I was using it. 

Thanks for all your help. Refillable cartridges and maintenance tank resetter came in. Ordering supplies from Andy today.

 

One more general question about DTF. Did you ever have to remove your printhead from any of your DTF printers to clean the buildup underneath? I've seen videos of people on Youtube having to do that just weeks after starting DTF and I'm wondering if it's because they didn't maintain it properly or if the buildup is inevitable no matter what.

[johnson4]

13 minutes ago, Mdrake2016 said:

Thanks for all your help. Refillable cartridges and maintenance tank resetter came in. Ordering supplies from Andy today.

 

One more general question about DTF. Did you ever have to remove your printhead from any of your DTF printers to clean the buildup underneath? I've seen videos of people on Youtube having to do that just weeks after starting DTF and I'm wondering if it's because they didn't maintain it properly or if the buildup is inevitable no matter what.

The buildup will happen, I've ran mine for about 5 months and haven't had to do it yet. Keep your wiper clean blade clean and capping station and you shouldn't have much issue. If you have partially clogged nozzles and print, it will cause the build-up quicker. Overall, pulling the printhead on the xp-15000 is pretty easy and straightforward. If your careful you can also just use a foam swab. 

[Mdrake2016]

1 hour ago, johnson4 said:

The buildup will happen, I've ran mine for about 5 months and haven't had to do it yet. Keep your wiper clean blade clean and capping station and you shouldn't have much issue. If you have partially clogged nozzles and print, it will cause the build-up quicker. Overall, pulling the printhead on the xp-15000 is pretty easy and straightforward. If your careful you can also just use a foam swab. 

Thanks man. I'm actually preparing to place my order now and see 4 different cleaners on DTF Superstore (Capping station cleaner, print flush fluid, printhead cleaning solution, and clog buster). I emailed them about what is necessary for DTF printing but haven't heard back yet. Do you have an opinion on which ones are needed? For some reason, I thought 1 liquid was all that's needed to handle any of the issues that can arise.

[johnson4]

1 hour ago, Mdrake2016 said:

Thanks man. I'm actually preparing to place my order now and see 4 different cleaners on DTF Superstore (Capping station cleaner, print flush fluid, printhead cleaning solution, and clog buster). I emailed them about what is necessary for DTF printing but haven't heard back yet. Do you have an opinion on which ones are needed? For some reason, I thought 1 liquid was all that's needed to handle any of the issues that can arise.

Capping station fluid is there to keep the capping station wet, and the printhead from drying out. 

print flush fluid, is designed to break down and flush out the ink in the lines, if your trying to clean all (most) the ink out.

printhead cleaning solution is designed to clean the head and break down clogs, without damaging the printhead.

clog buster is a last resort solution to use when you have a serious clog that nothing else clears, if used long enough( like it sitting in it too long) in itself can damage the head. 

 

I use printhead cleaning solution to clean everything, and distilled water for capping station solution, which, if its DTF isn't really needed, depending on the printer. if your using something like the P600/P800, the capping station fluid would help. Using it on something like an L1800 or XP-15000 I wouldn't use anything in the capping station, it can and will siphon the inks out, or mix the ink colors in the head/dampers/cartridges. 

[JTS]

Quote

"You WILL run into something that will make you want to pull your hair out, it means your learning. you WILL be at one point, feeling hopeless with an issue, It'll blow over. Patience, and persistence is the key."

I have to to say that this is the #1 tip for anyone who wants to get into DTF.

If you want to print QUALITY transfers, there's a lot to learn, and even with a nice cheap starter printer like the XP-15000, you'll still need to invest around another $1,200 in RIP and supplies to have any hope of learning the ropes.  You can only read so much before you just have to dive and and learn from trial and error.  DTF is not a turn key operation.  You have to enjoy a challenge, have some tech skills and most of all have determination.

[Mdrake2016]

On 5/17/2021 at 2:56 PM, johnson4 said:

Capping station fluid is there to keep the capping station wet, and the printhead from drying out. 

print flush fluid, is designed to break down and flush out the ink in the lines, if your trying to clean all (most) the ink out.

printhead cleaning solution is designed to clean the head and break down clogs, without damaging the printhead.

clog buster is a last resort solution to use when you have a serious clog that nothing else clears, if used long enough( like it sitting in it too long) in itself can damage the head. 

 

I use printhead cleaning solution to clean everything, and distilled water for capping station solution, which, if its DTF isn't really needed, depending on the printer. if your using something like the P600/P800, the capping station fluid would help. Using it on something like an L1800 or XP-15000 I wouldn't use anything in the capping station, it can and will siphon the inks out, or mix the ink colors in the head/dampers/cartridges. 

Would you say it's unnecessary (or would it cause any problems) if I were to run a few headcleans of the printhead solution a couple times a week for maintenance?

[johnson4]

1 hour ago, Mdrake2016 said:

Would you say it's unnecessary (or would it cause any problems) if I were to run a few headcleans of the printhead solution a couple times a week for maintenance?

I don’t think it would hurt. I used to load cleaning carts, do two cleans and let them sit until I needed them. Load ink, two cleans. Ready to go. I do that on any cartridge only printer that I let sit for any time anyway. 
 

the only issue I see is if your cartridges leak, or something like that. Personally on the 15000 I don’t like taking unnecessary risk of the carts leaking, so generally I just leave them in and refill and just run a head clean once a day and clean the wiper/cap. 
 

cleaning solution is inherently thinner, and getting buildup could cause a poor seal on the cartridge pad, which could aid in leaking. 

 

 Basically, it’s good with a risk. But also the same the other way around if you let it sit. It’s good preventative maintenance, but the way the carts are on the 15000 isn’t the best, so if you make sure no spills/leaks occur, I don’t see why not, it’ll keep your nozzles clear if it sits at all. If you print everyday, I would say it’s not necessary and  only introduces unnecessary risks to do it multiple times a week. Maybe once a month. 

[Mdrake2016]

18 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

I don’t think it would hurt. I used to load cleaning carts, do two cleans and let them sit until I needed them. Load ink, two cleans. Ready to go. I do that on any cartridge only printer that I let sit for any time anyway. 

This may be a stupid question but would I have to clean the nipples on the printhead before loading up the cleaning carts? I'm not sure if it matters if the cleaning carts get contaminated by the inks at all.

[johnson4]

1 hour ago, Mdrake2016 said:

This may be a stupid question but would I have to clean the nipples on the printhead before loading up the cleaning carts? I'm not sure if it matters if the cleaning carts get contaminated by the inks at all.

you should clean them, at least the seating edge to make sure it’s a good seal. Normally, I don’t but this printer is different. Doesn’t need to be ink free, just build up free. 

[Mdrake2016]

22 hours ago, johnson4 said:

you should clean them, at least the seating edge to make sure it’s a good seal. Normally, I don’t but this printer is different. Doesn’t need to be ink free, just build up free. 

Sorry to keep bugging you man...I'm almost there.

I got everything working..had 1 hiccup (left both plugs in when installing cartridges so it was printing blank). I got it printing now but after a few test prints, I realized my colors are way off. Do you have any color profile for the XP-15000?

[johnson4]

35 minutes ago, Mdrake2016 said:

Sorry to keep bugging you man...I'm almost there.

I got everything working..had 1 hiccup (left both plugs in when installing cartridges so it was printing blank). I got it printing now but after a few test prints, I realized my colors are way off. Do you have any color profile for the XP-15000?

I didn't need a color profile, are you sure you have the cartridge colors in correctly, and the ink settings correct?

 

Color profiles don't really work for stuff like this. they don't just make all the colors exactly right, because there are a ton of variables that take place. 

 

The printer, the ink, the film, the ink settings, the resolution, with/without white underbase, literally every little setting will alter the outcome. Even your own computer will display colors incorrectly. I purchased a spectrometer to calibrate my PC's, even changing the brightness of your screen will throw the colors off. I found this to be the bigger culprit more so than the ink settings on the printers. 

 

With a NORMAL setup, a person would take a specific brand/style of photo paper, and any inks they use and print a photo with the settings the want, ( like matte, photo, high gloss, etc) and once it's printed, a device scans the colors, and compares it to what they should look like, vs what was printed. Then the program creates an ICC profile, that makes the printer print exactly the correct colors in that exact situation. Different paper, different ink, printer, or settings will alter the outcome. So ICC profiles aren't the answer. This situation you would calibrate your monitor as well. 

 

With these RIP programs, you are basically the ICC profile. The amount of ink you lay down, contrast, mode, resolution, I mean all the settings that are user editable, are the same type of things that create a color profile. For me, it took me about an hour to reproduce the colors with Ekprint. 

 

It takes experience, testing and time to get the correct settings for this. If you wanted to pay for an ICC profile, you could setup an exact situation that you print from every time, same resolution, same cmyk/white ink settings etc. Then send it off and for about $250 you can have one made for your specific setup. But, keep in mind, changing the ink percentage at all, the underbase, anything from when you paid for that profile would make it useless. 

 

ICC profiles only work on the paper world in reality. Like sublimation for example, ICC profiles would be needed, or Photo printing, anything the deviates from the OEM inks/printer settings. 

 

For DTF/DTG, ICC profiles are a waste, and unnecessary. That's why a high quality ink will be color matched. the DTFsuperstore inks print exact colors for me, much better than DTG did because I removed all the shirt color /pretreatment/opacity variables.

 

If you wanted EKprint to work like Cadlink in terms of color, simply copy over the ink settings they have( in the advanced menu). Personally, I print my CMYK at 65%, and I print my white at 50-65 percent depending on if it's an all white design, white under base, etc and I get good, almost perfect colors. I don't really use Transparency mode, rather content based and mixed depending on what I want for the outcome. I know for awhile I had trouble printing pinks with DTG, after calibrating my monitor, I found that my issue was my PC calibration.

 

 

Overall, ICC profiles aren't going to help, unless you have set up everything perfectly and want to get that last little bit of color accuracy out of an already set-up and printing near perfect system. Any other situation, and your ink settings are wrong, your design is in RGB instead of CMYK, etc. There are a TON of variables.  

 

Overall you need:

1. to design/change your design to CMYK ( since printers with CMYK cannot reproduce the entirety of the RGB spectrum) when you change it to CMYK you'll notice colors change, those colors cannot be reproduced in RGB, so they are changed to the nearest CMYK value. 

2. have your color only ink settings near perfect, no pooling with good colors.  Overall, mine is 65% with a p400. 

3. then add your white underbase and change it until you get the same colors as before, just with a white underbase, again, with no pooling.

4. Test the opacity on a shirt, and get as little ink as possible, to give a great hand feel, but enough to create a strong print. I use black shirts for this, since if you get black down with CMYK+W, the other's will work the same. 

 

After you've done all these things, your colors should be printing perfectly fine. too much white, they'll be wrong, too little, they'll be wrong. put it on a black shirt, if it's wrong, one of your color settings isn't correct, probably the white underbase.  IF your monitor is wayy off, ( my HP omen and Alienware were both wayy off). 

 

After you have all this set up, if you switch ink or film brands, expect to do it all over again to some degree. For example, the Film andy sells won't hold as much ink as my current film, so I have to lower my values to work with his film, and do so in a way to keep my colors accurate. If I change inks, it's likely to have a slightly different color making the color settings needing adjusting again. 

 

Basically, asking for an ICC profile to correct the colors, is like asking for the answer to life, There are just too many variables to predict the outcome in every situation. 

 

If you used the EPSON driver, be sure to go in there and disable the ICM settings under the printer options since EKprint handles that for you. 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by johnson4

[johnson4]

A good example, Andy offers an ICC profile for EKprint and the P600. The only way that profile will work, is if you use the exact same profile he used( which is included in his file) and simply load the image and click print. Any alterations, will alter the outcome. So I'd assume DTFsuperstore ink/film is needed as well on a P600 printer. Then, the profile would work well since he already made the print profile to match what he had used when the ICC was made. 

 

I hope that makes sense. Overall, It's up to you to find, learn, experience and struggle with the process. DTF is not a simple process, it was for me because I already knew all of these things from the DTG world. That's where most of these " professionals" come from. The difference in DTG and DTF, for us, is something that only makes it easier, so we already knew what we were getting into. I spent over 4 years printing, struggling, learning, how to use DTG. So, I expect it will take some time( at least a week or two) and testing for new users to get to the same point with DTF.  I wasted thousands of dollars, and more time than some of my kids have been alive trying to get everything perfect, back then I did get help, but quite often it was up to me to figure it out. Usually, IT happened in the worst possible time, and cost me more money that I EVER expected, even going the DIY route. 

 

However, in the end, any new hobby/profession will endure these types of issues. Once you get past them, that's the reward. That's why I see so many DTF users quit or give up, because it's not as simple as clicking print like it's made out to be. AFTER you learn and know what you are doing, it is as simple as clicking print, But you have to put in the work and effort to get there, there isn't a guide for it, and if there ever was, it would be subjective. That and the cost, when you make a mistake it's not a new piece of photo paper, it's a new printhead, or a new printer. 

Edited May 23, 2021 by johnson4

[Mdrake2016]

13 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

I didn't need a color profile, are you sure you have the cartridge colors in correctly, and the ink settings correct?

 

Color profiles don't really work for stuff like this. they don't just make all the colors exactly right, because there are a ton of variables that take place. 

 

The printer, the ink, the film, the ink settings, the resolution, with/without white underbase, literally every little setting will alter the outcome. Even your own computer will display colors incorrectly. I purchased a spectrometer to calibrate my PC's, even changing the brightness of your screen will throw the colors off. I found this to be the bigger culprit more so than the ink settings on the printers. 

 

With a NORMAL setup, a person would take a specific brand/style of photo paper, and any inks they use and print a photo with the settings the want, ( like matte, photo, high gloss, etc) and once it's printed, a device scans the colors, and compares it to what they should look like, vs what was printed. Then the program creates an ICC profile, that makes the printer print exactly the correct colors in that exact situation. Different paper, different ink, printer, or settings will alter the outcome. So ICC profiles aren't the answer. This situation you would calibrate your monitor as well. 

 

With these RIP programs, you are basically the ICC profile. The amount of ink you lay down, contrast, mode, resolution, I mean all the settings that are user editable, are the same type of things that create a color profile. For me, it took me about an hour to reproduce the colors with Ekprint. 

 

It takes experience, testing and time to get the correct settings for this. If you wanted to pay for an ICC profile, you could setup an exact situation that you print from every time, same resolution, same cmyk/white ink settings etc. Then send it off and for about $250 you can have one made for your specific setup. But, keep in mind, changing the ink percentage at all, the underbase, anything from when you paid for that profile would make it useless. 

 

ICC profiles only work on the paper world in reality. Like sublimation for example, ICC profiles would be needed, or Photo printing, anything the deviates from the OEM inks/printer settings. 

 

For DTF/DTG, ICC profiles are a waste, and unnecessary. That's why a high quality ink will be color matched. the DTFsuperstore inks print exact colors for me, much better than DTG did because I removed all the shirt color /pretreatment/opacity variables.

 

If you wanted EKprint to work like Cadlink in terms of color, simply copy over the ink settings they have( in the advanced menu). Personally, I print my CMYK at 65%, and I print my white at 50-65 percent depending on if it's an all white design, white under base, etc and I get good, almost perfect colors. I know for awhile I had trouble printing pinks with DTG, after calibrating my monitor, I found that my issue was my PC calibration.

 

 

Overall, ICC profiles aren't going to help, unless you have set up everything perfectly and want to get that last little bit of color accuracy out of an already set-up and printing near perfect system. Any other situation, and your ink settings are wrong, your design is in RGB instead of CMYK, etc. There are a TON of variables.  

 

Overall you need:

1. to design/change your design to CMYK ( since printers with CMYK cannot reproduce the entirety of the RGB spectrum) when you change it to CMYK you'll notice colors change, those colors cannot be reproduced in RGB, so they are changed to the nearest CMYK value. 

2. have your color only ink settings near perfect, no pooling with good colors.  Overall, mine is 65% with a p400. 

3. then add your white underbase and change it until you get the same colors as before, just with a white underbase, again, with no pooling.

4. Test the opacity on a shirt, and get as little ink as possible, to give a great hand feel, but enough to create a strong print. I use black shirts for this, since if you get black down with CMYK+W, the other's will work the same. 

 

After you've done all these things, your colors should be printing perfectly fine. too much white, they'll be wrong, too little, they'll be wrong. put it on a black shirt, if it's wrong, one of your color settings isn't correct, probably the white underbase.  IF your monitor is wayy off, ( my HP omen and Alienware were both wayy off). 

 

After you have all this set up, if you switch ink or film brands, expect to do it all over again to some degree. For example, the Film andy sells won't hold as much ink as my current film, so I have to lower my values to work with his film, and do so in a way to keep my colors accurate. If I change inks, it's likely to have a slightly different color making the color settings needing adjusting again. 

 

Basically, asking for an ICC profile to correct the colors, is like asking for the answer to life, There are just too many variables to predict the outcome in every situation. 

 

If you used the EPSON driver, be sure to go in there and disable the ICM settings under the printer options since EKprint handles that for you. 

 

 

I'm pretty stumped then if it should be working without a color profile. I used Andy's inks, film, and powder and my colors are coming out completely off. I had an image that had a gradient that went from black to white (with other colors so I can't print it in Grayscale mode). The gradient ended up printing purple to white. I have the Epson color settings to "No color adjustment" and within EK Print, I have "Graphics" Color Mode selected. I don't see what I could be doing wrong here. Take a look at this picture straight out of the printer. The label on the black powder bag is for comparison so you could see the black on that label versus what I printed out.

[Mdrake2016]

26 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

A good example, Andy offers an ICC profile for EKprint and the P600. The only way that profile will work, is if you use the exact same profile he used( which is included in his file) and simply load the image and click print. Any alterations, will alter the outcome. So I'd assume DTFsuperstore ink/film is needed as well on a P600 printer. Then, the profile would work well since he already made the print profile to match what he had used when the ICC was made. 

 

I hope that makes sense. Overall, It's up to you to find, learn, experience and struggle with the process. DTF is not a simple process, it was for me because I already knew all of these things from the DTG world. That's where most of these " professionals" come from. The difference in DTG and DTF, for us, is something that only makes it easier, so we already knew what we were getting into. I spent over 4 years printing, struggling, learning, how to use DTG. So, I expect it will take some time( at least a week or two) and testing for new users to get to the same point with DTF. 

Could it be because my "Channel Setup" is stuck on YMCK-WWWW? The EK Print manual says to select "YMCK-WWXX when only having 2 White channels (which is what the XP-15000 has), but selecting this is greyed out on my EK Print. 

[johnson4]

28 minutes ago, Mdrake2016 said:

Could it be because my "Channel Setup" is stuck on YMCK-WWWW? The EK Print manual says to select "YMCK-WWXX when only having 2 White channels (which is what the XP-15000 has), but selecting this is greyed out on my EK Print. 

the 15000 trial I had, only showed YMCKWWXX, since it only has 6 channels. Did you download the trial directly from their webiste?

[johnson4]

I'd assume that was an issue with the settings, Black on Ekprint in graphics mode doesn't use black ink, it uses process colors ( CMY) to make black. So if those are swapped or wrong, ( since black is mostly cyan and magenta) it could be coming out wrong. 

I put the CMYK in the same original spot, and gray and red where white ink. 

When you do a nozzle check, or the check to see if the cartridges are selected properly, are they in the correct order?

 

[Mdrake2016]

51 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

the 15000 trial I had, only showed YMCKWWXX, since it only has 6 channels. Did you download the trial directly from their webiste?

 

47 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

I'd assume that was an issue with the settings, Black on Ekprint in graphics mode doesn't use black ink, it uses process colors ( CMY) to make black. So if those are swapped or wrong, ( since black is mostly cyan and magenta) it could be coming out wrong. 

I put the CMYK in the same original spot, and gray and red where white ink. 

When you do a nozzle check, or the check to see if the cartridges are selected properly, are they in the correct order?

 

I did the same as you and put the white on Red and Gray and put the others in their original slots. Nozzle check is attached. Sorry for the quality...light went out in the room. 

I went through the EK Print manual and it looks like I did miss 1 step though...installing the EK driver for the XP-15000. I apparently had the demo downloaded and thought I just had to install that alone. I will have to see if this fixes the issue tomorrow.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Mdrake2016

[Mdrake2016]

10 minutes ago, Mdrake2016 said:

 

I did the same as you and put the white on Red and Gray and put the others in their original slots. Nozzle check is attached. Sorry for the quality...light went out in the room. 

I went through the EK Print manual and it looks like I did miss 1 step though...installing the EK driver for the XP-15000. I apparently had the demo downloaded and thought I just had to install that alone. I will have to see if this fixes the issue tomorrow.

Let me clarify about the driver. I had originally installed the Epson drivers for the printer, and within EK Rip I selected "Epson XP-15000 Series." Now I know that I need to install the EK Rip driver and select "EKPrint RIP for XP15000."

 

I'm hoping this resolves my problem.

[johnson4]

34 minutes ago, Mdrake2016 said:

Let me clarify about the driver. I had originally installed the Epson drivers for the printer, and within EK Rip I selected "Epson XP-15000 Series." Now I know that I need to install the EK Rip driver and select "EKPrint RIP for XP15000."

 

I'm hoping this resolves my problem.

If you disabled the Epson icm, it probably won’t. Is the file in cmyk before opening it in EKprint? If so, what cmyk percentage are you running. 

[Mdrake2016]

19 hours ago, johnson4 said:

If you disabled the Epson icm, it probably won’t. Is the file in cmyk before opening it in EKprint? If so, what cmyk percentage are you running. 

It looks like changing the color mode to Vivid fixed it.

Attached is a basic test chart I printed just now. The chart on top shows the grays looking very purplish when in Graphic mode. The one below it shows a perfect gray (ignore the smear lol...not used to working with wet ink). The particular CMYK numbers were C-25%, M-20%, Y-20% for the light gray and C-52%, M-43%, Y-43%, K-7%.

Now the only other thing I'd like to fix is the graininess. Changing the droplet size to light made the whole thing too light, so I adjusted the ink level to 3 and it was darker but the grain came back. Is there some other setting I'm missing here?

[johnson4]

1 hour ago, Mdrake2016 said:

It looks like changing the color mode to Vivid fixed it.

Attached is a basic test chart I printed just now. The chart on top shows the grays looking very purplish when in Graphic mode. The one below it shows a perfect gray (ignore the smear lol...not used to working with wet ink). The particular CMYK numbers were C-25%, M-20%, Y-20% for the light gray and C-52%, M-43%, Y-43%, K-7%.

Now the only other thing I'd like to fix is the graininess. Changing the droplet size to light made the whole thing too light, so I adjusted the ink level to 3 and it was darker but the grain came back. Is there some other setting I'm missing here?

Grainy comes from poor quality images usually.
 

Could also be that your printing an image and cmyk doesn’t have that range of color for black. That’s why like the p800 has 4 different black inks. If I print an image like that on my standard printer, it’ll have clear gaps in the tone changes. Whereas, I use a higher end printer with larger ranges of black, it’s a soft transition. 

 

ekprint “ photo” settings uses “light” ink droplets to try and overcome these things, and would probably be better for that type of image. Personally though, I don’t really know, I’ve never tried to print an image, especially an all black photographic image, only graphics. 
 

good luck!

Edited May 24, 2021 by johnson4

[Mdrake2016]

On 5/24/2021 at 1:37 PM, johnson4 said:

Grainy comes from poor quality images usually.
 

Could also be that your printing an image and cmyk doesn’t have that range of color for black. That’s why like the p800 has 4 different black inks. If I print an image like that on my standard printer, it’ll have clear gaps in the tone changes. Whereas, I use a higher end printer with larger ranges of black, it’s a soft transition. 

 

ekprint “ photo” settings uses “light” ink droplets to try and overcome these things, and would probably be better for that type of image. Personally though, I don’t really know, I’ve never tried to print an image, especially an all black photographic image, only graphics. 
 

good luck!

So I thought I had everything on point but I'm still having a bit of trouble on the colors and the graininess. I'm literally printing boxes for testing and the grain still happens at different shades. These are printed at 300 DPI. Please take a look at the attachment. Besides that, I'm still having other trouble when it comes to colors:

1. I cannot get a solid red no matter what. That picture on my last post looks red but in person, it's more orange when I print it out. I mean I literally can't even get any shade of red....only orange. I'm pretty sure this has to do with my settings. Can you tell me your full settings on your set up? These are my settings for both the color and white underbase:

Ink Drop Size - Light 
Ink Level - 2
Color Mode - Vivid
Density - 100% for both 

If I change the Ink Drop Size to Medium, I would select Ink Level 1 to get a similar print to the settings I have above. Medium at Level 2 is way too much ink.

2. I've seen someone else use an L1800 profile for their XP15000 (with Acrorip) and their prints looked great. I downloaded the L1800 profile from DTF Superstore to give that a try. However, I'm a little confused on what to select for "Input RGB ICC Profile." If I just select the "Adobe RGB (1998)" from my color profiles that I found on my computer, the reds actually print in teal lol. I'm used to just selecting a color profile in Photoshop when printing, never had to put in an input profile.

[Mdrake2016]

 

  

On 5/24/2021 at 1:37 PM, johnson4 said:

Grainy comes from poor quality images usually.
 

Could also be that your printing an image and cmyk doesn’t have that range of color for black. That’s why like the p800 has 4 different black inks. If I print an image like that on my standard printer, it’ll have clear gaps in the tone changes. Whereas, I use a higher end printer with larger ranges of black, it’s a soft transition. 

 

ekprint “ photo” settings uses “light” ink droplets to try and overcome these things, and would probably be better for that type of image. Personally though, I don’t really know, I’ve never tried to print an image, especially an all black photographic image, only graphics. 
 

good luck!

 

14 minutes ago, Mdrake2016 said:

So I thought I had everything on point but I'm still having a bit of trouble on the colors and the graininess. I'm literally printing boxes for testing and the grain still happens at different shades. These are printed at 300 DPI. Please take a look at the attachment. Besides that, I'm still having other trouble when it comes to colors:

1. I cannot get a solid red no matter what. That picture on my last post looks red but in person, it's more orange when I print it out. I mean I literally can't even get any shade of red....only orange. I'm pretty sure this has to do with my settings. Can you tell me your full settings on your set up? These are my settings for both the color and white underbase:

Ink Drop Size - Light 
Ink Level - 2
Color Mode - Vivid
Density - 100% for both 

If I change the Ink Drop Size to Medium, I would select Ink Level 1 to get a similar print to the settings I have above. Medium at Level 2 is way too much ink.

2. I've seen someone else use an L1800 profile for their XP15000 (with Acrorip) and their prints looked great. I downloaded the L1800 profile from DTF Superstore to give that a try. However, I'm a little confused on what to select for "Input RGB ICC Profile." If I just select the "Adobe RGB (1998)" from my color profiles that I found on my computer, the reds actually print in teal lol. I'm used to just selecting a color profile in Photoshop when printing, never had to put in an input profile.

 

Nevermind on that first question about the reds. Apparently, using Medium droplet size fixed it. I guess I didn't test the colors in Medium until now. Starting to lose track of what I've done. It looks like the density is too high as well at 100% so I will have to play with that.

Now the grain is my only issue.

Edited May 27, 2021 by Mdrake2016