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iKonMac
High Resolution ink jet
Printer
User manual

Model E18+
VE 6.00pcb
Nov 11 update CRL

iKonMac

All Enquiries: clive@ikonmac.com

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iKonMac Ltd have a policy of continuous improvements which may result

in specification and performance enhancements in production models,
some of the specifications and modifications may differ slightly from a
given description in this manual. Please contact your supplier if you are
in any doubt about anything. A phone call is always cheaper than a
repair.

Introduction
What is the iKonMac E18+
The iKonMac E18+ is a high resolution printer for printing a print height
of 18mm (1.1/4inches) of text, real time information, logos , in any pre -
programmed language or font.

The iKonMac E18+ can print to a maximum of 42 meters per minute.

The E18+ can print 3 prints a second and a print distance of up to 5 mm

from the target in high resolution and 15 mm in dot matrix font printing
downwards . The 18mm print head can print from 16 lines of 1mm text
and all sizes up to 1 line of 18mm text. The E18+ has currently a full
Arabic font set in 3mm 5mm 6mm and 18mm print height .

The iKonMac is available with now many types of ink. Oil based and
solvent based, the solvent is Ethanol. UV LED drying ink is also
available .

A full range of specialised inks are available to match special

requirements

Printing on non porous surfaces with solvent ink may take between 12 to
20 seconds to dry; this can be reduced to instantly dry or 1 -2 seconds
depending on the material and the line speed, using a warm air dryer, or
fast dry ink and UV LED will dry instantly See index for dryer and LED
Dryer

A full range of white & coloured pigmented inks are also

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The iKonMac E18+ is also available with oil ink for printing onto porous
surfaces only . In this case the ink is absorbed into the material.

ON NO ACCOUNT CAN ONE INK BE REPLACED WITH THE OTHER

IN THE PRINTER without a print head change ,contact your distributor
for advice.

The ink is supplied in a simple clean cassette

The ink is specially produced for the iKonMac printer. Using the wrong
ink WILL DAMAGE the printer and WILL DESTROY the piezo print
engine

Installation

Environment & Location

The electrical supply must be clean and have a constant voltage, free
from spikes and interference. The E18+ is adequately protected and has
an automatic voltage detector to work automatically either 110VAC or
220VAC.

Do not locate the printer near to any source of interference

electromagnetic fields radiation, such as metal detectors and high
current sealing machines.

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Do not connect the printer with a shared source of power or connect

directly the power without an earth. Ensure that all equipment such as
conveyors packaging machines are earthed and not leaking electricity
or producing static electricity.

The iKonMac is best installed on an independent stand, (supplied

optionally) and positioned along side the conveyor and not attached to it.
However the printer can be fitted directly into packaging equipment but
certain considerations such as vibration, accessibility and maintenance
must be taken into account.

For the best quality print the product must pass as close to the print
head as is possible and no more than 5 mm. Further than 5mm will
reduce the print quality a lot.

To ensure a good consistent quality of print the product should pass on

a conveyor at a constant speed, if not install an Encoder ( Supplied
optionally) . Install guide rails to ensure the product passes the printer at
a constant distance. ENSURE THAT THE PRODUCT DOES NOT
TOUCH THE PRINT HEAD and ensure that the product does not have
any sharp protrusions like STAPLES or carton flaps.

The product is detected for printing with a photo cell, if there is no gap
between the products then the photocell will not detect and no print.
Avoid locating the printer where products bunch up or jam up.

Control the distance between the product and the print head with guide
rails

Supplies

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The E18+ is a standalone complete printing unit. No other external

supplies such as air are required.

Simple set up
The iKonMac is supplied in quality packaging, open carefully,
check that all pieces are included DO NOT THROW AWAY EITHER
THE BOX OR THE INTERNAL PACKAGING. In the unlikely event of
having to return the printer or the more likely event of storage you will be

pleased to have kept it all together.

The E18+ will arrive to you in one piece with the bracket already in
position

First place the printer on a table , remove the plastic sleeve from the
print head and put the print head into the round bracket.

Affix the printer to the adjustable stand using the slide rail found under
the printer. If you are making your own stand you will need to produce a
matching rail with 2 screw tensioners.

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Head bracket Stand fixing

Once the printer is located on the stand , fit the photo cell into either of
the two male connections at the back of the machine and then plug the
electrical connection into the back of the printer and switch on. You
should hear a beep and the screen will illuminate. If it doesnt, check that
you have power, if you do and you can find no reason why it doesnt
work call your distributor.

Language Menu .The Default language is ENGLISH + the language

requested . If the language is English when you switch on and you want
the requested language say French, follow this procedure

Switch off the power Press L switch on the power

The screen shows here ENGLISH CHINESE- FRENCH

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To transform the machine to a French menu PRESS O

So now the Menu is French

We have many languages available

Next stage inking up

For oil ink machines, simply push in the ink cassette marked oil ink as
follows

The cassette will only enter one way, but make sure the end with the
small hole goes in first and the big hole in the cassette is on the
underside. Push firmly until the cassette passes a clip .

Place your finger underneath the printer and you will feel a hole. This
hole corresponds with the hole in the ink cassette. This is the purge
button
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Manual shutter for Solvent and UV inks

Twist the button and its open. Just turn the button and its closed
This keeps the ink ready for printing without the need to spray or
purge for several hours whilst not printing and sunlight away from
the UV ink

THE PURGE

An easy way for the first purge is to remove the print head from the
bracket and lower the head down into a bin. Squeeze the purge button

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gently under the print until the ink starts to flow out. Replace the print
head in the bracket. You do not need excessive force pushing the purge
button to get the ink to come through. Excessive force could damage the
print head.

For Solvent based ink machines the procedure is similar to above

except FIRST PUT IN THE SOLVENT CLEANER CASSETTE and
purge as above ,when the cleaner comes through ,replace the head in
the bracket as above , remove the cleaner cassette and replace with the
ink cassette . Return the head back to the bin and purge the ink until the
ink comes out . Then wipe away the excess ink and replace in the
bracket

WARNING IF YOU LEAVE THE HEAD DOWN AND CHANGE THE

CASSETTE AIR WILL GET IN . IF YOU LEAVE THE HEAD IN THE BIN
ALL THE FLUID WILL RUN THROUGH AND EMPTY THE CASSETTE.

Never leave the printer without a cassette in the machine at any

time

The set up to print

The E18+ is delivered complete with the print head bracket already in a
fixed height position You can print down and you can print on the side of
the product . The fixed height is very important because if the head is
lower ink will pour out . If the head is too high no ink will reach the head .
Either way you will not get the printer to print.

30-50mm

From the bottom of the machine to the lowest jet

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The photo cell has a fixed position next to the print head and with the
direction of the products passing down the conveyor; the photocell must

be before the print head.

Final checks before a first print

Ink cassette in place

Power switched on

The photo cell is connected

The print head shutter is ON not shut

Make a simple message , enter 00 test message on the current

message press ON

The manual shutter is open

A quick spray then purge and wipe .

Press ON the keypad and pass a piece of paper across the front of the
print head and you should have produced your first print

Yes ! Now go to the message editing section

No ! Something is not right ?

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Is the photocell detecting ? Check that a red light comes on when you
pass the paper in front of it check connections first and adjust sensor if
necessary Is print on press ON and again Check that ENCODER is N
if not change to N . Are the timing /parameters all wrong? To TEST hold
the piece of paper in front of the print head away from the photocell and
pass your hand past the photocell. This will show if the delay is too long
or too short

Increase or decrease the delay using the arrow cursers

Increase or decrease the width though this is not so important for your
first test print

You should a print now, if not go through the checks again

First print OK

Now go to the message EDITING creating section .

Keyboard

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The E18 + keyboard is arranged in sections, grouping keys with similar

functions together

Print On

Print Off

Select different Height Fonts standard E18+

ABC1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,12,15,18mm Arabic 3,5,6,18mm

Select Counter, Expiry date

Select Text ,Logo ,Font(Customized) ABC , ARB = Arabic. Blank is

Chinese other letters can be added on request

Return to the upper menu

Delete character logo in message move curser in front of the letter to be

removed or to the left hand side of the screen

Switch on Ctrl+Shift
Delete everything except test message 00 reset defaults
+ Del together

Upper case lower case Capitals Lock on or off shows as ABC or a b c

below Lang

Shift Scroll up or down

Function (Switch between the line based font and the dot based font)

Insert also selects Chinese characters

Message Editing and selection

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Remember you cannot edit message 00 it is a test message. So press

01 or another e.g. 03 and the display swill show on the bottom right .
First set up the date and time values Press W and move the cursor (Black square )
to position and enter date with the numbers

Press escape to return to main menu again Press and you will
automatically return to the test message

Message settings

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To make a message Remember you cannot make a message in 00 so

move curser and enter for example 01 then Press ENTER

This is the menu set up for each message

C Counter settings Use curser to set up counter requirements

Digit = number of 000000 up to 8

Start =number to start from

Step = counting X1 or X2 etc

End= stop count at a certain number ( remember if you put a small number in the
printer say 50 it will stop printing when it reaches number 50 ) and restart printing
when you switch on again . This can be mistaken for a bug in the software. It is your
fault, not the machines !!!!!!

D is expiry date settings

There are 2 settings and 2 dates may be put onto the same message for
example a message can contain date and time of production + a sell by
date + Best before date

These are added into the message as date 1 and date 2

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J is jet parameters that is the settings for the message and by

moving the cursor with the arrows L R or up and down you
change as follows

Bold is the thickness/ density of the print 0 6

Width is the width of the printed message and is relative to the speed
the product passes the print head and the higher the number the longer
the message.

Delay is the time between the photocell seeing the product and the print
starting the higher the number the longer the delay

Both width and delay can also be changed whilst the message is
printing.

Continuous print repeating the message over and over whilst the
photocell is detecting the product press space key to change

Pitch is the distance between each print in the continuous function

Encoder 0 is off 1 is on to enable using an encoder regulates the print

position and width if the products are passing the print head at variable
speeds

Invert Message printing either normal or upside down to change

direction press SPACE key

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Reverse To print message either left to right or right to left to change

direction Press SPACE key
In all case to change the functions use the cursor with the Arrow keys to target
and change either 0 to1 or increase or decrease the numbers

Set the date style

There are 3 pages to this menu so scroll down from the first page to

Page 2 for the rest of the options scroll down to the bottom or right click to find the
Juilian dates

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To create a simple message to start

For this exercise * we are going to make a 4 line message

Man: 29/06/07

Sell by : 29/07/07

BBE: 6/08/07

10:54:22 B

Select message number eg 01*

Press ENTER - Press E - Select print height HH 1mm 2mm 3 mm etc

choose 3 mm* Next choose ENG* - Caps M- caps off an- Esc - Y
move cursor to DD/MM/YY Enter- Esc- press E move cursor to first
space after Man: select Var NOW 0 press Enter .

You should have Man: DD/MM/YY

Next move cursor down one line Cap- S -cap off- ell-space by Shift :
Esc D

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Expired date move cursor to 00 months and add 01 Bring the cursor
down to Expired date 2 and change to + 39 Press Enter and then Esc

Press E change Var to EXP1-press Enter

You should now have Man: DD/MM/YY

Sell by D1/M1/Y1

Return the cursor to the beginning of the next line

Caps on BBE Shift- : Var EXP2 push Enter

You should have on your screen Man: DD/MM/YY

Sell by: D1/M1/Y1

BBE: D2/M2/Y2

Bring curser down to beginning of the next line press Esc Press Y
curser on HH:MM:SS Enter E Press Var until you see TIME press
Enter . The last piece to enter now is the Shift ; Esc Change the settings
as required start time finish time code letter etc

Press enter then Esc E push Var until you see SHIFT Push Enter .

On the Screen you should see .

Push Esc and Esc again and now you are at Current Printing message
01

Next purge the ink as described and then press P for print

Print the message Set up Delay and width as required .

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Increase or decrease width to get correct width using left or right

arrows,(if you are using an encoder you dont have to do this) .

Set delay to position the print start position on the product using up or
down arrows.
Effect of changing the Delay on message position (exaggerated)
Delay

MESSAGE = 00

Delay
= 20
MESSAGE

Delay
= 40
MESSAGE

To create logos see section winjet E18+

Logo printing 1In Edit printing message

conditionpress button to select Logo position.

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2Input 00 to 99 directlyThe E18+

can store up to 100 logos.

Reset to factory defaults

If the machine has been accidentally set to unusable values, or the

memory has been corrupted in some manner (such as by an upgrade of
software which has to use the memory differently), then as a last resort
the unit can be reset to the factory defaults.
Switch off , switch on wait for screen to light up and whistle and
immediately hold down
CTRL+SHIFT+ DEL together and wait 2 seconds release the keys
You should see RUNNING on the screen when the reset is finished
the screen wil revert back to the menu . good idea is switch off and
on again WARNING:

TO REPEAT, USE THIS ONLY IF YOU ARE REALLY IN TROUBLE ,

This will completely wipe out all messages and settings completely
cleaning the machine
1. By Pressing Ctrl+Shift+Del ,you will clear all the message and its
parameter, and all the logos, even the message 00 will disappear

2.when you finished the clearing ,on the main menu .you then press key F
and the default message 00 will return
Important:All messages and all logos and all parameters
except message 00 will be wiped from the memory.

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Choice of E18+ ink

Warning, If you even spray the front jet plate with MEK or propanol
Water or water based cleaners you will kill the print head .

This is not a maybe, this is certain disaster

For your own good only use the correct cleaner supplied

The E18+ uses a high technology print head that has

been designed for use with highly filtered special inks .
Only use the recommended E18+ ink cartridge
supplied with your printer being careful to always
reorder by the same reference type.
A selection of ink cartridges is available for different
uses but they are not compatible with each other and
must not be mixed in a printer.
If it is necessary to change to a different recommended
ink cartridge you must contact your distributor for
further assistance in flushing an priming your print
head.
ONLY USE THE RECOMMENDED E18+ INK
CARTRIDGE REFERENCE TYPE THAT YOUR
PRINTER WAS SUPPLIED WITH.
ALL WARRANTEES WILL BE VOID IF THE PRINT
HEAD USES THE INCORRECT INKS.
THE USE OF INKS AND CLEANERS NOT SUPPLIED BY
IKONMAC COULD CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE
PRINTER

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Solvent ink for nonporous surfaces

The E18+ using solvent inks requires a little and simple routine of
maintenance and operating procedures these must be followed for
problem free operation

The solvent ink is an ink which dries by evaporation; therefore it will dry
in the head when the ink is not flowing

To ensure that the ink remains a liquid and continues to pass out of the
jets please observe these procedures

To start the printer at the beginning of the day

Spray the front of the print head with the cleaner spray once or twice no
more.

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Then squeeze the purge button under the machine until a little ink
comes out. Wipe carefully ink away from around the head DO NOT
WIPE THE JET PLATE in the centre of the print head

This procedure is all that is required to restart the print even after a week
of not printing.

If during the day there is a loss of print quality, a simple purge and wipe
will restore the quality as dust or fibres may have stuck to the print head
face plate. If a simple purge does not clear the problem a spray with the
cleaner will wash away any blockage.

The e18+ should never be left without a cassette of either ink or cleaner
in place as without a cassette the filter will dry and block and be difficult
to clear.

The Solvent E18+ is equipped with Tickle this ensures the print head
remains active during period when the printer is not is not printing. This
prevents the ink from drying in the head for periods of 10 minutes or
more depending on temperature and humidity. This can be heard by a
feint buzzing noise. Normally it is not necessary to change the tickle
settings so dont , but if you are in a very hot climate then increase the
settings and use a manual or automatic shutter

To change Tickle & Spit. Switch on the power, Press T

Defaults setting is 0120 and this will not spit . To get spit decrease
Frequency to below 30 and strength can be altered to decrease the

volume of spit

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Low ink warning,

How it works

On the top side of the ink cassette you will see a slot and a flange of plastic

A full cassette will have the flange below the the slot

An empty cassette will have the flange at the level of the slot

A picture of the inside of the cassette shows the flange .It is attached to the sachet of
ink and as the sachet empties then the flange rises towards the slot

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A view of the inside of the machine shows the contact breaker switch for the low ink .
Thisis activeted as the ink empties as causes the flange to rise and make a curcuit

thus switching on the light

The light coming on means that the ink is likely to run out soon , It does not mean the
bag is empty or that the printer is no longer printing.

It is a warning that the printer will run out of ink .

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Problem solving

NOT PRINTING AT ALL

Did you purge properly? Did ink drip out ? if not see how to purge at the beginning of the
manual

If purge is ok press message 00 test message switch on printer pass your hand across the
photocell and see if the red light comes on and look at the
LCD screen and see if the counter numbers are increasing

Check display If there are no characters on the display:

Is the unit connected to the electricity supply?

Is the unit switched on?
If all above are ok, refer to your distributor for
assistance.

Check print on In the main menu condition, Press the button and push P

Check selected message In Edit printing message conditionPress the button

Check the width In Edit printing message condition, Press the button. Is
the unit configured for an encoder? If yes, is the encoder
connected and working? If no encoder is being used, select 0.
check delay , reduce delay to 10 to test printing

Check the gap There must be a gap between each subsequent product for the
photocell to start printing.

Check the ink supply Is the cartridge empty?

Try purging Does ink come out of the jets when you purge? If so, move to
'Check the product sensor'.

Can you hear the head singing very quietly while printing? If so,
try cleaning the jets. If not, check the following:

Is the ink filter blocked? If blocked it will be very difficult and

hard to push the purge button on the cassette

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Check the product sensor Is the sensor window clear and free from ink and dust? If you pass
your hand in front does a red light shine on the photocell side?

Is direct sunshine falling on the sensor window?

Is the sensor lead undamaged and connected correctly to the back

of the machine

If all else fails If the above does not restore printing, try thoroughly purging the jet
plate, before referring to your distributor.

BUILD UP OF INK AND DUST

Check that cardboard cartons are not scrapping by the side guides
resulting in cardboard dust deposits on the jet plate. See
Installation section.

INK SUPPLY

Try to purge. If excessive pressure is required, then the ink filter is

probably blocked and must be replaced. It should be replaced
every year as part of the routine maintenance of the machine.

Check that the ink supply lines are undamaged and not leaking

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MATTERS NEEDING ATTENTION

If the E18 solvent printer is not to be used for a period of longer than 2 weeks ,the
ink system must be cleaned thoroughly

The procedure remove ink cassette from the printer and replace immediately with
a cleaner cassette

Remove print head from the bracket and lower down into a bin with waste paper
in it

Allow the ink and then the cleaner to flow out .

When the fluid becomes almost clear ( It will never be totally clear) Stop by lifting
the head back to the bracket

Replace the print head cover and store the machine with the cleaner cassette still
inside . Do not tip the machine because the entire contents of cleaner will come
out, store flat

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Filters

There is one filter and this should be changed once a year or when it is blocked.
A blocked filter is a rare occurrence and it is advisable to contact the distributor
as a number of possibilities could be the cause. The filter is found inside the
printer and access is by undoing 4 screws located one either side and 2 on the
front of the printer. Lift the lid carefully and take great care not to stress the wires
from the head to the board

Replace the filter carefully and take care not to stab your finger with the sharp
needle

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WINJET SOFTWARE is supplied on CD with every printer

It is not required under normal day to day circumstances to run the printer
because the E18+ is a stand alone machine.

We often upgrade our software with new features so It is recommended you visit
our site occasionally You will be able to download al up grades Free .

You will only need to use the software if you want to put in different fonts,
extra letters or symbols, logos and fixed barcodes.

Please check with your supplier before you create a whole new language
set of characters for yourself, because many are already available eg
Russian , Greek, Polish , Serb , Chinese etc. For any new complete
language set of fonts, ikonmac will be pleased to create for you and save
you a lot of work.

How to make logos and messages as logos,

Install Winjet E8 E18+ onto your computer you can use XP Vista or Win 7
from either the cd provided or it can be sent via internet to you

Install a shortcut on the desktop . Double click open Winjet .it works ! ok
next shut the winjet .

Connect the USB cable from the computer to the E18+ .

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Hold down the letter U and Switch on the E18+

Open winjet click on import a message and find the logo file where you
have stored the logos

Click and open it opens directly in the winjet window

Click transmit and a green stripe will go across . Once the green
stripe has completed from Left to right the logo has been sent
Library no. and choose which number you want to place the logo
in the printer

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Switch off the printer ,Switch on and repeat to add another logo
(Remember to give it a different Library number)
Or to check the logo you have sent
Press E for edit , open a message file

Press the VAR and continue to press until Logo appears

Press enter and the logo appears on the screen of the E18+
Choose the logos by pressing 00, 01,02 etc

Mix the logos and variables in one message by changing the icon logo
lang etc on the right of the screen using the keys Hh VAR etc

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How to make new logos and messages as logos

It is best to set up a new file on your desktop eg File for winjet 18+

1. Click Start

2. Choose the Accessories

3. Choose the Paint

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4. Wait for the Paint to appear make message or enter a picture you wish
to convert to a log

5. Maximize the window

1. You can see

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2. Width maximum 512 Height maximum 128

3. Change the Colours to Black and white

4. Click OK

5. You can see

6. Click Yes.

7. Click A then take the curser to the right of the white box and drag the
box over the white area.

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8. Choose View

9. Choose Text Toolbar

10. You can see

11. Choose the font and size you require and type in any language ( This is the
preferred way for making long Arabic messages at the moment ) if your
computer is not with Arabic windows , use fonts either BNASIMB, BNAZANB,

BNAZANIN .

12. Type letters what you want(Do not exceed 128 pixels high or make
the message longer than the box)

13. Choose File Menu and Choose Save

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16. Save on the desktop named untitled and close PAINT

Open winjet as discribed before , open the file then send

How to make a fixed Barcode;

This is almost the same operation as making and transferring a logo except
you use the Barcode generation software . This is available on all new CDs
since 11/07 and can also be sent to you via email if required.

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Open the barcode software, choose the Bar code version you require e.g.
EAN13. Put in the number reference required , create the bar code size.
Preview, Save to a file and then transfer the file to winjet just like a logo!

If you are unsure of the procedure re read the previous chapter or read the
following version

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Optional extras

Encoder, the Encoder is a 1200 p/r with a 62 mm diameter wheel and is

connected to the printer via the RS232 port. On printers pre 2008 this could be a
shared port, later E18i models have 2x RS232 ports and either one may be used.

Air dryer for Instant drying The air dryer will reduce the drying time
of solvent inks onto nonporous surfaces The actual drying time is determined by
The type of product .The temperature of the product , the speed of the conveyor
and the temperature setting of the dryer. Also temperature and humidity in the
atmosphere will have a role to play. A drying time of less than 1 second has been
achieved on PVC at 25 meters a minute at 25C.

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Optional spares

Complete head assembly, this is the print engine sealed in the print head and
ombillical together with the ink pipe, cables, connector and earth. The
replacement is a simple operation. But please ask your supplier for instructions
before doing it yourself if you feel less than confident.

Ink filter, It is recommened to change the filter

once a year and when ever a print head is being changed.

The End so far

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