What to do if your DTF Print Head Strikes the PET Film

Preventing a print head strike while printing with a DTF machine is essential to maintain its longevity. However mistakes happen, and in this blog post we will go over what to do when your print head strikes The PET Film.

WARNING: Head-strikes are considered operator error and STS Inks will not warranty any head damage due to operator error.  Please always follow best practice guidelines

The PET Film used for DTF printing is covered with a layer of a specialized emulsion that sets the inks to a gel-like state when the ink lands on the film. Therefore, if the print head touches the PET film any ink that is on the surface of the print head, including across any nozzles, will be set to a gel-like state and can cause blocked nozzles and ultimately premature head failure

What to do if the print head strikes the PET film:

• Immediately stop printing and start the head cleaning process
• Reach out to Garment Printer Ink’s Technical support team ( 631-848-0411 & support@garmentprinterink.com)
• Purchase Nozzle Buster Solution and fill capping station with Nozzle Buster Solution. This is called wetcapping and here is a video showing how to perform this procedure –

• Turn the printer off with the head sitting in locked position for 6+ hours (When wet capping printer must to be off)
• The next day shake the white cartridges as usual, then perform a nozzle check the following day. Also, never park the head directly on the PET film
• Sustained head cleanings can put too much pressure on the print head and may cause the print head to delaminate and fail prematurely. In the event the nozzle does not recover, print in high quality (720x1080) or 2x white