Pallet problems

Just a dumb question, do you have side clamps, if not, that is the key to maintaining registration. We use an M&R Sidewinder with sideclamps and 17x25 prints are no problem

Are you using these on a manual or an auto? Reason I ask is, when I started using 30x30 pallets on my manual, I found every so often reg issues. I narrowed the issue down to loose pallet locks. I tighted up my cams so that the pallet rail was very very tight. Remember we index our manuals by hand so with that huge pallet, there is more leverage with everyhting you do. Also, depending where you bought those pallets from. if they didn't use enough adheasive from the pallet bottom to the mounting rail, the double sided tape most pallet companies use will softed with the heat of a flash. When that looses it only takes a hair of movement, of the pallet top to totally throw your image reg off. Also be careful if you are manually printing with these when you index, try not to grab the top corner of the pallet to push for index as that is what seems natrual. That added leverage may slightly move your pallet it the locking mechanism isn't 100 percent tight. Hope some of this helps. I've noticed every single aspect of doing larger than normal prints takes way more time, way more effort, make sure you are charging way more or it really isnt worth it.

Pallet parallelism really becomes more and more of a factor the larger that pallets get. A small print like one that goes on a sleeve pallet can register easier with inconsistent pallet off contact from pallet to pallet while a oversized print needs those tolerances to be much lower. I'd wager to guess that what used to be ok on your standard pallets is no longer within range to get consistent results. You might have to go back and parallel your pallets and printheads again with the new pallets.

You'd be surprised how much differing off contact distances from pallet to pallet can affect registration. I've had pallets get out of parallel and noticed it while setting a job up, then I'd bring that pallet back into proper tolerance and then perfect registration. Even if one corner is slightly off, it will give you problems with registration.

We have recived pallets in the past that all of the mounting brackets were offset to the left. We ran a job with the new pallets and we noticed after the first few shirts came out of the dryer the print was offset to the right. I have made a jig that mounts on a squeege holder I use to make a centerline mark on each pallet in relation to the print head. My loaders use only the marks I have put on the pallet for referance.