Swatches
Photo Angles
A short note on taking fault photos that actually show pass lines, strikes and colour cast on the print.
When a printer fault needs support, a clear description can save a lot of guessing. Photo Angles shows which shots to take on large-format machines, including the control panel, nozzle test, ink lines, carriage area and the print defect itself.
Photo Angles focuses on the fault photos that matter on wide-format machines. Show the print defect in raking light, then add the panel, nozzle test and carriage area so the sequence makes sense.
Fault shots that help
- Panel screen with current settings
- Defect photo taken across the light
- Nozzle test shown full frame
- Ink set and machine name visible
Start with the print itself, not the side cover. Pass lines, head strikes and colour cast show better when the camera is angled across the media and not pointed straight down. A wide shot of the machine can follow after the defect has been documented properly.
How Photo Angles lands on Skywalker photo media
Photo Angles shows how fault images can be more useful to the person reading them. Take photos that clearly reveal pass lines, head strikes and colour cast on the print, not only the machine body.
On FastJET, Stormjet and Skywalker units, the useful set is usually five images. Include the control panel, the nozzle test, both ink lines if they are visible, the carriage area, and one close view of the printed fault. In Johannesburg dust or Durban humidity, those extra views often explain why the mark repeats.
Take the first photo before wiping, purging or rerunning the job. Once a strike mark is cleaned off or a banded section is reprinted, the original clue is gone. Keep the failed piece nearby so the defect can be compared against the next test.
Angles that reveal defects
A square-on photo can flatten the problem and hide the very thing support needs to see. Tilt the phone slightly and let side light run over the print so gloss changes, overspray and carriage contact become visible. One good defect image is worth more than ten distant machine shots.
Use Photo Angles before sending related notes from Profiles, Presses or Swatches. If the issue sits on a FastJET, Stormjet or Skywalker print, describe the defect through the contact form and include the panel values from the same job.
- Light skimming across the media
- Nozzle test before any cleaning
- Ink line photo with labels visible
SA shop conditions in photos
South African print rooms are rarely neutral spaces for photography. Crown Mines dust can settle on prints, coastal moisture can shift how a cast appears, and mall lighting can hide faint banding. Step the sample to a cleaner light source before taking the close shot.
Load-shedding and generator changeovers also affect when the useful photo gets taken. Record the first acceptable and first failed print separately if the fault comes and goes after a restart. That sequence helps more than a single image with no context.
Operated by Astros Marketing (Pty) Ltd from 2 Makro Place, Sunnyrock 1401.
Phone camera handling on site
A short note on taking fault photos that actually show pass lines, strikes and colour cast on the print.
Clean the lens, hold steady, and let the camera focus on the printed area rather than the machine body behind it. Save the images with the job note while the media name and settings are still known. That makes later comparison easier when the same defect returns.
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