Roland SP540v print length inconsistent

[Simon Worrall]

Hi everyone.

I have an aging Roland SP540v.

Last week I had a 3m wide wall print to do, which I divided into 3 x vertical panels with a 10mm overlap, using Versaworks own CLIP AND TILE function.

All three panels ripped at the same time, and I ran the 7.5m print entirely in one go without pause.

However, when I came to install them, the three panels had come out different lengths and wouldn’t line up. The difference between the longest and the shortest panel was about 5cm.

The media is Avery MPI2903, which is a good quality media with a good backing paper and it does not stretch. They were laminated using a flatbed laminator without heat. The rollers are good and the housing is not cracked, I am using four rollers for the print.

The print quality was perfect, with no gaps or colour inconsistencies.

Does anybody recognise this problem?

Is there a motor or a sensor I need to replace? Or a setting that has wandered off during the print?

Thanks for reading.

😟

[Robert Lambie]

Hi Simon

When did you discover the fault, before or after they were fitted?
Did you reprint and get the same results?

[Simon Worrall]

Hi Rob

I discovered the fault just before fitting the first sheet. I laid them out on the carpet at the customers premises to check for alignment. I didnt even think to look for that fault before cutting them out and packing up.

[Jeff Rea]

Sounds more like a software issue. have you tried re-ripping the same job and get the same result?

i dont mean print the whole thing but check the panel sizes shown in the sofware?

or check the actual ripped panel sizes to see if it shows a difference?

[Simon Worrall]

Thanks for replies.
I divided the tiles up in Illustrator, put in a 10mm overlap, and reprinted them as three separate files. This time they came out within less than half a mm of each other, and line up perfectly.

Something perhaps wrong with the tiling function in Versaworks? I wont use it again. I havent actually ever used it before, preferring to do that manually in illustrator.

Anyway, just on my way out to fit the correctly printed thingy just in time for the opening tomorrow!

[Robert Lambie]

The reason I asked about the “before or after” application when you noticed it is, there are ways that dependant on how you apply the graphic it can create this problem. But the fact it was noticed before, eliminates that possibility.

I can’t answer, based on Roland. But I have heard of this issue “randomly” appearing with HP latex printers. based only on the 360 models “I think”. When I say randomly, I mean a random odd panel of “a batch” of tiles. print same files again, same profile, and perfect! We have experienced it once, maybe twice at most in about 6 years. Which I believe has been fixed with one of their cloud firmware updates.

My point is, maybe a possible random glitch. But it is a different machine, different software.

Good to hear you got it sorted regardless.