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GT-3 Series INSTRUCTION MANUAL Please read this manual before using the printer. Please keep this manual within easy reach for quick reference. GARMENT PRINTER GT Series US support homepage http://www.brother-usa.com/Garmentprinters/...
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MEMO Note based on California law (USA) on the use and handling of Perchlorate This product contains a CR Coin Lithium Battery which contains Perchlorate Material – special handling may apply. See http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. GT-3 Series...
Thank you very much for buying a BROTHER printer. Before using your new printer, please read the safety instructions below and the explanations given in the instruction manual. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS [1] Safety indications and their meanings This instruction manual and the indications and symbols that are used on the printer itself are provided in order to ensure safe operation of this printer and to prevent accidents and injury to yourself or other people.
WARNING Installation Do not set up the printer in a dusty environment. If Do not bend the cords excessively or fasten them dust collects inside the printer, it may cause fire or too hard with staples or anything similar to secure electric shocks or problems with correct operation.
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CAUTION Installation Setting up and moving of the printer should only be Do not set up the printer in a place where it will be carried out by a qualified technician. affected by vibration. It may become unbalanced and fall down, which cause injury or damage to the The printer machine weighs approximately 111 kg printer.
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[3] Warning labels The following warning labels appear on the printer. Please follow the instructions on the labels at all times when using the printer. If the labels have been removed or are difficult to read, please contact your nearest Brother dealer. Watch your fingers, or you may be injured.
CONTENTS 1. Read This First ................................1 1-1. Precautions................................1 1-2. Unpacking Your Printer ............................5 1-3. Required Condition..............................5 1-3-1. Environment..............................5 1-3-2. Electrical Requirements..........................6 1-3-3. Software Information............................6 1-3-4. Other Requirements............................6 1-3-5. Consumable Requirements and Options ....................7 2. Identifying Your Printer’s Parts............................8 2-1. Front ..................................8 2-2.
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4-3-1. Selecting Machine Mode..........................52 4-3-2. Entering the Job Comment...........................53 4-3-3. Selecting the Platen Size ..........................53 4-3-4. Setting the Ink..............................53 4-3-5. Setting the Resolution............................53 4-3-6. White Settings..............................54 4-3-7. Print with Black Ink on black garment......................55 4-3-8. Making Gray with CMY Inks .........................55 4-3-9.
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7-2-4. Changing the Print Direction .........................111 7-2-5. Changing the Auto Cleaning Setting ......................111 7-2-6. Cleaning the Print Head Nozzles........................112 7-2-7. Replacing the Print Head ..........................114 7-2-8. Adjustment after the Print Head has been replaced..................123 7-2-9. Adjusting the CR Speed..........................124 7-2-10. Adjusting the Flushing Interval........................124 7-2-11.
1-1. Precautions Please observe the following precautions before using your printer. GT-3 represents the common specifications of GT-381, GT-361 and GT-341 models. The individual specifications are described with each model name. Please advise the following to your customers who buy your printed materials: Printed colors may transfer when a printed surface rubs on a white or light-colored synthetic leather made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
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1. Read This First Never refill ink, never reconstruct ink cartridges; ink may cohere inside the cartridge bag, tube or even Print Head and may cause serious damage to your printer. We assume no responsibility for any problem caused by using them.
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1. Read This First <Note> Product names used in this manual are, in general, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective developer or manufacture. However, in this manual, the ® marks or marks are not used. Brother logo is registered trademark of Brother Industries, Ltd. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
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1. Read This First <Software> This unit uses software. Agree with the license agreement to use the software. Software License Agreement The customer may download and use this software after agreeing with the various terms stipulated in the Software License Agreement (herein referred to as the "Agreement"). This software cannot be used if the customer disagrees with this agreement.
Basic Operation Manual "How to uncrate" Manual <Note> Filter Cartridges (8 for GT-381, 6 for GT-361, 4 for GT-341)are installed in both Ink Cartridge Slots. Keep them since they should be used for maintenance & transport operations. 1-3. Required Condition Please use your printer under the conditions described in this section.
1. Read This First 1-3-2. Electrical Requirements Power: Single-phase 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz Power Consumptions: 0.4 A (average) 1-3-3. Software Information Supported OS: Latest Windows XP (32 bit), Windows Vista (32 bit / 64 bit), Windows 7 (32 bit / 64 bit) Supported Interface: USB 2.0 Minimum System Requirements:...
1. Read This First Urethane mat (continuous foam): When you cure Pretreatment, use this to release the hot air quickly. T-shirt: Made with 100 % cotton, 50 % cotton and 50 % polyester (light-colored are recommended) <Note> Pretreatment on some T-shirts may be seen after applied and cured. In that case, wash lightly with water to remove mark. Some dyes may be decolorized by Pretreatment, especially "dye migration"...
2. Identifying Your Printer’s Parts 2. Identifying Your Printer’s Parts 2-1. Front 0043Y Name Description Platen Holds the T-shirt to be printed. Platen Sheet Prevents a T-shirt from slipping so that an image is printed on your desired position. T-shirt Tray Keeps parts of T-shirt hanging from the Platen (e.g.
2. Identifying Your Printer’s Parts 2-2. Right 0044Y Name Description Exhaust slot The outlet of the Exhaust Fan. Do not cover; Leave the space of 20 cm or more to release the exhaust air. 2-3. Rear 0045Y Name Description AC cord socket Inserts AC cord.
2. Identifying Your Printer’s Parts 2-4. Inside of the Front Cover Cancel any operation, restore the Platens and turn off your printer before opening the Front Cover. Lift the Front Cover with both hands until the lock is set when opening. Keep pushing the Stop Lever to release the lock and close the Front Cover with both hands.
2. Identifying Your Printer’s Parts 2-5. Upper part of the Maintenance Unit 0048Y Name Description Caps (Front: Color side) Cover the surface of the Print Heads and absorb ink in head cleaning. From the left black, magenta, cyan, and yellow. Caps (Back: White side) Cover the surface of the Print Heads and absorb ink in head cleaning.
2. Identifying Your Printer’s Parts 2-6. Under the Platen 0049Y Name Description Platen Fixing Lever Fixes the Platen. Tighten/Loosen this lever to install/uninstall the Platen and to adjust the Platen height. <In case [B] that you cannot rotate Platen Fix Lever (1) by hitting the Platen (3)> Move the Platen Height Adjustment Lever (2) to the A position in the right image and loose the Platen Fixing Lever (1).
2. Identifying Your Printer’s Parts 2-7. Control Panel 0050Y Name Description Error Lamp OFF: no errors ON: one or more errors have been detected. See "7-4. Error messages". Power Lamp ON: shows the power is ON. Head Cleaning Cleans all the Print Heads with normal cleaning. (the number of cleaning depends on the Button model).
2. Identifying Your Printer’s Parts 2-7-1. Display The following image indicates that GT-3 has received a print data and ready to print. The Display indicates Job, printer status and the information needed for printing operations. 01e0026Y Item Shown Description Job Name Shows the indentified name of the print data, which is automatically set by Printer Driver.
2. Identifying Your Printer’s Parts 2-7-2. Menu List Push either one of the OK Button, Up Button, Down Button and Back Button to go into the Menu. Menu Content Executes Head Cleaning of either one by one or of all four Print Heads. See "7-2-2.
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Auto Job Delete: Deletes the print data automatically after the print number which Printer Setting is set with Printer Driver is finished. Default is OFF. GT-341 mode (No White): Sets the printer to stop all the operation of White Heads. See "6-2-5. Required Maintenance for the Long Storage". Total Print Shows the number of prints.
3. Getting Started 3. Getting Started Before using your printer, it needs to be correctly setup as described in this chapter. WARNING Do not handle the power cord with wet hands, otherwise it may cause electric shocks. Do not set up the printer in a dusty environment. If dust collects inside the printer, it may cause fire or electric shocks or problems with correct operation.
3. Getting Started 3-1. Placing Your Printer Uncrate and Setting the printer by following the steps in Uncrate Manual , which is packed with the printer. Locate your printer taking the following into account Environmental conditions are suitable. Avoid direct sunlight, dust and extremes of humidity. Never use an extension cable.
3. Getting Started 3-2. Turning On/Off Your Printer <Note> Before you connect the power cord, make sure: The Ink Cartridges, Wiper Cleaners and Flushing Sponge et al. are adequately installed. Waste ink tube is properly set the Waste Ink Tank*. (* See "1-3-5.
3. Getting Started 3-2-2. Turning Off Your Printer When you have finished using your printer, follow the instructions below to turn it off. (1) Make sure that your printer is [standby] or [ready] mode. (2) Select [Platen Reset] in Menu to store the Platen in the printer. (3) Press Power Switch to turn OFF your printer.
3. Getting Started 3-3. Preparing Your PC This section describes how to install the GT-3 Printer Driver (FileOutput), manuals (Basic Operation Manual/ Instruction Manual), Brother GT-3 File Viewer, and other tools. Make sure the steps because there are some different dialogs shown between Windows XP and Vista / Windows 7.
3. Getting Started 3-3-3. Connection with USB 2.0 Cable: for Windows XP (1) Connect the USB 2.0 cable to your printer (power OFF). <Note> We do not recommend connection via a USB hub to the printer. (2) Connect the other end of the USB 2.0 Cable to your PC. (3) Turn on your GT-3 printer.
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3. Getting Started (5) Select “Install the software automatically (Recommended)”, and the click “Next”. The installation starts. When "Hardware installation" dialog (not passed Windows Logo testing, see 3-3-2. (5)) appears during installation, Click "Continue Anyway". The installation continues. <Note> If you connect the USB 2.0 cable anyway, the dialog to insert the install CD appears. Confirm that the Install CD is inserted properly, and then click “OK”.
3. Getting Started 3-3-4. Installation of PC for Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 bit / 64 bit) Refer first to "3-3-2. PC preparation: For Windows XP (32 bit)" and confirm the process. Install the file Output Printer Driver "Brother GT-3 FileOutput" first to your PC. Tools and manuals are installed together from Install CD, and PC must be restarted. Then PC is connected to USB 2.0 cable, the printer turned ON, and USB 2.0 cable connected to the printer.
3. Getting Started (6) During the installation, the following warning appears. Click "Install this driver software anyway" and continue. (7) After installation, your PC will need to restart. Remove your Install CD and restart your PC. If you are going to use your printer without connecting it to your PC, this will be the end of PC preparation.
3. Getting Started 3-3-7. Opening the Useful Tools Useful Tools are installed in "Useful Tools“ in "Brother GT-3 Tools”. Color Palettes for Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and CorelDRAW Color Palettes "GT_Colors_T.aco" for Adobe Photoshop, "GT_Colors_T.ai" for Illustrator, "GT_Colors.cpl" and "GT_Tshirts.cpl" for CorelDRAW are available. The colors are the same in GT Color Chart "ColorChart_1200.ar3" and "ColorChart_600.ar3"...
3. Getting Started 3-3-8. How to use Firmware Update Tools Download the new Firmware program from the Web site when informed. Read the Firmware program with GT-3 Firmware Update Tool in "Brother GT-3 Tools" and update the Firmware program inside the printer. (1) Select "All Programs"...
3. Getting Started 3-4. Setting Up Your Printer Adjust the display contrast and the speaker volume as required. 3-4-1. Adjusting the Display Contrast (1) Press the OK Button on your printer’s Control Panel and go to the Menu. (2) Use the Up/Down Button to select [ Printer Setting ] > [ LCD Contrast ] and then press the OK Button. The following display appears.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4. Printing Directly from Applications WARNING If a foreign object gets inside the printer, immediately turn off the power switch and disconnect the power cord, and arrange for a service call to resolve. If you continue to use the printer while there is a foreign object inside, it may result in fire or electric shocks or problems with correct operation.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-1. Basic Printing Procedure (1) Set the proper color settings and print conditions of the application. For precise editing and output, applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Paint Shop Photo Pro are recommended, e.g. to deal with higher resolution images (200 dpi or higher).
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Print Layout: Your printer has a large print area 14x 16 inches (35 x 40 cm), Any application has a rule to do the layout in printing, e.g. Microsoft Internet Explore sets the artwork at the center top, Microsoft Power Point does at the center middle. The GT-3 Printer does not have Letter or A4 paper size.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-2-2. Settings for CorelDRAW Color settings: (1) Select [ Tools ] > [ Color Management ] (2) CorelDRAW 10/11/12: Select “Color Management off” as the style. CorelDRAW 10/11/12 CorelDRAW X3/X4: Select RGB radio button. Check the left top menu: it changes [default settings] to [ Custom (Current settings not saved)].
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4. Printing Directly from Applications CorelDRAW X5: Select the menu as shown in the below and click OK. Default color settings Color Profiles: RGB: sRGB IEC61966-2.1 CMYK: U.S. Web. Coated (SWOP) v2 Primary color mode: RGB Rendering intent: Relative colorimetric CorelDRAW X5 GT-3 Series...
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Print Area: CorelDRAW 10/11/12/X13/X14 (1) Select [ File ] > [ Print Setup ] menu. (2) Select “Brother GT-3” or "Brother GT-3 FileOutput" for the printer to be used. Select either one of those as your PC's default printer then the settings will be easier.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Print: (1) Select [ File ] > [ Print ] menu. Click "Properties" to do Printer Driver settings. CorelDRAW X5 Open the [Color] tab and make the settings below: Select the radio button "use document color settings" Color conversions performed by: "Brother GT-3 File Output"...
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Convert to Bitmap: (1) Select [ Bitmaps ] > [ Convert to Bitmap... ] menu. (2) CorelDRAW 10/11/12: Make sure that "Color" is RGB and "Apply ICC Profile" is OFF. 200 - 400 dpi is enough for solid clipart.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications <Important!> The platen size may become 14x16 inches when pressing Set From Printer, even after setting the size of 10x12 inches at "Document Properties" dialog box of Printer Driver. To make print data in platen size of 10x12 inches, set Width : 254 mm (10 inch), Height : 304.8 mm (12 inch).
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-2-3. Settings for Adobe Photoshop Color settings: (1) Select [ Edit ] > [ Color Settings ] menu. The Color Settings window appears. (2) Make Color settings as follows, and then click “OK". Advanced Mode: Check Working Spaces: RGB: sRGB IEC61966-2.1 CMYK: U.S.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Print: (1) Select [ File ] > [ Print with Preview Alt + Ctrl + P ] menu (depends on versions). When the default printer of the PC used is set either "Brother GT-3” or "Brother GT-3 FileOutput", the layout is set in this window.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Photoshop CS2/CS3 Make print options as follows, go to [Page Setup...] to do Printer Driver settings, and then click “Print”. More Options: click Pull-down menu: Color Management Print: Document: Profile: sRGB IEC IEC61966-2.1 or untagged Options: Color Handing: Let Printer Determine Colors Photoshop CS2 (Continued on the next page)
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Photoshop CS4/CS5 Make print options as follows, go to [Page Setup...] > [Printer Settings] to do Printer Driver settings, and then click “Print”. Color Management: Document Color Handling: Printer Manages Colors Rendering Intent: Relative Colorimetric Photoshop CS4/CS5 <...
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Color Swatch in Useful Tools: (1) See "3-3-7. Opening the Useful Tools" and download Photoshop Color Swatch (called palette in CorelDRAW) "GT_Colors_T.aco". (2) Select [ Window ] and check [ Swatches ] to show. Click the little triangle at the right top of the window (in the orange circle below) to show the submenu.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Change RGB=255 bitmap white to RGB=254: RGB=255 (paper color) white is always transparent with no ink printed. When you print an image like photo, there may be RGB=255 white spots and they will be ink holes. Normally you can select RGB=255 white directly with the menu in select and replace to RGB=254 white.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-2-4. Settings for Adobe Illustrator <Important!> Set either "Brother GT-3" or "Brother GT-3 FileOutput" as the default printer before you go on to the following steps, otherwise, an image may be printed incorrectly. Check the print data by the preview by using "Brother GT-3 FileOutput". GT-3 is an RGB printer.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Opening the new file: Set the New Document settings as follows: Width: 14 in (355.6 mm) Height: 16 in (406.4 mm) Orientation: Portrait Color Mode: RGB Color Illustrator CS2 Printing: (1) Click [ File ] > [ Print ] menu. (2) Illustrator 10/CS: Make sure the following settings.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Illustrator CS2/CS3/CS4/CS5: Make sure the following settings. Document Profile and Printer Profile are either "sRGB IEC61966-2.1" or "Untagged RGB". Color Handling: Let Illustrator determine Colors Rendering Intent: Relative Colorimetric Click "Setup" to do Printer Driver Settings. Illustrator CS2/CS3/CS4/CS5 GT-3 Series...
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Color Swatch in Useful Tools: (1) See "3-3-7. Opening the Useful Tools" and download Illustrator Color swatch "GT_Colors_T.ai". (2) Select [ Window ] and check [ Swatches ] to show. Click the little triangle at the right top of the window (in the orange circle below) to show the submenu.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications An image that is smaller than 14 x 16 inches (e.g. a letter-size image) may not be printed on proper positions, or may result in errors. If this happens follow the steps below to correct. (1) Open "Document Setup"...
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-2-5. Settings for Adobe Photoshop Elements Color settings and print settings are required before printing. After the printer driver is installed, set the Colors before editing the document. Color settings: (1) Select "Color Settings..." on "Edit" menu. The Color Settings window appears.
4. Printing Directly from Applications Printing Refer to Photoshop page in "4-2-3. Settings for Adobe Photoshop". (1) Select [ File ] > [ Print... ] menu. The Print Preview window appears. (2) Do the settings as follows: Show More Options: Check Print Space/ Profile: Printer Color Management (3) Click "Properties"...
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-3. Setting the Printer Driver Condition <Important!> RGB-255 (paper color) is transparent with no ink printed. When there are some spots in RGB=255 color in a photo, e.g. those spots will never be printed. Set RGB=254 white for white image. As for the operations for each application, see "4-2. Setting the Applications’...
[ Printers and Faxes (Windows XP)]., [ Printers (Windows Vista)] or [ Devices and Printers (Windows 7)] and select the printer and right-click to select [ Property ]. Change the Machine Mode to either GT-361 or GT-341 and click [ OK ] button.
PC Data Error occurs when you send a GT-381 print data with White Ink data to GT-361, or a GT-381/GT-361 print data with White Ink data to GT-341. Any GT-3 can print a " Color Only" print data. 4-3-5. Setting the Resolution Select the resolution in printing, either [ 1200 dpi x 1200 dpi ] or[ 600 dpi x 600 dpi ].
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-3-6. White Settings The following menu appears on when either [ Color + White ] or [ White Only ] is selected. Adjust the volume of White Ink for Highlight (White Ink volume for whitish colors) and Mask (underbase White Ink to cover the print media for CMYK Inks). Highlight Adjusts the RGB=254 White and whitish colors.
4. Printing Directly from Applications Print "WhiteVolume_1200.ar3" or "WhiteVolume_600.ar3" to find out the optimal Highlight / Mask. Those data are in [ All Program ] > [ Brother GT-3 Tools ] > [ Test Data ]. How to open the WhiteVolume_600.ar3 and WhiteVolume_1200.ar3 Image of WhiteVolume_1200.ar3 printed on Lavender T-shirt (R=174, G=111, B=255) 4-3-7.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-3-9. Color Multiple Pass Printing Make this menu ON when you see some thin white lines (clearance between the printed lines) with all Print Head Nozzles are firing properly. Multiple Pass Printing is to move the Platen Feed by half for more precise printing so that the print time is doubled but the "regular"...
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-3-11. Settings for White Ink This menu is available only for White ink ([ Color + White ] and [ White Only ]). RGB=255 white (paper color) is always transparent with no ink printed. RGB=0 black is transparent too when [ Print with Black ink ] is checked OFF, when black color is expressed with the background T-shirt body color.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-3-13. Printing the image file on Transparent Layer This menu can handle the image on the transparent layer, which was impossible on previous GT models. The image format TIFF, PNG, PSD (Photoshop) can have a information of transparent info as well as RGB info. GT-782 cannot identify and deal with this information but GT-3 can with some additional steps.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Step 2: Save the RGB info and transparent info to different PNG files. Open the PNG file with Microsoft Paint (Windows XP and Vista) and then the transparent info will be ignored. Save as another PNG file with [ File ] > [ Save as ... ]. Transparent info is ignored and the image is indicated as shown in the left.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Delete the Red, Green and Blue Channels in the Channels. Right-click the channel to be deleted and select [ Delete Channel ] . Click the "Red" Channel and right-click to select [ Delete Channel ]. The dialog box “Flatten layers?”...
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4. Printing Directly from Applications Step 3: Import the PNG file with transparent info to GT-3 File Output Printer Driver and create ARTR file. (1) Open "test_TR.PNG" file with Photoshop. (successive operation from (10) of Step 2 in the previous page) (2) Select [ File ] >...
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4. Printing Directly from Applications (6) The following dialog appears to save ARTR file. Input the file name (as "test.artr") Saved as "test.artr" Step 4: Apply RGB-info PNG file to transparent-info ARTR file in printing. (1) Open test_RGB.PNG" with Photoshop, made in (1) of Step 1. (2) Microsoft Paint automatically changes the resolution of "test_RGB.PNG"...
4. Printing Directly from Applications (4) Check the Transparent Layer Checkbox and click the radio button [ Import ARTR File ]. Select the ARTR file "test.ARTR" with transparent info that was made in (6) of Step 3. Select "test.artr". (5) Click [ OK ] Button here and in the Main Setting too and print. The AR3 file, the combination of RGB info and transparent info included, is saved.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-3-15. Printing Color Chart For your information, GT-782 Color Chart "ColorChart_1200.ar3" and "ColorChart_600.ar3" are available to understand Color gamut. Print the T-shirt and Color Chart will work something like Pantone's Color Formula Guide. It is in [ All Program ] > [ Brother GT-3 Tools ] >...
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-4. Uninstalling / Installing the Platen Replace the Platen for your print material. When the option Platen e.g. Youth Platen is used, be sure to set "Platen Size" in Printer Driver menu (see "4-3-3. Selecting the Platen Size"). 4-4-1.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-4-2. Installing the Platen (1) Place the Platen. (2) Tighten the Platen Fixing Lever securely. <Note> Adjust the Platen Height (see "4-5. Placing the T-shirt on the Platen "). Platen Fixing Lever GT-3 Series...
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-4-3. Lowering the Platen height The Platen height can be lowered by 13 mm by replacing the Bush Platen Shaft and the Platen Positioning Plate to "Platen Lowering Set" (option). Prepare a hexagon wrench (3 mm). The adjustable height of the Platen (from the left most position "A"...
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4. Printing Directly from Applications (3) Replace the Bush Platen Shaft with Platen Height Adjustment Lever assembled and the Platen Positioning Plate to the "Platen Lowering Set" (option). Positioning jig Bush platen shaft Platen positioning plate Machined surface Platen height adjustment lever <Note>...
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-5. Placing the T-shirt on the Platen CAUTION Ensure there is adequate space left for safe working. The Platen moves forward while operating. Do not handle the platen while printing. If your hand gets caught between the platen or the T-shirt tray and the covers, it may be injured.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications (4) Place the T-shirt, with its print side on the top of Platen and the other side underneath the Platen, as shown below. The Pretreatment must be applied first when you print on dark-colored T-shirts with White ink. (See "4-6-1. Applying the Pretreatment".) Print side <Note>...
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4. Printing Directly from Applications (7) Press the Platen Button to insert the Platen, and check the clearance between the flap of the Clearance Sensor and the T-shirt. If the Platen height is appropriate, the space is around 2.0 mm, to avoid the fuzzy fibers on the surface. Adjust the Platen Height by moving Platen Height Adjustment Lever.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-6. Printing CAUTION Ensure there is adequate space left for safe working. The Platen moves forward while operating. Do not handle the platen while printing. If your hand gets caught between the platen or the T-shirt tray and the covers, injury may result.
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4. Printing Directly from Applications How to dilute Pretreatment : You can have some margins to dilute Pretreatment. Select the ratio for your material and purpose. Standard: Pretreatment 1 L + Distilled Water 2 L ( 1:2 volume ratio) thinner mix: Pretreatment 1 kg + Distilled Water 2 kg ( 1:2 weight ratio) rich mix: Pretreatment 1 L + Distilled Water 1 L( 1:1 volume ratio)
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4. Printing Directly from Applications How to apply with the roller: (1) Pour the Pretreatment onto the tray. Place the roller into pretreatment and make it absorb enough pretreatment. Our option Roller is recommended to apply even and smooth. (2) Draw the roller softly and remove unnecessary pretreatment. Roll back and forth smoothly and slowly. Weight the T-shirt before / after then you can see the amount of applied Pretreatment to help you acquaint.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-6-2. Making One Print GT-3 receives the next print data from PC in printing. Just before you press the Print Button, confirm the Job Comment (or file name) and the counter on the display of the Control Panel. (1) Make sure the Print Button has been turned on, which indicates your printer has received the print data successfully.
4. Printing Directly from Applications 4-7. Removing the T-shirt from the Platen (1) Hold the shirt slightly to allow are to get between the shirt and the platen. (2) Hold both shoulders of the T-shirt, and then pull it out straight from the Platen. Hold the T-shirt by the printed area on your side, which is easier to deal with the wet T-shirt safe.
5. Printing AR3 Files 5. Printing AR3 Files When saving a print data in AR3 format file, you can select the printing procedure by either of these two methods Print an AR3 file with GT-3 File Viewer. You can check the detailed print conditions and ink cost before sending a print data to your printer.
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5. Printing AR3 Files (4) Print with the application's print menu. Wait for a while until the following preview window appears. Click [ Save ] button. <Important!> Depending on the application, the image size, resolution and PC spec, it may take a few minutes to open the Preview window after clicking “OK”...
5. Printing AR3 Files 5-2. Reading AR3 Files Saved in a USB flash drive <Note> Use a USB flash drive: the capacity under 32 GB, FAT 32 formatted. Your printer can only read AR3 files from a USB flash drive. (1) Insert the USB flash drive into the Slot in front of the Operation Panel.
5. Printing AR3 Files 5-3. Sending AR3 Files from GT-3 File Viewer to your Printer (1) Double-click the AR3 file directly or select the GT-3 File Viewer in your PC's [ All Program ] > [ Brother GT-3 Tools] and click [ Browse…...
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5. Printing AR3 Files (3) When the White data is included, you can simulate the print by changing the background color. Click [ Change ] button and select the color. When [ Show White Image ] is checked, White data under the Color data is indicated. Input the RGB values directly (Continued on the next page) GT-3 Series...
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5. Printing AR3 Files Simulation with the brown background (R=128, G=64, B=64) (4) Select the print data of the Present Layer so that you can check the individual image of the print data when the print data have multiple loading/unloading of the Platen. [ Total ] shows the preview of all combined print data. Check [ White Data ] then only the White data without Color data is indicated.
6. Maintenance 6. Maintenance For optimum product performance regular maintenance is required. DANGER Wait at least 5 minutes after turning off the power switch and disconnecting the power cord from the wall outlet before opening the right-side cover of the control unit. Do not touch as high voltage can result in severe injury.
6. Maintenance 6-1. Replacing Consumables This section describes how to replace the consumables and the maintenance of the printer. 6-1-1. Replacing the Ink Cartridge The ink indicator on the Display flashes when the Ink Cartridge is getting low. Prepare the new Ink Cartridge (option*), and replace it when “Empty XXXX (color)”...
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6. Maintenance (2) Remove the used Ink Cartridge from the slot of the printer. Put your finger to the handle and pull out the Ink Cartridge. <Note> Leave the used Ink Cartridge installed until just before the replacement. Leaving your printer with no Ink Cartridge installed may cause ink leakage or other serious damages.
6. Maintenance 6-1-2. Replacing the Wiper Cleaner and Cleaning the Caps / Wipers The Wiper Cleaner needs to be replaced regularly. Keep the Print Head Cap and Wiper Blade clean when replacing the Wiper Cleaner. If not, the waste ink may drop on a T-shirt in printing or mis-firing may not be easily improved. (1) Select [ Maintenance ] from the menu by pressing Up/Down Buttons and press OK Button.
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6. Maintenance (6) Pick the plastic bag on your right hand with your left hand, and wrap the Wiper Cleaner with the plastic bag. 0060Y (7) Remove the wrapped Wiper Cleaner carefully, not to drop waste ink and dispose of in accordance with local regulations. 0061Y <Note>...
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6. Maintenance (10) Use the one side of wet Clean Stick to clean the front side of the Wiper Blade. (11) Use the other side of the wet Clean Stick to clean the rear of the Wiper Blade. Do not wipe the White / Color with the same Clean Stick.
6. Maintenance 6-1-3. Replacing Flushing Plate Sponge and Flushing Plate Felt (1) After replacing the Wiper Cleaner, replace the Flushing Plate Sponge and Flushing Plate Felt. Remove the Flushing Plate from the printer by lifting up the right side slightly and pull up to the right direction. (2) Remove the used Flushing Plate Sponge and Flushing Plate Felt from the Flushing Plate and remove the waste ink inside.
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6. Maintenance (3) Pick up the edge of the used Fan Filter mounted in the Filter Cover, and remove the Fan Filter from the Filter Cover. Put it in the plastic bag and dispose of it in accordance with local regulations. Filter Cover Fan Filter 0069Y...
6. Maintenance 6-1-5. Replacing the Roller Felts (1) Unscrew two screws and remove the Felt Support. Felt Support Felt Felt 0071Y (2) Remove the used Felt. (3) Apply the new Felt to the Felt Support. Pay attention not to give damage to the Felt Support. (4) Position the edge of the Felt Support "A"...
6. Maintenance 6-1-7. Cleaning the Encoder Strip There must be some dust and mist covering the Encoder Strip to cause reading error when some error occurs during the printing operation. Clean the Encoder Strip with the attached tool. (1) Prepare the Encoder Cleaner and ethanol of 95% or higher purity. (2) Select [ Maintenance ] of the menu and press OK Button.
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6. Maintenance (8) Apply ethanol to the Felt fully, app. 2 ml, of the Encoder Cleaner. Ethanol 0073Y <Note> Use ethanol of 95% or higher purity. (9) Push the position [A] shown below with your finger to give space between the felts. 0074Y (10) Put the Encoder to the Encoder Strip so that the Encoder Strip should run between the felts straightly, and the bottom part of the felt should touch the inside of the Encoder Cover.
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6. Maintenance (12) Move the Carriage slowly to the leftmost position by hand <Note> Ink may stain the Platen and other places while moving the Carriage, the bottom surface may be wet and dirty with ink. (13) Wipe the Encoder Cleaner two or three times from the rightmost position to the left, by following the former steps (10) and (11), where the Encoder Cleaner did not reach.
6. Maintenance 6-2. Regular Maintenance Do not leave the White ink inside the printer. White pigment precipitates and may cause serious damage to your printer. This section describes how to maintain the White Ink. Execute the following menu to keep your printer and print result in good conditions.
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6. Maintenance (1) Fill the bottle with Maintenance Solution. Confirm that at least more than 250 ml per one Print Head is in the bottle. (2) Confirm in advance the amount of the Waste Ink in the Waste Ink Tank (more than 500 ml). (3) Confirm that the printer is either [ Standby ] or [ Ready ].
6. Maintenance Loading White Ink after Tube Cleaning (1) Load the White Ink with full of Maintenance Solution in the Tube, the step (9) in the previous page. Insert the White Ink Cartridge and select [ Maintenance ] > [ Load White ] from the menu and press OK. (2) Select [ All Whites ] or one from W1-W4 and press OK.
6. Maintenance 6-2-4. Replacing the Platen Sheet The Platen Sheet gets dirty in operation. Please replace the Platen Sheet to avoid making smudges on a T-shirt. To help align a T-shirt, you can print a grid on the Platen Sheet. It is in [ All Program ] > [ Brother GT-3 Tools ] > [ Useful Tools ]. Grid14x16.ar3 is for the standard Platen 14x16.
6. Maintenance 6-2-5. Required Maintenance for the Long Storage The maintenance is different from Color and White when you will leave GT-3 printer unused for more than 2 weeks. Clean the Caps and Wipers for both side, as for Color pour Wash Liquid into the Caps to prevent ink clogging inside the Maintenance Unit.
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6. Maintenance (6) After the initialization is finished successfully, turn OFF the printer and store. <Note> Check the printer once in two weeks. Execute White Tube Cleaning when you find the Tubes look white. Keep the White Tubes full of Maintenance Solution. As for Color side, refer to the step (4) in the previous page and pour 7 and 8 drops of Wash Liquid to the Print Head Caps of Color side to prevent from ink clogging inside of the Maintenance Unit..
7. Troubleshooting 7. Troubleshooting CAUTION Ensure there is adequate space left for safe working. The Platen moves forward while operating and it may be injured. Do not handle the platen while printing. If your hand gets caught between the platen or the T-shirt tray and the covers, it may be injured.
7. Troubleshooting 7-1. Solving Printer Problems Use the table below to help solve printer problems. Problem Cause Solution Cannot send print data from the You have selected the wrong Confirm the selected printer, and select the correct printer. one. USB cable not connected Disconnect and re-connect the USB 2.0 cable Your PC and OS do not satisfy See “1-3-3.
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7. Troubleshooting Problem Cause Solution GT-3 does not turn on. There is no power. Check the power cable connections. The Front Cover is open or not Close the Front Cover properly. closed properly. An error occurred just after An error occurred. Check the error code with "7-4.
7. Troubleshooting 7-2. Solving Print Quality Problems Use the table below to solve print quality problems. Problem Cause Solution Print is faded. The graphic applications’ See “4-2 Setting the Applications’ Print Condition" and settings are not appropriate. modify the artwork. Maybe CYMK mode is being used for data.
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7. Troubleshooting Problem Cause Solution The outlines of printed image The Platen height may be wrong Adjust the Platen height to make the clearance are not clear, or texts and with a too large gap. between the Clearance Sensor and the surface of the outlines are printed doubled.
7. Troubleshooting 7-2-1. Procedure for Solving the Print Quality Problems Follow the procedure (Step 1 to 7) below until the print quality problem is solved. <Note> The following steps are shown with CMYK Print Heads and do the same in case of White Print Heads. Step 1: Confirm the amount of remaining Ink in the Ink Cartridge and execute Normal Cleaning.
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7. Troubleshooting Step 4: Confirm the "conditions" of mis-firing. (1) Print the Nozzle Check Pattern, and check which Print Head has the problem (see "7-2-3. Checking Print Quality with Nozzle Check Pattern "). (2) If the missing positions (nozzles) are fixed, then go to Step 5. If the missing position shift every time you print Nozzle Check Pattern, then maybe some tiny air bubbles are in the Print Head Nozzles.
7. Troubleshooting 7-2-2. Cleaning the Print Heads Your printer automatically cleans its Print Heads every 24 prints (you can change the frequency; see “7-2-5. Changing the Auto Cleaning Setting”), or when your printer has not been used for more than two hours. The auto-cleaning starts when you press the Print Button in these situations.
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7. Troubleshooting (3) Place a sheet of paper (A4 or letter size) at the right corner of the Platen as shown below. Use adhesive tape to make the paper flat. You can use a T-shirt instead of paper. Paper of A4/ Letter size 0081Y (4) Select [ Test Print ] with the Up/Down Button from the menu and then press the OK Button.
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7. Troubleshooting White: Like CMYK shown in the previous page, the Print Heads of W1 W2 (GT-381: one in W1, two in W2) have the problem. The Print Heads need to be cleaned (better to execute [ All Whites] , see “7-2-2. Cleaning the Print Heads”). <Note>...
7. Troubleshooting 7-2-4. Changing the Print Direction When there are large gaps between the Print Heads and printed medium, or when printing on very high absorbent material, horizontal stripes and color graining can appear on the printed image. You can solve this problem using one-way "Uni-Directional "...
7. Troubleshooting 7-2-6. Cleaning the Print Head Nozzles Use the Nozzle Cleaning Kit to clean the Head Nozzles (in the red square in the photo below). <Note> Pay careful attention in cleaning the clean Print Head Nozzles, which are both delicate and expensive. The Print Head Nozzle should be cleaned only when it is needed as follows in “7-2-1.
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7. Troubleshooting (7) Wet the surface (nozzle plate) of the Print Head with Wash Liquid. Then rub softly the nozzle plate to remove ink and debris (clogged ink) from the nozzle plate until the nozzle plate is clean. Use a soft, clean and lint-free cloth to loosen and remove the dirty ink and debris from the Clean Applicator to keep its surface clean and wet again with Wash Liquid.
7. Troubleshooting (11) Execute Powerful Cleaning of all the Print Heads to remove the air bubbles in the nozzles. Print Nozzle Check Pattern to confirm the print quality. (See "7-2-3. Checking Print Quality with Nozzle Check Pattern"). Execute Head Cleaning if necessary.
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7. Troubleshooting (5) Select [ Maintenance ] > [ Color Tube Cleaning ] from the menu and select the Print Head to be replaced and press the OK Button. Color Tube Cleaning then starts. <Note> The Color Maintenance Cartridge will not produce air bubbles. (6) After Color Tube Cleaning is finished, with Maintenance Solution filled, select [ Maintenance ] >...
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7. Troubleshooting (12) Remove the plastic cover on the Carriage PCB. Disconnect the white cable (left) and remove the four claws on the both edges (right). (13) Remove the silicone tubes that are attached the screws under the Carriage PCB (left), and remove the holes of the cover (right), and remove the plastic cover.
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7. Troubleshooting (15) Put on the gloves again. Rotate the Tube Connector (the white part over the Print Head) by 90 degrees (left), lift it straight up slowly and remove the Tube from the Print Head (right). Connect the fitting that you removed in step (10) to the Tube. Do not force to pull out the Tube from the Print Head, or the junction may be damaged.
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7. Troubleshooting (19) Hold the knob of the Print Head (left) and push it downward so that the V-shaped groove can fit the Positioning Pin. Push down the Print Head to fix the corner of the Print Head by the Flat Spring (right). Flat Spring Positioning Pin Print Head...
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7. Troubleshooting (24) Mount the Plastic Cover over the Carriage PCB. Put it on the Carriage PCB in curl (left), and make the Condenser (big black part on the Carriage PCB) go through the hole of the Plastic Cover (right). (25) Put the Plastic Cover so that the fold at the back should cover the metal plate under the Carriage PCB.
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7. Troubleshooting (34) Print the Standard Check Pattern to check the alignment if the Print Head is placed properly. <Note> If the Print Heads do not align properly, the printer cannot make correct r colors. See the example below: Cyan Print Head does not align (shifted forward).
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7. Troubleshooting (6) Put on the gloves again. Rotate the Tube Connector (the white part over the Print Head) by 90 degrees (left), lift it straight up slowly and remove the Tube from the Print Head (right). Connect the fitting to the Tube, that you removed in step (10) in Color Print Head operations.
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7. Troubleshooting (10) Rotate the Lever to fix the Print Head when you fix it as shown below. (11) Following the steps (18) to (20) in Color Print Head operations to remove the protection film of the Print Head, connect the Flat Cable to the Carriage PCB and cover the Carriage PCB with the Plastic Cover.
7. Troubleshooting 7-2-8. Adjustment after the Print Head has been replaced If the printed image is unclear (double lines, grained image, etc.) then the print head timing may need to be adjusted. Not only after the Print Head is replaced, but also after exchanging the Platen Sheet, mounting the modified Platen and so on. (1) Make sure your printer is connected to your PC with USB 2.0 cable.
7. Troubleshooting 7-2-9. Adjusting the CR Speed Execute this menu after you clean the Carriage Shaft, or you are asked from the technical support. See "6-1-6. Cleaning the inside of the printer and restart". (1) Press either one of the Up / Down / Back / OK Button to enter the Menu. (2) Select [ Printer Setting ] >...
7. Troubleshooting 7-2-11. Adjusting the Flushing Volume Flushing is very important to keep the print quality. The initial setting is decided on the assumption that the printer works under the environment of 35 % humidity. Use a humidifier to avoid the Print Heads from clogging with dried ink as well as increase the volume of Flushing ink.
7. Troubleshooting 7-2-12. Adjusting the amount of White Ink in Daily Cleaning White The function [ Daily Cleaning White ] is very important to print white. The necessary volume of wasting White Ink depends how the printer is used. You can save the White Ink when you use GT-3 every day, and you've confirmed that the whiteness of the White Ink is stable in your production, then decrease the volume.
7. Troubleshooting 7-2-13. Copy Log file to USB flash drive You may be asked from the technical support to get the log data of the GT-3 for troubleshooting. Insert the USB flash diver to save the log data into the file (*.zlg or *.log). (1) Insert the USB flash drive into the Slot in front of the Operation Panel.
7. Troubleshooting 7-3. Solving Application Problems See also the pages of each application software in “4. Printing Directly from Applications”. Problem Cause Solution The image sent from Adobe Illustrator 10 The Print In Adobe Illustrator 10 follow the instruction below, and then try is printed 90 degree rotated.
7. Troubleshooting 7-4. Error Messages Here is a complete list of error messages that GT-3 shows. Make contact to your dealer or Brother when mark ** is in Solution, with the information of Error Code No and the message on the Display. Error Message Meaning...
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7. Troubleshooting Error Message Meaning Solution code 1200 Exchange Maintenance Parts Needs to exchange the Maintenance Exchange the Maintenance Parts and clean the inside of Parts and to clean the printer. the printer. See "6-1. Replacing Consumables". 1201 Exchange Maintenance Parts 1210 Exhaust Fan Stop The Fan to exhaust ink mist is stopped.
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You can print if no 3013 error is indicated. 3014 Confirm that the Machine Mode is GT-341 by Printer GT-341 received the print data with PC Data Error (with White) Driver. GT-341 cannot receive the print data with White 3100 White print data included.
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7. Troubleshooting Error Message Meaning Solution code 4100 The file cannot be opened. 4101 No file can be created. 4102 The file cannot be closed. 4103 Failure in searching file Check the contents in the USB flash drive. USB flash drive Access Re-mount the USB flash drive and retry the operation.
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7. Troubleshooting Error Message Meaning Solution code 5101 Machine Error Illegal print area of the print data 5102 Machine Error Failure of unfolding print data 5200 5201 Confirm if there is any device around GT-3 that makes 5230 strong noise. Move GT-3 from that device. Communication error between Main Machine Error PCB and Maintenance Unit...
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7. Troubleshooting Error Message Meaning Solution code 5406 5411 Confirm if there is any device around GT-3 that makes strong noise. Move GT-3 from that device. Communication error between Main Machine Error 5312 PCB and Maintenance Unit Contact your dealer or Brother when the issue was not solve after you rebooted GT-3.
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7. Troubleshooting Error Message Meaning Solution code Machine Error Internal Error of Maintenance Unit 5491 6004 Clearance Sensor Failure Malfunction of Clearance Sensor Failure of writing to EEPROM in Main Machine Error 6010 Failure of deleting Flash ROM in Main Machine Error 6011 Failure of writing Flash ROM in Main...
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7. Troubleshooting Error Message Meaning Solution code Machine Error 6114 Abnormal decrease of CR Speed Abnormal temperature of Black Print Machine Error 6120 Head Abnormal temperature of Magenta Machine Error 6121 Print Head Abnormal temperature of Cyan Print Machine Error 6122 Head Abnormal temperature of Yellow Print...
8. Specifications 8. Specifications 8-1. Mechanical Specification Dimensions 1370 (W) ×1045 (D) × 660 (H) mm (53.9 × 41.1 × 26.0 inch ) Weight Approx. 111 Kg (245 lb) (GT-782 including Platen) Maximum print area 406.4 mm x 457.2 mm (14 x 16 inches) Print Resolution 1200 dpi x 1200 dpi, 600 dpi x 600 dpi Power source...