Roland XC-540MT User manual

SPECIAL COLOR INK GUIDE
(Metallic Silver & White)
This document describes the characteristics of special color inks (white ink and metallic silver ink) used with
XC-540MT, important notes, maintenance, and printing method using these inks. For other matters, refer to the
XC-540/XC-540MT Setup Guide and the XC-540/XC-540MT User's Manual.
When using metallic silver ink and white
ink, be sure to read this rst.

Thank you very much for purchasing this product.
To ensure correct and safe usage with a full understanding of this product's performance, please be sure to
read through this manual completely and store it in a safe location.
Unauthorized copying or transferal, in whole or in part, of this manual is prohibited.
The contents of this operation manual and the specications of this product are subject to change without
notice.
The operation manual and the product have been prepared and tested as much as possible. If you nd any
misprint or error, please inform us.
Roland DG Corp. assumes no responsibility for any direct or indirect loss or damage which may occur through
use of this product, regardless of any failure to perform on the part of this product.
Roland DG Corp. assumes no responsibility for any direct or indirect loss or damage which may occur with
respect to any article made using this product.

1
Contents
Chapter 1 Getting Started ..................................................................................3
1-1 What This Document Assumes and Related Manuals...........................4
What This Document Assumes ................................................................................................... 4
Related Manuals .............................................................................................................................. 4
VersaWorks Online ........................................................................................................................... 4
1-2 Before Starting Operations ....................................................................5
Important: Characteristics of Inks and Important Notes.................................................... 5
Before Starting the Day's Work.................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 2 Getting Ready ....................................................................................7
2-1 Preparing VersaWorks ...........................................................................8
Starting VersaWorks......................................................................................................................... 8
Creating a Folder for Saving PS Files ......................................................................................... 8
2-2 Creating Printing Data............................................................................9
Basic Approach for Creating Printing Data ............................................................................. 9
Creating Data for Printing ............................................................................................................. 9
2-3 Printer Preparations .............................................................................15
Making the Printer Settings and Loading Media ................................................................15
Chapter 3 Printing .............................................................................................17
3-1 Using the Metallic Silver/CMYK Color Ink............................................18
Printing With Metallic Silver/CMYK Color (Both or Individually) ...................................18
3-2 Using Metallic Silver/White/CMYK Color Inks......................................22
Printing in the Sequence of White and Then Metallic Silver/CMYK Color..................22
Printing in the Sequence of Metallic Silver/CMYK Color and Then White..................28
Printing With Metallic Silver/White/CMYK Color in a Single Pass .................................34
Chapter 4 Maintenance and Important Notice When Printing .........39
4-1 Maintenance ........................................................................................40
Message for Ink Circulation ........................................................................................................40
When Dot Drop-out Etc. Cannot be Corrected....................................................................40
4-2 Important Notes on Printing .................................................................42
When Performing Dual-pass Printing .....................................................................................42
When Using Transparent Media................................................................................................43
Copyright and property of this Software and this manual belong to Roland DG Corp. No part of this publication may be repro-
duced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any from or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or
otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
VersaWorks is a registered trademark of Roland DG Corp.
Windows is a registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft® Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States.
Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, PostScript, PostScript 3, and Illustrator are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems
Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. ©2007 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Other company names and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
http://www.rolanddg.com/
Copyright © 2009 Roland DG Corporation

2

Chapter 1
Getting Started
1-1 What This Document Assumes and Related Manuals.. 4
What This Document Assumes ...................................... 4
Related Manuals ............................................................. 4
VersaWorks Online.......................................................... 4
1-2 Before Starting Operations ........................................... 5
Important: Characteristics of Inks and Important Notes .. 5
Before Starting the Day's Work ....................................... 5
3

4
Chapter 1 Getting Started
Chapter 1 Getting Started
1-1 What This Document Assumes and Related Manuals
What This Document Assumes
Before performing any operations described in this guide, make sure that all the following preparations are
complete.
Assembling and installing the XC-540MT unit
Installing VersaWorks on your computer, and connecting the computer to the XC-540MT via a network
Related Manuals
Read the following documentation for information about setting up the XC-540MT unit and VersaWorks.
(1) Setup Guide
This manual covers details about how to use the XC-540MT, including how to set up the printer and where to
locate the printer, etc. Be sure to read this manual.
(2) User's Manual
This manual describes operation methods in detail. After you've read the XC-540MT Setup Guide, be sure to
read this manual.
(3) VersaWorks Quick Start Guide
This manual explains basic operations of VersaWorks, including how to set up the program. Be sure to read
Chapter 1 of this manual and make necessary setups on your computer. It is also recommended to read Chapter
2 of this manual and become familiar with how to use this program.
VersaWorks Online
This document describes the important notes for using the metallic silver ink and white ink as well as the basic
printing method.You can get the latest information about Roland VersaWorks and the information on printing
methods requiring more complex settings by viewing VersaWorks Online.
If you want to learn more about the features of Roland VersaWorks, or if you want to use metallic silver ink and
white ink more eectively, be sure to visit VersaWorks Online.
URL: http://dg4.roland.co.jp/en/RVW2forWeb/index.html

5
Chapter 1 Getting Started
Chapter 1 Getting Started
1-2 Before Starting Operations
Important: Characteristics of Inks and Important Notes
The usage and handling of white ink and metallic silver ink involve some important considerations that do
not apply to ink of other colors.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of inks before you use it.
White ink and Metallic Silver ink settle and separate.
If it is allowed to stand, the precipitated material may solidify and cause clogging of the print heads or
other malfunction. Be sure to observe the cautions in this manual.
Maintenance must be performed.
Always keep the main power switched on. If the main power is switched o, the automatic maintenance
function stops working, and may result in malfunction.
We recommend operating the printer at least once a week.
If the printer is left unused for a long period of time, ink precipitation may occur, resulting in an incorrect
ink discharge such as occurrence of dot drop-out. In such cases, the precipitated and solidied ink needs
to be discharged. This work requires two SOL INK cleaning cartridges. For how to perform the work, refer
to the description below.
P. 40, "When Dot Drop-out etc. Cannot be Corrected"
Drying inks
After output, allow the ink to dry suciently. Note that white ink and metallic silver ink in particular require
printing at a high density, and so are more dicult to dry than CMYK inks.
Use an auxiliary drying unit (DU-540).
We strongly recommend performing lamination.
Depending on conditions, the weatherability of metallic silver ink and white ink may be inferior to that of
CMYK inks. Therefore, laminating is strongly recommended.
Maintenance requires two SOL INK cleaning cartridges, so be sure to have these on hand.
Before Starting the Day's Work
 Remove just the white and metallic silver ink cartridges, shake them gently, then reinsert
them.
The cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink cartridges do not need to be shaken every day, but
new cartridges for these colors should be shaken when you install them.
The ingredients in white and metallic silver ink tend to settle. Each day, before starting the day's operations,
be sure to carry out the above steps. Allowing the ink to stand without carrying out these steps can cause the
settled material to harden, resulting in malfunction or other problems.

6

Chapter 2
Getting Ready
2-1 Preparing VersaWorks.................................................. 8
Starting VersaWorks........................................................ 8
Creating a Folder for Saving PS Files ............................. 8
2-2 Creating Printing Data .................................................. 9
Basic Approach for Creating Printing Data ...................... 9
Creating Data for Printing................................................ 9
2-3 Printer Preparations.................................................... 15
Making the Printer Settings and Loading Media............ 15
7

8
Chapter 2 Getting Ready
Chapter 2 Getting Ready
2-1 Preparing VersaWorks
Starting VersaWorks
On the computer you're using, start VersaWorks. For information on how to start the program, see the Roland
VersaWorks Quick Start Guide. After starting the program, go to the upper left of the main screen and check to
make sure that "Model (or Nickname) of Your Printer" is displayed, and that "Status" is set to "Ready to Print."
Creating a Folder for Saving PS Files
Before you actually print an image you draw using application software such as Adobe Illustrator, it is necessary
to save the image as a PS le (s). And then, you can print the image by loading the PS le (s) on VersaWorks.
Because of this, you should create a folder for saving PS les in advance. It is recommended to locate the folder
in the root directory on your computer's local disk.
Procedure

Open [Computer] (or [My Computer]), and then open [Local Disk (C:)].

On the [Organize] menu, click [New
Folder]. (Or on the [File] menu, click
[New], and then click [Folder].)

Enter the name for the folder, and then
press the Enter key.
Here you name "MT-WH_print", for example.

Chapter 2 Getting Ready
9
Chapter 2 Getting Ready
2-2 Creating Printing Data
Basic Approach for Creating Printing Data
When Using Metallic Silver Ink
When you print using metallic silver ink, you can create the printing data according to the two methods
below.
 Specify the spot color so as to use only the metallic silver ink.
Apply the spot color named "RDG_MetallicSilver" to the areas you want to print using the metallic silver
ink.
 Use the exclusive metallic color special colors library.
From the exclusive metallic color special colors library, select the metallic color to be used which is the
combination color of CMYK ink and metallic silver ink. 12 metallic colors are provided as default.
When Using White Ink
Apply the spot color named "RDG_WHITE" to the areas you want to print using the white ink.
Creating Data for Printing
Create the data for printing using the metallic silver ink and white ink.
The program used to create the printing data is Adobe Illustrator CS3. For detailed information on drawing
methods and how to work with palettes, refer to the documentation or online help for Adobe Illustrator
CS3. If you're using another version of Adobe Illustrator, operations may be somewhat dierent from those
explained here.
1. Open the exclusive swatch library.

At the swatch palette menu, select [Open Swatch Library], then [Other Libraries].
The "Select Library" window appears.
NOTE: The swatch palette is displayed by going to the menu and selecting [Window], then [Swatch].

2-2 Creating Printing Data
10
Chapter 2 Getting Ready
Chapter 2 Getting Ready

Open folder in the order of [Computer] (or [My Computer]) → [Local Disk (C:)] →
[Program Files] → [Roland VersaWorks] → [Swatch] → [Illustrator], then select "Roland
VersaWorks.ai."
Depending on the settings of your computer, the extension ".ai" might not be shown.
Click [Open].
The swatch library containing "RDG_MetallicSilver" and "RDG_WHITE" is displayed.

Open the same folders as in step

, then select "Roland Metallic Color.ai."
Depending on the settings of your computer, the extension ".ai" might not be shown
Click [Open].
The swatch library is displayed which is containing the "metallic color" created by mixing the metallic
silver ink and CMYK ink. 12 metallic colors are provided as default
By saving the ".ai" le selected in steps  and  into the folder below, you can register each swatch
library to the Adobe Illustrator's library.
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS3\Preset\Swatch
("C" is the name of your computer's local disk.)
Once the registration is performed, you can open the library directly from the swatch palette menu, elimi-
nating the need to search the le every time you start Adobe Illustrator.

2-2 Creating Printing Data
Chapter 2 Getting Ready
11
Chapter 2 Getting Ready
2. Create the illustration, and specify the spot color that matches the color you want to print.

Create the illustration.
Be sure to draw the illustration in the CMYK mode.

Specify each spot color that matches the color you want to print.
Desired ink or color Spot color name
Metallic silver ink RDG_MetallicSilver
White ink RDG_WHITE
Metallic color
(Metallic silver/CMYK combination color)
RVW-MT-Silver, RVW-MT-Bronze, RVW-MT-
TitanBlack, etc. (Total of 12 colors)
Specify "RDG_WHITE" for
the areas where you want to
use white ink. Specify " RDG_MetallicSilver " for the
areas where you want to use metallic
silver ink.
Areas where you want to use metallic color
From the metallic color special colors library (Roland Metallic
Color), specify the color such as "RVW-MT-Bronze"

2-2 Creating Printing Data
12
Chapter 2 Getting Ready
Chapter 2 Getting Ready
3. Create the PS (PostScript) le.

Select [Print] from the [File] menu.
Select [Roland VW].
Click [Setup].
Click [Continue].

2-2 Creating Printing Data
Chapter 2 Getting Ready
13
Chapter 2 Getting Ready

Turn on the [Print to le] option.
Click [Preferences].
Click [Advanced] in the [Layout]
tab.
For Windows 2000: In the "Print"
dialog box (the window at the very top
of this page), go to the "Layout" tab and
click [Advanced].
Click the down arrow to the right of
the [Paper Size] box, and then click
[PostScript Custom Page Size] from the
list that appears.
For "Custom Page Size Denition,"
enter the values in the "Width" and
"Height" elds.
Enter values for the same size as the illustration
you created in step 2 .

2-2 Creating Printing Data
Chapter 2 Getting Ready
14
Chapter 2 Getting Ready

Click [OK] three times to close the "PostScript Custom Page Size Denition," "Roland
VersaWorks Advanced Options," and "Printing Preferences" dialog boxes.
The "Print" dialog box returns.

Click [Print].
Click [Print].

Specify the destination and le name
for saving, then save the le.
Example: " C:\MT-WH_print " for the folder to
save to, and " mt-wh.ps " as the le name
Click [Save].
The CMYK layer of the image is saved as a PS
le.

Open the folder you saved to and make sure the le has been created.
Assign the name you want. It may be a good idea to
assign a name that indicates that the le uses white
and metallic silver ink.
Select the folder you created in "Creating
a Folder for Saving PS Files" on page 8.

15
Chapter 2 Getting ReadyChapter 2 Getting Ready
2-3 Printer Preparations
Making the Printer Settings and Loading Media
When Using Transparent Media
When you're using transparent media, make the necessary printing settings on the printer and load the media
accordingly.
Procedure

Press and make the following settings.
[EDGE DETECTION] to "DISABLE."

Load transparent media into the printer.
When the media you are loading into the printer warps or partially oats from the platen, load it into
the printer so that its front end goes about 20 cm (8 in.) from the starting edge of the print area.
Be sure to use the media clamps when you load media.
When Using Media Other Than Transparent Media
Load the media using the method described in the XC-540/XC-540MT User's Manual.

16

Chapter 3
Printing
3-1 Using the Metallic Silver/CMYK Color Ink................... 18
Printing With Metallic Silver/CMYK Color
(Both or Individually)...................................................... 18
3-2 Using Metallic Silver/White/CMYK Color Inks............. 22
Printing in the Sequence of White
and Then Metallic Silver/CMYK Color ........................... 22
Printing in the Sequence of Metallic Silver/CMYK Color
and Then White ............................................................. 28
Printing With Metallic Silver/White/CMYK Color
in a Single Pass............................................................. 34
17

18
Chapter 3 Printing Chapter 3 Printing
3-1 Using the Metallic Silver/CMYK Color Ink
Printing With Metallic Silver/CMYK Color (Both or Individually)
This section describes how to perform either of the printing methods below.
Using metallic silver ink and CMYK ink (printing all the metallic colors such as RDG_Metal-
licSilver and RVW-MT-Bronze as well as CMYK colors)
Using metallic silver ink only (printing RDG_MetallicSilver only)
Using CMYK ink only
In order to use the metallic silver ink, printing data containing metallic colors such as "RDG_MetallicSilver"
and "RVW-MT-Bronze" must be used.
P. 9, “Creating Printing Data”
Procedure

Make sure that you have nished making the preparations for VersaWorks, creating the
printing data, and getting the printer ready ( page 7, "Chapter 2 Getting Ready").

Double-click .
"Queue A Properties" window appears.

Click .
For [Media Type], select names with
[MT] attached such as "Generic Vinyl
1 [MT]".
Make the selection that matches the media to
be used. Selecting an item attached with [MT]
enables you to choose the print mode that can
use the metallic silver ink.
With [Mode], select the print mode.
CMYKMt (v) +xxx
This prints with all the metallic colors such as
RDG_MetallicSilver and RVW-MT-Bronze as well
as CMYK colors.
MetallicSilver (v) +xxx
This prints with RDG_MetallicSilver only.
CMYK (v) +xxx
This prints with CMYK ink only.
"xxx" indicates "+PASS" and others.