Paper wrinkling on the platen or on the feed rollers of the FabriVU during printing can cause a variety of problems from head strikes to print quality defect. The following is a short guide to the typical solutions that are involved in troubleshooting excessive paper wrinkling.
If the paper wrinkling is constant, especially immediately after printer installation, double check that all of the rollers and the platen rails are properly aligned. Also make sure that you are loading the paper using the correct paper path and settings (refer to the manufacturer’s User’s Manual) and that the paper is centered correctly on the back and front of the printer.

It is very important that the printer be used in a climate controlled environment. Keep the humidity between 20-40%, and keep the room temperature as close to 70°F as possible. Acclimate the paper by removing any protective wrap and placing it in the print room for 24 hours before printing. This climate control will help avoid excessive moisture in the paper while printing.

Ensure that you have set the machine balancer tensions correctly. Refer to the latest printer manual for recommended standard tensions. Currently, they are as follows:Paper Transfer – FabriVU 340Balancer IN (Feed) – 1.2 BarBalancer OUT (Take-up) – 1.8 Bar
If you see aggressive wrinkling forming on the take-up rollers or on the platen, try lowering the tension from the set point.

Color management is also important to avoiding wrinkling or cockiling on the platen. Ensure that your ink limits are set to maximize gamut without over saturating the media. It is important to pay attention to individual channel ink limits, as well as the overall total ink limit. Depending on your paper, resolution, and media, total ink limits between 280% and 380% are typical.

The ink you are using may also affect your result. Inks with higher dye concentration allow you to achieve a greater color gamut with less ink, minimizing some of the media feed issues you may see with less optimized inks. Media One sells premium inks for the Kyocera print heads, providing the highest color gamut with the least amount of ink usage. For more information email us at web@mediaoneusa.com.