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User's Manual Rev 001

1. 8 8 8 8 8 8 87 8 7 47 EN 47 J 98 pg 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 45 5 5 5 5 5 45 4 4j 41 9 4 4 8 44 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 83 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 H a 1 41 4 1 1 51 o 0 jojjo o 0 jojo FIG 2 7 CPRINT AND CUT TEST PATTERN 4 Now insert the values which correspond to those squares into the DC4sx via the control panel The 4 parameters can be changed between 16 and 16 even though only 8 steps are printed out in the test If the values were too far off then it is advised to redo the test If the optional hard disk is installed in the printer then this test can be done directly from the keypad It is the test just after the line feed test see paragraph above Basic Operation 2 8 DC4sx User s Manual 2 6 How to Change the User Quick Parameter Change The DC4sx printers include 16 user configurations all of which consist of the same parameters Each configuration can have unique parameter settings This allows the printer to be quickly and easily reconfigured for different types of jobs or media lt is recommended to change the user instead of doing a calibration when changing media type Changing the User Configuration 1 Power on the printer 2 Press the key and the W key until The Select User Config menu appears on the LCD 3 Press the
2. 1 2 11 SEE ds 160 e 3 1 3 1 Contour CULLING aii 3 1 glkA Making the desig MR Dc 3 1 Still CONO CUN EE N T 3 2 ole OPOS CUNO oniiir E A 3 2 gk Making c uting dala TO lt r cosassseceresesesousseegnnnectscensgnebenenctetenaseseseeate 3 5 3 2 CUNNING VOUGA a iaa 3 6 Table of contents DC4sx User s Manual 4 Detailed Opera ui 4 1 AT Introductio y PA oo 4 1 4 2 Main Mel cai dido 4 2 4 221 JSEIBEEPTRODU uoces Sta Dadtxied to a bond E ERI NEI Ld EU 4 2 4 22 i e nios NEL D TI 4 2 4 2 9 GUI MEN 4 2 4 24 System SCD measure ooo mue mM AN FUE Dou od 4 2 4 2 5 Select User Configuration soisissa 2 rrt reinen etia reni sida 4 2 4 26 39 DUE OWN serere oe aSa ETATER SCR eA PORE Le Can du PUn Up ERa 4 2 O 4 2 4 3 Printer MON iia ta dodne 4 3 AS RIDDON A id 4 3 SEF MO P ete cea mse te E scant end E gas ens E E EE 4 3 e T Om 4 3 4 54 Double Densidad 4 3 Ao DOLO aaa TT 4 3 4 5 0 KOON OSC rada 4 4 437 Scan diana 4 4 Asa OPAC NOOO ansen a A 4 4 ASD OPUTAC LEER 4 4 43 10 Calibrate linlgle8Q cin is 4 4 43 11 Calre Pont Utas aare cou its 4 5 4 3 12 Head alignmient VS tan is 4 5 dao OLAN PINN AC jobs 4 5 4 4 C tter MENU carril 4 5 44AT RAMO Press Ur E a meno dan acs DO 4 5 4A AAA E AAPP E Du de 4 5 ALS MOON 4 6 O MP P 4 6 dd DIN VCS Eo tts Sees ona Setia toco patenam as ieee eames h cate sce EE fce 4 6 44
3. FEEL LIME a uem dm Pai ram ME KE ka hes E E ik detailed list of all parameters that can be changed and tests that can be initiated from the touch screen This section may be used as a reference for locating a certain o D T _ O O c E D o F PTE nm pa E mm qua qum maps ay my Lm i E bm Ly L Based T I bh ad CUTTER MEMI CUTTER MENL STEM SETUP M Cali EIE PELLI EF H a PARRY AL SETUF TEMP EM rra m MT VOTE 1 a T FRI HTAC ERATE CENTER a ly AT PRINT Ol ET TEPS L E Dis s LEE a FI Jl FIG 4 1 COMPLETE MENU STRUCTURE MAILH PEHU 4 1 Detailed Operation DC4sx User s Manual 4 2 Main menu The main menu can be entered when MENU is visible on the bottom line of the LCD Press the ED key to enter the main menu The main menu items give access to submenus or commands Press the or W key to go from one menu item to another 4 2 1 Printer menu Pressing enters the printer menu The printer menu is explained in section 4 3 4 2 2 Reprint job This menu is only accessible if the hard disk option is installed The DC4sx then stores every sent job on hard disk If the hard disk is almost full the oldest jobs will
4. CAUTION An insulated ground conductor must be installed as part of the branch circuit that supplies power to the wall outlet to which the printer is connected The ground conductor must have the same size insulation material and thickness as the grounded and ungrounded branch circuit supply conductors but the insulating seat should be green or green with yellow striping The ground conductor described above must be grounded at the electrical distribution board or if power is supplied by a separate system at the power supply transformer motor generator set The wall sockets into which the printer is plugged must be of the grounded type The grounded conductors serving the wall socket must be properly connected to the ground For emergency access the printer should be installed near the socket outlet for easy USA EURO PE MAKE SURE THIS IS CONNECTED TO A KNOWN EARTH MAKE SURE THIS L IS CONNECTED TO A I G KNOWN G ROUND THREE PIN OUTLET THREE PIN PLUG FIG 1 7 PROPERLY GROUNDED CONNECTION 1 4 2 Operating voltage CAUTION Before changing the fuse make sure that the printer is completely disconnected from its power source CAUTION For continued protection against risk of fire replace only with the same type and rating of fuse Fuse Rate T4 0A 250V SCHURTER SPT OR EQUIVALENT The power supply detects the line voltage and switches automatically between 110V and 230V Setup 1 7 D
5. E Automated Sign Production gt User s Manual Rev 001 o 0 GRONER Karl Groner GmbH Fon 49 0 731 3982 271 Riedweg 27 Fax 49 0 731 3982 100 39081 Ulm Mail Systems groener de FCC Notice The DC4sx have been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class A digital devices pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment The cutters generate use and can emit radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual may cause harmful interference to radio communications Operation of the cutters in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense Caution Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Summa which is responsible for FCC compliance could void the user s authority to operate this equipment DOC Notice The DC4sx do not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise for digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications Notice Summa reserves the right to modify the information contained in this User Manual at any time without prior notice Unauthorized copying modification distribution or display is prohibited All rights reserved Waste Electrical and Electron
6. Main Office 1 781 233 7494 1 800 527 1050 Fax 1 781 233 7495 Support SUDpOrt summausa com Sales sales summa us Web Site www summausa com Europe Africa and Middle East Summa bvba Rochesterlaan 6 B 8470 GISTEL Belgium Main Office 32 0 59 27001 1 Fax 32 0 59 270063 Support suoport summa be Sales sales summa be Web Site www summa be Welcome Congratulations on your purchase of the new DC4sx The DC4sx is the ultimate label and decal production unit combining high image durability and precision contour cutting into one device The DC4sx uses thermal transfer technology This is a dry transfer printing process that uses heat and pressure to create a durable bond with the resin based inks and the media The resin inks are supplied on ribbons containing densely packed pigments suspended in a solid plastic carrier This high pigment density results in images that are highly abrasion resistant and it provides a long term UV and water resistance with a long outdoor durability without laminations Thermal transfer printing produces no fumes at all creates no mess and does not require maintenance nor the use of cleaning chemicals Every aspect of the DC4sx has been designed for simplified operation Media loading is child s play thanks to auto media alignment Ribbons are a snap to refill and can t be loaded improperly This manual is a reference guide for installing and operating t
7. Setup 1 9 DC4sx User s Manual 1 5 2 Connecting the printer to a Mac using a USB cable gt Mac OS 8 5 to OS 9 2 h Power off the printer Connect one end of the USB cable to a USB port on the computer Connect the other end of the USB cable to the USB port on the back of the printer Power on the printer see section 1 4 3 and return to the computer Insert the DC4sx CD into the computer s CD ROM drive Click on the USB install driver icon on the CD ROM OQ SON ix dp CIS This will automatically install the driver and the Summa Port Mapper utility 7 Remove the CD from the CD ROM drive 8 Restart the computer NOTE If the printer is connected to the computer before device installation then the computer will regard the printer as an unknown device The driver can be installed at any time with or without the printer connected gt Mac Osx Most recent cutting software does not need a driver installation when a computer is connected to the printer The software that controls the driver is built into the cutting software Setup 1 10 DC4sx User s Manual 1 6 Media Handling 1 6 1 Loading media The DC4sx is designed to work with rolls of media not sheets It is advised to use cotton gloves while loading the media otherwise the surface of the media becomes contaminated by oil from fingers and the beginning of the printout will be unusable Two media core end holders are delivered with the ma
8. Severe banding can occur when improperly using the Double Dot shape Software 6 17 DC4sx User s Manual 6 3 9 Layout tab General Color Screening Layout Advanced Dutput Size Original size is 88 19 x 58 91 mm Width 1 00 C Summa DC3 DC4 1275 x 10000 mm Height 2 E 00 Output size is 88 19 x 58 91 mm v Constrain Tiling iv Use maximum tile size 1 tile s wide by 1 tile s high Tile size Ww X h mm Tile overlap 0 mm Space after tile 12 7 mm f All One tile Weed box Tiles are numbered starting with 1 in the same order they are printed left to right top to bottom Cancel Save defaults FIG 6 19 LAYOUT TAB 1 Output size scale the EPS file to any size or specify a page size To determine the exact output size click first on Summe0C3 0C4 01275x 1000mm Y then change to the desired size in the width or height box Enable M Ces box to constrain the proportions during resizing 2 Tiling If the image needs to be tiled specify the tile size and the amount of overlap between each tile Check the M Use maximum tile sze box to use the maximum print width There is also the option to print out each tile separately If the weed box option is chosen then the DC4sx cuts a border around the print out If there is print and cut information in the file then SCC will automatically cut a border around the design Software 6 18 DC4sx User s Manual 6 3 10 Advanced tab Gene
9. FIG 2 8 REPOSITIONING ROLLER GUIDE 3 Check the path of the media The distances marked with the white arrows and the same number should all be the same The middle arrow of the second photo points to the roll itself 4 f not check first if the media has moved from its place of origin If so reload with a maximum loop at the back 5 If it did not move then reposition the rollerguide so that the path of the vinyl is as shown above Make also sure that the flange is flush to the core Basic Operation 2 11 DE 3 Print Cut 3 1 Contour cutting There are two possible ways to contour cut with the DC4sx Normally the cutting is done automatically direct after the job is printed The Rip recognizes the contour lines splits up print and cut data sends first the printing data to the DC4sx and then the cutting data The DC4sx has also an accurate Optical Positioning System This can be used when itis impossible to contour cut right after the printing For instance when the design has to be laminated and then cut afterwards OPOS is based on the principle of registrating printed squares around the design The registration of those markers is done by a sensor on the front of the printer carriage same sensor that is used for the OptiTrac system To be sure that OPOS works accurately the distance between the sensor and the knife tip must be calibrated see section 2 5 3 1 1 Making the design The orientation shown in this figure
10. LCD contains 4 lines of 20 characters The LCD provides DC4sx status information during operation and displays menu options for the configuration of the DC4sx WARNING Each keystroke can initiate an internal test or movement of head or media Keep fingers and other body parts away from the cutting area There are hazardous moving parts The various menu and submenu items are always presented in a loop which means when the last menu or submenu item is displayed pressing the appropriate key will automatically take you back to the first item of the same menu or submenu Basic Operation 2 1 DC4sx User s Manual 2 1 2 The and key The function of the and key depends on the current status of the DC4sx The bottom line of the LCD displays the function of the keys between brackets if available A lt gt 2 1 3 The arrow Y Keys The use of the arrow keys varies according to the operation in progress For example when working with different sub menus the arrow keys select the next or the previous submenu Values in a submenu can be changed by pressing the or gt arrow keys When the DC4sx is in normal operation pressing A or W moves the media backward and forward 2 1 4 The key The key returns back a step in to the previous menu level To get at the top level of the menu press this key three times The DC4sx will also then be ready for printing if media is loaded 2 1 5 The CD key The key toggles the status of
11. but sometimes it is the only safe way to remove dirt To clean the printing surface proceed as follows 1 Power off the DC4sx and remove the vinyl 2 Cuta piece of vinyl the size of the printing surface 1 x 0 14m and stick it onto the printing surface 3 Power on the DC4sx and load the media Print out a rectangle full width and height consisting out of two colors app 2096 coverage 4 Remove the media from the DC4sx and turn off the power 5 Carefully remove the vinyl from the printing surface This test has been done with 3M cast white vinyl Do not attempt to use any other vinyl to clean the printing surface The reaction of the adhesive on the printing surface might damage it Do not leave the vinyl on the printing surface longer than is necessary for this test 5 1 6 Cleaning the OptiTrack sensor The sensor will collect dust Therefore the small hole in the sensor should be cleaned regularly with a cotton tipped swab Cleaning the OptiTrack sensor system 1 Locate the hole in the sensor holder at the right side of the printer carriage 2 Clean by wiping it out with cotton swabs FIG 5 5 CLEANING OPOS SENSOR Maintenance 5 5 DC4sx User s Manual 5 2 OPERATING VOLTAGE CAUTION Before changing the fuse make sure that the cutter is completely disconnected from its power source CAUTION For continued protection against risk of fire replace only with the same type and rating of fuse
12. rra 1 14 1 7 1 Loading and removing the Cassetl8S ooooooooncononnnccinnnnnnnnnnnnnnonononanananannos 1 14 1 7 2 Refilling ribbon cassettes ooccccccinicnnccncccncnccononacnanaracannnnnnnnnnnn non nr rr nnnanarannns 1 15 1 8 Knife Installation 1 17 1 8 1 Removing the drag knife eese nnns 1 17 1 8 2 Installing the drag knife ooonccccccccccccconnccnnnnconnnnannconnnncnnononanarcnnnnnnononananes 1 18 Table of contents DC4sx User s Manual 2 BASICO 2 1 2 1 The control Pahluccsaicesauu nuu uk n du FE UUMR A Aaa ca Cu Raw UNS 2 1 2 1 1 The liquid crystal display sueco env a 2 1 2 1 2 The and Dc put 2 2 lt gt 2 1 3 Thearrow Y Keys 2 1 4 The O O I 2 2 2 1 5 The CONI not d cu I MEM MM ex EL I CM beaten 2 2 2 2 How to Set printing Density uiiiss suas sasusa is uu ass ur ava n ag Pay Cu wun EFE KR GUY NE KEFV NAM arE Ede 2 3 2 3 How to Set Media Tracking Parameters 2 reree 2 4 2 4 How to set the main knife parameters nnne rrne ern 2 6 2 5 How to calibrate print and Cut 1111ee eer rre ernannt 2 8 2 6 How to Change the User Quick Parameter Change 2 9 2 7 How to Change media widgth iiiiiiiucs cias cunin dna su uno nu xa unu RES CERO HE ns ERE nn uE ERR sadninas 2 10 2 8 Preparing the DC4sx for long print outs
13. the user must perform the recommended line feed calibration see section 2 3 Failing to do so may result in poor print quality 1 6 3 Using the media basket It is strongly recommended to always use the rear basket while printing The basket prevents the vinyl from touching the ground or the base of the DC4sx thus preventing the vinyl from collecting dust When the DC4sx is used for print and cut then the media baskets front and rear MUST be used otherwise the vinyl will pick up dust damaging the print The front and rear baskets are designed to hold at least 6 meter of vinyl Depending on the type of vinyl it is possible to hold up until 10 meters FIG 1 14 REAR BASKET Setup 1 13 DC4sx User s Manual 1 7 Loading ribbon cassettes 1 7 1 Loading and removing the cassettes The DC4sx can take up to 5 cassettes The cassettes can be loaded or removed from the cassette station at any time even during printing If the printer is missing a color then it will give a message on the LCD just before it needs the color The machine automatically detects the end of a ribbon If the machine runs out off a certain ribbon color while printing then it will pause until the operator inserts a new ribbon As soon as the machine detects a new ribbon roll it will continue to print and complete the image ALWAYS load or remove cassettes from behind the printer To remove a cassette open the rear cover by puling down both latches sim
14. 2 iones ets eie d eode as Pope EE Ep Ep Reus dex o dux o shes 1 2 1 9 Unpacking DG4Sx stage 9 i e Ee Done ioo o eb Da ette m Conte st aerae sa Codec ases ug 1 2 1 4 Unpacking DC4sx final stage 4 eese 1 3 lS CASK SA VIO NU o EI a 1 4 1 6 IDGASK rear VOW aici tiie ate a hetidatetouseteleedenucee eb 1 5 1 7 Properly grounded connection cscccccssscecseseecceeseeceueeecsaseeesaueeessueeessseessaaeess 1 7 1 8 Media is loaded and read y ccccccssceccsseeecceeeeccenececaueeeeceucesseueeesseeeessueeessaaeees 1 8 1 9 DC4sx is on and no media is loaded ooocccccccnccccnnncococonononenonnnnncnnaronononencnnnons 1 8 1 ro Medis Gore nod a a e ies 1 11 1 11 Position of the supply roll on the DCASX oocccccoccccococcncconcnccnnconononononononononcnnonos 1 11 1 12 Loading roll at the back of DC4SX occooocccccoccncccococonoconocnonnnocnronononennonncnnnnnnononos 1 12 1 13 Loading roll at the front of the DCAsx cccccocccccncconococonccnnnncnoncnnononenonancnononcnnnnos 1 12 114 Hear Daske burrito 1 13 1 15 Rear cassette station COVEN acia eiae re Dv M cu tede o er vedo 1 14 117 Loading a cas SSC le PTT o T I HmT 1 14 1 18 Cassette top release tabs ooccccconcncocccnnoconnnnnnaconononononannnononcnnnnonnnonnnnnononcnnnnos 1 15 1 19 Loading ribbon and ribbon information chip into the cassette 1 15 1 20 Closing the ribbon Cassette c oooncncccooccnnccconcncnnonnnn
15. 3 33 48 FIG 2 2 INTERNAL DENISTY TEST 1 If the density is set too high then in area 1 the ribbon will stick too long to the media while printing and leave matt areas behind 2 If the density is set too low then this area will not be 100 black 3 If the density is set too high then this area will be darker than 95 cyan the white holes will become filled randomly 4 If the density setting is too low then the lines will not be printed evenly The density test is optimized for cast vinyl Other types of vinyl might result in conflicting results which means that the media is probably less suited for thermal transfer printing 6 Press the lt key to lower the density or press the key to lower the density if necessary Press to store new value An asterisk will appear to confirm the new value is saved 7 Repeat test to check new setting and adjust more if necessary Basic Operation 2 3 DC4sx User s Manual 2 3 How to Set Media Tracking Parameters The DC4sx prints and measures small lines located at each side of the print to optimize the tracking performance After each printing pass the media is advanced and those small lines are read by a sensor to align the consecutive printed passes The same sensor is also used to straighten the loaded media in the load direction Each time the media type or the color of the OptiTrac lines is changed a recommended line feed
16. List Er HOME 6 2 4 Settings menu Summa Printer Control The settings menu can be used to display File View Configuration Peces Tests Help certain DC4sx parameters on your sea S e User Cunfiguratins ser Configurations Computer These parameters can be P Tool Properties mom Or changed and saved on the computer hard E disk and also in DC4sx memory a Continet Payara 6 2 5 Tests menu The test menu is used for ee E A ia updating the DC4sx SEE E a B dad Resolution firmware and to check how many prints the printhead has printed The internal test ction LEE ne i Summa Printer User Configurations F4 Upda e Firmware i Denstv Test digh Resolution 2 Tuul Properties ES Head status are the same as on the hard disk It E s HC A tote Offset 0 43 if the option is installed Weloc by Software 6 5 DC4sx User s Manual 6 2 6 Action list With the action list or the setting menu parameters settings of the DC4sx can be displayed on the computer 6 2 7 Configuration settings Below is a screen capture of the parameters that can be changed using Summa Printer Control option show hidden parameters is set to on When a parameter is changed then the parameter and the value are displayed in bold on the computer and the cancel and apply button are highlighted Click on apply to send the new value to the DC4sx Summa Printer Control File View Configuration Set
17. Tools It is recommended to install directly after installations of the printer tool program To install immediately leave Launch Summa Printer Tools checked ie Setup Summa Printer Tools Completing the Summa Printer Tools Setup Wizard Setup has finished installing Summa Printer Tools en your computer The application may be launched by selecting the installed icons Click Finish to exit Setup FIG 6 2 INSTALLATION OF SOFTWARE Clicking the Full installation button installs all printer tools The tools can be installed individually also By clicking on the tab s all the utilities can be installed separately Summa Printer Tools inPlat SCC Plug in Palette WICC Profiles om Summa Printer Control ett d Fa Sere Install Visual Basic Far amp pplicatians ts installed with pour Corel Hel Information W inFlat ix installed Summa Color Control ts installed Eull Installation FIG 6 3 INSTALLATION OF SOFTWARE Software 6 3 DC4sx User s Manual 6 2 Summa Printer Control Menus The Summa Printer Control program basically has the same functions as the control panel It is up to the user to decide which way he will work most efficiently The users who will work with the Summa Printer Control program will notice that it is a very powerful and practical tool Summa Printer Control File View Configuration Settings Tests Help s 3 Action List x Info on Summa webs
18. be deleted After pressing Gun press the A or Vv key to scroll through the saved jobs Push the lt or key to change the amount of copies that L key to start reprinting the chosen job Pressing 4 removes all jobs from the hard disk 4 2 3 Cutter menu Pressing E enters the cutter menu The cutter menu is explained in section 4 4 4 2 4 System setup Pressing D enters the system setup menu This menu is explained in section 4 5 4 2 5 Select User Configuration The DC4sx stores 16 user configurations Push the lt or key to change the configuration Push the key to confirm the selection On the LCD the active user is marked with an asterisk The user configurations are setup to quickly change several parameters depending on the type of vinyl or kind of job 4 2 6 Shut down After pressing 0 the DC4sx removes any cassette from the carriage closes any open files on the hard disk and raises the pinch rollers It is advised to use this key when shutting down the DC4sx especially for minimizing wear on the pinch rollers If the pinch rollers are left down for a long period of time a flat spot is created on the wheel and tracking becomes a problem and is not guaranteed any more The pinch rollers are automatically raised when the DC4sx is idle for more than 4 minutes 4 2 7 Reset When pressing Cn the DC4sx will reset This reset is not a full reset To completely reset the machine perform a cold reset
19. bridges 4 FlexCut pressure This parameter determines the pressure of the Flex pressure cut length This is usually a reduced pressure so that the knife only scratches the media or cuts it only halfway through Some cutting software can recognize the difference between a contour line and a cut through line The software sends then first the data of the contour lines to the cutter and then it activates FlexCut and panelling mode and sends the data for cutting through to the cutter If the cutting software cannot do this then the user needs to first send the data of the contour lines separate set the cutter manually in FlexCut mode and then send the data for cutting through Note Often it is difficult to find the correct balance between cutting deep enough making sure the pieces can be taken out easily and not cutting too deep making sure the material keeps it strength while cutting Sometimes this balance doesn t exist meaning that this material can t be cut through Note When cutting through it is recommended that parallel lines are at least 1 cm away from each other Otherwise while cutting the second line the first line may come loose and cause trouble Flexcut wears down the cutting knife fast Print amp Cut 3 6 e Detailed Operation 4 ion Introduct 1 This section is a 4 ME PRL ri Pad ie n mg ig rm Lr ee Ls ss DE EOF ATER LE
20. flanges Optional on DC4sx Baskets Optional on DC4sx Rear and Front Media sensor Hard Disk 2 GB job storage space Optional on DC4sx 7 1 2 Interface 8 key control panel 4x20 character liquid crystal display English Display language Metric or English units 7 1 3 Functionality 16 user configurations Auto Alignment system Up to eight colors job OptiTrac Ribbon save e Right side of band e OptiTrac colors Mirror silver and Gold e Cutting e Concatenation and curve smoothing to obtain better cut quality e OptiCut drag movement optimization e Overcut for easy weeding e Multiple repnnt feature up to 999 e Flash Eproms Specifications 7 1 7 1 4 Software e Summa Color Control SCC Optional on DC4sx Postscript Level 3 compatible RIP Import EPS PDF of PS files Scaling rotating mirroring inversing Panelling Colormask and Primerdot Contour Cutting Spotcolor support e WinPlot Bridge program to cut artwork created in other programs Windows 98 2000 amp XP Connection by USB serial parallel or any printer port installed on your operating system Import of simple Al EPS and DXF files Plug in for Coreldraw 11 12 and X3 and Adobe Illustrator CS and CS2 Nesting panelling weeding box and cut by colour possibilities Integration of OPOS e Summa Printer Control Program to control printer parameters Utility to upgrade firmware Possibility to store user configurations on hardd
21. key The Select User Config menu will open and current user configuration will appear on the LCD display the active setting is marked with an 4 Push the Or key to change the configuration Push the key to confirm the selection 1 TIP Use easy names to quickly recognize what each user is configured to do 2 Some names are already predefined in the factory Some extra predefined users can be found on the DC4sx CD under the subdirectory users send them to the DC4sx with Summa Printer Control Open Summa Printer Control Click on select the appropriate file and send it see section 6 2 Basic Operation 2 9 DC4sx User s Manual 2 How to Change media width The DC4sx has two positions for the right pinch roller The recommended roll widths are 61 and 76 cm 24 and 30 inch The printer remembers always the last loaded media width even when machine is switched off regardless of the chosen user If a different size of media is loaded then the DC4sx will prompt the user to check the right pinch roller position MEDI A SI ZE CHANGED CHECK RIGHT PINCH ROLLER POSI TI ON Press to continue and change pinch roller position if necessary The line feed calibration see section 2 3 depends on the loaded media width The line feed parameters are stored per user and it always indicated with a letter in the upper right corner of the LCD for which media width the current user is calibrated L for 76cm 30inch s f
22. must be performed see section below Failing to do so may result in poor print quality Choosing OptiTrac color 1 Power on the printer and load media see section 1 6 1 seuecti Y 2 Press the lt key The printer menu will appear on the LCD 3 Press the key The printer menu will open and first menu item will appear on the LCD 4 Press the Y key until the OptiTrac menu is visible on LCD The OptiTrac menu will appear on the LCD display the current color is marked with an 5 Press the or Pto change the OptiTrac color Press to store new value An asterisk will appear to confirm the new value is saved Be careful with OptiTrac colors which have a large red component in them they can usually not be used because the sensor cannot detect them as it reads them as white It is not recommended to use such colors 6 Proceed with line feed calibration step 4 in next procedure Basic Operation 2 4 DC4sx User s Manual Line feed calibration 1 Power on the printer and load media see section 1 6 1 Press the key The printer menu will appear on the LCD Press the key The printer menu will open and first menu item will appear on the LCD Press the W key until the linefeed test menu is visible on LCD Press the key The line menu will appear on the LCD display there is a choice between a recommended test and a simple test Press to initiate the recommended test A te
23. switch off and on the power to the machine This reset is usually used for canceling current print jobs or canceling non fatal errors or alarms Detailed Operation 4 2 DC4sx User s Manual 4 3 Printer menu The printer menu contains parameters and small routines to optimize the printing quality 4 3 1 Ribbon status The RIBBON STATUS sub menu is used to check the status of the cassettes and their locations Press the key to enter the sub menu Now the status of each cassette and location can be checked Press the A or W to scroll through the different locations FIG 4 2 STORE STATUS The first line shows the current selected location When there is no cassette in the station instead of OK the LCD will read EMPTY and the remaining LCD will be empty The third line displays the color of the ribbon On the bottom line the amount of ribbon remaining in the cassette can be read This amount is only an approximation of the actual length in the cassette 4 3 2 Density Print density is explained in section 2 2 When the hard disk option is installed then the density test is printed in three colors instead of monochrome 4 3 3 Print Speed Print speed refers to the speed of the printhead With the Or key the speed can be raised or lowered Press the Gun key to confirm Lowering speed will reduce banding Raising speed will reduce wrinkling on certain usually non approved media 4 3 4 Double Density
24. the clamps This key works only when the 5DC is in a ready state There are three Clamps The left clamp on the rotating base and the pinch rollers All clamps serve to hold the media in place while printing and transport media forward and backward The LCD prompts the user for a loading procedure when the clamps are raised Basic Operation 2 2 DC4sx User s Manual 2 2 How to Set printing Density Print density refers to the level of energy being sent to the printhead If the density is too low the transfer will be incomplete less than 100 If the density is too high the colors will become matted and washed out Or the ribbon may start to wrinkle The density setting cannot be used to make the printer darker or lighter Print densities change between different media types because energy is absorbed differently depending on the vinyl formulation liner etc Setting the print density 1 Power on the printer and load media see section 1 6 1 2 Press the key The printer menu will appear on the LCD 3 Press the key The printer menu will open and first menu item will appear on the LCD 4 Press the Y key The density will appear on the LCD display the active setting is marked with an 5 Press the D key for a test of the density setting for standard printing or press the GD key for a test of the density setting for rn resolution printing The test is printed in the current OptiTrac color see section 2
25. 16 User 16 FIG 6 8 USER CONFIGURATIONS With this the operator can change the active user and also change the user name By default user 01 and user 02 are factory set for premium cast white and premium clear vinyl Click right on the user to show the parameters of that user set active or change the name of that user Software DC4sx User s Manual 6 3 Summa Color Control SCC configuration The software is optional The program is included on the installation CD but it works only with a dongle 6 3 1 ColorControl Preferences Preferences Category ColorControl System Settings e Temp directory CADOCUME I WVANRA I LOCALS 1 Temp Reprint Licensing HostID XX XX XX XK License key XXXXXXOXOOOOOOUOCOCOOOOOOOOUOUCCOQOOCX HASP Drivers HASP device drivers are version 4 99 5 20 Cancel FIG 6 9 COLORCONTROL PREFERENCES 5 Temp directory Indicates where SCC writes temporary files during processing SCC uses the default MS Windows temp directory 6 License key In this box the dongle license number appears If this box is blank then either the HASP drivers are not installed or the dongle is missing defective or the printer is turned off The printer must always be turned on before launching Summa Color Control Software 6 8 DC4sx 6 3 2 Process preferences Preferences Category ColorControl Plugins N RIP Summa DC3 DC4 Reprint User s Manual Processes Units C inches milli
26. 3 4 3 5 selecta CUL Cate e decetero ae tate sto E DR aede ouest tac cdd ele rm ee d aed 3 5 4 T complete meri SIFUc Ub e uv 4 1 aM velis m 4 3 4 3 COlOU Sii 4 4 4 5 Calibrate meda te usar ida deti Rea E Ceu d uta 4 7 5 1 Cleaning the drive S leeves ccccoocccccccnnnccnonnconanononannnononnnonnnrnnnnnnnnonannnononcnnnnnnos 5 2 5 2 position of the front and rear media sensor ccooccccocnccnccncnncnccnononnnnnonncncnnrncnncnnnnnos 5 2 some a A D DI TIER P 5 3 5 4 Cleaning the printed suoi psoei du uad Ecran req da 5 4 5 5 Cleaning OP OS SEN stereo bitu tee dated emu ed eid petu hrs meatus 5 5 5 6 power entry module ioni eed bna eut or ptt bes ont or conii Peine ab aa su tea eie 5 6 e MiS taati Or SOTBWBEO ercer nieta 6 1 6 2 Summa Printer Control start Sre E Msicei nadrain A i 6 4 G Congurauor SCUING Scat iiubanadunrieianincanines aie duse esed ER E Ue LC vm db ob adu duds 6 6 6 4 TOOL DIODSFUGS nr si 6 6 Table of contents V DC4sx User s Manual O euaee aondoesnaeecuitca 6 7 6 6 User COMM GUL ATIONS turis 6 7 6 7 ColorControl preferences Seni E 6 8 6 9 Process D GTGTenC OS muta 6 9 6 9 fSIPprerererieeS udo un ERU er oveslen bes ord ula caec reU e hdi aa 6 10 sudfeMiloicigieaplor e 6 19 0 1 IMASKING PERDER mS 6 20 6 20 Primer COU NE DO OO T 6 21 621 MISION PRINCE e tU uet ete treu 6 21 Table of contents VI Setup 1 1 Unpacking the DC4sx NOTE Save the shipping box and any other packaging items in case the printer n
27. 60 Load OP OS Marker iia ao 4 6 AAA veo UE LU I MT 4 6 4 5 Setup MON ri e A A RR ERE ERR ERR ENS 4 7 4 51 Take Up roll tL 4 7 Abe RIDDON SIVO eones E 4 7 4 5 9 Calibrate Media soit ot sli 4 7 4 54 Calibrate PrIDE amp QUEb so o A ba oue Lou ELSE oo ud 4 7 4 5 5 XGalibrate OPOS uai esses ta ete Lusso cet eaten creo cols ee a i 4 8 4 5 6 Gals Temp Senso Sii is 4 8 4 5 7 FInWare rV SION sidere casio ma t epa a eoa od tao vedo eka iat E 4 8 4 5 8 Room temperature t m 4 8 Ao COI SW ato 4 8 4 5 0 SNOW printer USAC sitiada 4 8 4 541 Gopy User CONIO pirita dd 4 9 45 122 P TEE DOO Alsina 4 9 Table of contents III DC4sx User s Manual 5 Maintenance and Cleaning cccssscssessecceseecesseseeseeeeeseesenneesensesees 5 1 5 1 GENERAL INFORMA TION iissssssiscunteassussancdecencadassnsdansnassusenduacusracewuusasndecadaune 5 1 5 1 1 Cleaning the drive SYSlCM wince ias 5 1 5 1 2 Cleaning the media sensors eeeeeseeeeeeeeeenenenenennnnnnnnnnn nnn 5 2 521 3 Gleanling the prado 5 4 5 1 4 OptiPrint cleaning system eene nennen nennen nn 5 4 5 1 5 Cleaning the printing surface eeeeeeeeeeenenenenenenennnennnnnnn nn 5 5 5 1 6 Cleaning the OptiTrack sensor eene 5 5 5 2 OPERATING VOLTAGE cssc isias aa ia aaa 5 6 6 SOMWare Tor the Periana 6 1 6 1 INTTOGUCTION c 6 1 6 1 1 Installi
28. ADED Setup 1 8 DC4sx User s Manual 1 5 Connecting the DC4sx to a Computer The DC4sx support bi directional USB The USB cable should be 5 meters 16 feet or less in length The connector on the printer side of the cable should be USB series B 4 pin The connector on the computer side of the cable should be USB A 4 pin 1 5 1 Connecting the printer to a PC using a USB cable 1 Power off the DC4sx 2 Insert the DC4sx CD into the computer s CD ROM drive 3 Connect one end of the USB cable to a USB port on the computer 4 Connect the other end of the USB cable to the USB port on the back of the printer 5 Power on the printer see section 1 4 3 and return to the computer The Found New Hardware Wizard should appear on the computer screen and ask for the USB driver 6 Click OK and follow the instructions provided by the Wizard Windows will find and install the driver 7 Remove the CD from the CD ROM drive 8 Restart the computer NOTE When the DC4sx is connected to a computer for the first time using the USB cable the computer will detect the printer and ask for the USB driver The driver is included on the CD containing this user s manual Failure to install the USB driver the first time the printer is connected may result in the computer listing it as an unknown device Then the only way to install the driver properly is to uninstall the device or to update the driver using the Windows device manager
29. C4sx User s Manual 1 4 3 Powering on the printer CAUTION Be sure the power switch is turned off before connecting the power cord the 0 side of the ON OFF rocker switch should be pressed WARNING KEEP FINGERS AND OTHER BODY PARTS AWAY FROM THE CUTTING AREA THERE ARE HAZARDOUS MOVING PARTS Plug the female end of the AC power cord into the receptacle located in the power entry module on the printer s rear panel Plug male end of the AC power cord into a properly grounded wall socket Power on the printer by pressing the I side of the ON OFF rocker switch located on the power entry module on the rear panel The LCD display will activate and an initializing process will begin Depending on whether there is media loaded or not the process will be different When there is no media loaded the DC4sx will prompt the user for a media load procedure When media is loaded the DC4sx will measure the media width and check the presence of the cassettes and estimate how much usable ribbon is remaining on the roll After loading a small letter will appear on the top row second last digit of the LCD S for small and L for large The letters indicate for which media width the line calibration see section 2 3 was done SLi iH Lib d zoe a L SLIP i Lic L rriri WwiLiri cir ioei Feli PREFIL uiri iE liil Li Eid Li rir LIEL d Li iCii E i FIG 1 8 FIG 1 9 MEDIA IS LOADED AND READY DC4SX IS ON AND NO MEDIA IS LO
30. Double density is a special printing mode This mode enables the DC4sx to print on a much wider range of materials When printer is in double density mode then the speed settings have no effect on the printing speed any more Double density can be set to ON or OFF by pressing the Or key Then press Gun to confirm 4 3 5 Dot overlap The DOT OVERLAP sub menu is used to activate or deactivate the dot overlap When the DC4sx prints the next pass of an image the last dot on the edge of the SO pass is reprinted Dot overlap can be set to ON OFF or HALF by pressing the key Then press Gm to confirm lt is advised to set dot overlap to ON When printing with a mask see 6 3 10 set it to HALF On the LCD display the active setting is marked with an asterisk Detailed Operation 4 3 DC4sx User s Manual 4 3 6 Color Offset The COLOR OFFSET sub menu is used to set the color offset feature While printing the DC4sx shifts each color plane 8 dots STANDARD This is to blend the printed strips together more gradually The figure below shows how offset color plane strips are printed Color offset can be increased 16 dots HIGH or disabled 0 dots DISABLED by pressing the arrow keys Then press to confirm It is advised to set color offset to STANDARD On the LCD display the active setting is marked with an asterisk Second Pass First Pass FIG 4 3 COLOR OFFSET 4 3 7 ScratchGuard The option Scratch g
31. Info Summa Printer Control File View Configuration Settings Tests Help Action List me SHE DC4sx amp User Configurations 3 Tool Properties Ona E Users M Info Printer Madel Media Width Media Length Velocity Knife Pressure Knife Tip Offset Printed Area Rom Revision Serial Number Head Serial Number Head Life Cover Status Modify Settings Ribbons DC4sx 526 mm 50000 mm 500 mmis 75 gr 0 43 mm a M0042 E0042 0 000 m 300411 10017 0 Om All covers closed e o 0 8 72 5 52 13 0 0 0 FIG 6 7 INFO User s Manual Info gives the operator the most important parameters at a glance The printed media area can be set to zero with the eraser tool right next to it The screenshot is made when info is clicked while holding the shift key pressed 6 2 10 Users Summa Printer Control File View Configuration Settings Tests Help i 7 X Users Y Action List x en IPREMIUM WHITE VINYL User 01 amp User Configuratic E PREMIUM CLEAR VINYL User 02 32 Tool Properties EB USER CONFIG 03 User 03 Info BB USER CONFIG 04 User 04 ES Users E USER CONFIG 05 User 05 Fed USER CONFIG 06 User 06 BB USER CONFIG 07 User 07 EH USER CONFIG 08 User 08 EH USER CONFIG 09 User 09 BB USER CONFIG 10 User 10 J USER CONFIG 11 User 11 J USER CONFIG 12 User 12 J USER CONFIG 13 User 13 S USER CONFIG 14 User 14 gS USER CONFIG 15 User 15 HEI USER CONFIG
32. R 3 Carefully pull the knife from the holder Setup 1 17 DC4sx User s Manual 1 8 2 Installing the drag knife 1 Remove the aluminum plunger from the plastic knife holder 5 by turning the knurled adjustment knob 3 counterclockwise until the plunger comes out of the holder 2 Insert the conical non cutting end of the knife into the opening in the narrow end of the holder gently push the knife all the way in 3 Turn the holder upside down and tap it lightly on a solid surface to ensure that the knife is completely inserted 4 Slowly turn the knurled knob clockwise until the tip of the blade extends the distance required for the desired cutting media t as shown in figure below N rot LIZZ ITT TINT F4 BACKING FIG 1 23 KNIFE LENGTH ADJUSTMENT 5 Insert the knife holder into head clamp seating it firmly FIG 1 24 CLAMP DRAG HEAD 6 Close the clamp and tighten the clamp screw Setup 1 18 9C ex 2 Basic Operation 2 1 The control Panel Figure 2 1 shows the control panel of the DC4sx The most used functions of the LCD and the control panel keys are explained in the following paragraphs It is advised not to touch the control panel while the machine is printing or cutting except for canceling the current job cH dH A HE PIE AEETI pe pnm PP dl A PE FEN T F or ze T FIG 2 1 DC4SX CONTROL PANEL 2 1 1 The liquid crystal display The liquid crystal display
33. Reset spot ID s Cancel FIG 6 12 PREFERENCES 1 Destination printer select the interface port most commonly used is the USB port 2 Check if printer type is set to Summa DC4sx This is important for maximum printing width and tile size 3 RIP output directory specify the directory where ripped files will be stored Please BE VERY CAREFUL and watch this directory as large ripped files can accumulate and fill your computers hard disk quickly 4 Custom masks import custom made masks for the Vision Print feature It is recommended to use bitmaps with a height that is a multiple of 16 pixels 5 Import Spot ID s allows new spot color ID s to be created and imported when a new spot color is released 6 Reset Spot ID s resets spot ID s to factory default Software 6 11 DC4sx User s Manual 6 3 5 Reprint preferences Preferences Category ColorControl Rentint Processes SEIT Plugins RIP Summa DC3 DC4 V Use the RIP output directory Reprint directory Browse Cancel FIG 6 13 REPRINT PREFERENCES Reprint directory select to use the RIP output directory or choose another location to store ripped files Software 6 12 DC4sx User s Manual 6 3 6 How to rip and print To begin enter the Fe menu and click on Print to Summa DC3 DC4 n th e s uent dialog boxes browse to the file that needs to be printed and click on the button The print dialog box will appear there
34. T4 0A 250V SCHURTER SPT OR EQUIVALENT The power entry module detects the line voltage and switches automatically between 110V and 230V The fuse is at the back next to the power inlet FIG 5 6 POWER ENTRY MODULE Power entry module 2 Fuse holder 3 Fuse Maintenance 5 6 DE 6 1 Introduction 6 Software for the PC The installation manual CD contains following program s plug in s 1 Summa Printer Control 2 Spot color palette for Corel and Illustrator 3 Summa Color Control optional dongle required 4 WinPlot 5 Plug in for Corel and Illustrator for Summa Color Control and WinPlot 6 ICC profiles When the installation CD is inserted in the computer then it start normally automatically If not launch the routine manually from the Run command line in the Windows Start menu Type D autostart exe where D is the CD ROM drive Type the name of a program Folder document or Internet resource and Windows will open it For you Open D autostart exel v After that the start up screen appears Software Summa CD DC4 sx Install winPlat ii Install Printer Tools AS User s Manual A Explore CD Summa Home Page Huit Copyright 2006 Summa FIG 6 1 INSTALLATION OF SOFTWARE 6 1 DC4sx User s Manual 6 1 1 Installing Summa Color Control Color Control is a RIP it can import eps files and then send the data to the printer It accepts both pri
35. TH TEST PATTERN The knife depth is correctly set when the test pattern is visible on the front side of the media backing but not on the rear side of the media backing 5 Increase the knife pressure using the key when the cut pattern is not visible on the front side of the media backing 6 Decrease the knife pressure with the key when the cut pattern is visible on the rear side of the media backing 7 Press the key save and do a new test or the key to save the changed setting In general you should increase the knife depth and knife pressure when using thicker vinyl types Basic Operation 2 6 DC4sx User s Manual Setting the knife offset 1 Power on the printer and load media see section 1 6 1 Press the key and the W key until cutter menu is visible The cutter menu will appear on the LCD Press the key The cutter menu will open and the knife pressure will appear on the LCD display the active setting is marked with an Press the W key The knife offset will appear on the LCD display the active setting is marked with an Press the key A knife offset test pattern as shown below will be cut out FIG 2 6 CORRECT KNIFE OFFSET PATTERN When the knife offset is too low the test pattern looks like this and the knife offset will have to be raised When the knife offset is too high the test pattern looks like this and the knife offset will have to be lowered Increase t
36. VED CMYK TO CMY 7 Use High resolution mode is an option to print in high resolution When this mode is used then the DC4 prints with a resolution of 304x608 dpi which results in higher color contrast and scharper images 8 Masking is an option to print color layers underneath other colors Commonly used for printing on clear vinyl Choose between ColorMask complete coverage Primer dot printed dot on dot or pixel on pixel and VisionPrint perforated hole patterns The patterns in VisionPrint can be chosen with Mask name The size of the pattern can be changed with Mask size and Shape size The small window next to the shape option displays the pattern that will be printed out The black area indicates area to be printed and the white area indicates what will not be printed There is a choice of one two or three masking layers Fill in the cassettes numbers for selected layers as needed a Laver black we Layer 2 white Design FIG 6 21 MASKING Software 6 20 DC4sx User s Manual Layer 2 white Design FIG 6 22 PRIMER DOT ee AA SS SN A SUN E ES zx a I A y ER Layer 1 black SV e a Layer 2 white Design FIG 6 23 VISION PRINT Software 6 21 2 C v4 7 Specifications 7 1 Features List 7 1 1 Hardware OptiPrint media cleaner Optional on DC4sx Powered roll feed system with media flanges Powered roll up system with media
37. are 5 tabs General tab General Color Screening Layout Advanced Miror Negative F RIP amp Print FUR o Save I PS EPSF PDF file after successfully RIP ing Save v RiP ed file after successfully printing RIP ed filename Cdsumma scc Number of copies 1 Cancel Save defaults FIG 6 14 GENERAL TAB l Force Black Overprint overprints all black elements which help to prevent small gi black text from dropping out the background color rom FORCE BLACK OVERPRINT ON FORCE BLACK OVERPRINT OFF Mirror reverses the image which is useful for some backlit and window graphic applications Negative creates a negative image which is useful for screen printing applications RIP amp Print select which operation to perform Rotate rotates an image 90 180 or 270 Save PS EPS PDF file after successfully ripping Select whether to save or delete the file that has just been ripped Save HIP ed file after printing Select whether to save or delete the ripped file after printing The location of the ripped files can be set in the preference menu If this option is set to on then this subdirectory has to be checked regularly in order not to flood the hard disk Number of copies specify the number of copies to print Software 6 13 DC4sx User s Manual 6 3 7 Color Tab General Color Screening Layout Advanced Colorspace EE Reverse print order Color name Type Co
38. at resistant layer which is coated on the backside of the ribbon 4 4 Cutter menu The cutter menu contains parameters and small routines to optimize the cutting quality 4 4 1 Knife pressure The KNIFE PRESSURE parameter is used to set the cutting pressure of the knife Press the Or arrow keys until the desired pressure is displayed on the LCD then press D to confirm The knife pressure can be set between 0 and 400 grams Knife pressure set up is explained in detail in section 1 9 On the LCD the active knife pressure is marked with an asterisk 4 4 2 knife offset The KNIFE OFFSET parameter is used to set the distance between the knife blade tip and the center axis of rotation The default knife offset value is 45 mm Detailed Operation 4 5 DC4sx User s Manual Press the Or arrow key until the desired knife offset is displayed on the LCD and press Gun to confirm The value can be set between 0 and 1 mm Make sure that the selected knife offset value matches that of the knife blade Some fine tuning may be necessary because of the mechanical tolerances on the knife To verify the knife offset a test can be cut by pressing the TS If the offset value is set too low the rectangles will not close When the offset value is set too high the rectangles will be distorted On the LCD display the active setting is marked with an asterisk 4 4 3 Velocity The VELOCITY submenu is used to set or mo
39. aw from version 12 on and Adobe Illustrator from version CS on for WinPlot and Color Control The plug in for Corel install an extra toolbar Clicking on an icon in this toolbar automatically exports the current drawing into the program indicated in the toolbar The plug in for Illustrator creates an extra menu under the file menu called summa From there the current design can be exported into Color Control or WinPlot 8 Palette for spot color definitions in ColorDraw from revision 10 on and Adobe Illustrator from version 10 on The palette includes also the special color contour With this spot color the print and cut data can e separated All objects in the design which have as color contour will not be printed by Color Control but cut out after first printing the other data 9 ICC profiles The use of ICC profiles is explained in a separate document that can be found on the installation CD 10 Summa Printer Control The Summa Printer Control Program for MS Windows is a software utility to optimize the overall printing and cutting capabilities of the DC4sx Click on the button to install The individual printer tools can be installed directly after installation of the printer tool program or afterwards Software 6 2 DC4sx User s Manual This installation just puts all the tools on your hard disk ready for installation To install later just click on start gt All Programs gt Summa gt Summa Printer
40. be performed directly from the keypad The calibrate print amp Cut calibration is explained in section 2 5 4 3 12 Head alignment test When the Hard disk option is installed then this test can also be performed directly from the keypad Otherwise this test has to be started from Summa Printer Control The head alignment test is used to check if the carriage is aligned mounted correctly on the DC4sx This test should only be performed after a head or a carriage change Fig xxx shows the pattern that is printed using this test The lines must meet in the middle within a certain tolerance FIG 4 4 HEAD ALIGNMENT TEST 4 3 13 Clean printhead This routine cleans the printhead If the transfer of the ribbon has degraded then this cleaning procedure will clean the printhead automatically Also the printhead is periodically cleaned while printing Do not use this cleaning routine too often as it can prematurely wear down the printhead surface This procedure cleans any build up from the he
41. cassette station Open only when the machine is paused or switched off 6 Media supply rollers The two back rollers are part of the media supply system 7 Media Supply Sensor The media supply sensor enables the motorized media supply rollers Do not place any objects in front of the sensor Setup 1 5 DC4sx User s Manual 1 3 Ideal Operating Environment Environmental conditions can significantly affect the printers performance High humidity high temperatures direct sunlight and airborne contamination dust can adversely affect print quality The printer should be located away from windows and doors preferably within a clean interior room of a building Check for the following conditions when installing the DC4sx gt Surface must be level without vibration gt Operating temperature should be stable between 15 27 degrees Celsius 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit gt Operating humidity should be stable between 30 and 75 Area should not be prone to static electricity no carpeted floors gt Be sure to allow enough space surrounding the printer for changing media rolls and ribbons At least 500mm 24 inches on both sides and 1000mm 40 inches behind and in front of the printer gt The printer uses a universal power supply that can operate from 100 to 240 volts with a line frequency of 50 or 60 Hz Setup 1 6 DC4sx User s Manual 1 4 Connecting the Printer to the Mains 1 4 4 Grounding Earthing
42. chine The printer aligns the media automatically during operation Therefore the left side of the vinyl roll must be straight seen from the front of the DC4sx To load the media proceed as follows While loading the media do not touch the gray printing surface platen Doing so might permanently damage the delicate printing surface 1 Switch the printer on 2 Insert a media core holder in each end of the media roll Check first if they are loosened If not loosen them with the black knob at the side Figure 1 10 shows a loosened 1 core holder and an expanded 2 core holder m No FIG 1 10 MEDIA CORE HOLDER 3 Insert the loosened core holders into each end of the roll Then tighten them with the black knob be sure both core holders are secured 4 Place the media roll on the DC4sx rollers The right core holder guide is at a fixed position on the supply rollers bar The left guide is adjustable Make sure the media roll is positioned as in figure 1 8 Guide the beginning of the vinyl around the second supply roll 1 Then make a big loop underneath and behind the two roller bars and pull it upwards and into the machine FIG 1 11 POSITION OF THE SUPPLY ROLL ON THE DC4SX Setup 1 11 DC4sx User s Manual 5 Press the bottom pushbutton 1 located on the right side to unwind the media roll Hold the media so it does not touch the floor Insert the vinyl between the cassette station and the base Make
43. cononnnnnonancnnnonanennnonarennnnnos 1 16 1 21 Removing the drag knife holder from the clamp ssss 1 17 1 22 Removing the knife from the standard drag knife holder 1 17 1 23 Knife length adjusttie lt saei A Eee Ed nea Re 1 18 1 24 Clamp arag Nedd M DL AA 1 18 e q DOdSODODIFO MPa lada ad 2 1 2 2 Internal Denisty TOS unn scceawens 2 3 2 3 recommended line feed calibration test oooooooncccccnnncccccncccnncnnnncnncnnancnncnnancnnnnnos 2 5 2 4 simple line feed calibration test ooccccconnncococononononcononncnnanonononononnncnnonannnononos 2 5 2 5 nile debt test DN tii 2 6 2 6 Correct knife offset pattern ccccoonncnnccconcnncconnnnnonnnnnnnononcnnnonnnnonnnnoncnnnonanenncnnnns 2 7 2 7 Correct knife offset pattern cccoconccncccconcnncconnnncnonononononacononnnnnonnnnancnnnnnnncnnnnnnns 2 8 2 8 Repositioning Feller Qulde seuedte susti due uode thr ite eua qun te auti paco emo ct Dundee Dto aes st 2 11 3 1 Design WITH GOMTOUP soc eoe e a wert icias 3 1 3 2 advised places for contour placement ococcconccnconcccconccnnnnncnnnnncononnnencnnaconnnncnnnnnros 3 2 3 3 Placement of the first origin Marker ooccccncncccnnccoccnococnnconnonnnnononnnnonnnnnannnnnnnss 3 2 3 4 Placement of the rest of the markers ccccccseeeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeseeeesseeeesaeeeseeeess 3 9 Sociis RU ici
44. d disk is installed On the hard disk of the DC4sx there are two demo files A print and cut file of 800mm by 380mm and a color chart Pres the Gun key to enter the menu Then with the Bor Y key choose the demo file Then press the D key to execute The color chart was made with Corel 11 then exported using the generic CMYK printer profile and then ripped with the screening option set to printer default Colors might differ slightly when using other settings in either CorelDraw or SummaColorControl Detailed Operation 4 9 DE 5 Maintenance and Cleaning 5 1 GENERAL INFORMATION The DC4sx has a number of sliding surfaces made of smooth metals and plastics They are virtually friction free and require no lubrication They will however collect dust and lint which may affect the performance of the DC4sx Keep the DC4sx as clean as possible by keeping the front cover always closed When necessary clean the unit with a soft cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol or mild detergent Do not use abrasive cleaners The printing surface is made out of a special cellular material Do not touch it Cleaning it with any kind of fluid will permanently damage it Also if pressure is applied to the surface with anything other than the printhead the printing surface could also be permanently damaged 5 1 1 Cleaning the drive system After time and usage the sleeves of the drive drum may become clogged with accumulated residue from the media l
45. dify the cutting velocity The default pup d is 500 mm s 20 ips Press the gt Or r lt arrow keys until the desired speed is displayed on the LCD and press D to confirm The velocity can be set between 50 mm s 2 ips and 600 mm s 24 ips On the LCD the active plotting speed is marked with an asterisk 4 4 4 Overcut The OVERCUT submenu enables you to generate an overcut in order to improve weeding the cut vinyl Press the Or arrow keys to change the value and press to confirm The default overcut is set to 2 The overcut setting can be disabled 20 or set to any value between 1 and 10 Each unit is about 0 1 mm or 0 004 On the LCD the active value is marked with an asterisk 4 4 5 DIN test The DIN TEST CUT performs an electrical and mechanical test of the cutter in order to check the cut quality but also provides the user with feedback on knife setting knife pressure knife offset and cutting depth This test cut is always a DIN A4 portrait A size image This cut is always executed in the sequence prescribed by the ISO DIN standard Press the key to execute 4 4 6 Load OPOS Markers This initiates the special load procedure to read the pre printed markers This feature is completely explained in chapter 6 of this manual Press the key to execute and follow the instructions on the LCD 4 4 7 Flex mode Flex mode is explained in section 3 2 As well the individual parameters Detailed Operat
46. ed down from the pallet Be sure the wheels of the printer are aligned with the ramp legs FIG 1 4 UNPACKING DC4SX FINAL STAGE 4 Open the front cover and loosen the printer carriage then remove the foam underneath the carriage which is protecting the printhead Loosen the cutter carriage Remove the protective sheet from the printing surface The printing surface is very fragile please read section 5 1 5 Setup 1 3 DC4sx User s Manual 1 2 DC4sx printer components 1 2 1 The DC4sx as viewed from the front FIG 1 5 DCASX FRONT VIEW 1 Control Panel and LCD All printer activity can be initiated from the 8 key control panel The LCD informs the user on the current status of the printer or actions which need to be taken A detailed explanation can be found in section 4 2 Front Cover The front cover protects the media from dust and also the operator from any moving parts during operation Therefore the front cover must be kept closed during operation To open the front cover you must first pause the machine 3 Pinch Rollers The pinch rollers clamp the media to the drive system and insure necessary tracking The pinch rollers are electrically powered from the keypad The right pinch roller can be set in 2 different positions 4 Printer Carriage The printer carriage holds the ribbon cassette and the thermal printhead The thermal printhead is made from fragile ceramic glaze DO NOT TOUCH THE PRINTHEAD as oi
47. eeds to be moved Do not transport the printer without first completely repacking it in its original packaging CAUTION For safety reasons no fewer than two people should be involved in unpacking the printer Before unpacking make sure to have at least 4 meter of space at one side of the box because the printer will be rolled down a ramp Remove the straps and open the flaps of the box take out the 4 foam blocks Then remove the box from the pallet this must be done in a room that is at least 2 5 meter high Remove the protective bag then cut all the straps and cable ties Next set aside the accessories box FIG 1 1 DC4SX ON SHIPPING PALLET Setup 1 1 DC4sx User s Manual The printer is secured to the base at each side with a bracket Remove the 4 nuts 17mm located at each side Next lift the brackets up and out by pulling the bottom part backwards under the DC4sx and then remove them FIG 1 2 UNPACKING DC4SX STAGE 2 Remove the two foam blocks from underneath the stand Do this using the two ramps which are screwed to the pallet Slide the ramp under the stand closest to the end with the foam suspension blocks From this point on two people ARE REQUIRED for safety reasons Lift the DC4sx from each side just high enough so the foam blocks can be pulled out from underneath the DC4sx FIG 1 3 UNPACKING DC4SX STAGE 3 Setup 1 2 DC4sx User s Manual Position the ramps so the printer can be roll
48. en diagnosing problems over the telephone 4 5 8 Room temperature Press the key and the DC4sx will display the room temperature 4 5 9 coil setup This test is used to calibrate knife pressure and to set the knife Landing After adjustment the value is saved in the system s memory To execute this test a tension gauge of 100 gr and 500 gr is required Press the key to enter the test and follow the guidelines on the LCD screen Do not perform the coil test when the machine is working properly Changing the parameters to incorrect values may seriously affect the quality and may even damage the DC4sx 4 5 10 Show printer usage Pressing the key will furnish the square meter square feet amount of vinyl carried through the unit during printing Pressing the key will reset this counter to zero Detailed Operation 4 8 DC4sx User s Manual 4 5 11 Copy User Config This menu enables the operator to copy the parameters from one user to another user see 4 2 5for detail on which parameters When copying the parameters the user name is not changed Pres the Gun key start the copy process With the Or key the source user can be chosen With the A or W key the target user can be chosen Then press the D key to confirm or the Gm key to cancel It is recommended to change the user rather then doing a calibration when changing media type 4 5 12 Print Demo File This menu option is only visible if a har
49. eral Color Screening Layout Advanced Frequency 1 9685039 lines mm v Angle fios Shape Elipse Cancel Save defaults FIG 6 16 SCREENING TAB 1 Use printers default screens the frequency angle and dot shape that are specified in the EPS file will be used while ripping and printing If this box is unchecked then those parameters can be changed for different effects 2 Ink Use the same shape and frequency for all colors otherwise unexpected patterns will appear in the design 3 Frequency The frequency is the line frequency Ipmm or Ipi This parameter determines the size of the cell in which dots are put together to create the colors Do not confuse this term dots per mm dpmm or dpi Domm is the resolution of the printer The head of a DC4sx has a fixed resolution of 12 dpmm 304 dpi The number of shades depends on the relation between dpmm and lpmm lpi and dpi The formula is domm lpmm or dpi Ipi It is recommended to use only frequencies between 0 8 and 2 lines mm 20 to 50 lines inch Below is an example of printing out a gradient from 100 to 0 black with respectively 1 1 55 2 35 Ipmm 25 40 and 60 lpi and a smooth gradient FIG 6 17 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LINE FREQUENCIES Software 6 15 DC4sx User s Manual 4 Angle To get various shades to reproduce an image the RIP uses a process called screening Screening breaks an image down into series of dots Each screen is
50. he DC4sx Table of Contents sr 1 1 1 1 UNPACKING Me DAS carencia anio a UNES Eu aaa aaa 1 1 1 2 DC4sx printer COMpONeN iS mmcccccccococanon anna RENE 1 4 1 2 1 The DC4sx as viewed from the frOMt oooccccnncccccccnnnnnccnnnncnnnonanaconnnnconnnnnannos 1 4 1 2 2 The printer as viewed from the back eeeeeeeeese 1 5 1 3 Ideal Operating Environment e ooeee ee reeee ern nenne nnn nnns 1 6 1 4 Connecting the Printer to the Mains e eren rre een 1 7 14 1 Grounding Eanthing oo AN E E E l 7 1 4 2 Operating voltage cccccccococonocononocononononononannnnnnnnonenenenononenenenenenenenenenennenenes 1 7 1 4 3 Powering on the printer eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee nnne nnnm nnns 1 8 1 5 Connecting the DC4sx to a Computer 1 eer rere erre nnns 1 9 1 5 1 Connecting the printer to a PC using a USB cable 1 9 1 5 2 Connecting the printer to a Mac using a USB cable 1 10 1 6 Media Handling iii acia 1 11 ESA oo o A Em mr 1 11 1 6 2 Unloading the media oococnncnncccncnnnnnnnncnnnnncnnnnnananarocencnnnnnnononnnnnn on rnrnnananos 1 13 1 6 3 Using the media baSke8t oooonncicicinnnincccccnnnnccononananaconcnnnnnnononnnnn nnns 1 13 1 7 Loading ribbon cassettes 1
51. he knife offset using the key decrease the knife offset with the key Press the key save and do a new test or the key to save the changed setting Basic Operation 2 7 DC4sx User s Manual 2 5 How to calibrate print and Cut The print head and the cutting head have each their own origin point Perform the following test to align the both origins so that the contour cuts are not offset Each time the knife is replaced or media type is changed then the print and cut calibration has to be done Only do a print and cut calibration if the media tracking and knife parameters are set correct See section 2 3 Print and cut calibration 1 Power on the printer and load media see section 1 6 1 2 Start Summa Printer Control See section 6 2 3 Click on Tests gt Internal tests gt Print amp Cut calibration Summa Printer Control File wiew Configuration Settings MESES Help s Internal Tests 3 BH DIM Cut Head Alignment 1_ Line Feed Calibr ation 2 Update Firmware EX Head Status Action Lis ES Summa Printer Qn User Configurations 22 Tool Properties 13 Info Print amp Cut Calibration The DC4sx first prints and cuts out a test pattern similar to the one below Weed out the large rectangle and then search in each set for the small square where the printed lines are not visible
52. he orientation of the design loaded in the DC4sx must be the same as the orientation on screen in WinPlot Complete design gt Cutting data FIG 3 6 SELECTING CUT DATA Print amp Cut 3 5 DC4sx User s Manual 3 2 Cutting trough The DC4sx can also cut through both vinyl and backing This is done with the option FlexCut FlexCut can be set to OFF Fast or Accurate When the cutter is set to Fast or Accurate it will alternately cut a certain length with full pressure and a certain length with reduced pressure The advantage of the FlexCut feature is that it cuts completely through the material yet allows the material to stay together by means of the small media bridges Fast is the quickest mode but it is less precise due to the pressure changes during the cutting Accurate is much slower but much more precise as the cutter stops at every change of pressure There are 4 typical FlexCut parameters l Fullpressure pressure This parameter determines the maximum pressure This the pressure at which the knife cuts completely 2 Full pressure cut length This parameter determines the length that is cut with full pressure usually the length that will be cut all the way through 3 Flex pressure cut length This parameter determines the length that will be cut with reduced pressure or without pressure This is usually a much smaller value than the full pressure cut length this is the length of the media
53. ic Equipment WEEE Directive Directive 2002 96 EC of the European Parliament and of the Council The symbol right is shown on this product It indicates that the product should not be disposed of with regular household waste but should be disposed of separately Electrical and electronic equipment can contain materials that are hazardous to the environment and human health and therefore should be disposed of at a designated waste facility or returned to your retailer for the appropriate recycling to take place bo If you wish to dispose of this product and the product still functions please consider recycling reusing it by donating it to a charity shop selling it or part exchanging it with your retailer Copyright 2006 Summa bvba Registering Your Printer Please register your printer on the following link http www summa be registration html Failure to register may result in delayed responses to your warranty and service inquiries Contact Information All inquiries comments or suggestions concerning this and other Summa manuals should be directed to North America and Asia Pacific Summa Inc 10001 Lake City Way NE Seattle WA 98125 USA Main Office 1 206 527 1050 1 800 527 7788 Fax 1 206 527 1046 Support support summausa com Sales sales summa us Web Site www summausa com Eastern United States and Latin America Summa East Inc 222 Jubilee Drive Peabody MA 01960 USA
54. iner This situation may affect traction as the media will tend to slip between the pinch rollers and the drive sleeves To clean the drive sleeves proceed as follows 8 Power down the DC4sx and remove media and cassettes Switch it back on 9 Wait until it is initialized and open the front cover 10 Cover the front and rear sensor with a piece of paper Remove the backing from a piece of vinyl Place the vinyl with the tacky side down between one of the pinch rollers and a drive sleeve 11 Close the cover press the key twice and wait until the machine is ready 12 Open the cover and press the A or W arrow keys to move the vinyl strip adhesive side down back and forth Be careful not to lose the strip within the machine Press the key again to release the pinch rollers The figure shows the front sensor covered and the vinyl strip between the pinch roller and the sleeve Maintenance 5 1 DC4sx User s Manual FIG 5 1 CLEANING THE DRIVE SLEEVES 5 1 2 Cleaning the media sensors After a time and usage the sensor may become dirty with accumulated residue from the media This situation may cause malfunctioning of the DC4sx gt To clean the sensor area proceed as follows 1 The front sensor is located on the DC4sx left side right next to the pinch roller The rear sensor is located on the same line as the front sensor but on the rear plate 2 To keep the sensors clean it is sufficient to wipe them out
55. influence on the accuracy is rather small The distance between the different markers must be the same O Make a copy of the row of markers and place them left to the design Make sure the left row is not shifted in the up down direction in reference to the right row of markers O Make the layer on which the contour lines are invisible and not printable O Print the design together with markers on the DC4sx Print amp Cut 3 Go DC4sx User s Manual Make sure not to scale or rotate the design in the RIP Leave at least 30cm after the design Leave the front edge also to the design It is advised to group the jobs on a roll since with each sheet there needs to be rear margin of 30cm HN i P a Sa FIG 3 5 PRINTED DESIGN Print amp Cut 3 4 DC4sx User s Manual 3 1 1 3 Making cutting data ready O Make the layer on which the contour lines are visible and printable Do the opposite with the print data O Make sure that he origin marker top right is also defined as a contour This will be used as the origin for the cutting O It is recommended to use WinPlot for sending cutting data to the DC4sx WinPlot also send the OPOS parameters automatically to the DC4sx Just click on the OPOS cut icon and the parameters will be send to the DC4sx and the special load will be activated the machine will ask the user to put the knife tip above the first OPOS marker When using WinPlot then t
56. ion 4 6 DC4sx User s Manual 4 5 Setup menu The setup menu contains parameters tests and info on the DC4sx that are not often used 4 5 1 Take up roll The TAKE UP ROLL sub menu is used to activate or deactivate the take up rollers The take up rollers can be enabled disabled or just set to take up after a job by pressing the Or key Then press to confirm The default setting is STANDARD On the LCD display the active setting is marked with an asterisk 4 5 2 Ribbon Save The RIBBON SAVE sub menu is used to set the ribbon save mode In STANDARD mode a ribbon is used over the full width of the print job as soon as one dot is required in the print pass No ribbon will be used if no ink is required in the print pass In ribbon save mode HIGH no ribbon will be used if no ink is required in the print pass and ribbon will also be saved as soon as no ink is required anymore on the right hand side of the image With ribbon save mode HIGH the printhead is raised inside the image This may leave an impression in the vinyl causing print quality issues in the next print passes The ribbon save mode can be set by pressing the Or key Then press to confirm The default setting is STANDARD On the LCD display the active setting is marked with an asterisk 4 5 3 calibrate media Calibrate media is used to optimize the parameters of the OptiTrac sensor Press the to perform the calibration The DC4sx prints out
57. isk Windows 98 2000 amp XP Specifications
58. ite 23 Summa Printer amp User Configurations 3 Tool Properties Info Ed Users Summa Register Online FIG 6 4 SUMMA PRINTER CONTROL START SCREEN 6 2 1 File menu Summa Printer Control l l l l l With the file menu configuration settings can be save on Cu dedo the computer and loaded from its hard disk The options save Ctri s are only highlighted if a connection between the DC4sx mi View Configuration Settings Te Save As x y and the computer has been established This can be useful sn ext p as back up or extra users XA The last item in this menu will exit the program 6 2 2 View menu Summa P rinter Control With the view menu the appearance of the program MEA Configuration Settings Tests Help can be changed Some options are only highlighted Tobas gt l if a connection between the DC4sx and the B _ e niet z computer has been established tra Status Bar i wv Show Hints n ll Parameter a carge ons d Hiiknife P essure t small Izens H knife Tp Offset uae List velocitv SEE Details e Overcct Density Refresh FS Eler Software 6 4 DC4sx User s Manual 6 2 3 Configuration menu Summa Printer Control With the configuration menu the language and units of measurement which Summa Printer control uses can EE Dele 3 f be changed With the option menu more or less uiui n parameters can be made visible Fil View iSite Settings Tests Hep Action
59. l or moisture can corrode the surface The printhead can also be VERY HOT just after printing 5 Cleaning Plate The cleaning plate is used to clean the thermal printhead While printing the printhead cleans itself automatically and at regular intervals 6 Front Wheels The front wheels of the DC4sx are equipped with locking brakes Secure the brakes once the DC4sx is permanently installed by pressing the locking wheel brake down with your foot 7 Cutter Carriage The cutter carriage is the mount for the contour cutting knife holder Setup 1 4 DC4sx User s Manual 1 2 2 The printer as viewed from the back FIG 1 6 DC4SX REAR VIEW 1 Power Entry Module The fuse box the AC power cord receptacle and the on off switch are located in the power entry module See section 1 4 3 for power up procedure and section 1 4 3 for information about changing the fuse 2 Media Load push buttons On the right side there are two push buttons conveniently located to make the loading process easy For further explanation see section 1 6 1 3 USB port This interface is based on the standards specified in Universal Serial Bus Specifications Revision 1 1 It allows for high speed bi directional serial communication between the host computer and the DC4sx 4 Cable clamp These two cable clamps provide a neat path for the communication cables 5 Cassette station latch Two latches are located at the back in order to open up the
60. lor ID Print order Process Magenta Process Process Process Spot CONTOUR Cut line Cancel Save defaults FIG 6 15 COLOR TAB 1 Colorspace select 3 color CMY 4 color CMYK Monochrome Grey scale or spot color only Printing in 4 colors is chosen to deepen shadows and to provide a true black Printing in 3 colors reduces the cost of the output See fig below only visible in color PRINTED CMYK PRINTED CMY Reverse print order reverses the print order This option is used for reverse backlit applications to preserve the lightest color being printed first Choosing this option also has as a result that the masking colors are printed last The best print order is always YMCK Type CMYK information in the file will default to Process If spot color information is assigned in the design software then they will appear here as Spot The spot colors can be changed to As process if the spot color ribbons are not available The spot color COUNTOUR is an exception SCC will cut out any information in spot color CONTOUR There can only be one contour color Cassette Number refers to the ribbon ID number Numbers are assigned automatically if SCC recognizes the color name Print order specify the order in which the color planes will be printed Ideally process colors always print in YMCK order lightest color first Software 6 14 DC4sx User s Manual 6 3 8 Screening tab Gen
61. meters picas Drag n Drop Process Summa DC3 DC4 Cancel FIG 6 10 PROCESS PREFERENCES 1 Units sets the units of measurement for pixel resolution page size and rulers within the preview menu 2 Drag n Drop RIP identifies the printer being used Software 6 9 DC4sx User s Manual 6 3 3 RIP preferences Preferences Category ColorControl Processes Plugins RIP RIP Settings ma DC3 DC4 Lib directory C Program Files SummaCC lib p E Reprint RIP memory MB 116 H Default Page Size mm Width 0 Height 0 Cancel FIG 6 11 RIP PREFERENCES 1 Lib directory where SCC s library files reside The default is C Program Files SummaCC lib psrip3 If during an installation the files are stored elsewhere then change this setting appropriately If the settings are incorrect SCC will give a fatal error when ripping 2 RIP memory MB the amount of RAM SCC uses while processing files The default is the minimum 16MB The maximum memory used by SCC is 256MB 3 Default page size provides the default page size if the imported Postscript file does not contain page size information Software 6 10 DC4sx User s Manual 6 3 4 DC4sx preferences Preferences Category ColorControl Summa DC3 DC4 Processes E Destination printer USB Reprint Printer type Summa DC4 E RIP output directory C Program Files SummaCC Output Browse Custom masks Import spot ID s
62. ng Summa Color Control eere 6 2 6 1 2 Installitg VVIWP OLD 5 onde a pui UN EU SER Sut tectae ISDN DEM a eiae aku 6 2 6 1 3 Installing printer TOOIS 25 1 uoto o eat c Uere bi i n 6 2 6 2 Summa Printer Control Menus e 1oee err nree ee rona nane a annm 6 4 A T t UMS 6 4 0 2 2 VIEW MENU 6 4 6023 GOonfigurallOm IMONU savas uoce aiana a N O 6 5 024 SensSens E 6 5 SACO TESIS MENU na TEE NN 6 5 020 CU c E UE UL 6 6 o2 7 XOontigurauon Selih s ii 6 6 6 26 OOM DFODCIICS srt asc Et OS 6 6 A 0 PP 6 7 210 US TT 6 7 6 3 Summa Color Control SCC configuration 6 8 6 34 QolorGontrol Preferences uico ci iioii iii 6 8 6 3 2 Process preferences card iddas 6 9 A RIPPE ENCES Snir E a a a Eu datus 6 10 6 9 4 DOZSX PreterencOS miii 6 11 6 3 5 Reprint preferences orreen E Eea EOE 6 12 03 0 HOW TOMI and DIAL e t S E o 6 13 6 37 O 6 14 638 SCIESNING EBD econo tenor A Ta 6 15 039 MEAVOUL TAD asrorin ess ornen ann eena TEE TOE RT 6 18 63 TC Advanced aDeSe 6 19 7 clie US 7 1 7 1 F atures List AA O vau EC on a CU da CU na CU VH RERUM KU ovd n OU aaa anaana A Arana 7 1 A ecce 7 1 Tlie WAVCVAGCC ec tad 7 1 A A Hc Rt 7 1 PAA SOIWAIO ann a D LEE 7 2 Table of contents IV DC4sx User s Manual List of Figures 1 1 DC4sx on shipping pallet 25 2 0 ence eoe nhe ehe uda tdgsaiteaotdeacdoed aasensclapecsades 1 1 1 2 Unpacking DCASX Stage
63. nt and contour cut data Color Control is optional and requires a hardware key also called a dongle Click on the button to install First the device driver for the dongle is installed This is third party driver from the company Aladdin Follow the instruction on screen The installation may take a while The setup of the Color Control installation start automatically after the installation of the driver It is not recommended to change the options during the installation See section 6 3 for explanation of the options of Color Control 6 1 2 Installing WinPlot WinPlot is a cutter driver It accepts eps and ai files with cut data It can send then the data to the DC4sx The DC4sx is not made to use as a cutter Reason for that is the supply mechanism It is internally switches off during cutting to avoid that the supply roll unrolls out off itself because of the constant movement of the vinyl during cutting So when the DC4sx is used for cutting only the media has to be loaded as a sheet It is recommended to use WinPlot only when using OPOS contour cutting see section 3 1 1 2 To install WinPlot just click on the button and follow instructions on screen It is not recommended to change the options Restarting computer after installing WinPlot is not necessary if no other processes were running during installation 6 1 3 Installing printer tools Following useful tools can be installed with this program 7 Plug in for CorelDr
64. or 61cm 24inch If a job is sent to the DC4sx and the loaded media width is not calibrated with the correct line feed then the DC prompts the user with the message WARNI NG USER IS NOT CALI BRATED FOR THIS MEDI AW DTH Pressing continue will clear this remarks and the DC4sx will continue printing however it is recommended to quit the job and either calibrate this user with the correct line feed test for the loaded media or to change to a user with the correct settings for the loaded media It is recommended to calibrate certain users for specifics widths of vinyl and to change user when media width is changed Not changing user when changing media width will finally result in wrongly calibrated users and bad print quality When calibrating a certain user for a specific width then do the print and cut calibration see section 2 5 right after the line feed calibration This calibration is also depended of the loaded media width Basic Operation 2 10 DC4sx User s Manual 2 8 Preparing the DC4sx for long print outs The DC4sx has a fixed position at the rear for the rollerguiding of the flange It is possible that some types of vinyls are not wound up even e g the core sticking out This results in a forcing of the path of the vinyl in a wrong direction Following procedure can help to solve that problem 1 Load media in the machine as described in section 1 6 1 2 Print out a small test of 2 or 3 band passes high
65. ral Color Screening Layout Advanced Horizontal offset mm fo V Use compression V Use ColorControl UCR GCR Job name label Use Imor n iroved LM YK to Space after job mm E or Use High Res mode Masking Masking type ColorMask M VisionPrint Primer Dot Mask name Offset circle Mask size 26 x 26 2 17 x 2 17 mm Shape size 1 19 x 19 1 58 x 1 58 mm First mask cassette ID V Invert Second mask cassette ID Third mask cassette ID None Cancel Save defaults FIG 6 20 ADVANCED TAB 1 Horizontal offset specify the offset from the origin of a normal printout 2 Job name optional specify the name the printer will use in the printer s queue 3 Space after job set the required distance between subsequent jobs This value is ignored by the DC4sx 4 Use compression compresses raw printer data to reduce the time it takes to transfer the data 5 Use ColorControl UCR GCR a process that determines the amount of black ink used to replace CMY in areas where those three inks overlap Under Color Removal and Grey Component Replacement lt is highlighted only when working in 4 color mode See fig below only visible in color PRINTED NO UCR GCR PRINTED WITH UCR GCR Software 6 19 DC4sx User s Manual 6 Use Improved CMYK to CMY a choice between two different embedded color profile tables Used when CMY images appear too dark IMPROVED CMYK TO CMY NO IMPRO
66. s is as it will be seen on the computer screen when the design is created When the design is exported and printed out with SCC then orientation on the printer is rotated by 180 Create the design and contour line For easier handling place the contour lines on a different layer they will have to be cut out afterwards JJ Contour line FIG 3 1 DESIGN WITH CONTOUR When defining contours do not define them exactly on the border of the design It is advised to leave either a white space between the contour and the design or to define the contour inside a thick outline Or better jet just inside the design If the contour is designed right on the edge of the drawing then the slightest misalignment will result in a bad result Print amp Cut 3 1 DC4sx User s Manual Contounine Contounine Contounine ontourline Recommended FIG 3 2 ADVISED PLACES FOR CONTOUR PLACEMENT 3 1 1 1 Contour cutting Define the line that needs to be cut as a special color that the RIP recognizes as an object to be cut When using Summa Color Control see section 6 3 it is advised to use the spot color palette and the spot color CONTOUR Summa Color control print then first the other objects and afterwards the objects which have as color CONTOUR will be cut automatically Send the job with he RIP to the DC4sx 3 1 1 2 OPOS cutting When the printed job has to laminated before cutting then follow this procedure O Put
67. set to a certain angle Thus creating intersecting rows that form a pattern as dot shapes know as rosettes The default angles are carefully chosen in order to minimize the moire effect Changing those angles will normally not reduce moire Moir usually emerges in scanned pictures add noise in the picture to solve the moir problem a 2 dee Lak 3 i cop F AID LA 33eg ta ds te E FA e 6eotvos 4 Sres Py dL u q ti FIG 6 18 SCREEN ANGLES 5 Shape Here the shape of those dots can be chosen Below is an illustration of the various available dot shapes de fe DIAMOND Software 6 16 DC4sx User s Manual SINGLE DOT The shape shown in the enlarged section is a result of the combination of postscript pattern and angle and frequency Ellipse is the recommended default shape Rhomboid Double Dot and other shapes are can be chosen for special effects but are not generally recommended Summa cannot guarantee print quality using any shape other than Ellipse Tips For difficult colors use Rhomboid 0 8 to 1 1 lines mm 20 to 30 lines inch For more steps in gradients use Double Dot 1 line mm 25 lines inch A standard setting for mid to large designs is Rhomboid 2 lines mm 50 lines inch Do Not Use Double Dot with line frequencies higher than 1 3 lines mm 35 lines inch and only for relatively small images smaller the one band width
68. st pattern is printed and then cut out Then the DC4sx calibrates the OptiTrac sensor and then completes the line feed test The printed lines are measured and then internal parameters are adjusted automatically Ilf the DC4sx has to compensate too much it will prompt the operator to redo the test A simple line feed calibration test will suffice then LINE FEED CALIBRATION TEST XX inch ar m RECOMMENDED LINE FEED CALIBRATION TEST LINE FEED CALIBRATION TEST FIG 2 4 SIMPLE LINE FEED CALIBRATION TEST Basic Operation 2 5 DC4sx User s Manual 2 4 How to set the main knife parameters There are two important knife parameters the offset and the knife pressure The knife offset is a knife depended parameter The knife pressure is a media depended parameters Each time the media type is changed the knife pressure has to be checked each time media type is changed The knife offset needs to be checked each time the knife is changed Setting the knife pressure cutting depth 1 Power on the printer and load media see section 1 6 1 2 Press the key and the W key until cutter menu is visible The cutter menu will appear on the LCD 3 Press the key The cutter menu will open and the knife pressure will appear on the LCD display the active setting is marked with an SELECTI 4 Pressthe key A knife depth test pattern as shown below will be cut out X FIG 2 5 KNIFE DEP
69. sure it is loaded far enough so that the beginning of the vinyl is underneath the clamp Press pushbutton again The clamp will come down and hold the vinyl FIG 1 12 LOADING ROLL AT THE BACK OF DC4SX 6 Next return to the front of the machine Hold the vinyl and push gt 7 Align the edge of the media using the alignment markers 1 on the front of the base then press Just before the DC4sx starts to print it will test the media alignment and the position relative to the origin before it starts printing If the media is to far from the origin then the DC4sx will Park the media on the starting point origin If it is not loaded straight it will align it automatically FIG 1 13 LOADING ROLL AT THE FRONT OF THE DC4SX The pinch rollers will now come down and the media is properly loaded The machine will remain paused until the front cover is closed After closing the front cover the DC4sx will measure the media width If the media width has changed then the printer will prompt the user to check if the right pinch roller is set correct Setup 1 12 DC4sx User s Manual 1 6 2 Unloading the media First detach the media from the take up roll if used Then push on the A up arrow key until the media does not move any further Go to the back of the machine and press on the top switch The machine will rewind the media supply roll and move the media from under the clamps Each time the media type is changed
70. the OPOS markers around the drawing In your design the top right corner is the origin of the design that will be printed out O Place the origin marker at the right side and above all contours that need to be cut Pa size FIG 3 3 PLACEMENT OF THE FIRST ORIGIN MARKER Print amp Cut 3 2 DC4sx User s Manual The marker must be a square The advised size is 3mm and the line style of the marker is best set to none line styles with a certain thickness affect the precision Make sure that around every marker a white space which is 3 4 times the size of the marker O Place rest of the markers y X distance D distance FIG 3 4 PLACEMENT OF THE REST OF THE MARKERS O First place copies of the origin marker at a regular distance in the up down direction The last marker at the bottom must be under all contours that need be cut This direction will be referred to as the X direction Make sure there is enough white space around every marker The advised X distance distance between two consecutive markers depends on several items Normally 30 to 40 cm is a recommended distance If the marker size is smaller than 3mm lower the X distance If the white margin is critical lower the X distance The bigger the distance between the markers the faster the registration of the markers works The smaller the distance between the markers the more accurate OPOS works however the
71. the cassette by pressing the release tabs on each side 1 and then lifting upward the top hinges in the back to the bottom part FIG 1 18 CASSETTE TOP RELEASE TABS 2 Insert the RI chip into the bottom of the cassette orientation is shown in figure 1 20 the arrow indicates the direction for inserting 3 Place the ribbon into the cassette as shown below There is also a small diagram inside the cassette bottom to help remind the loading direction FIG 1 19 LOADING RIBBON AND RIBBON INFORMATION CHIP INTO THE CASSETTE Setup 1 15 DC4sx User s Manual 4 When closing the cassette make sure the hinge pins top piece fit securely into the notched out bottom part of the cassette 2 FIG 1 20 CLOSING THE RIBBON CASSETTE Setup 1 16 DC4sx User s Manual 1 8 Knife Installation SAFETY WARNING The DC4sx uses razor sharp vinyl cutting knives The knife blades may cause serious personal injuries if handled without proper caution Use extreme care when operating the cutter and when installing removing or handling the cutter s knife blade 1 8 1 Removing the drag knife 1 Loosen the head clamp screw 1 swing the clamp arm back and remove the knife holder from the clamp 2 FIG 1 21 REMOVING THE DRAG KNIFE HOLDER FROM THE CLAMP 2 Turn the knurled adjustment knob 3 clockwise to push the knife 4 out of the holder 5 FIG 1 22 REMOVING THE KNIFE FROM THE STANDARD DRAG KNIFE HOLDE
72. the pattern below and then cuts out a rectangle Open the front cover and without moving the media backward or forward weed the rectangle Close the front cover and press a key The rest of the calibration is automatic mr m FIG 4 5 CALIBRATE MEDIA TEST 4 5 4 Calibrate Print amp Cut When the Hard disk option is installed then this test can also be performed directly from the keypad The calibrate print amp Cut calibration is explained in section 2 5 Detailed Operation 4 7 DC4sx User s Manual 4 5 5 Calibrate OPOS This test is used to D the physical distance between the marker sensor and the knife tip Press the Gu key to start the test The DC4sx will cut out three rectangles After that the machine will prompt the user to weed the three rectangles Do so and press continue key Gu The DC4sx will now measure the difference of the reflection level of the backing and the media Then it will search the edges of the two outer rectangles lf the vinyl is not appropriate for the test then the DC4sx will give a message Then the test has to redone with a vinyl which has a high contrast between the media and the backing color 4 5 6 Cal Temp Sensors This test is used when a printhead is changed This test is fully automatic after the key is pressed twice 4 5 7 Firmware revision Pressing the key will furnish the details on the DC4sx firmware revision This information is often helpful to technicians wh
73. tings Tests Help usas D E Action List me 2 25 DC4sx Current Printer Settings e t amp User Configurations Parameter Value Unit p Tool Properties Info H Knife Pressure ES Users Y Knife Tip Offset Density He Print Speed 8 Double Density 21 Dot Overlap Color Offset 33 ScratchGuard E optitrac Color B OptiTrac fa Take Up Roll Supply Direction da OPOS Level Kal Marker Distance X Direction ls Marker Distance Direction ed Marker Size X Direction l3 Marker Size Y Direction ws Marker Count He FlexCut FULL_PRESSURE H Flex Cut Pressure i Full Pressure Cut Length e Flex Pressure Cut Length SAVE FILE 75 New Value 0 43 500 d a 75 dw 0 2 11000 Standard On On Standard Off Cyan AUTOMATIC Print Only Job Standard Standard 30 500 200 000 900 000 1 500 1 500 2 Off 200 90 7 000 0 800 ON 0 400 gr FIG 6 5 CONFIGURATION SETTINGS 6 2 8 Tool properties The tool properties are typical parameters used for the contour cutting knife blade The coil settings are for service use only Summa Printer Control File view Configuration Settings Tests Help Tool Properties hd x 3 Tool Settings E Cail Settings Ell calibration Action List atte Ge User Configuratic AL Tool Properties Knife Pressure 100 y Info E Users Knife Tip Offset 0 43 mm FIG 6 6 TOOL PROPERTIES Software DC4sx 6 2 9
74. uard makes it possible to put a layer of protective coating on the printed images Scratchguard can be set to ON or OFF by pressing the or lt key SELECT Then press to confirm 4 3 8 OptiTrac Color The DC4sx prints and measures small lines located at each side of the print to optimize the tracking performance The color of these lines can be changed within this menu Be sure to use colors that are in contrast with the vinyl color The menu option to change color is useful when printing monochrome or on colored vinyl The default value for white vinyl is cyan If white gold or silver is chosen as OptiTrac M color then the DC4sx will raise the head between the left and right OptiTrac M mark if the color is not used With all other colors it will keep the head down 4 3 9 OptiTrac This menu allows setting the OptiTrac M feature to automatic or ON The default setting is automatic which means the OptiTrac M lines are omitted when the height of the design is less than one print pass wide 98mm Setting this option to ON means the lines are always printed 4 3 10 Calibrate linefeed The calibrate linefeed test is used to calibrate the media feed It is advised to do this test each time a vinyl roll is changed This test is fully automatic It is explained in section 2 3 Detailed Operation 4 4 DC4sx User s Manual 4 3 11 Calibrate Print amp Cut When the Hard disk option is installed then this test can also
75. ultaneously FIG 1 15 REAR CASSETTE STATION COVER To remove a cassette lift it enough to pass over the rubber bumper then pull it backwards and out of the printer To load a cassette push it gently into an open location until it just passes the rear bumper then press it down and pull it backwards against the bumper FIG 1 16 FIG 1 17 REMOVING A CASSETTE LOADING A CA amp SSETTE Close the rear cover After the media is loaded DC4sx will take the cassette and estimate the amount of ribbon in the cassette available for printing The printer will not check the cassettes if no media is loaded CAUTION Do not insert empty cassettes without ribbon Setup 1 14 DC4sx User s Manual 1 7 2 Refilling ribbon cassettes The DC4sx prints by transferring pigmented vinyl resin directly onto vinyl media Each color is printed separately in strips appx 10cm wide printing yellow first then magenta cyan and sometimes black The media is then advanced feed an exact distance in order to print the next strip band carefully aligning each pixel The ribbons are wound onto plastic cores which are unique to the DC4sx cassette and printer carriage First remove the protective ribbon wrapping and place the HI ribbon identification chip aside This ribbon chip contains information about the ribbon s color formulation and transfer energy necessary for printing The RI chips are color coded for easy identification 1 Open
76. with a cotton swab FIG 5 2 POSITION OF THE FRONT AND REAR MEDIA SENSOR Maintenance 5 2 DC4sx User s Manual Located on the left side of the DC4sx is a printhead cleaning pad The printer cleans the head periodically on this pad It is possible that after a while some dust will accumulate on this pad Therefore it is advised to clean this pad from time to time To clean the cleaning pad proceed as follows 1 Take a piece of scrap vinyl that is a bit larger than the cleaning pad Remove the backing and stick it on the cleaning pad 2 Gently apply equal pressure on the vinyl pressing the adhesive on the pad 3 Remove the vinyl and check the back of the vinyl If it is dirty do the procedure again until the vinyl does not show dirt from the cleaning pad If the cleaning pad starts turning white it is worn out and should be replaced The cleaning plate should be cleaned every week or after each change of roll vinyl which ever come first Every five rolls of vinyl the cleaning pad should be replaced or turned once mark used side so it is not used twice Using not approved material can raise the need to perform these actions Cleaning pad should be changed if the printhead is changed FIG 5 3 CLEANING PAD Maintenance 5 3 DC4sx User s Manual 5 1 3 Cleaning the printhead The printhead accumulates dust debris and resin residue which can all degrade the print quality The printer will automaticall
77. y self clean the printhead see section 4 3 13 While this procedure removes much of the residue and debris the printhead will sometimes require manual cleaning particularly after a ribbon breakage because large pieces of ribbon material might be caught underneath the carriage Do not clean the printhead just after printing The printhead is still hot after printing Touching it too soon after printing might cause injuries Do not clean the printhead above the printing surface To clean the printhead proceed as follows 1 Power off the DC4sx Open up the rear cover and take out the cassette 2 Use a lint free cloth or gauze moistened with isopropyl alcohol 3 Gently wipe the printhead 1 the release plate 2 and the rollers 4 4 Note the position of the ribbon end sensor 8 Clean the printhead after every change of roll of ribbon D FIG 5 4 CLEANING THE PRINTHEAD 5 1 4 OptiPrint cleaning system The maintenance of the system is described in the installation guide which was packed seperat ein the accessory box Maintenance 5 4 DC4sx User s Manual 5 1 5 Cleaning the printing surface The printing surface is very delicate lt is made out of cellular material Oil and moisture from fingers damages the surface therefore great care should be taken when the printing surface is uncovered DO NOT TOUCH SURFACE In rare cases it might be necessary to clean the printing surface It is not recommended to do it

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