For Canon ImagePrograf TM-200/TM-300

Our Absolute Black inks combined with the 24” wide Canon imagePrograf TM-200 or 36” wide TM-300 are the perfect system to print wide format screen separation films. The Canon TM printers are high quality but low purchase cost devices that are simple to use and easy to maintain, and produce great quality screen separations when set up with our all black inks.

Supplied in ready to use cartridges, Absolute Black inks offer numerous advantages over the standard color pigment inks for the TM range – superior light blocking for better emulsion curing, faster print speeds, and better scratch resistance to enable film re-use. The inks are very clean running and have been exhaustively tested for print head reliability.

How do I set up and use the printer for screen separation printing?

The inks can only be installed on a new printer that has not used regular color inks before – simply install the cartridges from new and the machine will fill itself with ink. The standard Canon driver software can be used to run all black inks by setting the print mode to color, and then increasing the C, M, and Y levels in the advanced color settings to get the most dense print. The Canon iPF TM machines are four color devices that feature two black cartridges – one for color printing on gloss papers and one for color printing on matte papers. With our all black in set up, Absolute Black inks are installed in both black cartridges. Setting the print driver to print on luster media will use the regular black cartridge, or setting to print on matte papers will use the mate black cartridge. In this way, the ink in both black cartridges can be used for all black printing. See our instruction sheet in our support pages for more information.

Why use Canon printers for screen separation printing?

Until now, the printer brand of choice for screen separation applications has been Epson. However, recent Epson printer models suffer from a much shorter print head life compared to older machines. On average, print heads often fail within three years on new Epson models and the cost of head replacement can run to more than the cost of the original machine. With Canon printers, the print head is user replaceable at a fraction of this cost and takes less than five minutes – replacement print heads simply clip into place. The latest Canon models suitable for screen positive printing have a comparable print resolution and speed, and a lower purchase price. Another advantage of Canon iPF printers is the sub tank design of the ink system. This means that the printer can continue printing for period after a cartridge has reported as empty – very useful when you are trying to finish a print job and don’t have a replacement cartridge on hand. This design also allows cartridge change out while without stopping the printer.

What do I need to order?

Once you have purchased a printer, you will need our starter cartridge kit for the Canon ImagePrograf TM series below. The kit includes a full set of Pre-filled 130 ml or 300 ml Absolute Black cartridges and a sample pack of our high quality 5 mil Absolute Film for making screen separations. Simply install the cartridge on the brand new printer from the start and the machine will prime itself with ink. Do not install Absolute Black inks on an existing machine that is already using color inks - Absolute Black inks can only be installed on brand new empty machines. All you need now is film to print on and you are ready to go – see our rolls of Absolute Film below.