The Ghost Underbase: What to Do When Cadlink Digital Factory is Not Printing White DTF Ink

 

Introduction: The Frustration of the Missing Underbase

You’ve spent hours perfecting a complex, high-color design. You hit Print, the printer hums to life, and the vibrant colors lay down perfectly on the film. You anxiously wait for the crucial step—the application of the bright, opaque white underbase—but it never comes.

Instead, you’re left with a beautiful but utterly useless translucent print, destined to crack and fade the moment it hits the heat press. Your white ink channel is printing a ghost.

The feeling is utterly frustrating. It’s an issue unique to DTF printing, where the white ink is the foundation of your final product. What’s worse is the lack of a clear fix. Is it a clogged printhead? A damper issue? Or is the complex Cadlink Digital Factory RIP software secretly sabotaging your job?

You feel alone in the print shop, wasting expensive film and ink with every failed run.

The good news is you are not alone, and the solution is closer than you think. The team at DTF Gears has compiled the ultimate, two-phase troubleshooting guide to isolate, diagnose, and permanently fix the dreaded white ink failure in your DTF workflow. We break the problem down into the only two places the issue can exist: Physical Printer/Ink Issues and Cadlink Digital Factory Configuration Issues. Continue reading to learn exactly which knobs to turn and which buttons to press to get that perfect, dense white underbase back.

Phase 1: Diagnosing Physical DTF Printer & Ink Issues

Before you even touch your Cadlink settings, you must confirm that your DTF printer’s hardware is capable of firing white ink. This crucial first check eliminates half of the headache when troubleshooting DTF white ink failure.

The Essential “No-Software” Nozzle Check

The fastest way to determine if your problem is hardware (clogged head, air bubble, ink settling) or software (Cadlink settings) is by forcing the printer to perform a nozzle check directly from the machine itself. This bypasses the computer, the driver, and the RIP software entirely.

Key Diagnostic Procedure:

• Load DTF Film: Crucially, always perform this test on a piece of DTF transfer film, not plain paper. The white ink is designed to cure on the film and will be nearly invisible on standard white paper.
• Access Maintenance Menu (Printers with Screens): Navigate the printer’s on-screen menu to find the Maintenance or Cleaning section. Look for an option explicitly labeled “Print Head Nozzle Check” or “Nozzle Check.”
• Use Physical Buttons (Screen-less Printers): For many entry-level printers without a display screen, this function is often mapped to a button combination. Try pressing and holding the Ink Button for several seconds. If that fails, try holding the Power or Maintenance button.
• Check Results:
  • If White Prints Perfectly: Great news! Your printhead and ink flow are fine. The problem is 100% in your Cadlink software settings. Proceed directly to Phase 2.
  • If White is Streaky, Missing, or Faint: Your problem is hardware or maintenance related. Continue with the next troubleshooting steps in this Phase.

Here is an image of how Nozzle check for a very common printer (Epson ET-8550) looks like on a DTF paper:

The White Ink Maintenance Escalation Plan

If your nozzle check fails, the white ink channel is either clogged or starving. White ink, being heavier and thicker due to its titanium dioxide pigment, settles quickly and requires consistent agitation and cleaning. Follow these steps in order of increasing intensity:

1. Run Printer-Level Cleaning Cycles:
   • From your printer’s control panel or the dedicated printer utility software, run the standard Head Cleaning cycle.
   • If the standard cycle fails, run the more aggressive Power Cleaning cycle (if available on your model). Caution: This uses a significant amount of ink.
   • After each cleaning, perform a new Nozzle Check to verify improvement.
2. Ensure Proper Ink Agitation:
   • If your DTF printer has an internal recirculation or agitation system, verify that it is on and functioning.
   • If you use external bulk bottles, shake the white ink bottles thoroughly before printing and periodically throughout the day to prevent the pigment from settling at the bottom, which is a common cause of poor flow.
3. The Last Resort: Manual Printhead Cleaning:
   • If all automated cleaning fails, the printhead requires manual intervention. This is an advanced step and should only be performed with the correct DTF cleaning solution and a detailed guide.
   • Actionable Step: Search YouTube for “Manual Printhead Cleaning [Your Printer Model]” or “[Your Printer Model] DTF Head Soak” to find visual, step-by-step instructions specific to your hardware before attempting any manual cleaning.

Phase 2: Cadlink Digital Factory RIP Software Configuration Fixes

If you passed the nozzle check, the hardware is fine. The only remaining culprit is the Cadlink Digital Factory RIP. The software is either failing to generate the white layer or is not sending enough density data to the printer.

The Critical White Underbase Density Adjustment

The most common software oversight is an incorrect Underbase density setting. This dictates the amount of white ink laid beneath your colors.

You need to manually verify and adjust this core setting for your print queue:

1. Navigate to Queue Settings: IGo to Queue > Properties (at the bottom) > Color Layer > Processing Options.
2. Verify Underbase is Selected: Under White Underbase/Highlight Options, ensure the “Underbase” radio button is selected, not “None” or “Highlight.”
3. Locate and Set the Slider: Find the Maximum Ink % (White ink strength) slider. This is your density control. If the setting is currently low (e.g., 20%), it explains the issue. Push the setting up to a conservative 70% as a starting point.
4. Test and Fine-Tune: Print a small test swatch. If the white layer is still weak or translucent, increase the density setting in small increments (e.g., to 80% or 90%) and repeat the test until you achieve the desired opaque white layer.

Visual Guide: Cadlink Digital Factory Processing Options

This screenshot highlights the key areas in Cadlink where you must ensure the Underbase option is selected and the Maximum Ink % (White ink strength) slider is set high enough (e.g., 70-90%) for proper opacity.

Conclusion: Get Back to Perfect DTF Printing

The frustration of a missing white underbase can halt production, but by systematically breaking the problem into two phases—Physical Maintenance and Cadlink Settings—you can quickly identify and fix the issue. Whether it’s the constant battle with white ink settling in Phase 1 or the simple misconfiguration of the underbase density in Phase 2, a methodical approach is the key to consistent, high-quality DTF transfers.

We hope this detailed troubleshooting guide was helpful in resolving your white ink printing issues. For more visual guides, step-by-step tutorials on Cadlink settings, and essential DTF maintenance tips, be sure to connect with us!

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