Brother GT-381 manual

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A good user manual

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- safety signs and mark certificates which confirm compatibility with appropriate standards

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Table of contents for the manual

  • Page 1

    GT -3 Series BASIC OPERA TION MANUAL Please read this manual before using the printer . Please keep this manual within easy reach for quick reference. GARMENT PRINTER GT Series US supp ort homepage http ://www .brother-usa.com /Garmentprinters/[...]

  • Page 2

    GT-3 Series MEMO Note based on California la w (USA) on the use and handling of P erchlorate This product contains a CR Coin Lithium Battery which contains Perchlorate Material – s pecial handling may apply. See http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardo uswaste/perchlorate .[...]

  • Page 3

    Thank you very much for buying a BROTHER printer. Before usi ng your new printer, please read the safety instructions b elow and the explanations given in the instruction manual. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS [1] Safety indications and the ir meanings This instruction manual and the indications and s ymbols that are used on the printer itself are pr ovided i[...]

  • Page 4

    GT-3 Series ii WARNING Installation Do not set up the printer in a dusty environment. If dust collects inside the printer, it may cause fire or electric shocks or problems with correct operation. Be sure to connect the ground. If the ground connection is not secure, you run a high risk o f receiving a serious electric shock, and problems with corre[...]

  • Page 5

    CAUTION Installation Setting up and moving of the printer should only be carried out by a qualified technician. The printer machine weighs approximately 1 1 1 kg (245 lb). T ransporting and setting up of the printer should be held in proper way . The machine may fall down and cause injury . The printer must be used on a suitable st able surface, ot[...]

  • Page 6

    [3] Warning labels The following warning labels appear on the printer. Please follow the instructions on the labels at all times when using the printer. If the la bels have been removed or are difficult to read, please contact your nearest Brother dealer. 1 GT-3 Series iv 2 4 3 5 6 9 10 W atch your fingers, or y ou may be injured. 11 High temperatu[...]

  • Page 7

    Wash Li q uid Grease Ink Cartridge Maintenance Solution (5kg) Pretreatment (20kg) Waste Ink Tank 0085Y GT-3 Series v[...]

  • Page 8

    GT-3 Series CONTENTS 1. R ead This Fi rst ............................................................................................................. ................................................. 1 1-1. Prec au tio ns ............................................................................................................... ..............[...]

  • Page 9

    GT-3 Series 5-2. Regula r Mai ntena nce....................................................................................................... ..................................... 43 5-2-1. Daily Cleanin g White f or replac ing dull Whit e In k (On ce a day , before p rin ting ) ....................................... 43 5-2-2. Whit e T ube Cleani[...]

  • Page 10

    GT-3 Series 1. Read This First 1 1. Read This First 1-1. Precautions Please observe the following precau tions before using your printer . z GT -3 represents the common specifications of GT -381, GT -361 and GT -341 models. The individual spe cifications are described with each model name. z Please advise the following to your cust omers who buy yo[...]

  • Page 11

    GT-3 Series 1. Read This First 2 z Never refill ink, never reconstruct ink cartridges; in k may cohere inside the cartridge bag, tube or even Print Head and may cause serious damage to your printer . W e assume no responsibility for any problem caused by using them. Only genuine new ink cartridges should be used. z The ink cartridges should always [...]

  • Page 12

    GT-3 Series 1. Read This First 3 <Note> Product names used in this manual are, in general, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective developer or manufacture. However , in this manual, the ® m arks or TM marks are not used. Brother logo is registered trademar k of Brother Industries, Ltd. Microsoft and Windo ws are either regis[...]

  • Page 13

    GT-3 Series 1. Read This First 4 <Software> This unit uses software. Agree with the license agreement to use the software. Software License Agreement The customer may download and use this sof tware afte r agreeing with the various terms stipulated in the Software Licen se Agreement (herein referred to as the "Agreement"). This soft[...]

  • Page 14

    GT-3 Series 1. Read This First 5 1-2. Unpacking Your Printer <Note> Y our printer must be unpacked by a Brother represen tative or a Brother authorized shipping company . After unpa cking, check that the following part s are included. Contact Brother Customer Service Ho t Line if any of these is missing. z GT -3 Printer z Inst all CD z AC cor[...]

  • Page 15

    GT-3 Series 1. Read This First 6 1-3-2. Electrical Requirements Power: Single-phase 100-240 V , 50/60 Hz Power Consumptions: 0.4 A (average) 1-3-3. Software Information Supported OS: Latest Windows XP (32 bit), Windows V ist a (32 bit / 64 bit), Windows 7 (32 bit / 64 bit) Supported Interface: USB 2.0 Minimum System Requirement s: 256 MB RAM (512 M[...]

  • Page 16

    GT-3 Series 1. Read This First 7 Urethane mat (continuous foam): When you cure Pretreatment, use this to rel ease the hot air quickly . T -shirt: Made with 100 % cotton, 50 % cotton and 50 % pol yester (light-colored are recommended) <Note> z Pretreatm ent on some T -shirts may be seen af ter applied and cured. In that case, wash lightly with[...]

  • Page 17

    GT-3 Series 2. Identifying Y our Printer’s Part s 8 2 . Identifying Y our Printer ’ s Part s 2-1. Front 0043Y No. Name Description 1 Platen Holds the T -shirt to be printed. 2 Platen Sheet Prevents a T -shirt from slipping so that an image is printed on your desired position. 3 T -shirt T ray Keeps p art s of T -shirt hanging from the Platen (e[...]

  • Page 18

    GT-3 Series 2. Identifying Y our Printer’s Part s 9 2-2. Right 0044Y No. Name Description 1 Exhaust slot The outlet of the Exhaust Fan. Do not cover; Leave the space of 20 cm or more to release the exhaust air . 2-3. Rear 0045Y No. Name Description 1 AC cord socket Inserts AC cord . 2 USB port Inserts USB cable to PC. 3 LAN port Inserts LAN cable[...]

  • Page 19

    GT-3 Series 2. Identifying Y our Printer’s Part s 10 2-4. Inside of the Front Cover Cancel any operation, restore the Platens and turn of f your printer before opening the Front Cover . Lift the Front Cover with bot h hands until the lock is set when opening. Keep pushing the S top Lever to release the lock and close the Front Cover with both han[...]

  • Page 20

    GT-3 Series 2. Identifying Y our Printer’s Part s 11 2-5. Upper part of the Maintenance Unit 0048Y No. Name Description 1 Caps (Front: Color side) Cover the surface of the Prin t Heads and absorb ink in head cleaning. From the left black, magenta, cyan, and yellow . 2 Caps (Back: White side) Cover the surface of the Print Heads and absorb ink in [...]

  • Page 21

    GT-3 Series 2. Identifying Y our Printer’s Part s 12 2-6. Under the Platen 0049Y No. Name Description 1 Platen Fixing Lever Fixes the Platen. T ighten/Loosen this lever to install/uninst all the Platen and to adjust the Platen height. <In case [B] that you cannot rotate Platen Fix Lever (1) by hitting the Platen (3)> Move the Platen Height [...]

  • Page 22

    GT-3 Series 2. Identifying Y our Printer’s Part s 13 2-7. Control Panel 0050Y No. Name Description 1 Error Lamp OFF: no errors ON: one or more errors have been detected. See "7-4 . Error messages" in the Ins truction Manual. 2 Power Lamp ON: shows the power is ON. 3 Head Cle an ing Bu tt on Cleans all the Print Heads with nor mal cleani[...]

  • Page 23

    GT-3 Series 2. Identifying Y our Printer’s Part s 14 2-7-1. Display The following image indicates that GT -3 has received a print data and ready to print. The Display indicates Job, printer st atus and the information needed for printing operations. 01e0026Y No. Item Shown Description 1 Job Name Shows the indentified name of the print dat a, whic[...]

  • Page 24

    GT-3 Series 2. Identifying Y our Printer’s Part s 15 2-7-2. Menu List Push either one of the OK Button , Up Button, Down Button and Back Button to go into the Menu. Menu Content Head Cleaning Executes Head Cleaning of either one by one or of all four Print Heads. See "7-2-2. Cleaning the Print Heads" in the Instruction Manual. Normal: n[...]

  • Page 25

    GT-3 Series 2. Identifying Y our Printer’s Part s 16 Menu Content Printer Setting Daily Cleaning W Setting: Adjusts the amount of White Ink that is flushed in DailyCleaning White. See "7-2-12. Adjusting the amount of White Ink in Daily Cleaning White" in the Instruction Manual. Auto Job Delete: Deletes the print data automatically after[...]

  • Page 26

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 17 3 . Getting St arted Before using your printer , it needs to be co rrectly setup as described in this chapter . WARNING Do not handle the power cord with wet hands, otherwise it may cause electric sho cks. Do not set up the printer in a dusty environment. If du st collects inside the printer, it may cause fire or [...]

  • Page 27

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 18 3-1. Placing Your Printer Uncrate and Setting the printer by following t he steps in Uncrate Manual , which is pack ed with the printer . Locate your printe r taking the following into account z Environmental conditions are suitable. z Avoid direct sunlight, dust and extremes of humidity . z Never use an extension[...]

  • Page 28

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 19 3-2. Turning On/Off Your Printer <Note> Before you connect the power cord, make sure: z The Ink Cartrid ges, Wiper Cleaners and Flus hing Sponge et al. are adequately installed. z W aste ink tube is properly set the Waste Ink T ank*. (* See "1-3-5. Consumable Requirements and Options" for part code[...]

  • Page 29

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 20 3-2-2. Turning Off Your Printer When you have finished using your printer , follo w the instructions below to turn it of f. (1) Make sure that your printe r is [standby] or [ready] mode. (2) Select [Platen Res et] in Menu to store the Platen in the printer . (3) Press Power Switch to turn OFF your printer . (4) If[...]

  • Page 30

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 21 3-3. Preparing Your PC This section describes how to install the GT -3 Printer Driver (FileOutput), manuals (Basic Operation Manual/ Instruction Manual), Brother GT -3 File Viewer , and other tools. Make sure the steps because there are some dif ferent dialogs shown between Windows XP and Vist a / Windows 7. After[...]

  • Page 31

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 22 3-3-3. Connection with USB 2. 0 Cable: for Window s XP (1) Connect the USB 2.0 cable to your printer (power OFF). <Note> We do not recommend conne ction via a USB hub to the printer . (2) Connect the other end of the USB 2.0 Cable to your PC. (3) T urn on your GT -3 printer . The following window appears. Se[...]

  • Page 32

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 23 (5) Select “Install the soft ware automatic ally (Recommended)”, and the click “Next”. The installation st arts. When "Hardware inst allation" di alog (not p assed Windows Logo testing, see 3-3-2. (5)) appears during installation, Click "Continue Anyway". The inst allation continues. &l[...]

  • Page 33

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 24 3-3-4. Installation of PC for Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 bit / 64 bit) Refer first to "3-3-2. PC preparation: Fo r Windows XP (32 bit)" and confirm the proce ss. Inst all the file Output Printer Driver "Brother GT -3 FileOutput" first to your PC. Tools and manuals ar e installed t ogether fr[...]

  • Page 34

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 25 (6) During the inst allation, the following warning appears. Cli ck "Install this driver soft ware anyway" and continue. (7) After installation, your PC will need to restart. Remove your Inst all CD and restart your PC. If you are going to use your pri nter without connecting it to your PC, this will be [...]

  • Page 35

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 26 3-3-7. Opening the Useful Tools Useful T ools are installed in "Useful T ools“ in "Brother GT -3 T ools”. Color Palettes for Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and CorelDRA W Color Palettes "GT_Colors_T .aco" for Adobe Photoshop, "G T_Colors_T .ai" for Illustrator , "GT_Colors.cpl&[...]

  • Page 36

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 27 3-3-8. How to use Firmw are Update Tools Download the new Firmware program from the Web site when informed. Read the Firmware program with GT -3 Firmware Update T ool in "Brother GT -3 T ools" and update the Firmware program inside the printer . (1) Select "All Programs" on "S t art" [...]

  • Page 37

    GT-3 Series 3. Getting St arted 28 3-4. Setting Up Your Printer Adjust the display contrast and t he speaker volume as required. 3-4-1. Adjusting the Display Contrast (1) Press the OK Button on your printe r ’s Control Panel and go to the Menu. (2) Use the Up/Down Button to select [ Printer Setti ng ] > [ LCD Contrast ] and then press the OK B[...]

  • Page 38

    GT-3 Series 4. Printing Directly from Applications 29 4 . Printing Directly fr om Applications WARNING If a foreign object gets inside the printe r, immedi ately turn off the power switch and disco nnect the p o w e r c o r d , and arrange for a service call to resolve. If you continue to use the printer while there is a foreign obj ect inside, it [...]

  • Page 39

    4-1. Basic Printing Procedure GT-3 Series 4. Printing Directly from Applications 30 (1) Set the proper color settings and print conditions of the application. For precise editing and output, applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator , CorelDRA W , Paint Shop Photo Pro are recommended, e.g. to deal with higher resolution images (200 dpi or h[...]

  • Page 40

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 31 5 . Maintenance For optimum product performance regular maintenance is required. DANGER Wait at least 5 minutes after turning off the power switch and disconnecting the power cord from the wall outlet before opening the right-side cover of the control unit. Do n ot touch as high voltage can result in severe injury. CAU[...]

  • Page 41

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 32 5-1. Replacing Consumables This section describes how to replace the consumables and the maintenance of the printer . 5-1-1. Replacing the Ink Cartridge The ink indicator on the Display flashes when the Ink Cartri dge is getting low . Prepare the new Ink Ca rtridge (option*), and replace it when “Empty XX XX (color)?[...]

  • Page 42

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 33 (2) Remove the used Ink Cartridge from the slot of the printe r . Put your finger to the handle and pull out the Ink Cartridge. <Note> Leave the used Ink Cartridge installed until just before the replacement. Leaving you r printer with no Ink Cartridge installed may cause ink leakage or other seri ous damages. Ha[...]

  • Page 43

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 34 5-1-2. Replacing the Wiper Cleaner and Cleaning the Caps / Wipers The Wiper Cleaner needs to be repla ced regularly . Keep t he Print Head Cap and Wiper Blade clean when replacing the Wiper Cleaner . If not, the waste ink may drop on a T -shirt in printing or mis-firing ma y not be easily improved. (1) Select [ Mainten[...]

  • Page 44

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 35 (6) Pick the plastic bag on your right hand with your left hand, and wrap the Wiper Cleaner with the plastic bag. 0060Y (7) Remove the wrapped Wiper Cleaner carefully , not to drop wa ste ink and dispose of in acco rdance with local regulations. 0061Y <Note> Pay attention not to soil the Ti ming Belt and the othe[...]

  • Page 45

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 36 (10) Use the one side of wet Clean S tick to clean the front side of the Wiper Blade. (1 1) Use the other side of the wet Clean S tick to clean the rear of the Wiper Blade. Do not wipe the White / Color with the same Clean S tick. 0063Y 0064Y (12) Wet other two Clean S ticks and use them to remove ink or dust from the [...]

  • Page 46

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 37 5-1-3. Replacing Flushing Plate Sponge and Flushing Plate Felt (1) After replacing the Wiper Cleaner , replace th e Flushing Plat e S ponge and Flushing Plate Felt. Remove the Flushing Plate from the printer by lifting up the right si de slightly and pull up to the right direction. (2) Remove the used Flushing Plate S [...]

  • Page 47

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 38 (3) Pick up the edge of the used Fan Filter mounted in the Filter Cover , and remove the F an Filter from the Filter Cover . Put i t in the plastic bag and dispose of it in accordanc e with local regulations. Fan Filter Filter Cover 0069Y (4) Align the new Fan Filter to the shape of Filter Cover and m ount it in by pus[...]

  • Page 48

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 39 5-1-5. Replacing the Roller Felts (1) Unscrew two screws and remove the Felt Support. Felt Support Felt Fel t 0071Y (2) Remove the used Felt. (3) Apply the new Felt to the Felt Support. Pay attention not to gi ve damage to the Felt Support. (4) Position the edge of the Felt Support "A" by putting the edge to [...]

  • Page 49

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 40 5-1-7. Cleaning the Encoder Strip There must be some dust and mist covering the Encoder S t rip to cause reading error when some error occurs during the printing operation. Clean the Encoder S trip with the attached tool. (1) Prepare the Encoder Cleaner and ethanol of 95% or higher purity . (2) Select [ Maintenance ] o[...]

  • Page 50

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 41 (8) Apply ethanol to the Felt fully , app. 2 ml, of the Encoder Cleaner . Ethanol 0073Y <Note> Use ethanol of 95% or higher purity . (9) Push the position [A] shown below with your finger to give space between the felts. 0074Y (10) Put the Encod er to the Encoder S trip so that the Encoder S trip should run betwe[...]

  • Page 51

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 42 (12) Move the Carriage slowly to the left most position by hand <Note> Ink may stain the Platen and other places while moving the Carriage, the bottom surface may be wet and dirty with ink. (13) Wipe the Encoder Cleaner two or three times from the rightmo st position to the left, by following the former steps (10[...]

  • Page 52

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 43 5-2. Regular Maintenance Do not leave the White ink inside the printer . White pigment prec ipitates and may cause serious damage to your printer . This section describes how to maintain the White Ink. Execute the following menu to keep your printer and print result in good conditions. Menu Timing Details Daily Cleanin[...]

  • Page 53

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 44 (1) Fill the bottle with Maintenance Soluti on. Confirm that at least more than 250 ml per one Print Head is in the bottle. (2) Confirm in advance the amount of the W a ste Ink in the Wa ste Ink T ank (more than 500 ml). (3) Confirm that the printer is ei ther [ S tandby ] or [ Ready ]. (4) Select [ Maintenance ] > [...]

  • Page 54

    GT-3 Series 5. Maintenance 45 Loading White Ink after T ube Cleaning (1) Load the White Ink with full of Maintenance Solution in the T ube, the step (9) in the previous page. Insert the White Ink Cartridge and select [ Maintenance ] > [ Load White ] from the menu and press OK. (2) Select [ All Whites ] or one from W1-W4 and press OK. White Ink s[...]

  • Page 55

    GT-3 Series MEMO[...]

  • Page 56

    p BASIC OPERA TION MANUAL * Please note that the contents of this manual may differ slightly from the actual pr oduct purchased as a result of product imp rovements. © 2012 Brother Industr ies, Ltd. All Rig hts Reserved. This is the original instructions. htt p ://www .brother .com / 1-5, Kitajizoyama, Noda-cho, Kariya 44 8-0803, Japan. GT -3 Se[...]