Creating Jigs for Pen Printing — Making Products with a UV Printer (Part 14) ARTJET 2026

✅ Who Should Read This

⚠️ Precautions

🧭 Key Summary (Field Insight)

UV Printer Basics · Troubleshooting · Product Guides

We have organized our UV Printer content below. Click an item to read the full post.

1) Ink Supply

We have organized 23 articles on ink supply issues, including cleaning/pumping

2) Print Head Issues

We have organized 12 articles on print head related issues, from replacement methods to problems

For a deeper understanding of print heads: Printhead Basics — 9 Articles

3) Electronics / Software Issues

4) Mechanical Issues

5) Sai Flexi RIP Installation, Spot color, Troubleshooting

📋 Creating Products with a UV Printer — Full Series List

We are documenting printing methods for various products. This list is updated with each new part.

1. Why a Jig is Necessary

• Usually, ballpoint pen printing involves large quantities.
• An acquaintance requested an order of 5,000 units.
• Due to the high volume, a Jig was necessary to save time on loading materials.
• Additionally, since the printing surface wouldn’t stay aligned on its own, a Jig was needed to stabilize the pens.

2. Trial and Error in Jig Production

• I initially designed the Jig in Illustrator (Ai), but the pen slots were too small, so the pens didn’t fit properly.
• After increasing the dimensions, they were too loose, causing the pens to shift.
• After several adjustments, I achieved a size that allowed for easy loading and perfect positioning.
• I also switched from 3mm (3t) acrylic to 5mm (5t) acrylic to ensure the pens remained securely fixed.

2_1. Jig Production Workflow

• Do not create the entire layout from the start; finalize the exact dimensions based on a single test unit.
• Once the size is confirmed, produce the Jig using 5mm (5t) acrylic instead of 3mm.
• Create two 600 x 300 Jigs instead of one 600 x 900 (reasoning explained later).

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2_2. Verifying Laser Cutter Squareness

• When I first printed after making the Jig, the alignment was off, so I had to tilt the Jig slightly to match the print position.
• At the time, I was new to laser cutting and didn’t know about calibrating for a perfect square.
• If the diagonal lengths of a cut square aren’t equal, your printing alignment will fail.
• Before making the Jig, cut a test square and adjust the Y-axis pulley until the diagonals match perfectly.

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1. Optimizing Loading Time and Printing Method

• To optimize efficiency, I used two 600×300 Jigs instead of one 600×900 Jig.
• The first was set at the Y-axis origin, and the second at the 600mm mark, secured with double-sided tape.
• As the first Jig started printing, I loaded pens onto the second.
• When the first finished and the second started, the front became clear for reloading.
• By loading pens before the previous batch finished, I eliminated idle time and maximized productivity.

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2. A Critical Mistake

• I printed White, Color, and Varnish simultaneously, running the printer nonstop all day.
• A colleague warned me: “Transparent acrylic causes high UV reflection… you should use black acrylic.”
• “Pen printing requires higher head height, which increases the reflection onto unused nozzles.”

2_1. Printing All Day Without Cleaning

• The next day, I found a clogged nozzle and several deflected nozzles on the color head.
• Because only small text was printed, only a few nozzles fired ink. The unused nozzles were repeatedly exposed to reflected UV light, curing the ink at the tips.
• White and Varnish heads were fine because they used all nozzles. If I had only printed Color, the others might have clogged too.

2_2. Why the Color Head Deteriorated

• Ink was not fired from the entire nozzle plate due to the small print area.
• The high head position and transparent material amplified UV reflection onto the nozzle plate.
• This continuous reflection cured ink around the nozzles, causing clogs and deflection.

Failure to clean frequently when printing on reflective or high-positioned substrates led to this issue.
When using acrylic Jigs, cleaning must be performed every 1-2 hours.
Ultimately, the color head could not be recovered and had to be replaced.

After 5 years of selling and maintaining ARTJET UV printers, we’ve learned one vital lesson.

Beyond product stability, the most important factor is accumulated troubleshooting data.

Every machine can face issues depending on the environment and user skill. In production, the key isn’t a “perfect” machine, but:

How fast and how accurately you can identify and solve the problem when it occurs.

ARTJET continuously collects field data to support faster and more precise troubleshooting for our clients.

※ This article is based on field experience. Results may vary by environment and equipment setup.