BWM HOPKINS STARTING LINE PRESS Set Up And Operating Instructions Download Page 2

RECEIVING YOUR MACHINE

SETUP AND ASSEMBLY

REGISTRATION ADJUSTMENTS

Your press has been crated to keep it from being damaged while 

in transit. Please inspect exterior of crate while the shipping 

company driver is present and make a notation on the freight 

bill if there appears to be any kind of damage.  This is your 

responsibility!!!  Be sure the driver signs too, it may help you if 

there is damage and a damage claim needs to be filed with the 

freight company.
Once you sign and accept the shipping receipt begin the uncrating 

process by removing the lid. Next, remove the body of the crate. 

Using a drill motor and a screwdriver bit remove the screws 

holding the body of the crate to the pallet on all four sides. After 

the screws are removed, lift the body of the crate up and over 

the press. Next, remove the screws securing the print station to 

the floor of the crate with a phillips head driver and carefully 

move the print stations out of the way. Place the print stations 

on their side so they won’t fall over.  Please note, the white nylon 

registration bolts stick out on both sides of the gate. Take care not 

to drop the print station, as these bolts may be sheared off.
The press is bolted to the pallet floor.  It must be unbolted from 

the underside of the pallet. You will need a 9/16 box wrench or 

9/16 socket and ratchet. Unbolt the press from the pallet, slide 

it off the pallet and place the machine in the location where it is 

going to be used.

Open the parts bag(s), spread and organize the nuts, bolts, steel 

roll pins and leg levelers in the area the press is now located.

LEG LEVELERS

Carefully tip each leg of your press up and thread a leg leveler on. 

Thread the leg levelers all the way up and into the threaded insert 

of each leg.

PRINT STATIONS

Note:

  Each print station is numbered on the backside of the 

mounting plate and each print station location on the rotary 

indexer has a corresponding number. 
Mount the number one print station to the number one station on 

the rotary indexer. Use the 3/8-16x1” bolts with nuts and washers. 

Loosely install the 4 mounting bolts and locknuts so the print 

station can be moved slightly for alignment. (Use a 9/16” wrench 

and a 9/16” socket and ratchet). After the print station is in place, 

you will now insert the roll pins by aligning the scribe marks on 

the side of the mounting plates on the arm and indexer.
Install a roll pin into each pre-drilled hole (2) on each print 

station by tapping the pin through the hole using a hammer. Each 

pin should protrude through the holes far enough to be visible on 

the backside of the mounting plates.
Make sure the scribe marks on each side of the print stations line 

up with the mark on the companion plate and then secure all four 

mounting bolts.
Proceed to mount each additional print station to the 

corresponding numbered location on the rotary indexer. Because 

this press was factory leveled, it is not necessary to make any 

adjustments to the print stations. 

PRINT HEADS AND SPRINGS

Locate the longer of the bolts in your parts bag (3/8-16 x 4 1/2”). 

These bolts and the corresponding nuts, along with the clear 

bumper tubes, are to be used in the bracket the print heads are 

to be mounted to. The bolts act as a stop, limiting the print heads 

upper movement. These bolts are removed for shipping purposes 

and now need to be installed. If any of the springs have come 

loose from their print head locations, now is the time to re-attach 

them.  Raise the print head up as far as necessary to attach any 

loose springs to the print head base and spring retainer bracket.  

After all springs are attached, pull the print head down and into 

the registration gate on the print station arm. If the springs are 

properly affixed there will be resistance felt as the head is lowered 

into the gate.  Take caution that the print head does not come up 

inadvertently, it could hurt someone!
Begin inserting a bolt into the top hole of one of the print head 

brackets.  As the threads of the bolt appear on the inside of the 

bracket, put one of the flat washers and then one of the bumper 

tubes next to the threads and complete the insertion of the 

bolt into the tube and through the hole and the washer on the 

other side of the bracket.  Attach a 3/8-16 hex nut to the bolt to 

hold the bolt in place.  Do not over tighten the bolt and nut, it 

could possibly restrict the up and down movement of the head. 

Complete this task for all the print heads.

SHIRTBOARD

With the print heads in the up position and resting against the 

bumper and bolt, slide a shirt board with bracket onto a print 

station. Rotate the print head wheel into a position that allows a 

print head to be lowered into the registration gate on the print 

station arm. Position the shirt board so the rear or back edge of 

the board is approximately 1/2” from the print head screen clamp. 

To secure the board in this position hold your left hand on the top 

of the board’s surface pressing down to ensure flatness. With your 

right hand, tighten the small side knob so it comes in contact with 

the side of the print station. Now tighten the large knob on the 

bottom of the bracket. This torque knob will hold the shirt board 

in place during the printing process. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN 

THESE KNOBS!!!  If you over tighten any of these knobs you may 

bend the metal of the print station. It is only necessary to snug 

these knobs.
Raise all the print heads to the up position and give one of them 

a solid push rotating the entire wheel. The wheel should rotate 

freely and effortlessly. 
Rotate the print station indexer in the same manner. It should 

rotate easily with a slight noise and hesitation as each print station 

slips into and out of a print station location. 

Place screen frame into the print head 

frame clamp and center frame to center 

of the clamp. Turn down the large black 

knobs on the top of the clamp to lower the 

clamp bar down onto the top of the screen 

frame. Tighten the knob. It’s not necessary 

to over tighten the knob as damage to 

the screen frame or clamp could occur!  

Pull the screen frame down and into the 

registration gate on the print station.
The off contact adjustment is preformed 

manually.  Loosen the 2 nuts on the back 

of the screen frame clamp as well as the 

bolts that allow the adjustment of the 

screen angle.
With the print head and screen frame 

sitting in the registration gate and the 

nuts and bolts loosened, raise the off 

contact distance between the bottom side 

of the screen frame and the top of the 

shirt board.  The amount of off contact is 

dependant on mesh tension and not an 

issue for this narration.  Suffice to say the 

higher the mesh tension the lower the off 

contact distance.  Manually lift the print 

head and screen up to the desired height 

making sure the distance is the same 

across the entire rear of the screen frame.  

Tighten the off contact nuts.
Once the off contact is set at the rear of the 

screen it will be necessary to match that 

distance at the front of the screen. This 

adjustment is made manually by raising 

the front of the screen frame to the desired 

height and then tighten the bolts on each 

side at the back of the clamp that will lock 

down the screen tilt adjustment.  Verify all 

distances are correct. Re-adjust if needed.
At this point, if fine tuning is necessary 

to register the screens, Loosen the ratchet 

handle on top of the print head. Then use 

the two y-axis micro adjusters to move 

the screen front to back and/or rotational 

movements. Left and right adjustments are 

done with the x-axis micro located on the 

side of the print head (viewing from the 

front of the screen) and next to the y-axis 

adjuster.  Once the screens are registered, 

re-tighten the handle.
Good Printing To You!!!

Screen Tilt 

Adjustment

Y-Axis Adjuster

X-Axis Adjuster

Spring Bar

Off Contact  

Adjustment

Micro Registration 

Lock Down

THESE INSTRUCTIONS ASSUME A MULTI-COLOR JOB IS TO BE PRINTED

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