DuPont
™
Artistri
®
Xite P1500 Series Ink
Pigment Roll to Roll Ink – General Process Guidelines
When loading Artistri
®
Xite P1500 on your printer, schedule
adequate time to complete the process. Keep the following
points in mind:
a. Pigment inks by different manufacturers are not
necessarily compatible and should not be considered
miscible or interchangeable. Even pigment inks supplied
by the same manufacturer may not be compatible, so
it is important that transition from one ink to another is
done carefully and in a way that minimizes chances of
contamination. It is recommended that filters are always
replaced when loading a new ink on your printer. Do not
rinse and reuse filters that have been used with another
ink, as this practice may lead to retention of incompatible
ink components in the filters and potentially cause damage
to expensive printer components.
b. Always use the ink supplier’s recommended flushing
solution when loading or removing their ink from your
printer. Flushing solutions from one supplier are not
necessarily compatible with inks from another supplier.
To avoid any costly mishaps, only use the manufacturer’s
recommended flushing solution.
c. Before removing the incumbent ink from a printer/print
head, print a last nozzle check on paper (if possible) and
retain it as a proof of the print head status. Then follow
the supplier’s guidelines to flush the ink with the proper
flushing solution. Next flush the lines with deionized
water. Using a lint-free cloth soaked in flush compatible
with the incumbent ink, clean the nozzle plate, wiper and
capping station of all remains of the incumbent ink to avoid
contamination. Replace the water in the wiper station
and capping station containers. Remove all remains and
deposits of the incumbent ink from the nozzle plate and
all parts that come in contact with the nozzle plate during
regular maintenance procedures. Repeat the cleaning steps
with deionized water, then flush the lines with a DuPont
recommended flushing solution. Load the Artistri
®
Xite
P1500 inks and perform several purges to remove air from
the system. Let the inks stand in the system for at least 4-8
hours to allow degassing and removal of trapped air pockets
in feed lines. Additional help on the proper procedure for
loading and using the Artistri
®
Xite P1500 inks on your
printer, please consult
DuPont Artistri Ink Conversion
Procedure
and your printer OEM’s Operations Manual.
DuPont
™
Artistri
®
Xite P1500 is a premium pigment
ink for roll-to-roll printing
DuPont
™
Artistri
®
Xite P1500 inks are utilizing proprietary binder
and pigment stabilization technology for excellent color, fastness
and runnability with mid-viscosity Kyocera piezo print heads.
They may also be suitable for other mid-viscosity printheads. If
you are planning to use Artistri
®
Xite P1500 on a print head that is
not included in DuPont’s recommended list, we advise that you
thoroughly test to assure compatibility with your printer/print
head, runnability and ability to meet your customer’s required
end use performance requirements. Your ink distributor can
provide the latest information on print head compatibility for any
DuPont ink.
What you need to know if you are new to binder
containing pigment inks
If you are new to digital printing or have been using dye inks or a
binder-less pigment ink, the transition to binder containing inks,
like the Artistri
®
Xite P1500, may require some adjustments in
your practice.
Typically there are two kinds of textile aqueous pigment inks -
binder-containing and binder-free. Binder-free pigment inks like
the Artistri
®
PK2600 series usually need a pre and post-treatment
to achieve fastness. Binder containing pigment inks like Artistri
®
Xite P1500 or Artistri
®
Xite P3600 may not need a post-treatment
to achieve fastness; therefore giving you the advantage of
lower process cost, simpler operations, and potentially shorter
production cycle. The binder is a polymer that helps pigment
particles adhere to the fabric by formation of a strong and resistant
coating around the fabric yarns during the fixation step. The binder
imparts characteristics to pigment inks that may be different than
those of aqueous dye inks or pigment binder-free inks.
Installing DuPont
™
Artistri
®
Xite P1500 inks on
your printer
It is important that proper procedures are followed when loading
a new ink system on your printer. Experienced pigment ink
users should have no problem performing the ink changeover
themselves. Less experienced users can request technical
support through their OEM, ink distributor or DuPont.
