xTool Apparel Printer Plus: Setup and First Print, Step by Step

The xTool Apparel Printer Plus turns up on two pallets: the printer on one and the OS1 shaker oven on the other. I set mine up from the boxes all the way to a finished print pressed onto a tote bag, and filmed every step, including a few mistakes I left in so you don't make them too.

The video above is the full walkthrough. If you'd rather read along while you build yours, every step is below in the same order, with screenshots from my own setup. Tap a step to jump straight to it.

Jump to: Before you start · Unboxing · Printer onto the shaker · Protective film · Locating screws · Roll holder brackets · Film roll · Feeding the film · Liquid and inks · Powder · Tray and extraction · Humidity module · Cables and power · Touchscreen setup · xTool Studio · First print · Pressing it · Easy to miss

Before you start

Have these ready before you open anything:

• Space for two units. The printer sits on top of the shaker, and it's a big machine once it's built.
• A computer with xTool Studio installed.
• Tap water for the humidity tank.
• IPA (isopropyl alcohol) and a cloth, in case you spill any ink.
• A heat press, if you want to press your first transfer straight away.

There's a lot to it, but none of it is difficult if you take it one step at a time.

1. Unboxing

The printer comes on its own crate, with a number of accessories, inks and other bits packed on top, plus a separate accessory box. There's a substantial amount of stuff, so clear some floor space before you start.

The OS1 shaker oven comes on its own pallet, and I was really impressed with it. Once the box is off and you cut the strap, the front panel of the pallet folds down into a ramp, so you can roll the shaker straight off.

1. Lift the outer box straight up off the shaker.
2. Cut the strap and let the front panel fall down into a slope.
3. Screw the feet up first, so the shaker is sitting on its wheels.
4. Roll it down slowly. xTool's own tip is to keep your knee against the unit as it goes down, and never step on the ramp.

2. Lift the printer onto the shaker

Learn from my mistake: take all the packaging off the printer before you lift it on. xTool's instructions tell you to, and I didn't, so I ended up doing it with the printer already in place.

I lifted the printer on by myself, and I wouldn't recommend that. It's heavy, so get a second person to help.

1. On top of the shaker there's a little plastic guide tray. Line the opening on the printer up with it.
2. Push the printer forward. If it's in the right position, it will move forward and sit flush.
3. Check both sides. You want a good seal all the way around with no gap. I had a slight gap on one side at first, so I moved that side in until it closed up.

3. Remove the protective film

With the outside tape off, open the lid and remove every bit of foam you can find. Have a good look, because there was one little piece hidden away down low. You can actually see right down into the shaker from here.

1. Move the print head into the center. A label there reminds you to make sure the translucent film under the print head is removed.
2. Push the print head all the way over to the side.
3. Undo the access panel on the side and open it up.
4. Look up and you'll see the protective tape under the print heads. Reach in and peel it off carefully.

The print heads are now exposed. They have a moisturizing liquid on them that keeps them in good condition, so keep your fingers off them.

4. Screw the printer to the shaker

The box that comes with the shaker has the smoke exhaust pipe, power and data cables, xTool Selected apparel printer powder, M5 x 50 screws, screwdrivers and a wrench. The screws and tools in this box are for joining the two units together.

1. Move the print head back to the middle. Looking down, you'll see two open holes, one on each side.
2. Use the thick end of the double-ended screwdriver from the box. The thinner end is for later. It grips the screw well enough that you can leave the screw on the end while you line it up.
3. Drop an M5 x 50 screw down through each hole and tighten it.

That's the printer and shaker locked together as one solid unit. This was super simple, and there was enough clearance on both sides that I had no trouble tightening them up.

5. Fit the roll holder brackets

Next you need the printer's own toolkit. It has another screwdriver, a number of syringes (you'll need those later) and the power cable.

1. Toggle the pinch roller lever up. It's a little lever inside the printer.
2. Find the two roll holder brackets. The left one has a little locking handle, the right one doesn't.
3. At the back of the printer, each bracket goes under the grill. There are two small extrusions on either side, and the holes in the bracket locate over them.
4. Find the four bracket screws in the bag with the USB cable.
5. Put the screwdriver through the access hole in the bracket, hold the screw on the end of it, locate it and screw it in. Do the same for the other side.

Learn from my mistake: there are already some screws in the back of the printer, and I assumed those were the ones for the brackets. They aren't. If you take them out, put them back. The bracket screws are in the USB cable bag.

xTool really stresses this one too: don't remove the screws on the rollers. Leave those well alone.

6. Load the film roll

The accessory box has the roll holder, the output tray, moisturizing liquid, ink, cleaner and the film roll. The roll that comes in the box already has a rod in each end and a locking mechanism.

1. Lift the locking arm on the holder. If it's down, the roll won't go in.
2. Turn the roll so the arrow faces the machine.
3. Lower it in. The tube isn't round, it has flat edges. Turn it so the flat edges are vertical and it drops straight into place.
4. Lock the arm down. The roll is now solid.
5. Push the end piece in as close to the edge as you can, then let go and it locks itself in.
6. Peel off the tape holding the film, keeping the film facing up so it doesn't flop off the roll.

7. Feed the film

The film feeds into the machine from the top, so getting the orientation right is critical.

1. With two hands, slowly wind the film into the machine until it can go no further.
2. Turn the machine back around to the front.
3. Lift the clamp. This lifts the rollers off so you can position the film.
4. Under there you'll find a white line. Line the edge of the film up next to it, not over it, so it's straight.
5. Slide the guide plates on each side so the holes in them sit half over the film and half over the empty space.
6. Push the clamp back down. It locks everything in place, and it should look like the photo above.

Learn from my mistake: feed it in far enough on the first step. I didn't, and the film sprang straight back out. Put it in a bit further, let go, and it stays.

The white line tip comes from Dimitri at xTool: butt the film up to the white line, next to it, never over it.

8. Fill the moisturizing liquid and inks

You can see the ink tanks through a window on the front of the machine. When you're filling them and you're not sure how full they are, that window is your indicator.

Pull the rear panel up and it comes away. Underneath are six tanks: moisturizing liquid, yellow, magenta, cyan, black and white. Each lid matches its bottle by color. I started with the moisturizing liquid and worked my way along.

1. Pop open only the lid you're filling. Keep all the others closed, so nothing can contaminate the other tanks.
2. The first time, unscrew the bottle cap and pierce the protective seal, then screw the cap back on as tight as it goes.
3. The moisturizing liquid has a pouring spout. Fit it and pour. The whole bottle went in and the tank was still only about half full, which is about right.
4. The color inks don't come with a spout, and xTool's manual shows them poured without one. Give each bottle a good shake before you take the cap off, then pour very carefully.
5. Get every last drop out. This stuff is what makes everything happen.
6. Close that tank's lid before you open the next one.

Learn from my mistake: I had a few splatters, and spilled a little near one of the tanks. Wipe any spills with IPA before you close the lid. I didn't, and had to go back and clean it afterwards.

9. Add the hot-melt powder

1. Press the access hatch on the shaker and it opens.
2. Pour in one whole pouch of powder. That's what xTool says to use for each refill.
3. Use a paintbrush to spread it out evenly along both sides.
4. Keep it below the red Max line. One pouch, spread evenly, sat under it for me.
5. Close the hatch.

10. Fit the output tray and extraction

The output tray has two legs that kick out. It's magnetic, so as you bring it close it pulls itself into place at the bottom. With the feet down, this is where your finished transfers come out and wait for you.

The smoke exhaust pipe fits onto the shaker, much like on the F1, F2 and the UV printer. Run it into an air purifier. xTool's AP2 includes the connector for this pipe.

11. Set up the humidity module

This is new on the Plus compared with the original Apparel Printer. The humidity module has its own water tank, which you remove by pushing the little tab on it.

1. Looking at the machine from the front, open the access panel on the left side.
2. Inside you'll find xTool's own connector. Move it out of the way.
3. Hold the module so the outlet faces into the machine and slide it in. You'll feel it locate itself.
4. Take the water tank out and fill it. I used tap water. If you start to see limescale deposits, switch to treated or softened water.
5. Push the tank back in slowly until it clicks.
6. Plug the connector into the module. It has a curved head, so make sure it's the right way around.
7. Close the panel.

12. Connect the cables and power

1. Connect the printer and the shaker with the data cable. It's an old-school, telephone style cable. Plug one end into the top unit until it clicks, and the other into the bottom one.
2. Plug in both power cables. One unit has a rocker switch, the other doesn't.
3. Plug them into the wall and power on.

Before you move on, check you've got everything: roll installed, both power cables in, the data cable between the two units, and the extraction pipe on.

13. Run the touchscreen setup

The screen comes on as soon as you power up, and it walks you through the rest. Here's what it asked me, in order:

1. Language. Pick yours.
2. Before ink extraction. It checks you've added the ink and moisturizing liquid and removed the protective film. You've done both, so tap Next.
3. Film check and installation. Check the film looks right. It's worth a quick test here: go to Maintenance, then Control, and use Feed and Eject to run the film in and out. You want it smooth with no wrinkles, because that's critical for this to work.
4. Device self-check. It checks film hole recognition and paper feeding, then asks you to remove the cut film. Lift the lid, take out the piece it has just cut off, close it and confirm.
5. Hot-melt powder. Already done, so tap Next.
6. Waste ink tank. It asks you to empty the waste ink tank and check the check valve. The waste tank is behind the side panel on the opposite side of the printer.

Learn from my mistake: I hadn't opened that side panel yet, and there was still a piece of foam in there. Open both side panels and take the foam out. I'm really glad the screen prompts you to look. My waste tank was empty, so I put it back, closed it up and carried on.

Ink priming with the syringes

1. The screen asks you to make sure the print head cover is off and that all six ink clips inside the print head are open. They're the white clamps. Leave the cover open.
2. Press Start to run the white ink circulation.
3. Tap Next and it plays a short video. Follow it: move any wires out of the way, put a syringe on the line and draw it up. Stop when ink appears, wait five seconds, then remove it.
4. Drop the used syringe into the bag it came in.
5. Now do exactly the same for every other ink line.

This is the easy one to miss. Draw every ink line, not just the white. Once they're all primed, dispose of the syringes and ink responsibly.

The printer then runs a print head cleaning, which takes over 300 seconds. Next it asks you to install the humidifier. That's already done, so tap Next. The screen also explains that by default the humidifier switches on below 50% humidity and off above 70%, and you can change those thresholds in Settings. The last step is calibration, which you start from your computer.

14. Connect xTool Studio

1. Connect the printer to your computer with the USB cable.
2. In xTool Studio, switch the device to the Apparel Printer.
3. You'll probably see firmware updates the first time you connect. Let them run, then click OK.
4. Start the automatic calibration. It has three steps: camera calibration, nozzle detection and print head calibration. The dialog says it usually takes about 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Don't open the lid or disconnect the software while it runs.
6. When it's finished, it asks you to pick up the cut from the device. Take it out and have a look at the calibration page.

15. Make the first print

Once you're calibrated, xTool Studio offers a tutorial. I'd recommend it, especially if you haven't used Studio before. It opens a project and walks you through the basics:

1. The text is already selected. Double-click it to edit it. I typed my name, Chris.
2. Left-click and drag to move it wherever you want it.
3. Leave the material on xTool's recommended settings. Studio calls this a reference, and it offers print presets you can apply with one click.
4. Click Mockup to see the design on a t-shirt. You can pick the shirt color and size.
5. Click Print. Mine estimated 1 minute 16 seconds.
6. Click Continue, then Start printing.

When the print finishes, the film is pushed through into the shaker. This bit is really clever. It recycles the powder and spins it around, and you can see the powder sticking to the print as it comes through. That's what lets the transfer stick to a shirt later. The touchscreen shows the heating and curing progress as a percentage while it bakes the glue onto the transfer.

Here's mine. I cut it down to size to show it on camera. It has a nice textured backing, it's completely dry, and the colors are vibrant. On the touchscreen's Completed tab you can see your previous jobs, so you can track them or delete them.

16. Press it onto a tote bag

To finish, I pressed my test print onto a tote bag with the xTool WonderPress. I haven't done much testing on these tote bags yet, so treat these settings as a starting point.

1. Give the bag a quick press first to flatten it.
2. Place the transfer on it, fairly central.
3. I used the DTF to polyester preset: 320°F (160°C) for 10 seconds at 220 lb (100 kg) of pressure.
4. Take it out and let it cool for a minute or two.
5. Take the Teflon sheet off and peel the film away.

I'd say that was pretty successful. The colors look great, and the WonderPress did a really good job of attaching it. It's stuck on there nicely.

Easy to miss: five things to check

If you only read one part of this guide, make it this one. These are the things that caught me out:

1. Take the packaging off before you lift the printer onto the shaker.
2. The roll holder bracket screws are in the USB cable bag, not in the back of the printer.
3. Butt the film up next to the white line, never over it.
4. Draw every ink line with a syringe, not just the white.
5. Take the foam out of the waste ink tank.

What are you printing first?

That's it, from two pallets to one fully working machine and a finished print. I hope it helps you hit the ground running when yours arrives. Let me know in the comments on the video what you're planning to print first. There are plenty more Apparel Printer videos to come.

If you design in xTool Studio, my guide to the latest xTool Studio update covers the improved mockup tool, which is handy for checking how a design will look on a shirt before you print it.