Print position

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This is a part of the registration and alignment series of tutorials.

Print position refers to where the image is placed on the printed page. On digital duplicators, the print position can be adjusted after a stencil has been made, either with directional arrow buttons or with mechanical adjustments on the feed tray (for some older models).

Print position is a translation along two axes (for rotation, see Skew).

Add an image of registration marks in multiple colors, misaligned from a folded center line.

In terminology the feed edge is the top of the page, regardless of paper orientation or the orientation of the printed image on it. So the axis along the direction of paper feed (from the feed elevator to the exit tray) is referred to as the "vertical” direction, and the perpendicular axis (from the front of the machine to the rear of it) is the “horizontal” direction.

For the purposes of this article, the terms left/right (along the axis of the paper feed), and up/down (perpendicular to the paper feed) will be used instead.

Adjustment

Print position must be adjusted relative to the orientation of the printed sheet (not the orientation of the image on the sheet). So position changes should be based on how the page comes out of the riso, not which way the actual finished image should be turned.

There are two systems to control print position while printing: digital positioning, and manual positioning. Which is used depends on the model of the machine.

• Digital positioning uses arrow keys on the control panel to move the print—each button click will move the image a set unit in a cardinal direction on subsequent prints. All duplicators have digital control on the left/right axis (along the length of the paper path) by changing the timing of the paper reaching the drum. Higher level models also also have digital control in the up/down axis by moving the drum itself forward and back in the riso.
• Manual positioning is used in older and more limited models to adjust the up/down print positioning. It functions by turning a dial on the paper feed tray that moves the whole stack of paper forward and back. Moving the paper backwards (up) will cause the image to print more forwards (down), and vice versa. The distance shift is 1:1, but small markings on the feed tray, near the dial, can help with measurement.

Two images should be added here, one of the print position buttons (either 2 or 4 button arrangements) and one of the feed tray positioning dial.

Units

For digital adjustment, most risographs will, by default, move the printed image 0.5 mm with each button click, regardless of whether the riso is set to metric (mm) or imperial (in). When set to imperial, the riso will simply round the displayed value to the nearest 64th of an inch. For this reason, many operators set their machines to metric, as the readout is more accurate.

Metric (mm)	0	0.5	1.0	1.5	2.0	2.5	3.0
Imperial (in)	0	${\frac {1}{64}}$	${\frac {3}{64}}$	${\frac {1}{16}}$	${\frac {5}{64}}$	${\frac {3}{32}}$	${\frac {1}{8}}$

Fine adjust mode

The highest model risos have an optional setting called fine adjust mode which changes the fidelity of digital positioning. With fine adjust mode enabled, the movement per click changes from 0.5 mm to 0.1 mm.

For risographs that have this option (usually those with touch screens) it can be enabled by changing the value of test mode 168 to 1.

Calibration

If the print position consistently needs to be adjusted roughly the same amount, in the same direction (even on different drums) then base print position (AKA where things print without any adjustments) is likely out of specification. Recalibrating it will recenter things (on average) so that it only takes a few clicks (less than 1 mm) of the print position buttons to get the image properly placed.

Sometimes it’s even necessary to recalibrate, when the print position falls outside of the adjustable range—when the position adjustments are maxed out and the print still isn’t in the correct spot.

Procedure

The method for calibrating center position is different for different models of risograph.

	RPRN and Z+Any machine released with or after the RZ line, i.e. RZ/RV/EZ/EV/SF/SE and MZ/ME/MF/MH machines.
For older machines, print position is calibrated by making mechanical corrections (changing the position of adjustable screws) in the second paper feed cams in the back of the riso.	For newer machines, print position is calibrated exclusively in test modes, changing the home position (paper feed) and/or the write start position (master making).
Calibrating print position on GR/FR machines	Calibrating print position on RZ+ machines

Strategies

Many different factors affect the final print position on the page. In the order of low-level to top-level they are roughly:

1. The position of the image burned onto the stencil.
2. How much stencil is fed under the clamp.
3. The angle the drum was rotated to when receiving the stencil.
4. The position of the MMUMaster Making Unit when loading a stencil (on two-drum machines).
5. Where the scanner starts recording an image (if scanning).
6. The timing of when the paper is fed to the drum.
7. Where the original is on the scanner (if scanning).
8. The user adjustments with the positioning buttons when printing.

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The official service manuals for Z+Any machine released with or after the RZ line, i.e. RZ/RV/EZ/EV/SF/SE and MZ/ME/MF/MH machines. machines provide instructions for calibrating all of the above (and in what order) within the "Print position adjustment procedures" section of the OTHER PRECAUTIONS chapter (towards the end of the manual).

The following instructions present a simplified version of calibration, focusing on centering the printed image at the end, rather than calibrating each individual step along the way.

In practice, only two settings really need to be changed to get images properly centered:

• Home position (paper feed)—the default timing of when each sheet of paper is fed into the drum. This method works just the same way the print position buttons do—it just changes the neutral/starting position. Any adjustments to timing, however, carry a risk of increasing misregistration and/or paper jams, if pushed too far towards the end of the range.
• Write start position (master making)—this affects where the image is actually burned onto the stencil. This adjustment is quite dependent on all of the other master making settings—the clamp range adjustment, write speed, etc. and it has a limited range at which it is effective. If the burned area is moved outside of the printable area, the printed image will be cut off.