Canon iPF6450-6400 setup and assembly
Canon iPF6450/6400 assembly and setup
Setting up the imagePROGRAF 6450, out of the crate
The iPF6400 and 6450 are Canon’s latest 24″ large format printers. The main difference is that the 6450 has an internal hard disk for storing print jobs.
We’ve recently (May/June 2013) had an iPF6450 here for Keith to write a review.
Normally our big printers turn up ready to go, but this one was delivered in its shipping crates.
Article Index
We have a detailed review of the iPF6450 and shorter one covering the SU-21 spectrophotometer attachment, but this article covers just the assembly of the printer.
Note that the SU-21 only works with the iPF6450 – the iPF6400 lacks the socket for the SU-21 to plug in to it.
Canon iPF6450
The printer comes in a lot of big cardboard boxes.
If your supplier isn’t delivering it and assembling it, then you’ll need to set it up yourself.
The job really does require two people for several stages, and note that if it’s coming via a courier, you’ll be lucky to get more than having it dumped at your doorstep.
First up, here’s the actual printer, which we’ve carted through to the back of the house – there is a lot of orange tape and packing to remove (mouse over image to see)
The most obvious change from the old iPF6300 is the huge box holding the ink cartridges. The new printer can take 300ml cartridges, as opposed to just the older 130ml. (mouse over image to see)
The printer securely fits in place on the top tray – two locating pins mate up with holes in the printer base. Screws fasten the printer in place.
Note that there is an additional unused locating pin – this is connected with the optional SU21 spectrophotometer unit, which I’ll cover in another article.
I’d note the presence of the maintenance cartridge (waste ink unit MC16)
This comes already in place, and needs no fitting (mouse over image to see)
Ink cartridges
The printer comes with a set of ‘starter’ cartridges, which contain ‘only’ 90ml of ink – these need loading into the printer.
Replacement cartridges are available in 130ml and 300ml sizes
You can see I’ve re-attached the lower front cover, in front of the maintenance cart slot. It simply clips into place.
The carts need installing before the two print heads.
I note too that the printer comes with UK and european power leads, just in case I want to take it on holiday with me…
I switch on the printer, and the display screen guides me through the setup (although, the printed sheet is perhaps more convenient).
The iPF6450 has ‘sub ink tanks’ that act as a buffer between the cartridges and the print head (allowing for ‘hot swapping’ of inks)
These need filling during the initial setup, with ink from the freshly installed cartridges.
This filling (and the ink lines to the printheads) mean that when you’ve finished the setup procedure, it’s likely that at least 40% of your ink will appear to have vanished.
Well, it has gone form the carts, but is still in the system, not flushed through into the maintenance cart.
The printer does ask a few basic questions when it powers up, such as the time zone and working language.
The cartridges (after a gentle shake) are placed into the holders (mouse over image to see)
The clamp needs a firm push to lock in place – be careful with this first one, you don’t need to put your whole weight on it! If the art is mis aligned it will be quite obvious.
When loaded in place, the LED lights up (mouse over image to see)
The cartridges need unpacking – handle with care (mouse over image to see)
Remove the protective orange clips and place the head in the carriage (mouse over image to see)
Use both locking clips to retain print head (mouse over image to see)
Repeat for the second print head (mouse over image to see)
Close the top cover.
The printer will now do a lot of whirring and things – 40 minutes later it should be ready to perform an adjustment print
The printer is supplied with several A2 sheets of HW Coated paper, which you can use for head alignment and subsequent calibration.
You need to load a sheet – first tell the printer that you’re using a sheet.
The paper type is available in the standard paper menu.
Follow the instruction to load a single sheet.
Once set up, the head adjustment setup will occur.
Various patterns are printed and then measured by the sensors on the print carriage.
If you look through the right hand window, you’ll see red green and blue lights from the inbuilt colorimeter and paper measurement unit during the process.
The adjustment sheet – after head alignment.
You printer is now ready to use, but I’d suggest spending a while longer, running a calibration print, before diving in to driver installation and network setup (these are covered in the main review).
Calibration
Calibration is set up through the main printer menu, and requires another sheet of a known paper. I’d suggest running the calibration after initial setup, after your first ink change and then every so often after that. Also run it after print head replacement.
I say ‘every so often’, since this depends on how much printing you do – with our iPF8300 (light use) I do it every 8-9 months.
The calibration process is different if you have a printer with the spectrophotometer attachment, where you’re likely to want to do it more regularly (the spectro is not for casual ocasional paper profiling use, such as I’d want – remember hat I’m looking at fine art photo printing, not prepress and proofing).
Start in the adjustment menu.
Select calibration.
Automatic is what we need.
I’m using the same paper as for the print head setup
Conclusions
Allow a good couple of hours to set up the printer from delivery.
You will need a second person for some of the lifting, but they can be dismissed once the printer is on its stand…
The empty printer can easily be tilted up to get round corners and stairs – this is not advised one it’s full of ink. Ink and printhead loading should be carried out where you are going to use the printer, if there are any access issues.
The printed guides and on-screen instructions are clear and easy to follow.
Those ‘starter’ cartridges do go down a fair bit at the start – I’ll cover ink use in our main review of the iPF6450.
One final note. Once filled with ink, you should not tilt the printer very much when moving. When it came to taking the printer back to Canon, the roll paper unit was removed (two screws at the back) to reduce the depth of the printer and enable it to be carried (after detaching the stand) to the back of an estate car (station wagon). The printer can be drained of ink (from the ink sub-tanks) but it would not be cheap.
Summary
Plan ahead for delivery, if printer assembly is needed. Two people are required for setup, and remember to allow for a lot of left-over packaging once you are finished.
SPECIFICATIONS (from Canon)
| Printer Type | 12 Colour – 24″/609.6mm |
| Print Technology | Canon Inkjet on Demand 6 colours integrated type (6 chips per print head x 2 print heads) |
| Number of Nozzles | Total: 30,720 – BK, MBK, C, M, Y, PC, PM, GY, PGY, R, G, B: 2,560 nozzles for each colour x 6 colours x 2 print heads |
| Print Resolution | 2,400 x 1,200 dpi |
| Nozzle Pitch | 1,200 x 2 includes Non-firing nozzle detection and compensation system |
| Line Accuracy | ±0.1 % or less |
| Ink Droplet Size | 4 Picoliter per colour |
| Ink Capacity | Bundled Starter Ink: 90 ml Sales Ink: 130ml and 300 ml |
| Ink Type | LUCIA EX 12 Colour Pigment Ink: BK, MBK, C, M, Y, PC, PM, GY, PGY, R, G, B |
| OS Compatibility | Windows XP/Server 2003/Server 2008/Vista/7 (32/64bit), Macintosh OSX 10.5.8-10.7.x |
| Printer Languages | GARO (Graphic Arts language with Raster Operations) |
| Standard Interfaces | USB 2.0 High-Speed Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T/TX |
MEMORY
| Buffer RAM | 384 MB |
| Hard Drive | none in 6400 – 250GB in 6450 |
PAPER HANDLING
| Media Width | Roll paper and Manual Feed from top: 203.2 mm (8″) – 610 mm (24″), Manual Feed from Front: 250 – 610 mm / POP board use only: A2, A1 |
| Media Thickness | Roll paper: 0.07 – 0.8mm, Cut sheet: Manual feed from top: 0.07 – 0.8mm, Manual feed from front: 0.5 – 1.5 mm |
| Minimum Printable Length | Roll Paper: 203.2mm, Manual Feed from Top: 279.4mm, Manual Feed Front: 350mm |
| Maximum Printable Length | Roll paper: 18m (Varies according to the OS and application), Manual Feed from Top: 1.6m, Manual Feed from Front: 914mm |
| Maximum Media Roll Diameter | 150.0 mm |
| Paper Feed Method | Roll Paper: One Roll (top-loading [front operation possible], front output), Cut Sheet: 1 sheet Front loading and front output, top loading and front output |
| Media Feed Capacity | Manual Feed: 1 Sheet, Roll Feed: 1 Roll |
| Borderless Printing Width (Roll Only) | 10″ (254 mm), B4 (257 mm), 14″ (356 mm), 16″ (407 mm), A2 (420 mm), A2+/17″ (432 mm), B2 (515 mm), A1 (594 mm), 24″ (610 mm) |
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
| Physical Dimensions (W x D x H) | Main unit with Auto Roll Feed Unit (standard) – 1,227 (W) x 702 (D) x 344 (H) mm; Weight: approx. 54kg (excluding consumables and printer Stand). Main unit with a basket open and a printer stand – 1,227 (W) x 870 (D) x 1,001 (H) mm; Weight: approx. 70kg (excluding consumables) Basket closed: 1,227 (W) x 751 (D) x 1,001 (H) mm |
POWER AND OPERATING REQUIREMENTS
| Power Supply | AC 100 – 240 V （50 – 60 Hz） |
| Power Consumption | Operation: 100W or less Power off (stand-by): 0.5 W or less (In compliance with ErP Directive Lot.6) |
| Operating Environment | 15 – 30°C, 10 – 80 % (Condensation free) |
| Noise Level (Approx.) | Operation: approx. 47dB Stand-by: 35dB Operation: 6.4 Bels or less Based on ISO 7779 |
| Regulations | Europe: CE mark (EN60950, EN55022 classB, EN61000-3-2, EN-61000-3-3, EN55024), Germany: TUV, Russia: Gost-R, Other Countries: CB Certification |
| Environment Certificates | International Energy Star Program (WW), IT ECO Declaration (Europe), WEEE (Europe/India), RoHS directive, ErP directive, REACH, EPEAT |
WHAT’S INCLUDED
| What’s in the Box? | Hex wrench screwdriver, 2 x print heads, 1 x set of starter ink tanks – 90ml each, EU/UK Power Cord, 3 inch core adapters, Spacer for borderless printing, Set up guide, Basic guide, User manual CD-ROM, User software CD-ROM (Mac & Win), Carrying caution leaflet, Safety/Standard Environment leaflet, Media sample – sheets, PosterArtist Lite leaflet, PosterArtist Lite software CD-ROM, Driver setting guide |
| Software Included | Canon Printer Driver for Windows and Macintosh, Status Monitor/Print monitor, – Free Layout & iR enlargement Copy, Media Configuration Tool, PosterArtist Lite (PC only), Print Plug-in for Microsoft® Word/Excel/PowerPoint (PC only), Print Plug-in for Photoshop®, Canon Calibration Management Console, Print Plug-in for Canon Digital Photo Professional |
OPTIONS
| Optional Items | Printer Stand ST-28, Roll Holder Set: Rh5-25 (2-inch core roll holder with 3-inch paper tube attachment and borderless print spacer) |
CONSUMABLES
| User Replaceable Items | Ink Tank: 130ml – PFI-106: BK, MBK, C, M, Y, PC, PM, GY, PGY, R, G, B, 300ml – PFI-206: BK, MBK, C, M, Y, PC, PM, GY, PGY, R, G, B Print Head: PF-05 Maintenance Cartridge: MC-16 |
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