# How to get proper Humidity in large work area for Anajet



## focusink (Mar 23, 2008)

Big problem, folks, and I am hoping someone has an answer.
I have a Brother, which I love, except for its inability to print on black.

I just bought an Anajet... yet it requires about 50% humidity, and with humidifiers, I still cannot get the humidity up past 23%. After 2 weeks, I have still not turned the machine on for the first time. It is situated in a large room. The only small room I have is a bathroom, and it would be a bit too crowded to set up in there.

Any other desert dwellers run into something like this?
Help! I feel like I just blew $17M.


----------



## TPBaker (Feb 15, 2009)

*Re: What DTG machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

WOW, being in Texas I cannot even relate to your humidity problem! But there are some ways for you to deal with this. You can put a small bowl of water inside the machine cover the machine with plastic when not in use. While at Anajet training in Californina this March, I had some down time waiting for a flight and toyed with this dilemma and made some notes..... I would construct a plastic bubble as it were with pvc pipe, tarp material and shipping stretch wrap. build a pvc frame ( wouldn't even have to glue it up because it will stay together). Wrap the top and three sides with continous stretch wrap and use velcro and tarp to make an access. I know this is a simplified explanation, but there are several variations on this design that could be made. The frame could even just have 3 sides that fold back and away when using the machine. Any DTG machine the uses white will give you difficulties in such low humidity so this situation is not exclusive to the Anajet!
T!


----------



## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

Hi,

I just wanted to let you know, I moved these posts and started a new one, since it was a diferent topic and maybe the new title will get more answers


----------



## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

focusink said:


> Big problem, folks, and I am hoping someone has an answer.
> I have a Brother, which I love, except for its inability to print on black.
> 
> I just bought an Anajet... yet it requires about 50% humidity, and with humidifiers, I still cannot get the humidity up past 23%. After 2 weeks, I have still not turned the machine on for the first time. It is situated in a large room. The only small room I have is a bathroom, and it would be a bit too crowded to set up in there.
> ...


You may not have to get it all the way to 50%. I live in a very arid area where it is in the teens this time of year through late fall. I usually will not see banding in production untill the humidity gets doen to about 33%, so I try to keep the area at about 40%. You can try another humidifier, one with a larger tank and built for larger rooms. I've got a Honeywell with a 1 gallon tank and a tubular wick. It's runs through about a gallon a day and I have to change the wick a couple of times durring the summer because it gets calcified. Another option is to build a room within a room, so you have a smaller area to control. Mine is 15X25 as an example.


----------



## ReneeMarlea (Sep 6, 2007)

Does your Brother machine print ok in this room, if so the Anajet should be fine. Both ink systems are closed.

Not saying its' not a good idea, but there are many machines that run in factories where it's very impractical or impossible to control this in the winter where the humidity levels drop below 20% and the machines work fine that have closed systems.

There are very good reasons and facts why the closed system will have an advantage over the open ones.

"Try running an open system on your Brother machine and you will destroy your print head in about 10 minutes."

One trick you can do would be to spray the tee with distilled water just before printing and then press for about 5 second so that there is still a bit of moisture left in the fabric, not too damp.
This will flatten all the fibers down and provide a bit a dampness directly above the nozzle plate where you need it during jetting.
In a dryer room you will also want to pay more attention at keeping your capping station moist and wiper blade clean as they will have more tendency to collect white ink. 
Do this and you will have success at low humidity levels.


All the best!


----------



## focusink (Mar 23, 2008)

My Brother has NO problems with humidity in the teens.
Every few weeks, we get some banding, and just clean the printhead.
I purchased an 11 gallon humidifier, and we go through all the water in 24 hours: and still, the humidity has yet to reach 25%,


----------



## ReneeMarlea (Sep 6, 2007)

> My Brother has NO problems with humidity in the teens.


We run many similar systems that use degassed white ink (like the Anajet) with humidity in the teens with no ink flow issues.

When the drop is formed correctly then there are no deposits of dried ink that collect on the nozzle plate which have more of a tendency to dry at low humidity levels.


----------



## bornover (Apr 10, 2008)

After a 15K investment, a few hundred more might not be that bad to get your environment better for your machine. Although I have printed with my DTG at humidity levels below 40%, the print head does not get as many clogs when I print at above 40% humidity. I keep my humidity up above that all the time now. 

In the warm weather, for me a swamp cooler works wonders. It keeps my shop cool and raises the humidity to above 50% real fast. The natural humidity levels in my area are in the low 30s most of the time. 

The room in my shop is about 17' x 20' with an 8' ceiling where my DTG is. I can control the humidity in that room ok with the swamp cooler in the summer and a large Essick Air 826-800 evaporative humidifier in the winter.


----------



## focusink (Mar 23, 2008)

I am still unable to get humidity up! I have a 3 sided tent made - 2 walls and plastic. I purchased a $150 humidifier that says it will do 1700 sq feet. Still lucky to get up to 30%, and cannot keep it there. Terrible clogging to the point of barely able to use the Anajet. Cleaning difficult according to my pressman (Brother is EASY). Still regretting this purchase.


----------



## Titchimp (Nov 30, 2006)

focusink said:


> I am still unable to get humidity up! I have a 3 sided tent made - 2 walls and plastic. I purchased a $150 humidifier that says it will do 1700 sq feet. Still lucky to get up to 30%, and cannot keep it there. Terrible clogging to the point of barely able to use the Anajet. Cleaning difficult according to my pressman (Brother is EASY). Still regretting this purchase.


This may sound stupid but surely for the tent to work it must be 4 sided?


----------



## TPBaker (Feb 15, 2009)

I would think it would have to be completely enveloped when not in use, but still there must be another issue here we are missing. If you are using the machine every day there should not be an issue. I wish you were close to me, I would drop by and check it out.
T!


----------



## focusink (Mar 23, 2008)

The problem with 4 sided tenting is backing out without messing up the garment.
The open end is on the far side from the printer, with a 4' space. We have presses running in the same general space as well as a traditional shirt dryer, and the heat presses. Also... lots of paper nearby. These things suck the moisture out of the air- especially when we are starting at near zero humidity (10%?) without the humidifiers. We are going to enclose the 4th side, but anticipate problems with going in and out. We have also bought a second humidifier for the same tiny space.


----------



## TPBaker (Feb 15, 2009)

Whats the temp around the Anajet?


----------



## focusink (Mar 23, 2008)

Probably between 75 and 85 these day.


----------



## Rick Bowers (Jun 24, 2007)

Try hydrogogger.com. We have one of their units and have no trouble keeping our humidity levels up.


----------



## Tink Promotions (Jul 10, 2009)

I live in Las Vegas and have an Anajet. I also had the humidity issue. It was a whopping 3% humidity 2 days ago. The original things that worked were: 
1. Wet sponge inside the machine. 
2. Tenting- just back out when you have a wet shirt. 
3. keep your heat press at least 4 feet away from the machine. 
I operate my business out of my home since my daughter is homeschooled and a teenager. After she watched me backing out of my tent several times, she offered up her bedroom to be the Anajet room. I still have to run 2 humidifers in the room at all times and clean the head more often. The benefit to her is she knows what jobs are going on and can pick and choose which ones she works. (sneaky teenager)


----------



## abmcdan (Sep 14, 2007)

We tried the humidifers and stuff like that and nothing works even close to a large swamp cooler. It might cost you $500 but humidity shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Andy


----------



## Brian-R (Apr 21, 2008)

focusink said:


> Big problem, folks, and I am hoping someone has an answer.
> I have a Brother, which I love, except for its inability to print on black.
> 
> I just bought an Anajet... yet it requires about 50% humidity, and with humidifiers, I still cannot get the humidity up past 23%. After 2 weeks, I have still not turned the machine on for the first time. It is situated in a large room. The only small room I have is a bathroom, and it would be a bit too crowded to set up in there.
> ...


I just finished reading this thread and you have had some good suggestions. Let me say that I am in Utah and our humidity is in the single digits at times and I have put my printer in a very small room (7' X 10 1/2') and a small humidifier keeps the room at about 48% when the room is closed. The only other thing in the room is a small desk and the laptop I drive the printer from. I take the computer out of the room when I am not there so the humidity won't mess with it.
In the daytime when I am working with the door open the humidity drops into the 30's but the head is working so it isn't a problem.

My suggestions are:
1) If possible build a real room for the printer, tents sound difficult to work around and in.
2) Keep heat producers (heat presses etc.) away from the printer. This means you will have to walk a bit between printing and curing but it has to be.
3) Look into installing a humidifier on your furnace/AC.
4) I don't know how much this will do but I had someone tell me that they put a wet hand towel on the platten every night. I would think that it would work well until the towel dried out. It may help in the short run but you will need something that will work over weekends and holidays.

I think you will likely have issues with this until you get your humidity up at least into the 40's.

Brian


----------



## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

Since the printer has a lid, I keep a small tray with a cloth in it when it's not in use. I also cover the front entry area with an old towle(dry). By past measurement, this keeps the humidity in the mid 60's to uper 70's over a weekend inside the machine. During production and generally in my office I have a 1.5 gallon humidifier set to keep ambient at 40%. I've had my printer for 2+years and noticed right on that when humidity dropped to 33% banding would start during production. I'm in Bakersfield CA (central valley) and it's about 12% outside today and my office is at 37 as I write this. With AC or heating, try not to have a vent blowing right on the printer.


----------



## dlcompton (Jan 8, 2008)

I have the same printer with the same problem. I purchased a portable swamp cooler at Home Depot for a little over $300. It literally can raise the humidity level in my garage from 20% to over 40% in a couple of hours. The one draw back is my garage is currently not insulated. The higher moisture level makes the summer heat feel even hotter. I work mostly in the mornings! 

Dorothy Compton, Owner
Bee Embroidered (Bee Embroidered - Custom Embroidery, Screenprinting, Rhinestones) 
(916) 635-7467


----------

