Wide Format Printer Holiday Tips: Maintenance Made Easy
Ensure your wide-format printer is ready to dive into 2025 by taking these essential steps before the holiday break. Following these guidelines will help maintain your printer's health and ensure a smooth restart when you return.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this guide is intended as general advice to assist with holiday maintenance for wide-format printers. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Pozitive is not responsible for any issues that may arise from following these steps. We strongly recommend consulting your printer’s manufacturer documentation or reaching out to our team to ensure the correct maintenance procedures are being followed for your specific machine.
General Printer Suggestions
Printer Cleaning
- Perform all daily and weekly user maintenance tasks before closing for the break and upon returning.
- Always follow the manufacturer’s cleaning guidelines for optimal results.
- Specialty inks (e.g., white, metallic) may require daily or weekly attention.
Power
- Keep the printer powered on to allow self-maintenance routines like ink circulation.
- Use sleep mode as needed, but ensure the printer remains connected to power.
Consumables
- Ensure ink levels are above 30% to prevent maintenance interruptions during the holiday.
- Empty the waste bottle/tank to avoid overflow risks.
White, Metallic, and Specialty Colours
- Shake inks thoroughly before shutting down and again upon your return.
- Specialty inks may require daily or weekly attention, as outlined in your user manual.
Test Print/Nozzle Check
- Perform a test print before leaving and immediately after returning.
- This helps identify potential issues and determine if head cleans are needed.
Ink Storage
- Store inks in a temperature-controlled environment.
- Stabilise the print room’s temperature before resuming operations to avoid ink performance issues.
Blackout Precautions
- If there’s a risk of a blackout, visit the site to ensure the printer has power for automated maintenance.
- Consider adding UPS and surge protection to safeguard against power interruptions.
swissQprint
- Perform two full head purges and empty the waste tank.
- For White Ink Models:
- Ensure at least ½ kg of white ink is available.
- Flush the heads before the holiday.
- Conduct a detailed cleaning of the undercarriage and head plate.
- Shut down the Amber or Lory PC.
- Shut down the printer. As long as main power is connected your swissQprint maintenance operations will continue.
DGI & MS Printers
- Perform two ink purges.
- Replace capping station water and ensure it is full.
- Flush and clean the printheads thoroughly.
- Wet clean the carriage plate.
- Empty the waste tank.
- Shut down the DGI controller PC.
Roll Cutters
- Lift the pinch rollers to prevent damage.
- Cover the cutter with a drop sheet to protect it from dust.
Laminators
- Lift the pressure roller to prevent damage.
- Cover the laminator with a drop sheet to protect it from dust.
Air Compressors
- Turn off the air compressor.
- Drain all air and empty the water reservoir/trap.
Checklist for Peace of Mind
- Daily and weekly maintenance completed.
- Ink levels above 30%.
- Waste bottle/tank emptied.
- Specialty inks shaken.
- Test prints/nozzle checks performed.
- Temperature-controlled storage and workspace ensured.
- All steps specific to your printer model completed.
By following these detailed instructions, you can enjoy the holiday season knowing your equipment is safe and sound. From everyone at Pozitive, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
