HP Designjet T1200 User Manual

							8.Lower the blue lever.
9.Close the window.
10.Switch on the printer.
11.Reload the roll, or load a new sheet see Paper handling on page 31.
NOTE:If you find that there is still some paper causing an obstruction within the printer, restart the
procedure and carefully remove all pieces of paper.
A strip stays on the output tray and generates jams
If a small piece of paper (200 mm or smaller) has been cut, such as before (if new roll) and after a
full-bleed print or after the Form feed and cut key 
 has been pressed, the cut strip remains in the
output tray. Only when the printer is not working, reach in the tray and remove the strip.
ENWW A strip stays on the output tray and generates jams 143Paper issues
 
						

							The printer displays out of paper when paper is available
If the roll has become loose from its core, it will not feed correctly and the printer will not load the
paper. If possible, tighten the paper to its core or load a new roll.
Prints do not fall neatly into the basket
●Ensure the basket is correctly installed.
●Ensure the basket is open.
●Ensure the basket not full.
●Paper often tends to curl near the end of a roll, which can cause output problems. Load a new
roll, or remove prints manually as they are completed.
The sheet stays in the printer when the print has been
completed
The printer holds the paper to allow the print to dry after printing, see Change the drying time
on page 44. If the paper is only partially ejected after the drying time, gently pull the sheet out of the
printer. If the automatic cutter is disabled, use the Form feed and cut key 
 on the front panel, see
Feed and cut the paper on page 45.
The paper is cut when the print has been completed
By default the printer cuts the paper after the drying time has been completed, see Change the drying
time on page 44. You can disable the cutter, see Turn the automatic cutter on and off on page 45.
The cutter does not cut well
By default the printer is set to automatically cut the paper after the drying time has been completed.
If the cutter is turned on but not cutting correctly, check that the cutter rail is clean and clear of any
obstacles.
The roll is loose on the spindle
The roll may need to be replaced or reloaded.
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							Recalibrate the paper advance
Accurate paper advance is important to image quality because it is part of controlling the proper
placement of dots on the paper. If the paper is not advanced the proper distance between printhead
passes, light or dark bands appear in the print and image grain may increase.
The printer is calibrated to advance correctly with all the papers appearing in the front panel. When
you select the type of loaded paper, the printer adjusts the rate at which to advance the paper while
printing. However, if you are not satisfied with the default calibration of your paper, you may need to
recalibrate the rate at which the paper advances. See 
Troubleshooting print-quality issues
on page 147 for steps to determine if paper advance calibration will solve your issue.
You can check the paper advance calibration status of the currently loaded paper at any time by
pressing the View information key 
 on the front panel. The status may be one of the following.
●DEFAULT: This status appears when loading any paper that has not been calibrated. HP papers
in the Front Panel have been optimized by default and unless you experience image quality
problems in your printed image such as banding or graininess it is not recommended to
recalibrate the paper advance.
●OK: This status indicates that the loaded paper has been calibrated before. However you may
need to repeat the calibration if you experience image quality problems such as banding or
graininess in your printed image.
NOTE:Whenever you update the printer’s firmware, the paper advance calibration values are
reset to factory default, see 
Update the firmware on page 125.
CAUTION:Transparent papers and films must be calibrated using Image Quality Maintenance
menu icon 
, then Paper advance calibration > Adjust paper advance, from step four in
Recalibrating the paper advance procedure.
Recalibrating the paper advance procedure
1.
From the front panel, select the Image Quality Maintenance menu icon , then Paper
advance calibration > Calibrate paper advance. The printer automatically recalibrates the
paper advance and prints a paper advance calibration image.
2.Wait until the front panel displays the status screen and re-print your print.
NOTE:The recalibration procedure takes approximately three minutes. Do not worry about the
paper advance calibration image. The front-panel display shows any errors in the process.
If you are satisfied with your print continue using this calibration for your paper type. If you see
improvement in your print, continue with step three. If you are dissatisfied with the recalibration,
return to the default calibration, see 
Return to default calibration on page 146.
3.If you would like to fine-tune the calibration or are using a transparent paper, select the Image
Quality Maintenance menu icon 
, then Paper advance calibration > Adjust paper
advance.
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Paper issues
 
						

							4.Select the percentage of change from –100% to +100%. To correct light banding, decrease the
percentage.
To correct dark banding, increase the percentage.
5.Press the OK key on the front panel, to save the value.
6.Wait until the front panel displays the status screen and re-print your print.
Return to default calibration
Returning to the default calibration sets all the corrections made by the paper advance calibration to
zero. To return to the default paper advance calibration value, you must reset the calibration.
1.
From the front panel, select the Image Quality Maintenance menu icon 
, then Paper
advance calibration > Reset paper advance.
2.Wait until the front panel displays the operation has completed successfully.
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Paper issues
 
						

							16 Troubleshooting print-quality issues
●General advice
●
Print quality troubleshooting wizard
●
Horizontal lines across the image (banding)
●
Lines are too thick, too thin or missing
●
Lines appear stepped or jagged
●
Lines print double or in the wrong colors
●
Lines are discontinuous
●
Lines are blurred
●
Line lengths are inaccurate
●
The whole image is blurry or grainy
●
The paper is not flat
●
The print is scuffed or scratched
●
Ink marks on the paper
●
Black ink comes off when you touch the print
●
Edges of objects are stepped or not sharp
●
Edges of objects are darker than expected
●
Horizontal lines at the end of a cut sheet print
●
Vertical lines of different colors
●
White spots on the print
●
Colors are inaccurate
●
Colors are fading
●
The image is incomplete (clipped at the bottom)
●
The image is clipped
●
Some objects are missing from the printed image
●
A PDF file is clipped or objects are missing
●
The Image Diagnostics Print
●
If you still have a problem
ENWW147
Print-quality issues
 
						

							General advice
When you have any print-quality problem:
●To achieve the best performance from your printer, use only genuine manufacturers supplies
and accessories, whose reliability and performance have been thoroughly tested to give trouble-
free performance and best-quality prints. For details of recommended papers, see 
Order paper
on page 129.
●Make sure that the paper type selected in the front panel is the same as the paper type loaded
into the printer. To check this, use the View information key 
 on the front panel. At the same
time, check that the paper type has been calibrated. Also make sure that the paper type selected
in your software is the same as the paper type loaded into the printer.
CAUTION:If you have the wrong paper type selected, you could experience poor print quality
and incorrect colors, and perhaps even damage to the printheads.
●Check that you are using the most appropriate print-quality settings for your purposes (see
Printing on page 49). You are likely to see lower print quality if you have moved the print-quality
slider to the Speed end of the scale, or set the custom quality level to Fast.
●Check that your environmental conditions (temperature, humidity) are in the recommended
range. See 
Environmental specifications on page 186.
●Check that your ink cartridges and printheads have not passed their expiration dates: see
Maintain the ink cartridges on page 124.
Print quality troubleshooting wizard
The Print Quality Troubleshooting Wizard can help with the following problems:
●Horizontal lines across the image (banding)
●The whole image is blurry or grainy
●Lines are too thick, too thin or missing
●Colors are inaccurate
To start the wizard:
●From the HP Utility for Windows: go to the Support tab, and select Print quality
troubleshooting.
●From the HP Utility for Mac OS: select Print quality troubleshooting in the Support group.
●From the Mac OS Print dialog: go to the Services panel, select Device Maintenance, then
select Print quality troubleshooting from the list of maintenance tasks.
●From the Embedded Web Server: go to the Support tab, select Troubleshooting, then select
Print quality troubleshooting.
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Print-quality issues
 
						

							Alternatively, or if you have other print quality problems, you can continue reading this chapter.
Horizontal lines across the image (banding)
If your printed image suffers from added horizontal lines as shown (the color may vary):
1.Check that the paper type you have loaded corresponds to the paper type selected in the front
panel and in your software. To check on the front panel, use the View information key 
.
2.Check that you are using appropriate print-quality settings for your purposes (see 
Printing
on page 49). In some cases, you can overcome a print-quality problem merely by selecting a
higher print-quality level. For instance, if you have set the Print Quality slider to Speed, try
setting it to Quality. If you change the print-quality settings, you may wish to reprint your job at
this point in case the problem has been solved.
3.Print the Image Diagnostics Print. See 
The Image Diagnostics Print on page 160.
4.If the printheads are working correctly, go to the front panel and press the View information key
 to see the paper advance calibration status. If the status is DEFAULT, try performing paper
advance calibration: see 
Recalibrate the paper advance on page 145.
If the problem persists despite all the above actions, contact your customer service representative for
further support.
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							Lines are too thick, too thin or missing
1.Check that the paper type you have loaded corresponds to the paper type selected in the front
panel and in your software. To check on the front panel, use the View information key 
.
2.Check that you are using appropriate print-quality settings for your purposes (see 
Printing
on page 49). Select the custom print-quality options in the driver dialog, and try turning on the
Maximum detail option (if available). You may wish to reprint your job at this point in case the
problem has been solved.
3.If the resolution of your image is greater than the printing resolution, you may notice a loss of
line quality. If you are using the PCL or the HP-GL/2 and HP RTL driver for Windows, you can
find the Max. Application Resolution option in the driver dialogs Advanced tab, under
Document Options > Printer Features. If you change this option, you may wish to reprint your
job at this point in case the problem has been solved.
4.If lines are too thin or missing, print the Image Diagnostics Print. See 
The Image Diagnostics
Print on page 160.
5.
If the problem remains, go to the front panel and select the Ink menu icon 
, then Printhead
information to see the printhead alignment status. If the status is PENDING, you should align
the printheads. See 
Align the printheads on page 168. After alignment, you may wish to reprint
your job in case the problem has been solved.
6.
Go to the front panel and press the View information key 
 to see the paper advance calibration
status. If the status is DEFAULT, you should perform paper advance calibration: see 
Recalibrate
the paper advance on page 145.
If the problem persists despite all the above actions, contact your customer service representative for
further support.
Lines appear stepped or jagged
If lines in your image appear stepped or jagged when printed:
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Print-quality issues
 
						

							1.The problem may be inherent in the image. Try to improve the image with the application you
are using to edit it.
2.Check that you are using appropriate print-quality settings. See 
Printing on page 49.
3.Select the custom print-quality options in the driver dialog, and turn on the Maximum detail
option (if available).
Lines print double or in the wrong colors
This problem can have various visible symptoms:
●Colored lines are printed double, in different colors.
●The borders of colored blocks are wrongly colored.
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							To correct this kind of problem:
1.Reseat the printheads by removing them and then reinserting them. See 
Remove a printhead
on page 117 and Insert a printhead on page 120.
2.Align the printheads. See 
Align the printheads on page 168.
Lines are discontinuous
If your lines are broken in the following way:
1.Check that you are using appropriate print-quality settings. See Printing on page 49.
2.Reseat the printheads by removing them and then reinserting them. See 
Remove a printhead
on page 117 and Insert a printhead on page 120.
3.Align the printheads. See 
Align the printheads on page 168.
Lines are blurred
Humidity can cause ink to soak into the paper, making the lines blurred and fuzzy. Try the following:
1.Check that your environmental conditions (temperature, humidity) are suitable for high-quality
printing. See 
Environmental specifications on page 186.
2.Check that the paper type selected in the front panel is the same as the paper type you are
using. To check on the front panel, use the View information key 
.
3.Try changing to a heavier paper type, such as HP Heavyweight Coated Paper or HP Super
Heavyweight Plus Matte Paper.
4.Select a paper type that is slightly thinner than the paper you have loaded; this will persuade the
printer to use less ink. Here are some example paper types in ascending order of thickness:
Plain Paper, Coated Paper, Heavyweight Coated Paper, Super Heavyweight Plus Matte Paper.
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Print-quality issues