Difference between revisions of "Sublimation Printer"

Revision as of 16:55, 11 February 2022

Sawgrass-SG400 Sublimation Printer

Make: Sawgrass

Model: SG400NA

Serial Number: R739C839500

Ace: Needed (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.
You need to open either Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape software depending on your preference.
Open the image you wish to print.
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

Canvas Quiz

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 4: / Line 4: @@
   |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 11: / Line 12: @@
   |Has description=True
   |Has make=Sawgrass
-  |Has model=SG400
+  |Has model=SG400NA
+ |Has serial number=R739C839500
   |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 22: @@
 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 34: @@
 ==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.
-* Cross-cut - Cuts made across the grain along the shorter side of the wood.
-* Push stick - A piece of wood or plastic used to push the wood being cut through the blade while keeping fingers away from the blade.
-* Fence - A guide for measuring the cut and guiding the wood.
-* Riving Knife - A flat metal device that mounts behind the saw blade. This device prevents material from closing up on the blade and causing a dangerous condition called a material kickback.
-* Sled  -  A fixture that is placed on top of the table to assist with cross cuts.  The sled keeps material perpendicular to the blade and helps to prevent the blade from kicking back material.
 ==Training==
 ====Operation====
-The SawStop table saw has a unique safety feature. A spring loaded cartridge is located in the machine. Any conductive material that makes contact with the blade causes the aluminum cartridge block to fire into the blade. The blade then stops spinning and drops down out of the way. All this happens within 5 milliseconds, helping to ensure the blade inflicts minimal damage. This galvanic response safety mechanism is great for preventing injuries but will permanently damage the blade if triggered. If the material you are cutting is conductive it will trigger the saw stop feature. Do not cut any wet lumber, pressure treated, or metal coated materials such as gold leaf with this machine. Charcoal is also conductive so any laser cut areas of lumber should not make contact with the blade while cutting.  There are a few other things to keep in mind regarding your material as well. Make sure the material you are cutting is free of all foreign objects. Do not cut materials that may have nails or screws as they will damage the blade and may cause injury to you. Also, if the material contains a loose knot it can break free and create a safety hazard.
+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.
-If your material looks good, the next step is to set up the saw itself. When setting up the saw the blade, it should protrude no more than 1/4" above the material top. This limits the amount of blade that is exposed and makes for a good cut. You will also want to hook up the adjacent dust collector to the rear of the machine, make sure it is plugged in, and turned on. The dust collector must be used with the table saw to help keep the dust out of the air. As you make a cut, it is imperative that you keep the wood firmly against the fence to make the cut square. Therefore, you should double check to see if you are reading the right measurement on the fence, especially because the fence can be moved to either side of the blade which is why there are two distance indicators, only one of which is correct for each set up. Make sure to ask the supervisor about the available jigs because they can be helpful for specialty cuts. Once the supervisor has demonstrated the use of a jig feel free to use it in the future but do not play around with jigs you are unfamiliar with.
-After the saw is set up you are ready to cut. Turn on the saw and slowly push the material through, making sure to keep your hands away from the blade. Do not stop pushing the material until after the cut is finished unless there is an emergency, in which case, carefully use one hand or your hip to bump the off switch. Also not let go of your work piece during the cut or it will be forced back towards you.
 ====Demonstration====
@@ Line 66: / Line 67: @@
 '''Producing a transfer'''
-. Ensure that the material you are cutting has at least one straight edge and no nails or foreign objects. The straight edge will slide against the fence when ripping.
+# Open the software you wish to print from (Adobe or Inkscape software).
+# Create or open your desired design.
-. Measure the width of the board and determine the width of cut desired.
+# Power on the SG400 printer and give it some time to power up. The printer can take several minutes to warm up.
+# You need to open either Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape software depending on your preference.
-. Lift the locking handle on the fence and slide the fence to the desired cut width using the scale. Make sure you use the scale for the correct side of the blade.
+# Open the image you wish to print.
+# 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.
-. Lock the fence by pressing down on the locking handle.
+# 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.
-. 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.
+# 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.
-. 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 95: / Line 83: @@
 ==Certification==
-[https://foxtale.georgefox.edu/moodle/course/view.php?id=49429 Foxtale Course]
+[https://georgefox.instructure.com/courses/1317 Canvas Quiz]
 ==Troubleshooting==
@@ Line 104: / Line 92: @@
 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==