Difference between revisions of "Sublimation Printer"

Latest revision as of 12:23, 30 September 2024

Sawgrass-SG400 Sublimation Printer

Make: Sawgrass

Model: SG400NA

Serial Number: R739C839500

Ace: Summer Martindale (Makerhub@georgefox.edu).

Location: The Hub

Description

Sublimation is a digital printing process that uses heat and pressure to embed ink into a fabric or surface to produce an image. It utilizes a special dye and a molecular bonding process to apply and permanently adhere HD images, graphics and photos to polymers and polyesters at a sub-surface level.

Other printing processes utilize chemicals called binders to bond their inks to the surface of a product. Binders are present in the ink and/or paper (for transfer processes.) Over time, the binders will break down and the ink will crack, peel and fade. In contrast, because sublimation bonds at a sub-surface level rather than on top, it provides a high-quality image that won’t crack or peel. And in the case of apparel, it will not fade when washed.

With sublimation, images can be applied to thousands of different products including mugs, signage, bags and apparel, and to many different materials including ceramics, wood, metal, polyester and glass.

For fabrics, sublimation dye only adheres to polyester. Cotton/polyester blends are ok to use so long as the polyester content is at least 50%. Keep in mind that the sublimation dye will not bond with the cotton, so the resultant image will have a slightly more faded or "vintage" look when using cotton/polyester blends.

Documentation

The user manual link below is technically for the SG500 and SG1000, but similar principles will apply.

Sublimation Printer User Manual

SG400 Brochure

Terminology

Transfer Paper - Paper that absorbs the ink from the printer and is used to transfer the ink to the garment.

Training

Operation

The Sawgrass SG400 acts much like a typical ink printer. You will need to load the proper software and select the SG400 printer. The correct paper will also need to be loaded into the printer paper tray. One side of the paper is meant for printing while the other side is not meant for printing; double-check the paper orientation to avoid printing on the wrong side.

Demonstration

Demonstrate you can setup the software and printer. You will need to produce a transfer using the Sawgrass SG400.

General Procedure

Producing a transfer

Open the software you wish to print from (Adobe or Inkscape software).
Create or open your desired design.
Power on the SG400 printer and give it some time to power up. The printer can take several minutes to warm up.
Make sure the image is a mirrored (left/right) if you want to read the text on a surface or keep the image direction correct.
Make sure the image size is smaller than the size of paper you are printing on. The largest size paper is 8.5" x 11."
You will need to select 'print', and make sure you are printing to the Sawgrass 400 printer.
The printer should start printing and produce a sheet of paper with your image on it.
You will need to setup the heat press to complete your image transfer.

Safety

This is a fairly safe process. When using the heat press avoid making contact with the hot plate to prevent burns.

Certification

Complete The Hub - Sublimation Printer Module at the link below to gain access to the Sublimation Printer. The Maker Hub Canvas course pertains to all facilities and equipment contained in the Maker Hub; simply complete the quizzes for the facilities/equipment you wish to use in the Maker Hub. Please email makerhub@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

Maker Hub Canvas Course

Troubleshooting

Sawgrass printers are unique in the fact that they have an auto-maintenance program that ensures the printer is always ready to print without any quality issues. If you turn off the printer, the auto-maintenance program will not be able to operate, which could lead to printing issues.

Banding is usually caused by a blockage in the print head preventing the ink from being properly dispersed to the paper. Perform a nozzle check to see if this is the case. If so, then you should perform a head cleaning to try to correct the problem. These functions can be accessed via the control panel on the printer or through Sawgrass Print Manager. Low ink levels can also cause banding. Always ensure that you are not low on ink. Learn more in our Knowledge Base, or contact Sawgrass Technical Support.

Color management is an important aspect for all forms of digital printing. In terms of sublimation, there are several factors that can affect the color including the printer, the ink, the paper, and the substrates. Sawgrass created Sawgrass Print Manager to address these issues and provide tools to help ensure the accuracy of the color output. If you are having issues, contact Sawgrass Technical Support for assistance.

It is possible to sublimate a print more than once, but every instance after the first time will be significantly faded. It is recommended that you only sublimate a print once.

Maintenance

General maintenance

Keep the printer plugged in and clean. Do not unplug the printer as this could damage the printer by preventing the head cleaning process.

Specific Maintenance Tasks

Maintenance Procedure	Frequency	Done By
Replace Ink Cartridge	As needed	Technician

-

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
   |Is equipment=True
   |Is located in facility=The Hub
+ |Has name={{PAGENAME}}
+ |Has make=Sawgrass
+ |Has model=SG400NA
+ |Has serial number=R739C839500
+ |Has life expectancy=
+ |Has year of manufacture or purchase=
+ |Has replacement cost=
   |Is used in domain=Cloth
   |Has name=Sublimation Printer
+ |Has certification=https://georgefox.instructure.com/courses/1317
   |Has icon=File:Dye Sub printer notype (1).png
   |Has icondesc=Table Saw icon
@@ Line 10: / Line 18: @@
   |Has imagedesc=Sawgrass-SG400 Sublimation Printer
   |Has description=True
- |Has make=Sawgrass
+  |Has ace=Summer Martindale;Makerhub@georgefox.edu
- |Has model=SG400
-  |Has ace=Noah Burlingame;nburlingame18@georgefox.edu
 }}
-[[{{#show: {{FULLPAGENAME}}|?Has icon|link=none}}|100px|left|top|{{#show: {{FULLPAGENAME}}|?Has icondesc}}]]
+[[{{#show: {{FULLPAGENAME}}|?Has icon|link=none}}|140px|left|top|{{#show: {{FULLPAGENAME}}|?Has icondesc}}]]
 [[{{#show: {{FULLPAGENAME}}|?Has image|link=none}}|300px|thumb|upright=1.5|{{#show: {{FULLPAGENAME}}|?Has imagedesc}}]]
@@ Line 20: / Line 26: @@
 Model: {{#show: {{PAGENAME}} |?Has model}}
+Serial Number: {{#show: {{PAGENAME}} |?Has serial number}}
 Ace: {{#show: {{PAGENAME}} |?Has ace.Has name}} ({{#show: {{PAGENAME}} |?Has ace.Has email address}}).
 Location: {{#show: {{PAGENAME}} |?Is located in facility}}
 __TOC__
@@ Line 29: / Line 38: @@
 ==Description==
-Sublimation is a digital printing process that uses heat and pressure to put ink into a product instead of on it. It utilizes a special dye and a molecular bonding process to apply and permanently adhere HD images, graphics and photos to polymers and polyesters at a sub-surface level.
+Sublimation is a digital printing process that uses heat and pressure to embed ink into a fabric or surface to produce an image. It utilizes a special dye and a molecular bonding process to apply and permanently adhere HD images, graphics and photos to polymers and polyesters at a sub-surface level.
 Other printing processes utilize chemicals called binders to bond their inks to the surface of a product.  Binders are present in the ink and/or paper (for transfer processes.)  Over time, the binders will break down and the ink will crack, peel and fade. In contrast, because sublimation bonds at a sub-surface level rather than on top, it provides a high-quality image that won’t crack or peel. And in the case of apparel, it will not fade when washed.
 With sublimation, images can be applied to thousands of different products including mugs, signage, bags and apparel, and to many different materials including ceramics, wood, metal, polyester and glass.
+For fabrics, sublimation dye only adheres to polyester. Cotton/polyester blends are ok to use so long as the polyester content is at least 50%. Keep in mind that the sublimation dye will not bond with the cotton, so the resultant image will have a slightly more faded or "vintage" look when using cotton/polyester blends.
 ==Documentation==
+The user manual link below is technically for the SG500 and SG1000, but similar principles will apply.
-[https://www.sawgrassink.com/Sawgrass/media/Documents/Printers/Brochures/SG400-SG800-Brochure-NP-US.pdf User Manual]
+[[Media:Sawgrass-User-Guide-English.pdf|Sublimation Printer User Manual]]
+[https://www.sawgrassink.com/Sawgrass/media/Documents/Printers/Brochures/SG400-SG800-Brochure-NP-US.pdf SG400 Brochure]
 ====Terminology====
-* Rip - Cuts made along the length of the wood.
+* '''Transfer Paper -''' Paper that absorbs the ink from the printer and is used to transfer the ink to the garment.
 ==Training==
 ====Operation====
-The Sawgrass SG400 acts much like a typical ink printer. You will need to load the proper software and select the SG400 printer. The correct paper will also need to be loaded into the printer paper tray.
+The Sawgrass SG400 acts much like a typical ink printer. You will need to load the proper software and select the SG400 printer. The correct paper will also need to be loaded into the printer paper tray. One side of the paper is meant for printing while the other side is not meant for printing; double-check the paper orientation to avoid printing on the wrong side.
 ====Demonstration====
@@ Line 57: / Line 71: @@
 '''Producing a transfer'''
-. Open the software you wish to print from (Adobe or Inkscape software).
+# Open the software you wish to print from (Adobe or Inkscape software).
+# Create or open your desired design.
-. Create or open your desired design.
+# Power on the SG400 printer and give it some time to power up. The printer can take several minutes to warm up.
+# Make sure the image is a mirrored (left/right) if you want to read the text on a surface or keep the image direction correct.
-. Power on the SG400 printer and give it some time to power up. The printer can take several minutes to warm up.
+# Make sure the image size is smaller than the size of paper you are printing on. The largest size paper is 8.5" x 11."
+# You will need to select 'print', and make sure you are printing to the Sawgrass 400 printer.
-. Lock the fence by pressing down on the locking handle.
+# The printer should start printing and produce a sheet of paper with your image on it.
+# You will need to setup the [[Heat Press|heat press]] to complete your image transfer.
-. Use the elevation handle on the front of the saw to set the height of the blade approximately 1 tooth above the height of the material by placing the material next to the blade as a guide. This limits the exposed blade.
-. Turn on the main power switch on the front of the saw and the dust collector. The green light on the saw will flash and turn solid green when the saw is ready.
-. Make sure nothing is touching the blade. Turn on the saw by gently pulling on the red start paddle switch located on the front of the machine. The paddle switch is also the off switch when pressed.
-. Line up the flat side of the material with the fence without touching the blade. The fence is a guide and the material should be pressed firmly into the fence as well as down on the table. If the board is warped make sure that curved side is face downward.
-. Slowly feed the material in towards the blade while keeping your fingers at least 6" from the blade. Use a push stick to keep fingers away from the blade.
-. Make sure you keep a firm hold on the material and do not stop feeding the material until it has passed beyond the blade.
-. It is helpful to have someone assisting on the back side of the saw to help hold material being fed off the table. Make sure the person helping does not pull on the material.
-. When the saw cut is complete, press in on the paddle switch to turn off the saw and lower the blade below the table to keep anyone from accidentally cutting themselves.
 ==Safety==
@@ Line 85: / Line 84: @@
 ==Certification==
+Complete <strong>The Hub - {{PAGENAME}} Module</strong> at the link below to gain access to the {{PAGENAME}}. The Maker Hub Canvas course pertains to all facilities and equipment contained in the Maker Hub; simply complete the quizzes for the facilities/equipment you wish to use in the Maker Hub. Please email <span style="color:blue">makerhub@georgefox.edu</span> if you have any questions.
-[https://foxtale.georgefox.edu/moodle/course/view.php?id=49429 Foxtale Course]
+[https://georgefox.instructure.com/enroll/GH36RT Maker Hub Canvas Course]
 ==Troubleshooting==
@@ Line 94: / Line 94: @@
 Banding is usually caused by a blockage in the print head preventing the ink from being properly dispersed to the paper. Perform a nozzle check to see if this is the case. If so, then you should perform a head cleaning to try to correct the problem. These functions can be accessed via the control panel on the printer or through Sawgrass Print Manager. Low ink levels can also cause banding. Always ensure that you are not low on ink. Learn more in our Knowledge Base, or contact Sawgrass Technical Support.
-Color management is an important aspect for all forms of digital printing. In terms of sublimation, there are several factors that can affect the color including the printer, the ink, the paper and the substrates.  Sawgrass created Sawgrass Print Manager to address these issues and provide tools to help ensure the accuracy of the color output. If you are having issues, contact Sawgrass Technical Support for assistance.
+Color management is an important aspect for all forms of digital printing. In terms of sublimation, there are several factors that can affect the color including the printer, the ink, the paper, and the substrates.  Sawgrass created Sawgrass Print Manager to address these issues and provide tools to help ensure the accuracy of the color output. If you are having issues, contact Sawgrass Technical Support for assistance.
+It is possible to sublimate a print more than once, but every instance after the first time will be significantly faded. It is recommended that you only sublimate a print once.
 ==Maintenance==