Brother Gt3 Manual

							 
 
GT-3 Series 
4. Printing Directly from Applications
71
(7)  Press the Platen Button to insert the Platen, and check the clearance between the flap of the Clearance Sensor and the 
T-shirt. If the Platen height is appropriate, the space is around  2.0 mm, to avoid the fuzzy fibers on the surface. Adjust the 
Platen Height by moving Platen Height Adjustment Lever.   
   z   Make sure you check the space when the Platen is moving,  so that Clearance Sensor works properly. While the 
platen stops, it is in upper position.   
z   When the surface/back of the Clearance Sensor is dirty, it may damage the printing material when loading. Wipe off 
the dirt with a soft wet cloth with water. (See “6-1-2. Replacing the Wiper Cleaner and Cleaning the Caps / Wipers”.) 
z   If the Platen height is too high, the T-shirt, Prin t Head, or both of them may be damaged when printing. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(8)  Press the Platen Button to eject the Platen. Adjust the hei ght by repeating the following steps (9)-(12). If the Platen height 
is appropriate, you can go to “4-6. Printing” to start printing.   
If not, go on to the following steps. 
(9)  Loosen the Platen Fixing Lever. 
(10) Adjust the Platen height by turning the Platen He ight Adjustment Lever. The alphabets are the guide scales. 
(11)  Tighten the Platen Fixing Lever securely. 
(12) Confirm the height by moving Platen with Platen Button.  Repeat steps until the Plate height becomes appropriate. 
Clearance sensor
The clearance should be around 2.0 mm T-s hi rt   
						

							 
 
GT-3 Series 
4. Printing Directly from Applications 
72 
4-6. Printing 
 
 CAUTION 
 Ensure there is adequate space left for safe working. The Platen moves forward while operating. 
 Do not handle the platen while printing. If your hand gets caught between the platen or the T-shirt tray and the 
covers, injury may result. 
 Do not move the Platen by hand. 
The Printer may be mechanically and electrically damaged. 
 
Do not put your hands inside the covers while the printer’s power is turned on, otherwise your hands may touch 
against moving parts and this may result in injury. 
 Take care not to let the liquids: Ink, Wash Liquid, Maintenance Solution, Pretreatment or waste liquid come into 
contact with your eyes or onto your skin, otherwise inflammation can result. In case of contact with eyes, do not 
rub but immediately rinse the eyes with water. 
Furthermore, do not drink the liquids: Ink, Wash Liquid, Maintenance Solution, Pretreatment or waste liquid under 
any circumstances, as they can cause vomiting and diarrhea. 
Keep the liquids out of the reach of children. 
 
4-6-1. Applying the Pretreatment 
Pretreatment must be applied on a T-shirts to keep the Whit e ink on the surface of a T-shirt. Wear gloves to keep 
Pretreatment from the skin. 
 
z   Use a heat press and thin and flat glass cloth sheet or fluori ne coated sheet (Teflon Sheet) to cure the Pretreatment. 
The surface must be as flat as possible in curing. If you  use an oven, the fibers may not lay down flat causing low print 
quality. 
z   Place glass cloth sheet or fluorine coated sheet (Teflon Sheet)  to cover the pressed surface so that the T-shirt can be flat 
and even.   
z   Water drops on the Pretreatment-cured surface turn stains, bec ause the white ink can sink into the T-shirt fibers. Do not 
wet the cured surface. Do not leave a Pretr eatment-cured T-shirt in a humid space.   
z   Be aware of the temperature of the heat press in curing the  Pretreatment. Temperature easily drops by continual curing. 
If the temperature is low, the Pretreatment can not make  ink barrier on the surface of the T-shirt and the White ink may 
easily sink into the fibers and can not produce enough white.   
z   Better to use an Urethane mat (continuous foam) to release more steam while curing.   
z   If CMYK inks are printed on a Pre-treatment applied T-shirt,  ink may washed off. Do not apply Pretreatment when you 
print without using White ink.     
z   Pretreatment on some T-shirts may be seen easier after appli ed and cured. Wash lightly with water. Some dyes may be 
decolorized by Pretreatment, we recommen d you test the garment before printing. 
z   Pretreatment mist may spread out when you use a spray and/or  pretreatment applicator. Ventilate your room in operation. 
Wear a face mask or goggles as necessary. 
   
						

							 
 
GT-3 Series 
4. Printing Directly from Applications
73
How to dilute Pretreatment : 
You can have some margins to dilute Pretreatment. Select the ratio for your material and purpose.   
        Standard:  Pretreatment 1 L + Distilled Water 2 L ( 1:2 volume ratio) 
    thinner mix:   Pretreatment 1 kg + Distilled Water 2 kg ( 1:2 weight ratio) 
        rich mix:    Pretreatment 1 L + Distilled Water 1 L( 1:1 volume ratio) 
 
 
When you dilute Pretreatment in rich condition, white is wh iter but halo mark around the pretreated area may be seen easily 
and the washability may be worse. On the other hand, when you dilute in thinner mix, the halo mark may be improved but the 
print may be less white, and the of the di luted Pretreatment may not be stable.   
 
 
How much Pretreatment to be applied by the area on thick black T-shirt:  
Area The amount of Pretreatment 
14x16 30g 
10x12 16g 
7x8 8g 
Letter / A4 15g 
Pocket （10 x 10 cm) 3g 
 
 
How to apply with the spray: 
(1)  Put the Pretreatment into the spray. Use an spray which can produce fine mists.   
(2)  Put a T-shirt flat and apply by spraying the Pretreatment. Insert  some plate so that the Pretreatment will not go into the 
back side. Weight the T-shirt before / after then you can  see the amount of applied Pretreatment to help you acquaint. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
How to spray the Pretreatment 
 
Pretreatment mist may spread out when you use a spray and/or  pretreatment applicator. Ventilate your room in operation. 
Wear a face mask or goggles as necessary. 
 
(3)  Roll a roller on the surface so that the Pretreatment can sink equally.   
(4)  Put the T-shirt on the heat press. Keep  the surface flat without wrinkles. Use glass cloth sheet or fluorine coated sheet 
(Teflon Sheet) and press with high pressure. Curing conditi on is the same as ink: 180°C (356°F) in 35 seconds.   
(5)  Remove the T-shirt from the heat press and cool.   
  
						

							 
 
GT-3 Series 
4. Printing Directly from Applications 
74 
How to apply with the roller: 
(1)  Pour the Pretreatment onto the tray. Place the roller into pretreatment and make it absorb enough pretreatment. Our 
option Roller is recommended to apply even and smooth.   
(2)  Draw the roller softly and remove unnecessary pretreatment. Roll back and forth smoothly and slowly. Weight the T-shirt  before / after then you can see the amount of  applied Pretreatment to help you acquaint. 
 
 
 
(3)  Put the T-shirt on the heat press. Keep  the surface flat without wrinkles. Use glass cloth sheet or fluorine coated sheet 
(Teflon Sheet) and press with high pressure. Curing conditi on is the same as ink: 180°C (356°F) in 35 seconds.   
(4)  Remove the T-shirt from the heat press and cool.   
 
  
						

							 
 
GT-3 Series 
4. Printing Directly from Applications
75
4-6-2. Making One Print 
GT-3 receives the next print data from PC in printing. Just before you press the Print Button, confirm the Job Comment (or file 
name) and the counter on the display of the Control Panel.   
(1)  Make sure the Print Button has been turned on, which indica tes your printer has received the print data successfully.   
(2)  Make sure that the Platen is ejected and the printed ma terial is set properly. If not, press the Platen Button. 
(3)  Make sure the Platen Height, The clearance between the Cl earance Sensor and the surface of the Print Heads should 
be app. 2 mm. Before / after you print on thicker material, use  Platen Button to move the Platen to confirm the clearance.   
(4)  Confirm the Job Comment on the Display shows the correct pr int job details. Check the counter whether it is 000 (new) or 
not (previous).   
(5)  Press the Print Button to start printing operation.  When the printing is completed, the Platen is  ejected and an audible indication is given. 
If printing is to be stopped before it is finished, press Stop Bu tton to stop the operation. Then press Platen Button to eject 
the Platen.     
 
z   By pressing the Print Button, your printer automatically starts cleaning the Print Head every 24 prints (default) or every 
numbers of prints you have set (see 7-2-5. Changing the Auto  Head Cleaning Setting”), or after your printer has not 
been used for
 more than two hours. In this case, wait until the cleaning completes (takes about 20 seconds), and 
then printing will automatically start. 
z   Keep away from the moving platen. 
z   If the Platen is not at the appropriate position when the Print Button is pressed, it automatically adjusts the position to 
start printing. Press the Print Button again to start printing after the Platen is available 
z   Do not open unlock or open the Cover during printing. If you do the power is turned off for safety reasons. 
 
4-6-3. Printing More than One  Print Using the Same Print Data 
After making one print following the procedure in “4-6-2. Making  One Print”, you can continue making more prints using the 
same print data. 
(1)  Confirm the Platen height and the Print Direction.   
(2)  Press the Print Button to start printing. The  counter indicates how many images are printed.  
						

							 
 
GT-3 Series 
4. Printing Directly from Applications 
76 
4-7. Removing the T-shirt from the Platen 
(1)  Hold the shirt slightly to allow are to get between the shirt and the platen. 
(2)  Hold both shoulders of the T-shirt, and then pull it out straight from the Platen. Hold the T-shirt by the printed area on  your 
side, which is easier to deal with the wet T-shirt safe.   
 
Be careful not to get wet ink on your hands or printed mate rial. Wash your hands or clothes with soap if stained. You 
cannot wash away the stained ink on the material  because the ink may be absorbed into the fiber.   
 
4-8. Curing the Ink onto the T-shirt 
To cure the ink onto the T-shirt, a heat press is handy  and convenient in time and temperature control. The condition to cure 
ink is 180°C (356°F) in 35 seconds. 
When you print with White ink, use releas e paper. Use conveyor oven (tunnel) for mass 
production; it takes longer but the washability is a little improv ed, and the feel of the surface is softer than cured by a heat 
press. The condition is 
160°C (320°F) at the printed surface in 3 minut es and 30 seconds by the conveyor oven shown 
below. 
Follow the instruction manual that comes with your Heat Pr ess and conveyor oven, and be sure to confirm the actual 
conditions (temperature inside and the actual  curing test) before you start production.   
 
 
 
  
z   The actual conditions of the heat pre ss and conveyor oven may be far from your expectations. The temperature in the 
tunnel part may not be even. To keep the washability,  calibrate your conveyor oven and do test print.   
z   The colors may be faded by washing and rubbing w hen the curing conditions is not appropriate.   
z   The hat press and the oven should be used in a well ventilated environment. When curing the White ink, better to use an 
oven with much ink on the surface. The surface of an T-shirt by an oven feels more natural and by an heat press more flat 
and glittering.   
z   After using the Heat Press, always confir m if the ink is completely dry and cured. 
z   Make sure the surface of the Heat Press and glass cloth  sheet or fluorine coated sheet (Teflon Sheet) are clean before 
and after curing the T-shirts. 
z   Depending on the material, curing conduction may vary, be sure to  test new materials before you use. Pretreated garment 
is easier to be burnt than the normal garment.   
z   Printed colors may transfer when a printed surface rubs  on a white or light-colored synthetic leather made of PVC 
(polyvinyl chloride). When printing CMYK-only garments, the  CMYK ink may transfer to the White-only printed garment 
when they rub against each other. In those cases, clean the stains with a soft cloth or toothbrush with a household cleaner 
or alcohol. 
 
  
						

							 
 
GT-3 Series 
5. Printing AR3 Files
77
5. Printing AR3 Files 
When saving a print data in AR3 format file, you can select the printing procedure by either of these two methods 
z   Print an AR3 file with GT-3 File Viewer. You can check  the detailed print conditions and ink cost before sending a print 
data to your printer. 
z   Save AR3 files in a CompactFlash. You can pr int with Stand-alone printer without using PC.   
 
The procedure of printing AR3 files: 
(1)  Use GT-3 FileOutput Printer Driver and save the print data in AR3 file format.  See “5-1. Making Print Data in AR3 File”. 
(2)  Send the AR3 file to your printer using  GT-3 File Viewer or a USB flash drive. 
See “5-2. Reading AR3 Files Saved in a USB flash drive” or  “5-3. Sending AR3 Files from GT-3 File Viewer to your 
Printer”. 
(3)  Place the T-shirt on the Platen, adjust the Platen height and then print.    See “4-5. Placing the T-shirt on the Platen”, 4-6. Printing,  4-7. Removing the T-shirt from the Platen and 4-8. Curing 
the Ink onto the T-shirt. 
 
5-1. Making Print Data in AR3 File 
GT-3 cannot print GT-541 / GT-782 print data (*.arp).   
 
You cannot edit AR3 files; we recommend you save the data in the original format as well. 
(1)  Create the artwork using a graphic application. See “4-2. Se tting the Applications’ Print Condition” for proper settings. 
(2)  Select [ Print ]on [ File  ] menu of the application. 
Print dialog box appears. 
(3)  Select “Brother GT-3 FileOutput  Printer Driver and cli ck Properties or Preferences for Printer Driver settings. (See 
4-3. Setting the Printer Driver Condition .) 
 
  
						

							 
 
GT-3 Series 
5. Printing AR3 Files 
78 
(4)  Print with the applications print menu. Wait for a while until the following preview window appears. Click [ Save ] button.  
 
Depending on the application, the image size, resolution and PC spec, it may take a few minutes to open the Preview 
window after clicking “OK” or “Print”.  Do not click “Print” or “OK” again. 
 
A print data example with White data 
 
(5)  Save As dialog appears. Select where to  save the data, enter the file name, select “GT Print File (*.ar3)” as the file type, 
and then click “Save”. 
The AR3 file is created and saved in the selected location.  
						

							 
 
GT-3 Series 
5. Printing AR3 Files
79
5-2. Reading AR3 Files Saved in a USB flash drive 
  
z  Use a USB flash drive: the capaci ty under 32 GB, FAT 32 formatted. 
z   Your printer can only read AR3 files from a USB flash drive. 
 
(1)  Insert the USB flash drive into the Slot in front of the Operation Panel.   
 Do not insert the USB flash drive  by force; it may destroy the saved data. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(2)  Select [ Print Data Load ] from the menu and press OK  button. The information (Job Name or Job Comment, Ink 
Consumption, Platen Sizes, etc.) of the AR3 file in the USB fl ash drive is displayed. The folders in the USB flash drive are 
indicated with [ ].   
(3)  Select the file to be printed, and then press the OK Button.  Your printer starts reading the USB flash drive and the Print Button on your printer’s Control Panel starts flashing. 
When the AR3 file finished reading, the printer bells and the Print Button turns on. 
  
If a file name of the data saved in a USB flash drive cannot read properly, see “7-1. Solving Printer Problems. 
Do not touch the USB flash drive while the Print Bu tton is flashing; it may destroy the saved data. 
Reading the USB flash drive may take more than two minutes depending on the stored data sizes. 
(4)  Pull out the USB flash drive when you have finished printing the data.   
USB flash drive Slot  
						

							 
 
GT-3 Series 
5. Printing AR3 Files 
80 
5-3. Sending AR3 Files from GT-3 File Viewer to your Printer 
(1)  Double-click the AR3 file directly or se lect the GT-3 File Viewer in your PCs [ All Program ] > [ Brother GT-3 Tools] and 
click [ Browse… ] to open the AR3 file.   
(2)  The file’s print condition by the Printer Driver and the  preview (layout) appear in the following window. The information i n 
the Advanced Menu of the printer driver can be indicated by  clicking the [ Details... ] button. When the White data is 
included (Color + White or White Only), the background indicates either black or Transparent Color. If no White data 
is included, the background indicates white.   
 
A print data example with White data 
 
A print data example only with Color data