Profiles
Spares Bridge
Spares Bridge deals with the odd stock and cartridge issues that crop up once the printer room settles down.
How Spares Bridge fits a week with parts swaps and ink changes
Spares Bridge deals with the awkward gap between colour management and the parts or cartridges that keep a printer usable. Stock mismatches, cartridge notes and machine-specific issues can all affect FastJET, Stormjet and Skywalker output.
Start with the vinyl, banner or paper in the machine, then note the pass mode and heater range that the printer is actually running. Spares Bridge is for the cases where a cartridge batch, damper swap or replacement head changes colour behaviour after the main ICC profile was built. Inland dust around Johannesburg, coastal moisture in Durban, and power interruptions all alter how useful a nozzle check or short test strip will be on FastJET, Stormjet and Skywalker units.
A first photo of the carriage area, ink lines or cartridge labels helps tie the note to the exact machine condition. Spares Bridge records the small details that get forgotten after a late parts change, such as left bank banding, one weak channel, or a media roll that is not the usual stock. Keep that note near the printer so the next operator can compare settings before wasting metres of media.
Head swaps and ink drift
Check what changed when the printer is usable but no longer matches the profile that used to hold colour. Typical notes cover channel order, ink set changes, feed adjustments and whether a temporary linearisation check is enough before full reprofiling. One consistent setup for daily production matters more than chasing multiple test variations after every cartridge issue.
Use Spares Bridge alongside Profiles when a machine has moved away from its saved baseline, and compare the result with Presses or Swatches only after the hardware note is complete. Before a Bellville parcel leaves or a replacement cartridge goes into service, run one final nozzle check and save a clear photo of the FastJET, Stormjet or Skywalker panel. ICC work starts from a test print on your usual roll, together with the RIP version you run.
- Head and damper change notes
- Cartridge labels checked against channels
- Machine-specific cartridge compatibility notes
Parts issues on SA sites
Spares Bridge suits printer rooms dealing with courier delays, mixed stock, and machines that cannot sit idle while the correct part is sourced. Notes often need to account for OR Tambo freight timing, Sunnyrock dispatch windows, and older print rooms in Crown Mines where one working setup must carry production. On a FastJET, Stormjet or Skywalker already in daily use, identify the fault caused by the recent part change before touching the rest of the workflow.
Durban humidity can shift drying and make a cartridge problem look like a profile fault on banner or SAV. Highveld dust around Johannesburg tends to show up in wiper condition, sensor contamination and more frequent cleaning checks. When load-shedding interrupts a run, record the first acceptable print after restart so the operator has a reference that matches that machine state.
Operated by Astros Marketing (Pty) Ltd from 2 Makro Place, Sunnyrock 1401.
Bench notes for odd stock
Use Spares Bridge when a head, damper or cartridge change means the usual profile route no longer matches the machine.
Write down the media code, heater settings, pass count and any cartridge or head changes while the sample prints are still beside the machine. That record helps when a buyer asks why one roll matched last week and the next roll does not. Keep the sheet with the test print and reference image so the next stock mismatch can be traced properly.
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