SPECIALTY 2D PRINTING

Roland Wide Format Printer/Cutter

  • The Roland TrueVIS VG3-540 is a professional wide-format printer. It makes stickers, vinyl wall text, and large-format prints on a variety of paper and adhesive vinyl substrates.

    No training or certification is required, but please carefully review design specifications and policy below and attend appointments with files prepared.

  • 54” wide rolls (52” wide max print area)

    Semi-Rigid Adhesive Vinyl - Matte White

    Paparazzi Premium Matte Paper - White

    30” wide rolls (28” wide max print area)

    Semi-Rigid Adhesive Vinyl - Matte White

    Semi-Rigid Adhesive Vinyl - Glossy White

    Paparazzi Premium Matte Paper - White

    Wallflair Vinyl - Matte White*

    *Recommended when applying exhibition or temporary signage

    Adhesive Vinyl - Black

    *Most commonly used to cut out exhibition wall text.

    Additional print substrates may be available. Visit the VFL to explore full inventory.

  • The price of wide format print jobs is calculated based on mLs of ink consumed and length of vinyl or paper used. For cut jobs where no ink is used, price is calculated using only the length of substrate used. See price list here.

  • Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop files can be printed in portrait or landscape orientation. The smaller dimension of the image area can be no larger than 28” or 52” in order to fit on the substrates listed above. The length of the print will be determined by the alternate image dimension and can be as large as the available roll of substrate and the available print time allows.

    When printing multiple stickers, Illustrator files only need to contain one image and should be sized 1:1. The quantity of stickers printed will be set in the Roland software in the VFL.

    300 DPI is recommended for photos - if an image is low resolution, open in Photoshop and use Image Size → Resample (Bicubic Smoother).

    Text in Adobe Illustrator files must be outlined before being opened on a VFL computer. VFL workstations should not be expected to have desired fonts installed.

    To add cut lines, open file on a VFL computer and find the Roland VersaWorks palette. Assign the magenta color to outlines where cuts should occur, make sure lines are 100% opacity and on the top layer, and save as an .eps file.

  • This is a heavily used machine in the VFL and appointments may fill up during peak times (midterms, finals). Be sure to plan print jobs as far in advance as possible.

    1 hour and 2 hour appointment time slots are available. File set-up can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes. Schedule accordingly.

    2 hour appointments are recommended for first time Roland Vinyl Printer / Cutter users.

    Print time varies based on print scale and resolution. Schedule a 2 hour appointment for large scale, hi-rez files.

    If a print time will extend beyond the end of the scheduled appointment, the VFL reserves the right to schedule an appointment at another time to complete printing.

Epson Direct to Garment Printer

  • The Epson Direct-to-Garment Printer (aka D2G) is a full-color inkjet printer that can print directly onto t-shirts, tote bags, pants, and most fabrics. Organic fabrics like cotton tend to produce the best results. Garments and fabric must be heat set after printing.

    No training or certification is required, but please review design specifications and policy below and come to appointments with files prepared.

  • The VFL provides the ink and pretreatment spray. Individuals are responsible for bringing substrates to print on.

    The VFL does not allow D2G printing on substrates other than fabric.

  • The price of D2G printing is calculated based on mLs of ink consumed. If a print requires using white ink, it will be significantly more expensive than printing without white ink (about 7x more expensive). See price list here.

  • The printer bed is 14x16”. Images Should not exceed ~13x15”.

    Most image file types will work but png. is advised.

    When printing light colored inks onto a darker fabric substrate, a chemical pretreatment will need to be applied to the substrate. Color images can be printed on white or off-white fabric without the use of pre-treatment. Images intended for printing on a dark substrate (black, navy, green, etc.) will require pretreatment. This must be done on the spray booth. Scheduling a spray booth appointment in advance of a D2G printing appointment is recommended.

  • 1 hour and 2 hour appointment time slots are available.

    File, printer, and heat press set-up can take at least an hour. 2 hour appointments are recommended for first time D2G users.

    If a print time will extend beyond the end of the scheduled appointment, the VFL reserves the right to schedule an appointment at another time to complete printing.

    Be advised: when printing light colored inks onto a darker fabric substrate, a chemical pretreatment will need to be applied to the substrate in the spray booth. Schedule a 30 minute spray booth appointment to prepare the substrate in advance of the D2G appointment.

  • Students are limited to printing a maximum of 10 garments per appointment. Students may schedule one appointment on this machine per day.

    The spray booth must be used for treating substrates with pretreatment solution.

Roland UV Printer

  • This printer’s UV-cured inks bond to virtually any material substrate, including metal, wood, glass, fabric and paper. No mirrored or reflective substrates may be used as they risk serious damage to the print head.

    No training or certification is required, but please carefully review design specifications and policy below and attend appointments with files prepared.

  • The VFL provides V-Bond UV Ink.

    Individuals are responsible for supplying material substrates to print on.

    Plywood, MDF, and acrylic sheets are available for sale in the VFL.

  • The price of UV printing is calculated based on mLs of ink consumed. See price list here.

  • Maximum print size is 20”W x 13”L x 4”H (max height of object to be printed on).

    Resize Adobe Illustrator artboard to match dimensions of the object being printing on, then layout artwork accordingly.

    When printing onto an irregularly shaped object, draw a vector outline of the shape and print it directly onto the transfer paper of the machine bed, then place the object within that outline and print onto it.

    For faster printing, orient images so that the height (along the 13” edge) is the shortest dimension.

    When using special features (white or glossy ink), edit .AI file on a VFL computer and save as an .eps file.

  • 2 hour appointment time slots are available for the UV printer.

    Depending on experience and complexity, file and printer set-up can take as much as an hour. 2 hour appointments are recommended for first time UV users.

    Print time will vary depending on the scale and complexity of imagery.

    If a print time will extend beyond the end of the scheduled appointment, the VFL reserves the right to schedule an appointment at another time to complete printing.

  • Absolutely no mirrored or reflective substrates may be used as they risk serious damage to the print head.

    BOFA fume extractor must be turned on prior to sending a UV job to print.

    Contact VFL Mixed Media Specialist, Neal Cashman with any questions about using the UV printer.