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What is the counter weight for? How to set up?

Answer: Please check the following contents.

Ⅰ. About the counter weight
1. What is the counter weight for?
These are some weights that are set up on a tension bar where is the back side of printer. You will set up these weights to adjust the media tension. A printer already includes 10 pieces of weights in accessory box when it was shipped. Each weight (2000g, 1300g, 600g, 300g, and 100g) has two pieces.

tx400-1800b counter weight

2. When do you need to adjust the counter weight?
You need to adjust the counter weight when you see any wrinkles on the media surface.
Check the part of media surface where is between Feeding roller and Free roller, or the media surface where is attached on the feeding belt.

tx400-1800b counter weight

3. Why the printer can not have the wrinkled media surface?
If the media surface is wrinkled or waved, it hits to the print head carriage when the media towards to front side. If it hits to it, it is not only that the media surface scratches to the media and colored, but also the print head carriage might be damaged.
【Caution】
Print on your media with the “head gap 3mm (≒0.118 inch )” or less, that is the distance between the media surface and the print head carriage. Any failures which is caused by usage that you operate machine with larger head gap than 3.0mm (≒0.118 inch) may not be under warranty. If you print with larger head gap, you will have ink mist issue, and it will also be a cause of the fuzzy print result and nozzle out issue.
【Reference】
You adjust the print head carriage with the “head height adjustment rod”.

Ⅱ.Set up the counter weight on the machine
1.Before you set up

Please see the media condition list to check out your media satisfy the requirement or not.
【Reference】
Even if your media is out of requirement, you may be able to use it if you set up the counter weight correctly and the media completely attaches on the feeding belt surface. Though you need to make sure it is fed straightly.

2.Counter weight set up procedure

You put a “Weight lock screw” to prevent from the weight sliding out and dropping out.

tx400-1800b counter weight lock

3.Counter weight adjustment
①You adjust the counter weight with checking the red circled media condition. Make sure the number of counter weight is same between both sides of tension bar.

tx400-1800b counter adjustment

1).If the media tension is not enough, the “wrinkle” will be deeper due to through the pressure roller.

tx400-1800b counter wrinkle

2).If the media tension is too much, the media surface will be longitudinally wrinkled, and the media edge will be curved. So you need to reduce the counter weight until you do not see this kind of condition. Especially for the stretch media, you should not put too much counter weight because it will be longitudinally stretched and transversely shrunk so easily. About the media width, you need to see the media width to make sure it is less than 2-3mm shrunk from original width size after you adjust the counter weight. You should set counter weight heavier for the non-stretch media. You need to adjust it if the media edge is wavy and the center of the media surface is wrinkled.

② After you adjusted the counter weight, check out the media surface is still flat even after you fed the media about 300mm