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Die-cutting for color boxes unexpectedly encounters so many issues? How to solve them?

In the era of digital printing, die-cutting for color boxes plays an increasingly important role as a crucial component of product packaging in marketing. Therefore, improving the quality of die-cutting for color boxes is a significant concern for printing factories.

Die-cutting creases causing "burst lines" and "dark lines"

Issue: "Burst lines" occur when the pressure of die-cutting creases exceeds the fiber's limit, leading to fiber breakage. "Dark lines" refer to unwanted crease lines on color boxes, often caused by inappropriate die-cutting plates and creasing steel wire selection, improper die-cutting pressure adjustment, poor paper quality, inconsistent paper fiber direction with die-cutting plate knife direction, and low paper moisture content reducing flexibility.

Solution: Choose suitable die-cutting plates; adjust die-cutting pressure appropriately; increase the relative humidity in the workshop environment; let the printed products sit in the workshop for some time before die-cutting; minimize the tension on the paper.

Low die-cutting precision

Issue: Apart from issues with the die-cutting equipment itself, low die-cutting precision may result from factors such as manually crafted die-cutting plates having significant errors, die-cutting creases being in a different operational environment than the printing process, causing paper deformation and inaccurate crease positioning. After processes like glossing or laminating, paper deformation becomes more severe, significantly affecting die-cutting precision.

Solution: Choose advanced die-cutting plate production processes to improve precision; ensure die-cutting creases and the printing process operate in the same environment or maintain consistent environmental conditions (i.e., temperature, humidity); pre-process paper after glossing and laminating to minimize the impact of paper deformation on die-cutting precision.

Die-cutting produces fuzz and dust

Issue: During die-cutting and pressing, the tension created by the adhesive strip and creasing steel wire can cause paper to break before being completely cut, resulting in fuzz. The quality of the paper also contributes, with virgin paper producing fewer fuzz and dust compared to recycled paper with shorter fibers.

Solution: Choose different types of die-cutting blades based on the paper type. Straight-line blades are better for avoiding fuzz; for coated card paper, use straight-line high blades, ensuring the blades are ground instead of using the one-step molding process, as excessive pressure can significantly impact die-cutting in digital printing. For regular card paper, use low blades and select the blade pattern based on the fiber quality to extend die-cutting blade lifespan.

Die-cutting "sticking plates"

Issue: "Sticking plates" refer to paper adhering to the die-cutting plate. Causes include insufficient density or hardness of the sponge adhesive strip around the die-cutting blade, lack of resilience, dull blade edges, and excessively thick paper leading to blade sticking.

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Solution: Choose different hardness sponge strips or replace the die-cutting blade based on its distribution.

Die-cutting "loose plates"

Issue: Due to prolonged use of the die-cutting machine, wear and tear on parts, and loose chain links, the chain may not straighten when pulling the teeth outward, causing the sponge strip to lift off and resulting in loose plates during die-cutting in digital printing.

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Common UV Printer Issues and Easy Solutions!

UV printers may encounter various issues in daily use, but not all of them require the expertise of professional technicians. By preparing some easily damaged and frequently replaced parts, such as interface cards, PCI cards, and various data transmission cables, you can easily resolve certain problems. In this article, we've compiled 7 common UV printer issues and their solutions that you can handle yourself.

Issue One:

Problem: Stepper motor testing function malfunctions.

Solution: Ensure that the interface board voltage remains stable at regular values, adjust the 36V voltage of the stepper driver to maintain stability, and correctly connect the pulse signal lines.

Issue Two:

Problem: One or more print heads of the UV printer fail to function normally.

Solution: Start with ink squeezing and cleaning for the affected print head, and then perform a print head test. If a single print head still fails to function normally, check for faults in the print head board. If multiple or all print heads still don't work properly, inspect and replace the color separation board.

Issue Three:

Problem: UV printer cannot achieve accurate positioning and encounters frequent errors.

Solution: Check if the 15-core cable and interface card are damaged, and replace them promptly.

Issue Four:

Problem: Frequent operational failures during printing, such as sudden stops, positioning errors, and uncontrolled ink output from print heads.

Solution: Reinstall or replace the PCI card, check the connection and condition of the 37-core and 68-core cables, and promptly reconnect or replace the parts.

Issue Five:

Problem: Collision between the printhead and printing material.

Solution: Initiate an emergency stop, readjust the printhead height to an appropriate level, open the printhead collision protection device, move the printhead to the initial position, close the operating software, shut down the UV printer and computer, wait for a while, and then restart.

Issue Six:

Problem: Unable to query the JHF port.

Solution: If the JHF port cannot be queried, manually add it through the printing management system in the machine operation software. Click "Manage," then "Set Port," and finally "Set User Port" to manually add the port.

Issue Seven:

Problem: The machine fails to receive data and respond when connected to the computer.

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Solution: Reinstall or replace the PCI card and interface board. After reinstallation, restart both the UV printer and the computer before testing data transmission operations.

Additionally, nozzle blockage is one of the most common issues in UV printers. Here are some daily operation and maintenance methods for print heads to minimize the likelihood of blockages.

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Methods for Handling Color Saturation in Printed Products

Saturate Primary Colors Deeply:

Ensure that various solid color blocks, such as red, green, blue, and other deep primary colors used for headlines, logos, and non-gradient elements, are fully saturated. Clients often demand bold and vibrant colors for these elements. The goal is to maximize the actual density of the ink to achieve the highest saturation. Although 95% dots may increase to 100% after printing, the effect is not the same as when printing with 100% solid ink. The 95% dots only reach full density within the 95% dot area, and the increased 5% area has thinner ink density.

For optimal saturation of primary colors (red, green, blue) based on the typical color bias and graying characteristics of offset inks, the recommended configurations are:

Red: Magenta 95% + Yellow 85% Green: Yellow 95% + Cyan 85% Blue: Cyan 95% + Magenta 80% Adjustments in dot values for a clear blue sky:

Avoid using yellow (Y) below 40% in the cyan (C) plate for a brighter blue sky. Introduce some yellow (Y) above 50% in the cyan (C) plate to prevent a reddish tint in the blue sky and to maintain a deep, solid blue color. Enhance the color of autumn maple leaves:

Increase the depth of basic yellow (Y) to 100% and magenta (M) to 95%, without using cyan (C). This enhances the vibrancy of the red leaves, especially when illuminated by sunlight. These alterations in color pursuit break through traditional color matching methods, highlighting the aesthetic value of color in visual arts.

Maintain Hierarchy in Deep Basic Colors:

The dot value range for deep basic colors is 65% to 90%. Due to significant dot gain above 80%, there is a risk of blending levels. Therefore, for basic colors that require hierarchy, it is necessary to moderately reduce the color density in the 80% and above range. This maintains separation from solid color blocks and preserves hierarchy.

It is challenging to balance vividness and hierarchy in color. Emphasizing hierarchy may require complementary colors, reducing vividness and increasing grayscale. For time-sensitive and packaging products, prioritize vivid and saturated colors, even at the expense of some hierarchy. The key is finding the right balance, demonstrating the aesthetic judgment of the operator, directly affecting the artistic effect of color.

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Use the main color plate to express the texture and hierarchy of warm tones (e.g., red, orange) and cold tones (e.g., green, cyan) in deep basic colors. Emphasize the texture and hierarchy characteristics of real objects realistically.

Fully saturate basic colors in the mid-tone region (35% to 65% dot range), which is crucial for most subjects. Adjust these mid-tones to optimal saturation, adding around 5% more color than needed. For example, for bright mid-tone magenta (M) needed at 40%, increase to 45% for enhanced saturation.