MIMAKI JFX500-2131 User manual

JFX500-2131 Clear Ink Print Guide
This Guide explains how to obtain various kinds of printing effects by using LH-100 clear ink (SPC-0659CL)
with the JFX500-2131 printer.
Read this Guide carefully before using the ink.
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Applicable environment
Table of Contents
Notice ......................................................................................................................... 1
Applicable environment ............................................................................................ 2
Setting the printer ..................................................................................................... 3
Effects and printing with clear ink ........................................................................... 4
Clear ink’s effects ................................................................................................................... 4
Ways clear ink can be printed ............................................................................................... 5
Printing methods ....................................................................................................... 6
Data creation and printing procedures ................................................................................. 6
1. Decide the way the clear ink is to be printed ....................................................................... 7
A.Printing the clear ink over the whole of the color image .................................................... 8
B.Printing the clear ink onto the valid pixels of the color image ........................................... 9
C.Printing a special clear ink image ................................................................................... 10
2. Select the clear ink’s effect: set the UV mode ................................................................... 13
a.Setting Glossy Print ......................................................................................................... 14
b.Setting Matte Print ........................................................................................................... 19
c.Setting Emboss Print ....................................................................................................... 20
3. Set the recommended values for the printing conditions ................................................ 21
4. Execute printing ................................................................................................................... 22
Setting glossy finish for Emboss Print ................................................................. 23
Printer JFX500-2131 F.W. Ver. 2.8 or later
Ink Color LH-100/ LUS-150/ LUS-120
Clear LH-100 clear ink
RIP RasterLink6 Ver.5.7 or later
RasterLink6Plus Ver.1.0 or later

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Setting the printer
Before printing with this Guide, carry out setting of the printer as follows.
1. Turn on the printer’s power.
• Wait until <Local> is displayed on the panel.
2. Select [UV MODE] on the panel, as follows:
(1) With “Local” displayed, press the key.
(2) Use the , key to select [SETUP], then press the key.
(3) Use the , key to select [UV MODE], then press the key.
(4) Use the , key to select [HOST].
(5) Display the [UV MODE]. Set “0%” and press the key
(6) Press the key.
(7) Return to [SETUP], by pressing the key just once.
3. Select [MAPS2] on the panel, as follows:
(1) Make sure that [SETUP] is selected.
(2) Use the , key to select [MAPS], then press the key.
(3) Use the , key to select [MAPS2].
(4) Press the key.
4. Select “AUTO” for [MAPS2], as follows:
(1) Use the , key to select “AUTO”.
(2) Press the key.
5. Return to “Local”, by pressing the key several times.
• If the power is already on, have the panel display <Local>.
MAPS 2
:AUTO

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Effects and printing with clear ink
Clear ink’s effects
The effects below can be obtained by using clear ink.
These effects can be obtained via the “UV MODE” settings in RasterLink6.
Recommended settings for printing a clear ink
In order to obtain a better effect of the clear ink, depending on the image quality and printing speed,
please use the settings of the following recommendations for the printing conditions and the concen-
tration of the clear ink.
• In the case of LH-100 ink in color ink:
Glossy print
Matte printing, emboss printing
• In the case of LUS-150/ LUS-120 ink in color ink:
Glossy print
Matte printing, emboss printing
Gloss feel effect - “Glossy Print” Matte feel effect - “Matte Print” 3D feel effect - “Emboss Print”
Recommended printing conditions
Clear ink
recommended concentration
Base Clear(*)
recommended concentration
(*) For "base clear", refer to.P. 14 “Setting Glossy Print”.
Resolution Pass Print direction High speed
600×900 VD 12 Bi ON 100% 40%
Print mode Recommended printing conditions Recommended con-
centration of clear ink
Resolution Pass Print direction High speed
Production 600×900 VD 12 Bi ON 50%
Standard 600×900 VD 24 Bi ON 100%
Quality 1200x1200 ND 16 Uni OFF 50%
High Quality 1200x1200 ND 32 Bi OFF 100%
Recommended printing conditions
Clear ink
recommended concentration
Base Clear(*)
recommended concentration
(*) For "base clear", refer to.P. 14 “Setting Glossy Print”.
Resolution Pass Print direction High speed
600×900 VD
12 Bi ON 100% 40%
Print mode Recommended printing conditions Recommended con-
centration of clear ink
Resolution Pass Print direction High speed
High Speed 600×600 VD 8 Bi ON 100%
Production 600×900 VD 12 Bi ON 50%
Standard 600×900 VD 24 Bi ON 100%
Quality 1200x1200 ND 16 Uni OFF 50%
High Quality 1200x1200 ND 32 Uni OFF 100%

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Ways clear ink can be printed
Clear ink can be printed in the ways below with RasterLink6.
For printing the clear ink over the whole of a color image, and for printing it onto valid pixels of a color image, cre-
ate a clear ink job using the “Special plate” function of RasterLink.
For printing the clear ink as a special clear ink image, you must create the special clear ink image by means of
design software such as Illustrator.
Printed over the whole of a
color image
Printed onto valid pixels
of a color image
Printed as a special image for
clear ink use

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Printing methods
Data creation and printing procedures
In order to print, you must first create clear ink data and make the settings for it on RasterLink6, using the proce-
dure below.
Setting on RasterLink6
Clear ink is to be printed to
match a color image
A special clear ink image is to be printed
Use the “Special plate” function to create an
image for clear ink use, then composite it with
the color image
Input the created special image and the color
image into RasterLink6
Replace one color with the clear ink, using
mono color replacement
Composite the special image with the color image
Set the UV mode to match the clear ink application (Glossy, Matte or Emboss effect)
Make the printing condition settings
Execute printing
Decide the way the clear ink is to be printed
Use design software to create a special clear
ink image that uses 1 color only
Input the color image into RasterLink6

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1. Decide the way the clear ink is to be printed
Suppose you have the following color image. You can print the clear ink in any of the three ways shown below.
Print it over the whole of the color image
 Go to A.Printing the clear ink over the whole of the color image
Print it onto the valid pixels of the color
image
 Go to B.Printing the clear ink onto the valid pixels of the color image
Print a special image for clear ink use
 Go to C.Printing a special clear ink image
• Here, describes the procedure to create a clear version. of setting the concentration of clear ink
to 100%.
Refer to the table in P. 4「Recommended settings for printing a clear ink」, please create a
clear version with appropriate concentration of clear ink, which matches to the desired UV
mode and printing conditions.

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A. Printing the clear ink over the whole of the color image
To print the clear ink over the whole of the color image, create a Special plate on the basis of the image.
1. In the job list, select the job that will be the basis for the plate.
• Click the [Special plate] icon.
2. Make the settings as follows.
(1) [Special Color]： Select “Clear”
Clear= Select “100%”.
(2) [Created area]：Select “Whole image”.
(3) [Execution] ：“Composite automatically:
Check the box, and select “Top”.
(4) Click the [Create] button.
3. The clear ink job will be created, in a
composited state.
(2)
(1)
(3)
(4)

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B. Printing the clear ink onto the valid pixels of the color image
To print the clear ink onto the valid pixels of the color image, create a Special plate on the basis of the
image.
1. In the Job List, select the job that will be the basis for the plate.
• Click the “Special plate” function icon.
2. Make the settings as follows.
(1) [Special Color]： Select “Clear”
Clear= Select “100%”.
(2) [Created area]：Select “Valid Pixel”.
(3) [Execution] ：“Composite automatically: ON”
Check the box, and select “Top”.
(4) Click the [Create] button.
3. The clear ink job will be created, in a
composited state.
(2)
(1)
(3)
(4)

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C. Printing a special clear ink image
To print an image designed for clear ink, create a special image, separate from the color image, and carry
out mono color replacement with RasterLink6. After that, composite the clear ink image with the color
image.
Creating the clear ink image
1. Using design software such as Illustrator or Photoshop, create a clear
ink image with the following conditions:
• Color Mode: CMYK
Colors used: One color only - cyan or magenta or yellow or black. Set 100% density for the
color. For the other colors, set 0%.
In this procedure, black 100% is used as an example.
2. Save the created image as an EPS or TIFF image.
3. Import the image saved in step 2 into RasterLink6.
Make the clear ink image’s size match the color
image’s.
You can do this by creating a non-fill/non-line path
around the periphery of both images, as shown on
the right.
You are recommended to save the color image and
clear ink image separately from each other
after you have done the layout for them with the
design software.

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Setting mono color replacement
1. In the job list, select the clear ink job.
• Click the “Properties” icon.
2. Select “Mono color” in the
[Job Attribute] dropdown
list.
3. Select the [Mono color] tab.
• Make the settings as follows.
(1) [Source color]: “Black”
(2) [Ink]: “Clear”
(3) Click the [OK] button.
4. The job’s attribute is now
“Mono color”. In the job list,
the job will have a gray
thumbnail color and
“Clear(Matte)” will be dis-
played in its “Attribute” field.
(2)
(1) (3)

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Compositing the clear ink image with the color job
1. In the job list, select the color job and the clear ink job.
• Click the “Composition” icon.
2. Carry out the following
check.
(1) Is the clear ink job above the
color job in the job list.
• If it is not, use drag and drop
to change the positions
around.
(2) After the above check, click the
[Composite] button.
3. The images will be compos-
ited.
• Printing will be carried out in either of the following ways, depending on the [Priority Policy] set-
ting on the ［Composition］ screen.
“Speed”: The color image and clear ink image are printed simultaneously using special
color overprinting.
In this case, the UV mode set for the color image is ignored and the conditions
set for the clear ink image are used.
“Quality”: The color image is printed first and the clear ink image is printed after.
In this case, the UV modes set respectively for the color image and clear ink
image are applied respectively to each image.
• In the case of glossy print, please refer toP. 13 “2.Select the clear ink’s effect: set the UV
mode”.
(1)
(2)

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2. Select the clear ink’s effect: set the UV mode
The clear ink’s effect is determined by the [UV mode setting] in RasterLink6.
Gloss feel effect - “Glossy Print”
 Go to a.Setting Glossy Print
Matte feel effect - “Matte Print”
 Go to b.Setting Matte Print
3D feel effect - as “Emboss Print”
 Go to c.Setting Emboss Print

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a.Setting Glossy Print
Create a job of clear ink
Create a clear job for glossy and clear job for base clear.
In the case of [A.Printing the clear ink over the whole of the color image][B.Printing
the clear ink onto the valid pixels of the color image]:
1. In the job list, select the job that will be the basis for the plate.
• Click the [Special plate] icon.
2. Make the settings as follows.
(1) [Special Color]：Ink = Clear
Clear= Select “100%”.
(2) Set “Composite automatically: OFF”.
(3) Click the [Create] button.
• When using glossy tones with clear ink for the color ink LUS-150/ LUS-120, you need to print a
matte clear image (clear ink density: 40%) on the color image and print glossy clear image on it.
∗ Here, referred the matte clear image to be printed on top of the color image as "base clear".
∗ If a base clear, is not printed on top of the color image, clear image of glossy does not finish in
glossy.
Each job I will be created at the following concentrations.
• Because a version can not be cre-
ated from the composite job, you will
not be able to create multiple job of
clear ink.
Glossy clear image
Matte clear image
Color image
Base clear
Concentration of clear ink
Clear job for glossy 100%
Clear job for the base clear 40%
(1)
(2)
(3)

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3. Select the job created in step
2 from the job list.
• Click the “Properties” icon.
• Click the [Setup] button in the [Job
Attribute] field.
4. Select the [UV Mode] tab.
• Make the settings as follows.
(1) Select “Glossy Print” in the
mode list on the left side.
(2) Additional UV irradiation: 1 time
Irradiation 1Illuminance: 100%
(3) Click the [OK] button.
5. Job list of attribute becomes a "Clear
(Glossy)".
6. Choose again the job selected in step 1.
• Click the [Special plate] icon.
7. Make the settings as follows.
(1) [Special Color]：Ink = Clear
Clear= Select “40%”.
(2) Set [Composite automatically]: OFF.
(3) Click the [Create] button.
• Concentration of clear ink of base
clear is 40%.
(2)
(1)
(3)
(1)
(2)
(3)

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8. Select the job created in step
7 from the job list.
• Click the “Properties” icon.
• Click the [Setup] button in the [Job
Attribute] field.
9. Select the [Special Color]
tab.
• Make the settings as follows.
(1) [Ink]: “Clear”
(2) [Clear]：“40%”
10.
Select the [UV Mode] tab.
• Make the settings as follows.
(1) Select “Matte Print” in the mode
list on the left side.
(2) Illuminance: 100%
Additional UV irradiation: 0 time
(3) Click the [OK] button.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(1) (2)

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In the case of [C.Printing a special clear ink image]:
1. Refer P. 10~11 “C.Printing a special clear ink image”, keep up the setting
of mono color replacement.
2. Choose the job of clear ink
from the job list.
• Click the “Properties” icon.
• Click the [Setup] button in the [Job
Attribute] field.
3. Select the [UV Mode] tab.
• Make the settings as follows.
(1) Select “Glossy Print” in the
mode list on the left side.
(2) Additional UV irradiation: 1 time
Irradiation 1Illuminance.: 100%
(3) Click the [OK] button.
4. Job list of attribute becomes a "Clear
(Glossy)".
5. Choose the job of clear ink from the job list.
• Click the [Special plate] icon.
6. Make the settings as follows.
(1) [Special Color]：Ink = Clear
Clear= Select “40%”.
(2) [Created area]: Select “Valid Pixel”.
(3) Set [Composite automatically]: OFF.
(4) Click the [Create] button.
• Concentration of clear ink of base
clear is 40%.
(2)
(1)
(3)
(1)
(3)
(4)
(2)

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Composite
1. Choose one job of color and two jobs of clear ink from the job list.
• Click the “Composition” icon.
2. Carry out the following
check.
(1) From the top order of the list
Clear(Glossy) -> Clear(Matte) -
>Color
Check the order
• If the order is not as above,
please replace the composi-
tion List by Drag & Drop.
(2) After the above check, click the
[Composite] button.
3. The images will be compos-
ited.
• In glossy print, depending on the type of color ink using, print the clear image as follows.
(1)
(2)
Color ink Synthesis conditions of synthetic screen
Speed priority(*)
(*) If the speed priority, setting of the UV mode set to the color image is ignored, and print setting of the UV
mode set clear image.
Quality priority(**)
(**) Each color image and clear image will be printed as of setting of UV mode set for each.
LH-100(***)
(***)When color ink is LH-100 and the base clear is printed, print in the same way as for LUS-150/ LUS-120.
Print at the same time in the order
of color image -> clear image.
After printing the color image, print
the clear image.
LUS-150/
LUS-120
After printing at the same time in the
order of color image -> bottom
clear, print the clear image.
After printing a color image, print
the bottom clear, and finally print
the clear image.

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b.Setting Matte Print
1. In the job list, select the
clear ink job.
• Click the “Properties” icon.
• Click the [Setup] button in the
[Job attribute] field.
2. Select the [UV Mode] tab.
• Make the settings as follows.
(1) Select “Matte Print” in the mode
list on the left side.
(2) Set “100%” for [llluminance].
Set “0 time” for [Additional UV
irradiation]
(3) Click the [OK] button.
(3)
(1)
(2)

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c.Setting Emboss Print
1. In the job list, select the
clear ink job.
• Click the “Properties” icon.
• Click the [Setup] button in the
[Job Attribute] field.
2. Select the [UV Mode] tab.
• Make the settings as follows.
(1) Select “Emboss Print” in the
mode list on the left side.
(2) [llluminance]: Set “100%”.
(3) [Number of printings]: Set this
according to the thickness of
the embossing. (See “Hint!”
below for rough calculation of
the number of printings for the
thickness).
(4) Additional UV irradiation: 1 time
Irradiation 1Illuminance.: 100%
(5) Click the [OK] button.
3. Color of the thumbnail in the job list to be
yellow, Attribute column is to be
“Clear(Emboss)”.
• After you have set Emboss Print, the clear ink job will be printed the specified number of times
after the color job is printed, regardless of the [Priority policy] settings on the [Composition]
screen.
• If increase the head gap, missing nozzle by mist is likely to occur. Recommend the head gap to
be 1.5 ~ 2.0mm, embossing number of times up to 20 times.
• The table below gives rough correspondences between the thickness of the embossing and the
number of additional times (after the first printing) that the clear ink is printed over the color
image.
These values are for when 600x900 dpi output resolution is set.
• When you specify Emboss Print, make sure that there is ample head clearance.
• If you set just Emboss Print, the finish will be matte. See P. 23 for the settings to make in order
to obtain a glossy print result.
(1)
(5)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Specified number of
times Embossing thickness [mm] Specified number of times Embossing thickness [mm]
2 0.06100.17
4 0.08150.24
6 0.11 20 0.31
80.14