Direct to Film UV Printing | Mutoh XpertJet 661UF
Instructions for DTF printing with the Mutoh UV Printer:
Position A sheet (adhesive sheet) shiny side up on vacuum bed of printer oriented and positioned to match your print layout. Activate vacuum bed to hold sheet down. Remove clear plastic liner from A sheet and load printer bed.
*Alternately you can either attach A sheet with masking tape or painter’s tape to a metal sheet or directly to the bed of the printer (do not place the A sheet on a “sticky/silicone mat”) – positioning it to correspond to your print page.
From your printing software (RIP) – select to print your design with a white underbase, color layer and then clear overcoat. Typical settings would be 1440 x 720 dpi, unidirectional print for the white and clear layers and a 1440 x 720 dpi, bidirectional clear layer printed at 70% clear and a small spread on the clear.
Once the three layers of ink are printed to the A sheet remove the sheet and attach to a metal sheet like a 12” x 18” metal sign blank using small pieces of tape (colmanandcompany.com/aluminum-sign-blank-12x18.html - if the blank does not have rounded corners it is advisable to slightly round them with a corner rounding tool or metal shears) and feed through the laminator set at 190’ F / 88’ C with the B roll media as shown in pictures here.
Remove the laminated sheet of transfers from the metal blank and trim to separate individual transfers as needed. When ready to apply transfer loosen edge of B transfer media at a corner and turn transfer face down (A sheet side up) and gently peel back A sheet from B film until completely free. Maintain as much as a 180’ angle when pulling A sheet free. Apply the transfer to the surface desired by slowly working from one side to the other smoothing out any bubbles that form as you go (start at the middle for transfers that may be recessed in the middle). Once the transfer is smooth, firmly pressed down and bubble free gently pull away the B film like the A film – 180’ in a smooth motion.
Let transfer set for 24 hours to allow adhesive to full set to substrate before testing adhesion.
Learn more about Direct to Film printing at coldesi.com/.
