Print Back Pieces on One Sheet: Large-Format Stencils with the Canon TC-21

If you tattoo back pieces, sleeves or bodysuits, you know the routine: tile the design across letter sheets, tape the seams, and hope nothing shifts, all while your client waits for an hour or two.   A large-format printer skips all of that. The Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21 prints on a 24-inch-wide roll, so a full back piece comes out as one continuous stencil.

Who it's for. Studios doing regular large-scale work.  

Why the TC-21. It's a compact 24-inch printer that sits on a table or its own stand, refills from ink bottles instead of cartridges, and prints from an iPad, phone or computer. We've run InkJet Stencils® ink in it with excellent results.

It's also surprisingly affordable - you can buy everything you need for $1,595.00 (US pricing), with enough paper and ink to last a year!  

Getting one set up. Our partner Plotter Pros sells a Canon 24" InkJet Stencils® printer bundle and can get you running. → Plotter Pros

Printing to the roll. Two things trip up most people:

1. Load the roll. The tracing paper is too thin to load into the plotter.   To address this, cut a 24-inch strip of normal stock paper (provided) and tape it to the front edge of the roll.   Load the roll and feed the leading edge of the paper into a slot until the printer acknowledges the roll and then use the on-screen instructions to complete the load process. 
2. Print from the Canon PRINT app. Size your design to print on A1 size paper (or manually change your canvas to be 24" wide).   Alternatively, you can use apps like Print to Size Export your design as a PDF or image, open it in Canon PRINT, select your image, and print on roll..

Connecting. You can connect via WiFi, or for more reliability in crowded networks, you can use Wireless Direct (the printer's own Wi-Fi) or connect via USB to a laptop.

Keeping it healthy.

• Print regularly (once per week) to avoid clogs.   
• Under the maintenance menu, you can conduct nozzle checks (to verify print quality) and if needed conduct a printhead cleaning.   
• When you turn on the printer or clean the printhead, waste ink fills the maintenance cartridge.  The printer will alert you when it is nearly full, at which point you can replace it with Canon's "MC-32" cartridge.  
• Only load clean, undamaged rolls. A torn or perforated roll can leave debris in the paper path and cause jams.
• Use the printer's transport mode before moving it, and move it on a flat, rigid surface.