Uninet icolor 550 User manual
iColor®550 Digital Color + White Transfer Media
Printer User Manual
2
Table of Contents
iColor® 550 Model Summary Page 3
Unpacking and Installing Consumables Page 4 - 7
Loading Paper Page 7 - 10
Printer Software Installation Instructions –Network connection Page 11 - 13
Printer Software Installation Instructions –USB connection Page 14 - 16
iColor® ProRIP Information Page 17 –18
iColor® SmartCUT Information Page 19
Printing with Fluorescent and Dye Sublimation Toner Page 20
Replacing toner cartridges Page 21
iColor® 550 Printing Tips Page 22
iColor® 550 Printer Spec Sheet Page 23
Refer to the included Flash Drive that shipped with your printer for in depth instructions. iColor® ProRIP
license code will also be provided on drive, as well as iColor® SmartCUT (if purchased).
November 2017 Edition –A newer version of this manual may be available at www.icolorprint.com/support
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iColor® 550 Digital Color + White Transfer Media Printer
The iColor® 550 printer has been developed to produce high-quality conventional color prints with out of the
box functionality of printing in white.
Please follow the enclosed quick setup guide to get started. The iColor® 550 comes complete with 4 toner
cartridges for full color and black printing (CMYK), as well as our exclusive fluorescent white cartridge. Quickly
swap the black for white when you want to add white as a spot color, or to print a white underprint or
overprint in concert with the iColor® ProRIP software. Black can then be produced using composite black
(made from CMY), or if true black and white is needed at the same time, just pass the print though the printer
a second time. Our registration system will ensure the prints are lined up perfectly.
You will also have the option to add the fluorescent toner or dye sublimation toner upgrade kits, as well as the
exclusive iColor® security and clear toner options at any time.
Please note that vector and line art images, including text, are likely to produce the best results. For exciting
design ideas and suggestions for using the iColor® 550 for maximum effect, please visit our website at
www.icolorprint.com.
iColor® Premium Transfer media has been optimized to provide quality results when used with the printer,
enabling the user to produce eye-catching designs which may be applied to a variety of textiles and surfaces.
What’s so unique about the iColor®550 Digital Color + White Transfer Media Printer?
The ability to print white as an underprint AND an overprint in the same machine, in one pass, using the
iColor®ProRIP software.
The white opacity of UniNet’s unique blend of toner is double that of any other brand, giving you the brightest
whites and solid background to bring out the vibrancy of your colors.
The true black cartridge is included with the printer, allowing you to switch to CMYK mode to print items such as
brochures and menus when white is not needed.
Optional sublimation, fluorescent, security and clear toner cartridge options.
Lowest cost and most flexible machine available.
No maintenance typical with ink based machine is necessary. The iColor® 550 is a toner based system.
Large array of media available for virtually any project.
Global sales, support and service direct from UniNet or its dealer network.
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Unpacking and installing consumables
Remove orange security tape and packing material from around the printer.
Open top lid.
5
Remove orange security tape and packing material from inside the printer.
Remove the white toner cartridge from the front of the machine. Place it on a flat, solid
surface and carefully remove the black security paper.
6
Be careful not to touch the drum or the contacts on the side of the cartridge.
Remove each cartridge and gently shake back and forth 5 or 6 times to loosen the toner that
may be settled in the cartridge due to shipping.
7
Reinstall the cartridges in the desired configuration (in the above representation, white or
black can go into the first slot) and close the lid. Use white for transfer printing and black for
normal CMYK printing.
Loading Paper
Pull out the paper cassette and push down the metal base.
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Squeeze the clips on the paper guides and slide them to match paper size. Do not move the
paper guides forcefully. Doing so may damage the tray.
Load media with the print side face up and ensure it locks in underneath the guides before
closing the cassette. Ensure the paper stack does not exceed the upper limit mark inside the
paper tray. Excessing stacking can cause paper jams.
9
When loading paper longer than 11” into tray 1, remove the lower rear cover using a coin.
Squeeze the rear extender and push outward to accommodate lengths up to 14” long. Do not
extend this tray when loading A4 or letter size paper. Otherwise, a paper jam may occur.
To access the MPT tray, press and hold the lever at the top and pull out and down. Pull out the
extender when loading paper larger than A4 or letter size.
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Load the paper print side face down and adjust the guides as necessary.
Insert power cord and power on the unit as per the driver installation instructions below.
11
Installing iColor® 550 printer on a PC
Choose the appropriate driver that shipped on the USB drive with your printer. There will be 3 driver options:
1) Windows 10/8.1 –USB and Network, 32 and 64 bit all in one driver
2) Windows 7 –Network only 32 bit
3) Windows 7 –Network only 64 bit
You must have Administrator privileges on the computer to proceed.
Network Setup on Windows 10 (recommended):
1. Connect the printer to your network via CAT 5 cable and power on the printer. Your network will
automatically assign an IP address to the printer, but it is suggested that you program a static IP address to
the printer to avoid possible reassignment of the IP address should the machine be powered off.
2. Locate the installation file on the USB drive that was shipped with your printer and double click to launch
the setup program.
3. Click ‘continue’to install the
iColor® 550 driver.
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4. Agree to the End User
License agreement and
click ‘next’
5. Select ‘Network’ and click
‘next’
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6. The software will detect
the printer on your network.
Click on the printer and click
‘next’. The driver will now
install.
7. Click ‘finish’ to complete
the install
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USB Setup on Windows 10/8.1:
1. Unpack the printer according to the Set-up Guide. Do not turn on or connect your iColor®printer
to the computer until the install program asks you to do so. Doing so can cause errors during
installation.
2. Locate the installation file on the USB drive that was shipped with your printer, copy it to your desktop and
double click to launch the setup program.
3. Click ‘continue’to
install the iColor® 550
driver.
4. Agree to the End User
License Agreement and
click ‘next’.
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5. Select ‘USB’ and click
‘next’.
6. Once the following
screen has been
reached, it is now safe
to connect the printer
and computer via USB
and power on the
printer.
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7. Click finish to
complete the
installation.
8. Your printer will now be listed along with your other printers and devices.
For PCs running Windows 7, choose the appropriate driver included on the USB drive that shipped with the
printer and follow the steps.
9. You are now ready to install the iColor ® ProRIP software. Installation software and instructions are on the
USB drive that came with your printer.
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Why use the iColor®ProRIP?
Use the iColor ® ProRIP software to print fluorescent white as an underprint or overprint in one pass.
The iColor®ProRIP software allows the user to manipulate the white layer behind the graphic for printing on
dark or transparent media where white is needed as a background color. Two cartridge configurations are
available to easily adjust for reverse printing, where white is needed as a top color for apparel. No need to
create additional graphics with different color configurations –the software does it all –and in one pass!
Enhance the brilliance of any graphic with fluorescent white behind color.
The iColor® ProRIP is the magic behind one pass printing with white as an underprint or an overprint. The most
important point of the iColor® ProRIP software is that it allows colors to be put down in layers. Regular printer
drivers only concern themselves with what the eye sees on the top layer; the RIP allows you to separately
control each layer, thus giving you the ability to control not only what you see, but what is behind that top
layer (typically the white layer). The iColor®ProRIP gives you the unique ability to use one machine to print
images with white as an underprint or an overprint. You can now print vibrant colors on clear or dark media
regardless of the background to which it is applied, where the white is put down first and the colors
afterwards. The iColor® ProRIP intelligently color maps and allows for reverse printing when printing and
transferring to garments where white is put down last. This is the only way to achieve white underprint and
overprint in one pass. The software also allows for color manipulation and removal, rasterization and
advanced layout tools. It ships standard with the iColor® 550.
Create unique items - The possibilities are endless!
T-shirts and sweatshirts
Aprons
Dark restaurant menus with white print
Corporate logo shirts
Mouse pads
Sports apparel
Jackets
Tote bags
Signs with colored, white or fluorescent toner
Print and Transfer onto:
Natural and synthetic fabrics
Dark and light fabrics
Metal, glass, wood, acrylic and ceramic
White, colored or clear labels
Dark and light paper stock
Transparencies with white as a background color
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To accomplish these two features, UniNet has created two configurations to suit any printing project:
‘Spot White Underprinting’ is for right side printing and allows for printing white as an underprint in one pass
(typically used for transparencies, clear labels, dark media, clear acrylics or Aqua Clear paper). The black and
white cartridges can be swapped within the last slot depending on your needs. This configuration is for
printing standard CMYK images when the black is installed or CMYW images when white is installed. When the
white is installed in the last slot, this is configured for ‘Right Side Printing’ where the white is printed first, as
an underprint, all in one pass. In this situation, the RIP converts pure K colors to CMY composite black, and
puts in white not only as a background color but also in the image where white or page white is specified.
‘Spot White Overprinting’ allows for printing white as an overprint in one pass for reverse printing (typically
used for transfer printing). In this configuration, the white cartridge is placed in the first slot (cyan station) and
the cyan cartridge is placed in the last slot (black station) of the printer. The Color Mapping feature overrides
the basic driver of the printer and automatically sends the proper color to the proper channel. This
configuration is for garment printing where white is needed as an overprint, applied on top of all the other
colors. When the image is pressed to the garment, the transfer sheet is flipped over and the white becomes
the underprint.
This is especially important where images have half tones and 100% transfer of the image is an issue or when
there is white in the image that needs to show through for dark colored garments.
Visit www.icolorprint.com/support for full written and video instructions on the iColor®ProRIP
software (coming soon).
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Why use iColor®SmartCUT?
Easily print oversized images with UniNet’s optional iColor® SmartCut software. This ground breaking
application turns your letter sized printer into a tabloid ‘plus’ capable machine, allowing for the splitting and
splicing of one graphic across two or more printed transfer sheets.
Use any oversized graphic you wish to work with, and the software will split the graphic in half along the most
logical path. You can choose to have it split along dark or light areas, depending on the color garment you will
be pressing onto. With this software, you can make 3XL shirts that are not possible with even the most
expensive of printing systems because you can gang up as many transfer sheets as you want.
SmartCUT was designed from the ground up with ease of use as a paramount consideration. Most functions
are automated to allow you to focus on finding the best starting point to split each job. SmartCUT supports
most common image formats, with a preference for PNG files with transparent backgrounds.
The program works as an integral part of a decorating system where the split pages are printed onto iColor®
Standard transparent transfer media. The sheets are then lined up visually on the substrate through the
transparent sheet.
SmartCUT opens the door for the iColor® 550 to print these common design sizes such as 15” square, as well
as plus size garments such as 2X, 3X, 4X. The ability to print designs that properly fill out these large sizes
create the opportunity for high value garments that can fetch a premium price.
SmartCUT enables users who cannot make the jump to tabloid sized printers to effectively print larger images
than user with the larger printers.
SmartCUT WORKS!!! A tremendous amount of research and testing has proven the concept that using the
method implemented in this application will produce results for a very high percentage of designs that are
virtually imperceptible by even those who know that a seam exists.
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Printing with Fluorescent Colors
Instantly transform your iColor® printer into a fluorescent printer where the printed images produced will
glow brightly under UV light. The upgrade kit consists of 3 toner cartridges (CMY) and is shipped in 3 separate
boxes. Simply remove and store the standard CMY toner cartridges and swap with the fluorescent kit to
instantly print with UV sensitive toner while using the standard black cartridge in place. The white cartridge
that shipped with your iColor® 550 printer can also be used if a white overprint is required.
Operating on the same application principles as standard toner that ships with your machine, you can print
and/or press onto virtually any surface using the appropriate transfer media –or print directly onto paper,
transparencies and label stock regardless of which printer is being used. Be sure to design your graphics with
bright colors –avoid dark or black colors (unless specifically wanted), as those will not fluoresce well and may
not look good as a final product. Most fluorescent images will be placed on a black or dark colored garment,
so black would not be suggested in these cases anyway.
Specific installation instructions can be found at www.icolorprint.com/support
Printing with Dye Sublimation Toner
Instantly transform your iColor® printer into a sublimation printer. The upgrade kit consists of 4 toner
cartridges (CMYK) and is shipped in 4 separate boxes. Simply remove and store the standard cartridges and
swap with the sublimation kit to instantly print and sublimate on coated materials.
Operating on the same application principles as standard ink sublimation systems, you must press onto white
100% polyester or sublimation coated materials for best results. 50/50 cotton poly blends may also be used
for a lighter, vintage look. There is no white overprint option with dye sublimation, only CMYK prints are
possible.
The iColor® Dye Sublimation Upgrade Kit has several unique advantages suited for a production environment:
1) Vastly faster print speeds: 26 pages per minute vs 34 pages per hour for ink (photo mode)
2) No clogged heads resulting from non-use. Toner based systems do not have this maintenance issue.
3) Longer expiration period
4) Much higher page yield: 3,000 pages standard toner vs 350 pages for starter ink
Specific installation instructions can be found at www.icolorprint.com/support
Ask your dealer about upgrading to security and clear toner options as well!
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