MacDermid ColorSpan 5440 Technical Training Manual - page 15
IV. Printer Use and Configuration
Print Modes
The 5400 has three basic printmodes: Billboard, Production, and High Quality. These
descriptive names were selected for two reasons: one, because the printer uses jet in-
terlacing, it can be confusing to speak of these modes in terms of the number of passes
made by the printheads over the image area. Two, the intended application of the output
is an important factor in selecting what print mode is appropriate, something that is not
communicated adequately by a simple numeric label. This section provides some addi-
tional details and considerations for using each mode.
• Billboard Mode: There is no jet replacement offered in this mode. If any jets are
not firing, there may be a discernible band. However, depending on the specifics of
the jet(s) in question—what color, and what location in the printhead—as well as the
composition of the image (color content, the amount of visual noise, etc.) the banding
will be more or less noticeable. Also, as the name implies, output printed in this mode
is best suited for distance viewing, where slight print defects will not be observable to
the unaided eye.
Billboard mode has a very large rate of media advance. The larger each advance is,
the less tolerant the system is of any error (whether mechanical/physical or related to
calibration) in the advance mechanism and media path. Along with this is the afore-
mentioned fact that billboard mode uses the absolute minimum number of passes to
complete the interlace, which means less Y-axis noise is introduced to mask inac-
curacies. The net result of these facts is that several inches of the print may appear
flawless, then be followed by several swaths that are very different in appearance.
The typical symptom is a swath or swaths that are lighter in color than the surround-
ing swaths. When the advance fails to hit its mark exactly, the jets print on top of the
previous swath rather than interlacing as expected. The result is a lighter appear-
ance. This symptom is frequently described incorrectly by inexperienced operators
as “jets not firing” or similar descriptions that imply a failure of the printer to deliver
enough ink onto the page. As explained above, however, this is not the case, and
any assertions made along those lines should be viewed with skepticism.
• Production Mode: Jet replacement is offered in this mode. This is the optimum
mode for which the printer has been designed. Production mode is the standard for
judging the jetting performance of a particular printhead. If non-firing jets cannot be
recovered by any cleaning and maintenance techniques, but the non-firing jets can
be mapped-out and replaced by the printer’s software in Production Mode, then the
printhead(s) in question meet the standard for performance. Only if jets cannot be
mapped-out and replaced in Production mode does a printhead qualify for replace-
ment, and then only when the failed jets are due to manufacturing defects and not
due to operator error or inadequate maintenance of the equipment. The printer’s war-
5400 Technical Training Manual
MacDermid ColorSpan Confidential
Page 11 of 39
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