One might wonder about the need for an Ink Limit when an Ink Restriction has been performed. While the Ink Restriction step establishes the maximum ink available for each individual process channel in a print mode, the [Ink Limit] step sets the maximum ink levels allowed for printing with more than one process channel at the same time in order to eliminate artifacts.

NOTE: Ink limiting does not apply to black ink process channel.

While viewing the Ink Limit SwatchStandard print image used by RIP-Queue for profile generation. A swatch contains multiple patches. left to right (light to dark), try to determine which patch best represents the solid dark shade for the color you are looking at. Significant consideration should be paid to identifying patches that have artifacts. Artifacts may affect your ICCICC (International Color Consortium) A group of hardware and software companies dedicated to the development of a specification that is operating system independent and provides the digital imaging, printing and related industries with a data format for defining the color and reproduction characteristics of devices and their related media Swatch and cause potential reading errors which in turn may lead to image quality problems.

Common artifacts include ink bleed, an embossed or raised look, a picture frame appearance, or a glossy or dull appearance. All of these artifacts indicate too much ink, requiring a reduction to the Ink Limit.

If you will be using a take up roll you should also consider the time necessary to allow the ink to dry prior to going on the take-up roll.

In summary, reduce the Ink Limit to the point that any artifact you do not want to appear in your prints has been eliminated.

Additionally, if the color reaches a point where no additional change occurs, it is likely that settings above that point will be wasting ink. You should make the darkest setting possible, that does not also waste ink.

Once you have determined where to set the Ink LimitsInk Limits prevent oversaturation of three and four color combinations. Ink Limiting is the process of restricting the total amount of ink applied to a media by adjusting the maximum percentage of the color values in a processed image. you may print another Ink Limit Swatch to see if the settings you have chosen are adequate.

It is recommended that the ink limit swatch be printed again after setting the ink limits. If you notice a drop in color near the point of your chosen Ink Limit you can use the [Black] and [Chromatic] sliders to fill in this area. These sliders help by adding in an amount of the color reduced in the Ink Limit, equal to the amount of black ink needed to achieve similar darkness. The [Chromatic] slider performs a similar function for the CMY Gray component.

Troubleshooting

If you are unable to get a good balance between color and artifacts, try the following:

• If possible, you can try increasing the printer heater temperature, and/or reduce the print speed. Both will aid ink drying.

• You may need to use more aggressive Ink Restriction Settings.

NOTE: If this is the case, all steps following the Ink Restriction step will need to be redone (E. g. new Calibration, Ink Limit, etc.) Having to revert to the Ink Restriction step may indicate an incompatible media and ink combination for the expected results.

Creating Ink Limit

Select an existing Ink Limit or create a new one by clicking the icon.

TIP: For more information about controlling ink use see this Maxi-imize article

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