Canon has conducted extensive testing of many media. Since your printer is capable of imaging on a wide range of material, we encourage you to explore various media so that you can establish your own criteria for achieving high quality images in your work environment.
Use ONYX media profiles to control ink density and to help achieve consistent colour. If a media profile is not available for a particular media and it is not possible or convenient to create one specifically for that media, select a profile for another media that is similar in composition and colour and the results will very likely be acceptable. Profiles are much less media-dependent for UV ink printers than for solvent-based printers. For access to ONYX profiles (media models), please consult our website.
The term media covers a wide range of possible materials for your printer. Essentially, any material that is less than 50.8mm (2.0 inches) thick, and less than the maximum size of 1.25m wide x 2.5m long (49.2 in x 98.4 in), can be considered viable media. Some materials will hold the ink better than others, so we encourage you to experiment with media to determine what works best for your purpose.
CAUTION
Lifting a media roll has always to be done with the help of an external lifting tool.
Lifting media (e.g. rigids) has to be done with the help of an external lifting tool or at least two persons.
IMPORTANT
When printing on reflective media, we advise that you monitor the nozzle check and printhead nozzle plates. Perform additional printhead maintenance, if required, to prevent ink from partially curing/gelling on the printhead nozzle plates.
See material-specific documentation for recommended handling and storage requirements. General material storage and handling suggestions follow:
Store media in a dry environment avoiding high temperature, high humidity, or direct sunlight. The size of the material can change according to the temperature and/or humidity changes of the working environment. Ideally, store media in the same environmental conditions as it will be used.
Store media flat to reduce tendency to bow. Do not use creased, damaged, torn, curled, or warped material.
Do not leave material loaded in the printer for an extended period of time. The material may curl resulting in misalignment, jams, or decreased printing quality.
Some material has a printable side and a non-printable side. If you print on a non-printable side, adhesion and colour may be affected.
Handle media with lint-free gloves. Oil deposits from fingers will degrade print quality. Do not touch the printable side of material.
Media must be free of lint, dust, oil or other debris. Use techniques and solutions that are appropriate to the manufacturer's recommendations.
Use a tack cloth to clean media as it will reduce static build-up. Press lightly when you use a tack cloth to prevent residue deposit on the media.
NOTE
Dirty media can affect image quality and reliability of printer output. If you wipe the media with a tack cloth before printing, it will reduce dust and debris build-up on the carriage underside. The tack cloth removes static and also removes dust and debris that tend to attract stray ink drops. Tack cloths are used by auto-body shops to clean cars before painting. Canon does not provide additional tack cloths beyond what is in the Accessory kit. If you did not receive a cloth or if you wish to purchase additional tack cloths, they are available at local hardware or auto supply stores.
If something on the table is higher than the media (or if the media is thicker than what is actually set in the print job settings), a carriage collision may occur. If a collision occurs, the carriage will stop and display a message on the User Interface panel. After the operator clears the offending media from the table and before the next print is started, printhead maintenance must be performed (See Printer Maintenance section).
If the UV ink is not properly cured, wear nitrile gloves when you handle prints. This will minimize the risk of skin irritation and sensitization from possible exposure to uncured ink.
Some media have better adhesion quality than others. Factors such as the amount of ink used and the amount of curing energy from the UV lamps can affect adhesion.
For more information on media adhesion, see Application Bulletin 6 on the Customer Support website.
For additional information on various aspects of handling and managing media refer to the Customer Support website. See Appendix A of this document for a list of available bulletins or visit the website to download bulletins:
https://graphiplaza.cpp.canon
When imaging on media that will expand when subjected to heat (e.g., styrene or Plexiglas, etc), don’t wedge the media by butting other material against it as this may cause the media to buckle. Also if multiple pieces of the media are used, allow enough space between the pieces to allow for thermal expansion. If you overprint on media that expands when heat is applied, we recommend that you group the desired image with the preceding image so the media stays at a consistent temperature.
Some heat-sensitive media may deform when subjected to high heat. If this occurs you can reduce the lamp power from the default setting of 70%. You can also try to print uni-directional using only the trailing lamp (to do this set the power of the leading lamp to 0).