Navigator DFE for DuraFlex r9 or later is required for duplex.


Initial Duplex Configuration 

A 2 sided printing device will need to be configured in 3 places.  

  • Server/Manage Devices/<your printer>
  • Server/Manage Devices/<your printer>/Advanced...
  • Server/Manage Devices/<your printer>/Advanced Configuration/Assign Heads to PCs...


First step.

Configure the primary device. (1st print unit).  Go to  Server/Manage Devices/<your printer>

You can use mDNS or IP addresses to tell the DFE where your DuraFlex printer can be found.

A walkthrough on this step is here. 

Second step

Server/Manage Devices/<your printer>/Advanced...

Configure your second unit. 


Choose Duplex and type in the address of the second print unit.

Graphical user interface, application Description automatically generated


Third step

Server/Manage Devices/<your printer>/Advanced Configuration/Assign Heads to PCs...

This step is where you assign particular computer(s) to control printhead

Head Assignment Tool walkthrough



Duplex printing concerns

Duplex will always send the first page of the print job to print unit A.

In normal usage this means odd pages are fronts and even pages are backs.  


Printing page ranges on a duplex printer

Print will always be in sequence from the first printed page, For example, if the page range being printed is 2-11, sheet 1 would have page 2 on the front and page 3 on the back. Special attention should be paid to the document construction and intended backup when choosing page ranges.

i.e. don't start page ranges from even pages unless you know that this is what you want.


Pause/cancel/resume on Duplex

Hardware configurations from manufacturers can differ greatly.  The second print unit could be a short distance from the first print unit, or it could be rather long. In the event of pausing a job, the last printed page in the Navigator Server is considered to be the last page that was imaged on the second unit. For example, if the fronts for pages 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 were imaged on unit one, but only pages 2, 4, 6, 8 have been printed on unit 2, then the Navigator Server will determine that only pages 1-8 have been printed. This is the number of pages that will be reflected in the total number of printed pages that appears in the top right of the DFE’s job list page. 

In the example above, if the system is paused, then pages 10 and 12 will still be in the print buffer for the second unit and will resume printing when the system is no longer paused. If the job were cancelled or a device FAULT were to occur, then the buffers for the printheads will be flushed and the last recorded page printed would be 8, and the fronts for pages 9 and 11 would be waste.

When resuming a job after cancelling or after a FAULT, the operator will need to determine what the correct starting page should be. 

Note:  In the event of a media jam between the second print unit’s TOF sensor and the print head, the TOF sensor will continue to direct the printhead to spray ink for each sheet of media that passed under the sensor, even if that media doesn't make it to the printhead.


Simplex modes on a duplex press  (Continuing to work when 1 print unit is offline on a Duplex system)

In the event of one of the print units being inoperable, it is possible to operate the remaining unit in simplex mode by changing the press configuration.  In normal duplex mode printing is impossible when one print unit is offline.

When one print unit goes down, printing will not be allowed until you switch out of Duplex mode. 

Once that has been completed, no further configuration is necessary.

Example:  Print unit 1 goes offline and is out of commission.  Print unit 2 is fine.  Switch configuration to Simplex Secondary and continue.


Graphical user interface, application Description automatically generated 



The two Simplex modes


Graphical user interface, text, application Description automatically generated


Graphical user interface, application Description automatically generated 


Simplex directs the print to unit 1.  Simplex Secondary directs the print to unit 2.  If you change to these modes, no further configuration is necessary.  

This mode will print all pages defined in the job editor on a single print unit. It is possible to select Even, Odd or All Pages in the DFE Job editor for further control of which pages are printed.  


Q. Can I apply different settings to Stage 1 and Stage 2 of a duplex press?  

A. Yes.  Instructions are here


DFE client

The DFE browser client has a few additional controls that have been added for duplex printing.

 

The Device Configuration window (accessed by the gear icon located on the right side of the DFE just above the job list) has had several changes. 

 

 

1 – Printer Status

The printer status area has changed to now show both print units. The front stage is the first print unit that is connected directly to the server that the Navigator Server and DFE are running on.

 

The graphic showing the level of ink remaining has been split in half to show the first print unit on the left, and the second print unit on the right. This has also been changed on the DFE’s index page.

 

2 – Mid Job Servicing

This toggle allows you to enable or disable mid job servicing. Please consult your hardware manufacturer for recommendation on when this should or should not be used. If mid job servicing is disabled, it can cause the printhead nozzles to become clogged.

 

3 – Max Page Interval

This is to set the maximum number of printed pages between performing a mid job service. Please consult your hardware manufacturer for recommendation on the intervals that should be used for the types of substrates and jobs that you print.

 

4 – Top of Form Media Mode

It is possible that you may have a different TOF mode for the first and second print unit. This pulldown is for defining the TOF mode for the primary print unit. An example of why this would be different would be if you were using a roll-fed device where the front side of the media prints a mark somewhere on the page that the TOF sensor on the second print unit will read to accurately register and place the image for the back side of the media. 

 

5 – Top of Form Adjustment

This input field is for entering an additional TOF adjustment on top of the position that exists in the Advanced Device Settings within the Navigator Server application. This will assist in offsetting the content of a job toward or away from the TOF sensor when setting up bleed jobs or in other special circumstances.

 

6 – Top of Form Media Mode

It is possible that you may have a different TOF mode for the first and second print unit. An example of why this would be different would be if you were using a roll-fed device where the front side of the media prints a mark somewhere on the page that the TOF sensor on the second print unit will read to accurately register and place the image for the back side of the media.

 

7 - Top of Form Adjustment

This input field is for entering an additional TOF adjustment on top of the position that exists in the Advanced Device Settings within the Navigator Server application. This will assist in offsetting the content of a job toward or away from the TOF sensor when setting up bleed jobs or in other special circumstances.

 

 Note and/or warning:  

If you are making changes to the hydration settings when a value already exists in this input field, please double-check your positioning once you have the desired hydration settings in place.  You may end up with declog or spit bars on your printed piece.


Workflow Editor within Client Application

To enable the ability to adjust fronts and backs independent of each other, please open the client application and add or edit the XiPosition step to have the Duplex checkbox checked.


Advanced Job Editor

Starting in DuraFlex R9.0.1, each printing stage can have independent adjustments to allow for easier backup/alignment from fronts to backs.



Navigator Configurations Editor (NCE) 2nd side option

It is possible to use a different render config for the 2nd print unit. 

Why you might want to do this is an exercise left to the imaginative reader.  

The way to accomplish this is to select the render config for the front of the media you want and duplicate it.   

Then change the duplicated render config to your desired configuration, maintaining the same name, but adding a _S2 to the end.

 

For example:

954        – Name of the render config for the front of the media.

954_S2       – Name of the render config for the back of the media.

 

If you want to use the same render config for both sides, it is not necessary to duplicate the render config. If there isn’t a matched name with _S2 at the end, the same render config will be sent to both units.

 

Detailed instructions on NCE can be found here


Interstage Gap configuration

The Inter-stage gap setting is used to manage the spacing between the print units in a duplex printing system, allowing you to control how the printing heads are uncapped at different stages. This can be particularly useful in minimizing the exposure time of the heads between print units.

Settings for Inter-stage Gap:

  1. InterstageDistanceFt

    • Description: This parameter specifies the distance between the print units of a duplex system, measured in whole feet. It is used to configure a delay before uncapping the heads of the second print unit to reduce exposure.
    • Default Value: 0
    • Recommendation: Use an under-estimate to minimize unnecessary exposure time.  An under-estimate is better than an over-estimate.

  2. InterstageDelayFiddleSecs

    • Description: This value, in whole seconds, is subtracted from the delay calculated from InterstageDistanceFt. It can be used to fine-tune the delay between stages.
    • Default Value: 0
    • Usage: Adjust this value if you need to decrease the time allowed for media to travel between print units.

Configuration Example:

To configure the inter-stage gap, edit the xiflowserver.ini file for your printing system:

[DuraFlex]
InterstageDistanceFt = <distance_in_feet>
InterstageDelayFiddleSecs = <delay_in_seconds>


Replace <distance_in_feet> and <delay_in_seconds> with appropriate values based on your system's requirements.


For example.  The distance between stages is 500 cm.  500 cm = 16.404 feet.  So we'll go with 16 ft.

[DuraFlex]
InterstageDistanceFt = 16
InterstageDelayFiddleSecs = 0

If you then conclude that the heads are uncapping 2 seconds later than desired you could change that to:

[DuraFlex]
InterstageDistanceFt = 16
InterstageDelayFiddleSecs = 2



Practical Tips:

  • Fine-Tuning: If the heads are uncapped too soon, increase the InterstageDelayFiddleSecs to avoid early exposure.
  • Testing: Always test with different settings to determine the optimal balance between head exposure and delay.
  • Illegal entries: Whole numbers only. Don't use decimal places or fractions. 


More on Duplex DuraFlex 


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