Media registration is an indication for how accurately an image is positioned on a sheet of paper. The position and the form of a printed image can differ slightly from the original image or the digital image. Possible causes:
Printer component tolerances.
Media size tolerances.
Possible causes:
Inaccuracies during the paper production, or
The relative humidity or temperature of the environment in which the paper is stored and used.
Media type (glossy media, for example).
Job type (1-sided or 2-sided).
Feed direction (LEF or SEF)
A change of media supplier.
A new batch of media.
The different properties of media can influence the alignment of images when the media are printed. This section gives examples of situations when media registration can be required.
NOTE
It is recommended to check the media registration after every 500,000 prints.
After a software upgrade, you must verify the media registration.
When you copy the media catalog from one printer to another, you must verify the media registration because the media registration depends on the printer and on the media.
The situations described are only examples. There are more situations possible when media registration must be performed.
When you print images and text on a sheet, the following deviations can occur:
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The lines on the front and back are not aligned (front-to-back side registration). |
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The image is not in the center of the sheet (shifted image). |
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The image is skewed (skewed image). |
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The image is tilted (diamond shape image). |
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The top of the image is smaller than the bottom of the image, or the other way around (trapezoid shape image). |
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The image is reduced or shrunk in the feed direction (elongation). |
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NOTE
Combinations of two or more deviations can occur.
When you print text on forms, the text must be printed in the designated area. For example, an address or a date must be printed at the correct position. Here you see an example where the printed date is not positioned correctly.
