Overview

Some projects require printing extremely long lines such as saw cuts that may extend many hundreds or even thousands of feet. Printing lines at this scale requires additional planning to maintain print quality and alignment.

This article outlines recommended practices for preparing, segmenting, and printing long continuous lines using the FieldPrinter.

Key Recommendations

When preparing very long lines:

• Use water-based ink whenever possible
• Limit line width to 1/16 inch and / or use dashed or dotted lines styles
• Break long lines into shorter segments of 200' or less
• Maintain strong building control throughout the project

Following these practices helps prevent ink overheating, tracker range issues, and alignment drift.

Ink Selection

Water-based ink is recommended for very long lines.

• Water-based ink remains stable during long print runs.
• Solvent ink cartridges can overheat when large amounts of ink (thick and long continuous lines) are printed continuously.

Using water-based ink helps maintain consistent print quality over extended distances.

Line Width and Style Guidance

Line width and style has a significant effect on ink output.

• Best practice recommendation is a maximum line width of 1/16 inch.
• Wider lines increase ink output and may lead to overheating during long runs.

Keeping the line thin improves reliability during extended printing.

Segmenting Long Lines

Extremely long lines should be divided into smaller segments before printing.

Recommended segment length:

• Approximately 200 feet per segment when the tracker can be positioned near the center of the segment.

Segmenting lines makes stationing easier and reduces cumulative alignment errors.

Tracker Position and Range

The FieldPrinter should remain within the reliable tracking range of the tracker.

• Keep the robot within about 160 feet of the tracker during printing.
• If the tracker must remain on one side of the work area, shorter print segments may be required.

Proper tracker positioning improves accuracy and tracking stability.

Control and Stationing

High-quality control is critical when printing very long lines.

• Use well-distributed control points across the work area.
• Re-station regularly when moving to new segments.
• Tie stationing back to reliable building control whenever possible.

Consistent control helps maintain alignment across multiple segments.

Surface Conditions

Saw cut layout is often printed on recently placed concrete.

• Slight moisture in newly cured slabs may cause minor ink spreading.
• In most cases this does not affect saw cut accuracy requirements.

If the slab is visibly wet or contaminated, allow the surface to dry before printing.