Ricoh Pro C9200 User manual

Operating Instructions
Advanced Settings for Custom Paper
For safe and correct use, be sure to read Safety Information before using
the machine.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
Basic Procedure.................................................................................................................................................. 3
Advanced Settings..............................................................................................................................................4
2. Printing Process
Overview.............................................................................................................................................................5
Laser Exposure....................................................................................................................................................7
Laser Unit (Exposure)..................................................................................................................................... 7
Development....................................................................................................................................................... 8
Development...................................................................................................................................................8
Drum-to-Belt Transfer....................................................................................................................................... 10
Drum-to-Belt Transfer...................................................................................................................................10
Belt-to-Paper Transfer...................................................................................................................................... 11
Belt-to-Paper Transfer..................................................................................................................................11
PTR Rotation Speed......................................................................................................................................13
Fusing................................................................................................................................................................ 14
Fusing Unit.................................................................................................................................................... 14
Fusing Nip Width Adjustment..................................................................................................................... 15
Fusing Cleaning Unit....................................................................................................................................15
Fusing Belt Smoothing Roller.......................................................................................................................16
Paper Delivery..................................................................................................................................................18
Mainframe....................................................................................................................................................18
Decurl Unit....................................................................................................................................................21
Vacuum Feed LCIT....................................................................................................................................... 22
3. Details of Advanced Settings
Overview.......................................................................................................................................................... 25
Print Mode....................................................................................................................................................25
Registration....................................................................................................................................................... 26
Image Position/Magnification....................................................................................................................26
Image Quality...................................................................................................................................................27
Maximum Image Density............................................................................................................................ 27
Drum-to-belt Transfer Current..................................................................................................................... 27
Belt-to-paper Transfer..................................................................................................................................28
Fusing............................................................................................................................................................30
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Paper Feed/Delivery....................................................................................................................................... 35
Main Tray/Vacuum Feed LCIT...................................................................................................................35
Adjusting the Machine’s Paper Delivery and Output............................................................................... 40
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1. Introduction
This chapter provides an overview of the Media Library.
Basic Procedure
ProC9200/C9210 Series is capable of printing on a wide variety of media using the latest
technologies in digital printing such as the AC transfer and elastic fusing belt.
In addition to these technologies, support of various media is also made possible by the Media Library
database, which is registered with tested and proved media and programmed with optimized print
parameters by media type/weight.
How to use the Media Library:
1. Select a media from the library and associate the media to a tray.
2. Set the media on the associated tray.
3. Specify the media in Job Properties of the color controller.
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Advanced Settings
Printing from the Media Library is possible with a simple procedure, however, precise adjustments (such
as the transfer and fusing conditions) may be required depending upon the media attributes, which differ
by each and every media.
Such precise adjustments can be made from [Tray Paper Settings] [Advanced Settings].
DZH310
In this menu, the followings can be adjusted:
• Machine: Image Position
• Machine: Image Quality
• Machine: Paper Feed / Output
To effectively adjust the above, it is important to have a basic understanding of how the printer works.
1. Introduction
4

2. Printing Process
This chapter provides explanation on the basic Xerographic process of the engine by referring to the
items of the Advanced Settings.
Overview
YMCK
DZH300
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2
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8
1. OPC drum
2. Development roller
3. Laser unit
4. Charge roller
5. Intermediary transfer belt(ITB)
6. Image transfer roller
7. Fusing unit
8. Paper transfer roller(PTR)
The printing process consists of the following steps:
Drum charge Laser exposure Development Transfer Fusing
• Drum charge …… The charge roller [4] gives an equal charge across the surface of the OPC drum
[1].
• Laser exposure …… Laser unit [3] creates an electrostatic latent image on the OPC drum [1].
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• Development …… The development roller [2] carries toner to the latent image on the OPC drum
[1].
• Image transfer
Drum-to-belt transfer …… Toner images created on each OPC drum [1] are transferred sequentially
to the ITB [5].
Belt-to-paper transfer …… Toner image on the ITB [5] is transferred onto the paper when the paper
passes through the PTR [8].
• Fusing …… The fusing unit [7] applies heat and pressure to fuse the toner image onto the paper.
2. Printing Process
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Laser Exposure
Laser Unit (Exposure)
The laser unit is equipped with the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) technology.
40 laser beams are emitted to produce 2400dpi×4800dpi.
Laser beams are reflected on the polygon mirror and lenses to create a latent image on each of the
photoconductive drums by imparting static electricity on the surface of the drum.
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DZH003
1. VCSEL
2. Polygon mirror
3. OPC drum
4. Laser beam
Adjusting the start timing and frequency of this latent image creation process in both main and sub scan
directions enables registration, masking and scaling of the image.
Main scan direction ... Across the paper feed direction
Sub scan direction ... Along the paper feed direction
Related Advanced Settings
page 26 "Image Position/Magnification"
page 32 "Erase margin: leading/trailing edge"
Laser Exposure
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Development
Development
The development system employs the dual-component*1 development method.
The developer is pre-mixed*2 to prevent image quality degradation caused by deterioration of the
developer that occurs over time.
Electrostatic latent image areas of the drum attract negatively charged toner particles from the
development roller [1].
To maintain consistent amount of toner attraction from the development roller [1] to the drum [2] for
stable image quality(toner density), image quality adjustment process runs automatically when turning
on the machine power and at optimum timings.
*1 The developer consists of positively charged carrier (+) and negatively charged toner (-).
*2 The carrier is pre-mixed with the toner in the toner bottle and the mixture is supplied to the development unit to
constantly refresh old developer in the development unit with new developer.
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2
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DZH301
During the image quality adjustment process, toner patterns in 10 gradients are created on the ITB for
each toner color, which are read by the toner mark sensors. Xerographic conditions are adjusted
according to the sensor readings, maintaining consistent development (maximum image density).
[A]
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DZH302
2. Printing Process
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Related Advanced Settings
page 27 "Maximum Image Density"
Development
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Drum-to-Belt Transfer
Drum-to-Belt Transfer
Among the following two print modes, the correct mode is selected automatically according to the print
data sent from the printer controller.
• BW mode: Job contains only black data.
• FC mode: Job contains color data.
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BW
FC
Print
mode
Engine status
(Stations greyed out are inactive.)
Paper
Paper
YMC
Y M C
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DZH308
1. OPC drum
2. Image transfer roller
3. Intermediary transfer belt(ITB)
By applying a positive (+) bias (transfer current) to the image transfer roller, negatively charged toner (-)
on the drum is attracted to the ITB that positions between the roller and the belt. Any remaining toner on
the drum is cleaned by the drum cleaning unit.
Related Advanced Settings
page 27 "Drum-to-belt Transfer Current"
2. Printing Process
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Belt-to-Paper Transfer
Belt-to-Paper Transfer
Applied voltage
The paper transfer roller features AC transfer technology.
Negatively charged toner image (-) on the ITB [2] is transferred to the paper by applying a negative
bias (-) to the paper transfer bias roller [1].
DZH307
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Following are the three types of negative bias applied to the paper transfer bias roller:
• DC bias: For all media types
• AC bias (Standard): For media other than metallic pearl and textured paper
• AC bias (Textured): For textured paper
* At low temperature and humidity, only DC bias is applied.
Bias is adjustable by print mode because the optimum bias level is dependent on the amount of toner
transfer.
(Bias is higher for FC than for BW due to the greater amount of transferred toner.)
By nature of AC, in which the current flows in an alternating up-and-down movement, toner particles
sync with this movement. Toner transferred to the media is pulled back to the ITB to gain further
transferability, enabling toner particles to fall into the indentations on rough surfaced media.
Belt-to-Paper Transfer
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Textured paper mode
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1. ITB
2. Textured paper
3. Toner is partially transferred.
4. Toner transferred to the paper returns to the belt and combines with toner remaining on the belt.
5. Toner is transferred to the indentations on the surface of the paper.
DZH010
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1. AC transfer inactive
2. AC transfer active
Related Advanced Settings
• DC bias
page 28 "Paper transfer current"
Leading/Trailing edge correction
To prevent image quality problems owing to the instability of the leading/trailing edges of the paper
when entering the nip of the PTR, the belt-to-paper transfer bias is adjusted for the leading/trailing
edges.
• Belt-to-paper transfer: Leading edge correction
2. Printing Process
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• Belt-to-paper transfer: Trailing edge correction
• Belt-to-paper transfer: Length of area to apply correction at leading edge of paper
• Belt-to-paper transfer: Length of area to apply correction at trailing edge of paper
• Current vs. Voltage
• Bias is applied using 'constant current' for drum-to-belt and belt-to-paper transfer, as this
method is resilient to changes in operational environment and thickness of the media.
• On the other hand, 'constant voltage' is used for AC bias and as this method does not require
adjustments according to paper width.
Related Advanced Settings
page 29 "Belt-to-paper transfer correction: LE/TE"
PTR Rotation Speed
The PTR [1] has the function to deliver the paper from the paper transfer timing roller.
DZH304
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Since the paper transport speed is controlled by the PTR, if the PTR rotation speed is slower than the
target the image will shrink, if faster than the target the image will stretch.
A problem such as side-to-side image magnification misalignment and mottling on black half-tone parts
may occur in the printed image because of the speed difference relative to the image transfer belt. To
solve this problem, it is necessary to adjust the PTR rotation speed.
Since the paper is simultaneously gripped by the PTR and the paper transfer timing roller, uneven density
and banding problems may occur, if the speed differs between these rollers. To prevent this problem,
you can adjust the PTR rotation speed.
Related Advanced Settings
page 42 "Paper transfer roller speed"
page 42 "Transfer timing roller feed speed"
Belt-to-Paper Transfer
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Fusing
Fusing Unit
The fusing belt has a thick elastic layer, as with the previous model, to allow the belt to reach farther into
the surface indentations of textured media.
Base layer
Base layer
Elastic layer
Elastic layer
Surface layer
Surface layer
Textured paper
Textured paper
Fusing belt
Ton e r
Conventional fusing belt
New fusing belt
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Fusing roller
Pressure roller
There are 5 heaters in the heating roller [2].
Toner is fused onto the media by applying heat to the fusing belt [1] via the heating roller [2],
maintaining consistent temperature and pressure on the media.
The fusing temperature is dependent upon the amount of toner.
(The more there is toner, the more heat needed for fusing.)
The fusing temperature can be adjusted separately for both print modes; FC and BW.
The fusing temperature is momentarily increased one notch immediately before the paper passes
through the nip, to compensate for the slight temperature drop of the fusing belt [1] due to the heat
absorption by the paper.
In addition, the target fusing temperature is momentarily increased another notch immediately before the
pressure roller [3] contacts the fusing belt, to compensate for the slight temperature drop due to the
contact.
Printing starts when the temperature of the fusing belt and pressure roller reaches the temperature range
in which paper feeding is allowed.
2. Printing Process
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Image quality issues originating in the fusing unit, for example, residual gloss images, river marks, can
be prevented by adjusting the target fusing temperature.
Related Advanced Settings
page 30 "Fusing temperature"
Fusing Nip Width Adjustment
The width of the fusing nip (or nip pressure) is made adjustable to prevent wrinkles.
The fusing nip pressure can be adjusted separately for standard media and envelopes.
You can adjust in four levels for standard media and more precisely for envelopes.
DZH013
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1. Fusing roller
2. Envelope
3. Heating roller
4. Paper transfer belt
5. Pressure roller
Related Advanced Settings
page 33 "Fusing nip width adjustment: envelope" / page 32 "Fusing nip width"
Fusing Cleaning Unit
The cleaning web [2] is pressed against the pressure roller [1], to rub off toner and paper dust adhered
to the fusing belt.
The web is soaked with silicone oil, which is supplied to the pressure roller and the fusing belt in very
small amounts.
The interval between each cleaning operation can be adjusted in four levels.
Fusing
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DZH322
Related Advanced Settings
page 31 "Fusing cleaning web"
Fusing Belt Smoothing Roller
Printing continuously on a particular paper size causes the paper edges to nick the fusing belt, and when
switched to a job printed on a larger size, the nicked fusing belt produces unwanted gloss streaks on the
prints.
Also, continuous printing of high image coverage pages causes the wax contained in toner to gradually
adhere to the fusing belt, affecting the gloss consistency of the prints.
Paper edge
Scratched fusing belt
caused by paper edge
Fusing belt
Fusing belt surface condition
Scratches
Scratches are polished
by the belt smoothing
operation
DZH214
Image quality issues such as gloss streaks and uneven gloss can be resolved by polishing the surface of
the fusing belt with the fusing belt smoothing roller [1].
The belt smoothing operation can be run manually or automatically. The setting can be selected in the
Advanced Settings.
2. Printing Process
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1
DZH309
Related Advanced Settings
page 34 "Smoothing roller rotation interval"
Fusing
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Paper Delivery
Mainframe
The paper feed/delivery system consists of various technologies to meet high front-to-back registration
requirements demanded in the commercial printing market. The paper fed from the tray is first checked
for double-feed and is then adjusted of skew and main/sub scan registration before the belt-to-paper
transfer process.
Skew detection & main scan registration
A Ricoh original technology is applied to separately control skew correction and main scan registration,
to achieve high accuracy in front-to-back registration.
1. CIS* measures the amount of skew.
2. The registration roller rotates (about the fixed support axis) and then shifts sideways to adjust the
skew and main scan registration.
DZH321
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• 1. Contact Image Sensor (CIS)
CIS calculates the amount of correction
• 2. Registration roller
The registration roller adjusts the skew and main scan registration.
*Contact Image Sensor
Related Advanced Settings
page 41 "Skew detection"
Leading edge detection mechanism in more detail
When the paper passes through the registration roller, the CIS emits light and reads the amount of
light reflected, to detect the leading edge.
2. Printing Process
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