MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) ABOUT THIS MANUAL SECTION 1 HAPTER RODUCT NFORMATION Figure 1.1 MelcoJet Printer Printer Specifications Figure 1.2 Hygrometer System Requirements Computer Interface Requirements HAPTER VERVIEW OF ONTROLS Power Switches Control Panel Keys LED Lights...
Thank you for choosing Melco for your direct to garment printing needs! This manual is intended to provide you with basic information about your MelcoJet and to be used as a reference in the event that you need quick answers to general questions. Technical Support is available to you at 1-877-840-5829 and can provide you with assistance on more detailed or advanced technical questions.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Section 2 of this manual has been written in a specific format to help you in a step by step approach to perform basic printing functions. Information is presented in an “Overview/Quick Reference” format then more detailed information on each step is provided immediately after.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Electrical: 120 V Model (FP125A) 220V Model (FP125B) Input Voltage Range 110 – 132 V 212 – 245 V Input Frequency Range 50 – 60 Hz 50 – 60 Hz Power Consumption 1.0 A (average) .5 A (average)
Windows XP operating system on your PC. The programs needed to run your MelcoJet printer do not work with Apple computers or with any PC on any operating systems other than Windows XP. There are no specific hardware requirements to...
Printhead from drying out. Control Panel The MelcoJet FP-125 Control Panel consists of a 20 character by 2 line LCD display, 9 keys and 4 LED indicator lights. MODEL FP-125 V 4.2...
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Keys Turns on or off power to the print engine. The POWER key will not be functional unless the main power switch in the rear of the printer is already turned on. Moves the Print Table back and forth. Pressing it while the Print Table is moving will stop the table.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) LED Lights ON indicates the power to the print engine is on. OFF indicates the print engine power is off. POWER (green) BLINKING indicates the printer is busy either receiving data from the PC, printing or performing maintenance. When the Power LED is blinking, do not press any key.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) LCD Display The LCD display is a 20 character x 2 line Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). It is back-lit for easy reading. Most instructions and messages are shown in this display. For menu items, different texts will be displayed depending on where you are in the menu tree.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) LOW INK When the out-of-ink cartridge is replaced. RESOLVED When POWER key is pressed to power down the print POWERING DOWN engine. Do not take any action and do not turn off the...
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Star ( ) Menu The Star Menu is used for operator settings for printer parameters. Press star ( ) key on the control panel to reach star menu. To exit the star menu, press Return ( ) or CANCEL key.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) AUDIBLE SIGNAL When audible signals are activated, this confirmation ON *SAVED* will display. To exit, press Return or the Cancel key. Press the ENTER key to deactivate audible signals. AUDIBLE SIGNAL The up or down key will access the Audible Signal On menu.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Ink Cartridge Status LEDs When the system detects missing bulk ink cartridges or empty ink cartridges, the control panel Ink LED will turn on (missing ink cartridges) or blink (out-of-ink cartridges). A corresponding warning message will be displayed in the LCD as well.
We want you to experience the most out of your investment and want to provide you with as many options as possible to prepare you for printing with your MelcoJet printer. The best way to have all of your questions answered, prepare for use of your MelcoJet printer and avoid any failures of your equipment is to take advantage of the training available to you.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Unpacking Your printer is delivered in special packaging designed to protect it from damage during shipping. - KEEP THIS BOX AND ALL PACKING MATERIALS; SOME REPAIRS MAY REQUIRE YOU TO SHIP YOUR PRINTER TO AN AUTHORIZED DEPOT REPAIR FACILITY AND YOUR PRINTER MUST BE SHIPPED IN PACKAGING DESIGN FOR IT.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Additional Items The following are recommended and are not included with your printer: 12” or 9” bubble level Electronic Hygrometer (to monitor the relative humidity for your printer) PC Windows XP operating system...
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) - DO NOT DISPOSE OF TABLE Remove “table retainer” cardboard RETAINING CARDBOARD 3. Level the printer Gently push the print table inwards until you have reached it’s fully retracted position. Place a 9” or 12” bubble level at the “near” side of the rails. Adjust the feet as necessary to obtain a level condition.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 4. Power up (main power) Plug in the provided power cord to the wall outlet. MelcoJet printers come in two power configurations. Model FP-125A is for 110V for USA, Canada, Mexico and other countries using 110V standards.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 5. Installing Bulk Ink Cartridges (deciding what option is right for you) Before turning on the print engine, it is necessary to install the bulk ink cartridges. The ink cartridge bay is located on the right side of the printer.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Setup Option 2: This option can be used if you intend to print on dark garments but are not ready to do so immediately after initial setup. The level of experience to print and produce quality images on dark garments is much greater than on light garments and it is recommended that new users do not start printing on dark garments immediately.
If you are not familiar with these, it is recommended that you seek help from someone who is familiar with such technology to set your computer up and make sure that your computer and the MelcoJet printer are communicating properly. The following are the steps required to install the print driver program.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Figure 3.8 Windows will prompt that new hardware has been detected and will instruct you on how to proceed to install a new printer driver. When windows asks for the location of the “driver program”, insert the driver CD and indicate to windows that the drive can be found on the CD in your CD Drive.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 7. Removal of shipping fluids Your printer was shipped with its ink delivery system filled with shipping fluid (clear or pink color), to preserve the integrity of the ink delivery system and prevent the Printhead from drying up.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Press the POWER key ( ) key on the control panel to turn on the print engine. It usually takes about two minutes for the print engine to complete its power up sequence. The print table will move forward to the “load position”. When the power up sequence is complete the following display will show in the LCD.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 3. Adjust table height Pressing the TABLE key ( ) once on the control panel will move the print table in one direction. Pressing it a second time stops it and pressing is a third time will move it in the opposite direction.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) FUNCTION OF YOUR PRINTER. If the garment it is too far from the nozzle plate (located on the Printhead), the print quality will suffer and ink over spray will be visible. If the garment is too close to the nozzle plate, there is risk of the Printhead touching the garment and scratching the nozzle plate coatings, which makes the Printhead unusable.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 1. Move the print table until the rear edge is under the carriage guide bar (CGB) 2. Loosen the knob under the print table (Figure 4.4) 3. Adjust the table by turning the nut until the “gauge block” fits under the CGB at both sides of the table 4.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 4. Ink Test Pattern When you print on a new garment fabric material, it is best to determine the optimal ink specification by printing a Test Pattern. To print an Ink Test Pattern, click the Ink Level tab while in the program properties window.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 5. Load the garment Placement Load the garment on the print table by laying it flat against the print table with the head of the garment positioned at the front of the print table. If the garment is not flat, the printer “obstruction sensor laser”...
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) page and adjust the graphic to the right 2” to compensate for the narrow sized table. This adjustment in the graphics program will result in the “desired origin”. Even though you have changed the table on the printer the origin will not change for the youth table automatically.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 6. Select your graphic The following are a few items to consider when selecting a graphic. It is important to keep in mind that depending on the type of graphic you choose printer settings may need to be adjusted to reach an optimal print quality.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Figure 4.10 Print preview window Once the print preview window has opened, click on the “page setup” button. Make sure that the paper size is set as 12.5 x 16.0. (See Figure 4.11) Figure 4.11 Page Setup window...
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Click the OK button to return to the Print Preview window. Here you have a number of options as to the size and position of the graphic. The size of the print is indicated in the “height”...
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) When the “preferences” button is pressed from the “print” window the “printing preferences” window will open. You have two tabs from which to adjust your printing preferences. (See Figure 4.13) Figure 4.13 Printing Preferences Window Paper/Quality tab - Choose the appropriate material for the garment you are printing on.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Light weight or fine fabrics should use the light option (many fine polyester materials or fine woven cotton fall into this category) Medium weight fabrics such as cotton tee shirt material should use the medium...
POWERED OFF The display will soon be replaced by “MODEL FP-125 PRESS POWER KEY”. • Next you can switch off the main power switch in the rear of the printer. • Never turn off the main power switch without powering down the print engine first.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Chapter 5 Printing on Black Garments Black garment printing process Black and dark colored garment printing is essentially the same as white garment printing with a couple added procedures. Complete understanding of chapter 4 is required prior to proceeding, if you did not purchase the optional dark garment printing package, the chapter can be skipped.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 2. Drying pretreatment The most common ways to dry the pretreatment are air drying or using the heat press. Allowing the pretreatment to air dry visually blends the pretreated area into the rest of the garment.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Figure 5.1 is an example of an image that has been “opened” in EK Print Studio without a “transparent” background – THIS IS INCORRECT Figure 5.1 - no transparent background Figure 5.2 is an example of an image “opened” in EK Print Studio with a “transparent”...
Once the settings have been adjusted, the graphic can be sent to the printer by clicking the “print” button in EK Print Studio. A progress bar will appear on screen. On the MelcoJet control panel, the ready light (green light above the print button) will light when the job is ready.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 6. Heat press settings Fixing ink to garments when using white inks is essentially the same as with colored inks. Recommendations for temperature settings and different finishes are listed below. 320 degrees for three minutes produces the best cure...
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Section 3 Appendix I Maintenance and Transportation Replacing Ink Cartridges The control panel ink LED and LCD display indicate when an ink cartridge needs replacement. When the Ink LED blinks and LCD display prompts you to replace an ink cartridge check the ink bay ink LED panel to find which cartridge needs to be replaced.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) To replace ink cartridges: Determine which cartridges need replacement by reading the LED indicator lights on the cartridge bay. Those which require replacement will blink. Carefully pull the empty cartridge straight out of the ink bay. The LED will turn solid on and the printer will beep indicating a cartridge is missing.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Hold the cartridge in the proper orientation. There is an “up arrow” on the front- side of the cartridge and “insert-this end” arrow on the side of the cartridge. Carefully insert it into the proper ink cartridge bay. Push it in all the way with a firm motion.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Switching from Color to White Ink A printer with all colored ink cartridges for white garment only printing can be reconfigured to color and white inks for white and black garment printing. The first four ink channels must always have Y M C K colored ink cartridges.
You will need cleaning applicators for this maintenance procedure. These are low lint urethane cleaning swabs made for the MelcoJet. You will also need a long flathead screwdriver, cleaning fluid, and gloves.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Cleaning Procedures: Power off the print engine and the main power switch. Open the printer top cover Locate the maintenance station below the Printhead carriage Carriage and Maintenance Station Remove the ink cartridge from ink bay four (fourth from the far left)
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Remove as much of the accumulated ink residues as possible. The Cleaning Applicator can be dipped in MelcoJet Cleaning Fluid if there are dried ink deposits in the area. Never dip soiled Cleaning Applicators in the Cleaning Fluid bottle to avoid contamination.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) The Printhead nozzle plate is located below the Printhead carriage. While the carriage is still out to the left, gently clean the nozzle plate edges with a new cleaning applicator. Clean the residue accumulated only on the edges of the nozzle plate.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Once all the cleaning is completed, replace the Black Ink cartridge in the ink bay four. Leave the Printhead carriage pushed over to the left before turning on the print engine. Press the control panel POWER key. The printer will automatically place the release gear in the right position and park the carriage in the maintenance station.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Waste Ink Bottle and Ink Drip Foam The printer’s waste inks are collected in the Waste Ink Bottle which needs to be emptied periodically. It is accessible when the printer top cover is open. It is located on the right-hand side below the Printhead maintenance station.
The Adjustment Program can be downloaded from Epson website. Open the program in the computer you normally use to run the MelcoJet printer. This procedure must be performed with the print engine fully turned on, with proper USB cabling to the computer.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Click Read button to see the current waste ink counter value. It will be close to the maximum value of 17772 points. Click Initialization button to reset the value. When you see the following confirmation window, the waste ink counter is reset properly.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Cleaning the Printer Clean the printer a few times a year to keep the printer operating properly. While cleaning, be careful not touch or soil any of the gears and the carriage encoder strip behind the carriage movement space.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) For those printers with white ink installed, it is very important to follow the printer maintenance schedule below on a regular basis. If continually neglected, it will be necessary to ship the unit back to Melco and go through an extensive rehabilitation process.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Print Utilities From the print program, click Utilities tab. There are four utilities available for the printer. Checking the Nozzle Check Pattern To check the Printhead nozzles, click the Printhead Nozzle Check button. When the "Nozzle Check"...
You may need to clean the maintenance station or the Printhead nozzle plate. The humidity in the MelcoJet room may be too low, which will dry out the Printhead nozzles. Refer to the relevant section of maintenance and trouble shooting in this manual.
The Printer Port Test is used to test the communication between the computer and MelcoJet printer. Click the Printer Port Test button, while watching the printer control panel The Power LED will blink a few times if the communication is established. If it doesn’t blink, refer to the troubleshooting appendix.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Transporting the Printer Short Distance: To move the printer a very short distance, with the printer remaining at a horizontal position, follow the steps below. Examples of such a move will be moving the printer within the same building or within a few city blocks under your supervision.
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MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Long Distance: The MelcoJet needs to be on for the following procedure, including the print engine. Replace all of the ink cartridges with Cleaning Fluid cartridges. Open the printer cover. Using the print program utilities, perform the Printhead cleaning operation several times.
Turn on the printer main power switch, and wait until the LCD displays MODEL FP-125 V x.x DOWN ARROW FOR MENU. Push the Print Table all the way back until it stops. Then press the POWER key on the control panel.
MelcoJet printer not selected or offline MelcoJet printer may not have been selected as the printer to be used, and the print job may have been sent to a different device. To select the MelcoJet as the default printer, click Start/ Control Panel/ Printers and Faxes.
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USB006), then click OK. Proceed to the Printer Port Test in the Utilities window to confirm. If you do not know which port is assigned to MelcoJet, you may have to try each of the USB ports listed in the Ports tab dialog box until you make the proper connection.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Prints are not what you expected Incorrect or garbled characters Try one or more of these solutions. Select MelcoJet as the default printer. Turn off the printer and PC, and then reboot both the printer and PC. It will clear any jobs stacked in the printer spooler.
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Position/Top box. If Show Bounding Box is checked, you can even drag your design within the preview area with the mouse. Blank page is printed Select MelcoJet printer as the default printer in Windows Make certain the Margin is set correctly. (see above) Make certain the Page Setup is correct. (see above)
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Printed color is different from the color on the monitor screen Since the monitors and printers produce colors by different methods, the printed colors will not always match on screen colors exactly. Make sure the color specification in the application is correct. For results we recommend that your color mode be RGB and that no ICC profiles are applied.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Try one of more of these solutions. Run the Printhead Nozzle Check utility and perform Printhead Cleaning Operation as necessary. Check if any of the bulk ink cartridge is out of ink. Replace them if necessary.
Check your graphics application programs if there is any setting which may slow down. Close graphic files you are not currently printing. If you are using a RIP program to run MelcoJet printer, check the RIP program to determine if the data is generated too slow.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Print table does not travel all the way to the front or rear Try to pull the print table by hand all the way to the front (Load Position) then push it all the way to the rear (Home Position). Pull and push firmly but do not force it. Push and pull several times until the table moves smoothly for the entire span of its travel.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) The Printhead nozzles are clogged MelcoJet printer with its closed loop ink delivery system and sealed bulk ink cartridges should operate without excessive nozzle clogging. But occasional nozzle clogs are inevitable with any inkjet apparel printers. Depending on the environment and pattern of printer usage, it will be necessary to perform occasional Printhead cleaning, more frequently if white ink cartridges are installed.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) AUTO SYSTM MAINTENANCE or RENEW INK SYSTEM AUTO SYSTM MAINTENANCE The printer is programmed normally to automatically renew ink system when necessary. During this time, the LCD will display AUTO SYSTEM MAINTENANCE and the Error [Wait] light will blink.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) Obstruction Sensor is active only during print operations after PRINT key is pressed. Normally the Obstruction Laser Diode is off. It will first become active as the Print Table starts retracting to Home Position after the PRINT key is pressed. It will turn off when the current print job is completed and Print Table moves to the load position.
1.0. Your computer also must be a Windows XP pre-installed model with USB 2.0. You may not be able to run the MelcoJet USB Printer Driver on a computer which is not equipped with a USB port or which is upgraded from Windows 95, 98 or 2000.
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USB006), then click OK. Proceed to the Printer Port Test in the Utilities window to confirm. If you do not know which port is assigned to MelcoJet, you may have to try each of the USB ports listed in the Ports tab dialog box until you make the proper connection.
Printer Port Test Once all of the above problems are resolved, perform a Printer Port Test in the utilities window to make sure the computer and MelcoJet are communicating properly. Cable problems If the communication problems persist, it may be related to the USB cable.
MelcoJet FP-125 Printer User Manual (v. 4.0) 4. Release the ink tubes from the ink tube brackets by loosening the screws on the brackets and rotating them aside. Push aside the ink tubes to allow access to the damper retainers. Be careful not to disconnect the ink tubes from the dampers) 5.
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