Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

Technical Discussions => Printer Media => Topic started by: rossus on September 11, 2009, 06:21:22 AM



Title: Saving Roll Paper
Post by: rossus on September 11, 2009, 06:21:22 AM
Hey...new here. Hope this is the right forum

Ihave an Epson 9600 and am trying to minimise the amount of paper it wastes between prints. I have been told that I can fool it into thinking that it is usign sheet paper, but I don't know how to do this. Does anyone out there know or have an idea?  - Or any other smart ideas.

No suggestions about using pause button or raising the paper lever please as I need to do 100 prints and I DON'T want to sit next to the printer for so long!

Cheers

Rossus


Title: Re: Saving Roll Paper
Post by: Ernst Dinkla on September 11, 2009, 08:13:49 AM
Hey...new here. Hope this is the right forum

Ihave an Epson 9600 and am trying to minimise the amount of paper it wastes between prints. I have been told that I can fool it into thinking that it is usign sheet paper, but I don't know how to do this. Does anyone out there know or have an idea?  - Or any other smart ideas.

Rossus

Why should there be more paper waste with rolls compared to sheets ?  With rolls at least one dimension of your print page can be adapted to the actual image(s) size and the trailing edge print margin is usually half an inch shorter than that of a sheet. Use a custom size in the driver that suits both the roll width and the Qimage print page size. Use the nesting of Qimage and have more rolls of different widths at hand. I do not see how that should deliver more waste.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinklahtml

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/


Title: Re: Saving Roll Paper
Post by: Terry-M on September 11, 2009, 09:49:52 AM
Quote
that suits both the roll width and the Qimage print page size. Use the nesting of Qimage and have more rolls of different widths at hand.
Ernst,
It's not clear that Rossus is a Qimage user, that may be his problem  ::)
Hopefully he'll come back and confirm or otherwise.
Terry


Title: Re: Saving Roll Paper
Post by: rossus on September 15, 2009, 01:55:18 AM
OK....so I am a QImage user...just.....Getting to grips with the massive amount of functionality.

So here is the thing. I am printing on a 13 inch roll, and wanting to do 10 at a time without auto cutting (paper too thick). Images are 11 by 15.5 and I want a 1 inch margin round each. Hence I am using a 13 inch roll, and setting the paper size to be 13 by 18. All good. Printer prints and image fits perfectly into the given sized paper......

However, despite what I can work out, the printer seems to put at least 4 inches of white paper between the end of one print and the start of the next. All I want is an inch, to allow me to cut and trim each of the images to the exact size. Wasting 4 inches is just.....wasteful. Its around a quarter extra on each image which is financially crazy too, regardless of environmental concerns.

Hopefully this makes more sense now? Really appreciate any thoughts. I am hopeful that there is a setting in QImage that I am missing and its not just a printer default that can't be changed.

Thanks for input so far!

Ross


Title: Re: Saving Roll Paper
Post by: Ernst Dinkla on September 15, 2009, 08:05:49 AM
OK....so I am a QImage user...just.....Getting to grips with the massive amount of functionality.

So here is the thing. I am printing on a 13 inch roll, and wanting to do 10 at a time without auto cutting (paper too thick). Images are 11 by 15.5 and I want a 1 inch margin round each. Hence I am using a 13 inch roll, and setting the paper size to be 13 by 18. All good. Printer prints and image fits perfectly into the given sized paper......

However, despite what I can work out, the printer seems to put at least 4 inches of white paper between the end of one print and the start of the next. All I want is an inch, to allow me to cut and trim each of the images to the exact size. Wasting 4 inches is just.....wasteful. Its around a quarter extra on each image which is financially crazy too, regardless of environmental concerns.

Hopefully this makes more sense now? Really appreciate any thoughts. I am hopeful that there is a setting in QImage that I am missing and its not just a printer default that can't be changed.

Thanks for input so far!

Ross

Looks like a printer driver issue then. What is the minimum print page length possible on that printer? What custom size of paper did you make in the printer driver? I guess it is one of the two that gives you the 4" extra.

If I had to do that in your style on the Z3100 (PCL3 driver) I would set a custom size in the printer driver 13X17.5 inch on 13" roll. Auto cutter off. It will display a maximum print page size above Qimage preview of 12.6x16.9 inch (Z3100 5mm print margins and if my conversion between metrics-imperial is correct). I would select a custom image size of 11 x 15.5 inch and place the image centered. There is no way that I can use the corner mark feature for cutting later on as the marks wouldn't print in the margins at that roll width and not in the length with that driver's custom size. Adding borders has little sense too, the print margin white will be used in the borders too. Images should have the aspect ratio of 11:15.5, no cropping set, no borders. The prints will roll out with a 0.2" white print margin at the front, sides and trailing edge but you will not see that. The overall dimension should be 13x17.5 inch. The image (more or less) centered and 10x15.5 inch. I would have to manually cut each print off the roll.

What I actually would do is place ten images on a longer custom size and make sure the distance between the prints is 2 inches, the control for that is in the page edit menu and a separate calculator. Works a lot faster at printing. So does a wider roll. I would let the printer cut the roll at the end and cut the individual prints after that. Save that Qimage setting for job repeats.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/


Title: Re: Saving Roll Paper
Post by: Fred A on September 15, 2009, 09:22:00 AM
Quote
hopeful that there is a setting in QImage that I am missing and its not just a printer default that can't be changed.

The missing item that I haven't heard mentioned is BANNER MODE.
If you click Roll Paper, Banner mode, and set user defined size to 12.85 with borderless on by 18.00, it works.
If you prefer borderless off, then set the width of the roll to more than 13 to get a full 13" wisth
I only have access to a 9800 driver but they should be very similar.
Fred


Title: Re: Saving Roll Paper
Post by: rossus on September 15, 2009, 11:27:45 AM
Thanks all!

I will be getting some time to work on this on friday and will respond with the results. Some really good food for thought and learning. Thanks so much for the rapid, clear and useful replies.

R


Title: Re: Saving Roll Paper
Post by: Seth on September 15, 2009, 06:20:15 PM
Fred-

You're using a 9800?


Title: Re: Saving Roll Paper
Post by: Fred A on September 15, 2009, 09:20:05 PM
Quote
You're using a 9800?

Moi?
Too rich for my blood, but I have a good friend who is a commercial Photog. and he calls me about once every six weeks to help him change a setting to something special.
I downloaded the driver from Epson and use that to simulate the print size and the paper size and the location on the phone with him.
He makes a test print, does a jig, and is happy as can be.


Title: Re: Saving Roll Paper
Post by: rossus on September 18, 2009, 04:04:57 AM
All,

Working like a dream thanks. So simple to change the paper size and have multiple on one....embarrassing that I didn't think of it, but then I guess that's learning for you!

Thanks so much to all of you for your input. Really helped and has saved me a load of cost.

Cheers ;D

Rossus