Introduction

You can send the .nxa print file to the printer in a few ways. This article includes instructions to send the files as well as troubleshooting for common issues. 

Send Job to Printer via Local Network (LAN/WLAN)

For NexaX 3.0 and later:

You have the option to send a file to the printer immediately after saving it.

You can send the file at any time by opening the Brain Icon of NexaX, clicking on the Print Queue tab and pressing ADD PRINT JOB

Select a recently saved file or select on Open File Explorer to find the .nxa file on your drive. After selecting the file select also the printer you wish to send to from the list.

Press the Send button. A status bar should appear showing progress of the transfer. After the transfer is complete, find it in the Print Queue on the printer. 

If your printer is not available, you will need to add it from either the Job History > ADD PRINTER or Settings > Machines > ADD PRINTER dialogs.

For NexaX 2.9 and earlier:

Once the print job has been saved, you can send it to your XiP printer if it is connected via WiFi or Ethernet. Use the green “Send To Printer” button to get the process started.

In the Send to Printer dialogue box, use the Select Job button to locate the print job file on your computer

If the printer is connected via WiFi or Ethernet, the printer should be seen as available in this window. Select the connected XiP printer, and click the “Send Job” button. Follow the subsequent prompts to get the print job started.

Send Job to Printer via USB

If unable to connect via WiFi or Ethernet, a print job can also be transferred via a USB drive. To do so, use the following steps:

1. Plug USB drive into computer and ensure that the drive can be seen in a File Explorer window
2. Return to NexaX and set up your print file
3. Once model is set up with supports and orientation, click on the Save menu in the left hand toolbar of NexaX
4. From the Save Menu, choose "Save Job" and name the file (file generation can take several minutes if the model has a large amount of layers)
5. Once the file export is complete, minimize NexaX and use File Explorer to find the file and copy it over to the USB drive
6. When the file finishes copying over to the drive, navigate to the file on the USB drive and drag and drop the .nxa file out of the job folder and into the root of the USB drive (this allows the printer to see the file and display it on the touchscreen UI)
7. Eject the USB drive and remove from the computer
8. Plug the USB drive into the port on the left hand side of the printer and wait ~30 seconds to allow the printer to read the drive
9. On the touchscreen UI of the printer, choose Print > USB and choose your file from the list of print jobs available on the drive. Follow the prompts on the touchscreen to start the print

Troubleshooting

Printer does not show up in the Send Job dialog box (NexaX 2.9 and  Earlier)

If the target printer doesn't show up in the Send Job dialog box (NexaX 2.9), you may need to re-establish the connection to the printer in the Manage Printers tab. You can do that by using the Add Printer function and typing in the IPv4 address found in the connection section of the printer user interface.

File won't send from the Send Job dialog box (Nexa X 2.9 and earlier)

After you press Send Job button, the green bar should show progress. If nothing happens, you may need to reset permissions on your printer (in case of XiP or XiP Pro). Update to the latest firmware will often resolve the issue. Don't forget to turn the printer on and off again and re-establish connection to the printer in NexaX after the power cycle. 

Note when installing firmware by USB, you must not alter the file name of the .nxl file in any way, and keep it in the root directory of the USB drive. 

If issues persist, reach out to support by Submitting a Request at support.nexa3d.com. Download printer and NexaX logs and include them in the support request for fastest resolution.

File is not recognized on the USB

Confirm the .nxa file is located in the root directory of the USB flash drive. 

Verify you are using a USB flash drive with FAT32 or exFAT (XiP and XiP Pro only) file system. Portable / External HDD or SSD are not supported, only flash memory drives. Use USB 3.0 or higher (blue bar in the connector) for best performance with large files. 

If using a slower drive, or drive with a large quantity of files on it, you may need to wait a few minutes for it to display on the USB section of the Print menu on the printer.

Verify the file is not corrupted or for another printer model. If corrupted, it may be a smaller file size than the version saved to your PC. 

Network is Blocking File

If you cannot discover or connect to printers from NexaX, you may need to whitelist these ports for NexaX on your network:  33459 and 33444, and also TCP and UDP port 3702, 5355, and 5353. Enable UPnP and mDNS functionality on the network. 

Make sure your printer and PC are on the same network. You cannot sent jobs through the cloud, only through local networks. To verify connection to the printer try pinging it. Open a command prompt in Windows by typing cmd into the search bar. type ping then the IP address of the printer. A successful connection means all 4 packets are received.

File is corrupt

If the .nxa is corrupt it may send but not be visible in the queue of the printer. Or it may not send over the printer. If the file cannot be read by USB or sent over network, try saving the scene again. 

Updated September 24, 2024 21:47