HP DesignJet 4500 User Manual
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14 How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics) ●Print the Image Diagnostics Print ● Respond to the Image Diagnostics Print ● Interpret Image Diagnostics part 1 ● Interpret Image Diagnostics part 2 ● Interpret Image Diagnostics part 3 ● If I still have a problem ENWW207 How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics)
Print the Image Diagnostics Print The Image Diagnostics Print consists of patterns designed to highlight print quality problems. It helps you to check whether you have a print quality problem, and if you have, what the cause of the problem is and how to resolve it. Before using the Image Diagnostics Print, check that you have been using appropriate print quality settings (see Choose print quality settings). To print the Image Diagnostics Print: 1.Ensure that you have paper of at least A3 size (29.7 × 42 cm = 11.7 × 16.5 in) loaded into the printer. Use the same paper type that you were using when you detected a problem. 2.Ensure that the front panel has the same print quality settings that you were using when you detected the problem (see Change the print quality). In the Image Diagnostics Print, the only difference between Drawings/text and Images is that the latter uses more ink in part 2, so that the colors appear darker. To print the Image Diagnostics Print will take about two minutes if you choose Images; sometimes less if you choose Drawings/text (depending on the paper type). 3. At the printers front panel, select the icon, then Internal prints > Image diagnostics prints > Print drawings/text or Print images. When the print is ready, see Respond to the Image Diagnostics Print. Respond to the Image Diagnostics Print The Image Diagnostics Print is in three numbered parts. 1.Part 1 tests printhead alignment. See Interpret Image Diagnostics part 1. 2.Part 2 tests printhead performance and the paper advance mechanism. See Interpret Image Diagnostics part 2. 3.If Part 2 has revealed a printhead problem, Part 3 identifies which of the eight printheads is responsible for it. See Interpret Image Diagnostics part 3. If Part 2 has not revealed any problem, you can and should ignore Part 3. Interpret Image Diagnostics part 1 The purpose of part 1 is to identify color-to-color alignment and bidirectional alignment problems. 208 Chapter 14 How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics) ENWW How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics)
If you have horizontal misalignment, you will see something like this: If you have vertical misalignment, you will see something like this: If you have bidirectional misalignment, you will see something like this: Corrective action 1.Align the printheads, using the same paper type with which you were experiencing unacceptable print quality, if feasible (some paper types are not suitable for printhead alignment). See Align the printheads. 2.If there is no improvement in print quality, contact your customer service representative. ENWW Interpret Image Diagnostics part 1 209 How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics)
Interpret Image Diagnostics part 2 The purpose of part 2 is to test whether the printheads and the paper advance mechanism are working correctly. This part of the print should not be used to check for color consistency or accuracy. Banding Banding has occurred when you see repetitive horizontal bands within the printed image. They can appear as light bands: or dark bands: or as a more gradual wave effect: 210 Chapter 14 How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics) ENWW How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics)
Horizontal bands across strips of one color only If a printhead is faulty, you will see horizontal bands across strips of one color only; or at least the horizontal bands will be much more noticeable in one color than in the others. NOTEBanding in the green strips is more difficult to see; and it may be caused by a yellow printhead or by a cyan printhead. If you see banding only in the green strip, it is caused by a yellow printhead; if you see banding in the green and cyan strips, it is caused by a cyan printhead. Corrective action 1.Check that you are using appropriate print quality settings. See Choose print quality settings. 2.Clean the printheads. See Recover (clean) the printheads. 3.Reprint the Image Diagnostics Print. If you still see banding, continue with steps 4 and 5. 4.As there are two printheads for each color, check exactly which printhead is responsible for the problem, using Part 3 of the Image Diagnostics Print. See Interpret Image Diagnostics part 3Part 3. 5.Replace the printhead that shows the problem. See Remove a printhead and Insert a printhead. Horizontal bands across all the colored strips If the printer has paper advance problems you will see horizontal bands across all the colored strips. NOTEBanding in the green strips is more difficult to see. Corrective action 1.Check that you are using appropriate print quality settings. See Choose print quality settings. 2.If you are using low-quality paper, try better-quality paper. The performance of your printer can be guaranteed only if you use recommended papers. See Supported paper types. 3.Perform paper advance calibration with the same paper type that you intend to use for the final print. See How do I... (paper advance calibration topics). 4.If there is no improvement in print quality, contact your customer service representative. Interpret Image Diagnostics part 3 If part 2 has revealed a printhead problem, the purpose of part 3 is to identify which particular printhead is faulty. Each rectangle in this plot is labelled with the number of the printhead that produced it. ENWW Interpret Image Diagnostics part 3 211 How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics)
Here are three examples of a black rectangle in close-up, showing the fine lines of which it is made: In the first two examples above, there are so many missing lines that the printhead may be faulty. In the third case there are only a few missing lines, which are acceptable, because the printer can compensate for such minor problems. Corrective action If part 3 shows a problem with one printhead, but part 2 shows no problem, there is no immediate need to take any corrective action, because the printer is able to compensate for the problem and maintain print quality. However, if part 2 also shows a problem, continue as follows: 1.Clean the printheads. See Recover (clean) the printheads. 2.If there is no improvement in print quality, replace the printhead that shows the problem. See Remove a printhead and Insert a printhead. If I still have a problem If the entire Image Diagnostics Print contains no defects and you still experience print quality problems, here are some things to check: ●Try using a higher print quality option. See Choose print quality settings and Change the print quality. ●Check the driver you are using to print with. If it is a non-HP driver, go to http://www.hp.com/go/ designjet/ and download the correct HP driver. ●If you are using a non-HP RIP, its settings may be incorrect. Refer to the documentation that came with the RIP. 212 Chapter 14 How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics) ENWW How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics)
●Check that your printers firmware is up to date. See Update my printers firmware. ●Check that you have the right settings in your software application. ●If you are seeing a problem only at the top of the page, see A defect near the start of a print. ENWWIf I still have a problem 213 How do I... (Image Diagnostics Print topics)
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15 How do I... (paper advance calibration topics) Your printer was calibrated at the factory to ensure that it advances the paper accurately when using supported paper types in normal environmental conditions. However, you may find it useful to recalibrate in certain circumstances: ●Unsupported paper: different paper manufacturers provide papers with a wide range of properties such as paper thickness or stiffness, which may benefit from calibration. You can expect the best print quality when using HPs recommended papers (see Supported paper types). ●Abnormal but stable environmental conditions: if you are printing in unusual conditions of temperature or humidity (see Environmental specifications), and those conditions are expected to remain stable, recalibration may be worthwhile. However, paper advance calibration assumes that you have an image quality problem and that you have already followed the appropriate troubleshooting procedure for that problem. If you have no particular problem, there is no need to perform the calibration. Before performing paper advance calibration, use the Image Diagnostics Print to check that the printheads are correctly aligned (see Print the Image Diagnostics Print). NOTEIn theory, paper advance calibration should improve print quality. However, if you find the calibration print difficult to interpret, you may choose the wrong paper advance setting and thus degrade print quality. In this case, you can restore the original factory settings by selecting the or icon at the front panel, and then Paper advance calibration > Optim. for drawings/text or Optimize for images > Select Pattern > Factory Default. ●Overview of the calibration process ● The calibration process in detail ● After calibration Overview of the calibration process 1.Use the front panel to print a colored pattern stored in the printer seven times, each time with a different paper advance setting. 2.Decide which pattern has been printed most successfully. 3.Use the front panel to tell the printer which pattern was best—and therefore which paper advance setting to use in future. NOTEThere are separate paper advance settings for each paper type name in the front panel: each must be calibrated separately. When you calibrate a particular paper type, the settings for all other paper types are unaffected. ENWW Overview of the calibration process 215 How do I... (paper advance calibration topics )
NOTEThere are separate paper advance settings for Optimized for drawings/text and Optimized for images: each must be calibrated separately. NOTEPapers from different manufacturers may require different paper advance settings even if they are of the same type, therefore the calibration will be useful only for the particular paper you calibrated. Remember that, when you perform the calibration, you will overwrite any previous paper advance settings for this paper type. The calibration process in detail Step 1. Load the printer with the type of paper that you plan to use for printing subsequently. The paper must be at least 41 cm wide (16 in) and 75 cm long (30 in). Step 2. At the front panel, highlight the or icon. If you are using an HP Designjet 4500 series printer, and you have two rolls loaded, make sure that the roll you intend to calibrate is ready to print (it should be highlighted on the front panel). Step 3. Press the Select key, then Paper advance calibration. Step 4. Select Optim. for drawings/text or Optimize for images, depending on the type of prints you wish to make subsequently. NOTEIt is very important to use the same setting that you will later use for printing in the driver, the Embedded Web Server, or the front panel (Optimized for drawings/text or Optimized for images). Otherwise the calibration has no effect. Step 5. Select Print Patterns. The printer will print a series of numbered patterns (1 to 7), each looking like this if you selected Drawings/text: or like this if you selected Images: The Optim. for drawings/text print takes about three minutes, the Optimize for images print takes about five minutes. When the calibration print has finished printing, the printer will cut the paper. Step 6. Look at each of the printed patterns (1 to 7) and decide which one shows the best quality. Each pattern has one part on the left that is a continuous color gradient (A), and another part on the 216 Chapter 15 How do I... (paper advance calibration topics) ENWW How do I... (paper advance calibration topics )