HP Designjet T7100 User Manual

							Custom paper sizes
To choose a non-standard paper size not shown in the list of paper sizes:
● Under Windows,  there are three different ways:
◦ In the driver dialog, press the  Custom button in the  Paper/Quality  tab, then specify the
name and the dimensions of your new paper size, then click  Save to save your new paper
size. In the PostScript driver, to see your new cu stom size in the list of custom sizes, you need
to exit the printer properties,  then reenter them (and use the  More button if necessary).
NOTE: The driver will not allow you to create a paper size whose width exceeds its length.
◦
From the  Start menu, select  Printers, then from the  File menu select  Server Properties .
In the Forms tab, check the  Create a new form box, specify the name and dimensions of
the new form, then click  Save Form.
NOTE:Such forms are not available when using a  shared printer that is connected to a
different computer.
● In the Mac OS Page Setup dialog:  select Paper Size  > Manage Custom Sizes .
NOTE:If your application offers no  Page Setup dialog, please use the  Print dialog.
●
On the Embedded Web Servers Submit Job page:  select Advanced settings >
Paper  > Page size  > Custom .
Select margins options
By default, the printer leaves a 5 mm (0.02 in) margin between the edges of your image and the edges
of the paper, although the top margin is set to 11.5  mm (0.45 in) when printing on glossy paper. You
can change this behavior in several ways.
● In the Windows driver dialog:  select the Paper/Quality  tab and then the  Margins/
Layout  button.
TIP:In the Windows PostScript driver, make sure  you have made the right choice from the
Document size  list. You should select a no margins  document size if you intend to use the
Oversize  or Clip contents by margins  options.
●
In the Mac OS X Print dialog:  select the Margins/Layout  panel.
● On the Embedded Web Servers Submit Job page:  select Advanced settings >
Paper  > Layout/Margins .
● Using the front panel:  select the Setup menu icon 
, then Printing preferences  >
Margins  > Select margins .
NOTE:If you have set the margins from your comput er, that overrides any margin setting in the
front panel.
You will then see at least some of the following options.
ENWW Select margins options
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							NOTE:Under Mac OS, the available margins options depe nd on the paper size selected in the Page
Setup dialog. For instance, for over size printing you must select a paper size name that includes the
word “oversize”.
● Standard . Your image will be printed on a page of  the size you have selected, with a 5 mm
(0.02 in) margin between the edges of the image and the edges of the paper. The image should
be small enough to fi t between the margins.
● Oversize . Your image will be printed on a page slight ly larger than the size you have selected. If
you cut off the margins, you will be left with a page of the size you selected, with no margins
remaining between your image and the edges of the paper.
● Clip contents by margins. Use this option when your image has white borders and a size
equal to that of the paper you have selected. Th e printer will use the white borders for its 5 mm
(0.02 in) margins and you will get a page of size  equal to that which is selected in the driver.
Print on loaded paper
To print a job on whichever paper is loaded in the printer, select Any in the Paper Type option of your
printer driver.
● In the Windows driver dialog:  select the Paper/Quality  tab, then select Any in the Paper
Type drop-down list.
● In the Mac OS X 10.4 Print dialog:  select the Image Quality  panel, then select Any  in
the Paper Type drop-down list.
● In the Mac OS X 10.5 Print dialog:  select the Paper/Quality panel, then select  Any in
the Paper Type drop-down list.
NOTE: Any is the default Paper Type selection.
Rescale a print
You can send an image to the printer at a certain size  but tell the printer to rescale it to a different size
(normally larger). This may be useful if your software does not support large formats.
You can rescale an image in the following ways:
● In the Windows driver dialog:  go to the Features tab and look at the Resizing Options
section.
◦ The Print document on  option adjusts the image size to the paper size you have selected.
For example, if you have selected ISO A2  as the paper size and you print an A3-sized
image, it is enlarged to fit the A2 paper. If  the ISO A4 paper size is selected, the printer
reduces a larger image to fit the A4 size.
◦ The % of actual size  option enlarges the printable area  of the original paper size (the
page minus the margins) by the percentage indi cated, then adds the margins to create the
output paper size.
● In the Mac OS Print dialog:  select the Finishing  panel, then  Print document on to adjust
the image size to the paper size you have selected. For example, if you have selected ISO A2 as
the paper size and you print an A3-sized image, it  is enlarged to fit the A2 paper. If the ISO A4
paper size is selected, th e printer reduces a larger image to fit the A4 size.
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							●On the Embedded Web Servers Submit Job page:  select Advanced settings >
Resizing .
◦ The Standard  and Custom  options adjust the image size to the standard or custom paper
size you have selected. For example, if you have selected ISO A2 as the paper size and you
print an A3-sized image, it is enlarged to fit the A2 paper. If the ISO A4 paper size is
selected, the printer reduces a larger image to fit the A4 size.
◦ The % of actual size  option enlarges the printable area  of the original paper size (the
page minus the margins) by the percentage indi cated, then adds the margins to create the
output paper size.
● Using the front panel:  select the Setup menu icon 
, then Printing preferences  >
Paper options  > Resize.
Preview a print
Previewing a print on the screen allows you to chec k the layout of the print before printing, which may
help you to avoid wasting paper and ink on a bad print.
● To preview a print under Windows,
 you have the following options:
◦ Use your applications 
print preview option.
◦ Check the  Show preview before printing  option, which you can find in the drivers
Paper/Quality  tab and Features  tab. The preview may be pr ovided in different ways,
depending on your printer and printer driver.
● To preview a print under Mac OS, you have the following options:
◦ Use your applications 
print preview option.
◦ Click the  Preview button at the bottom of the Print di alog box. This is the basic print
preview provided by Mac OS.
◦ Check the  Show print preview  option, which you can find in the drivers  Printing
dialog, in the  Finishing panel.
● To preview a print using the  Embedded Web Server, select  Basic settings > Hold for
preview .
Print 16-bit color images
In a 16-bit image, each of the three primary colors  is encoded by a 16-bit value, so that each pixel
takes up 48 bits.
If you print your 16-bit color images through a printer driver, they will be reduced to 8-bit colors before
they reach the printer.
In order to send a 16-bit color image to the printer, yo u must save it as a 16-bit color TIFF or JPEG file,
then send the file directly to the prin ter without using a printer driver (see 
Using the Embedded Web
Server to print files on page 78). In this case, color management  is done on the 16-bit color image,
and is therefore done more accurately. The image is  still reduced to 8-bit colors for final printing.
TIP:Some applications refuse to sa ve a 16-bit color image in JPEG  format; others automatically
reduce it to 8-bit colors. A TIFF file generally  gives a higher-quality result, and is recommended.
ENWW Preview a print
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							Change the treatment of overlapping lines
NOTE:This topic applies only when  printing an HP-GL/2 job.
The merge option controls the overlapping  lines in an image. There are two settings:
● Off: where the lines cross, only the color of the 
top line is printed. This is the default setting.
● On: where the lines cross, the colors of the two lines merge.
To turn merge on, go to the front pa nel and select the Setup menu icon 
, then Printing
preferences  > HP-GL/2 options > Enable merge. You can set the merg e option from your
software in some applications. Settings in yo ur software override the front-panel settings.
Print crop lines
Crop lines indicate where the paper should be cut to  reduce it to your selected page size. You can print
crop lines automatically with indivi dual jobs in the following ways:
● In the Windows driver dialog:  select the Features tab, then  Enable crop lines .
● In the Mac OS Print dialog:  go to the Finishing  panel and select Enable crop lines.
● On the Embedded Web Servers Submit Job page:  select Advanced settings > Roll
options  > Enable crop lines .
● Using the front panel:  select the Setup menu icon 
, then Printing preferences  >
Paper options  > Enable crop lines  > On.
To print crop lines with nested jobs (see 
Nest jobs to save paper on page 89 ), you must select a
different option:
● In the Embedded Web Server:  select Job management > Use crop lines when nest
is enabled  > On.
● Using the front panel:  select the Setup menu icon 
, then Job management  > Nest
options  > Enable crop lines  > On.
Rotate an image
By default, images are printed with  their shorter sides parallel to the leading edge of the paper, like
this:
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							You may wish to rotate your images by 90 degrees in  order to save paper, like this:
You can do this in the following ways:
●
In the Windows driver dialog:  select the Features tab, then  Rotate by 90 degrees .
● In the Mac OS Print dialog:  go to the Finishing  panel and select Rotate by 90 degrees .
● On the Embedded Web Servers Submit Job page:  select Advanced settings > Roll
options  > Rotate .
● In the front panel:  select the Setup menu icon 
, then Printing preferences  > Paper
options  > Rotate .
NOTE: If rotation is set from your computer, it  overrides the setting in the front panel.
NOTE:When you rotate a job, the page length may be  increased to avoid clipping, because the top
and bottom margins are usually larger than the side margins.
NOTE: If you rotate an image to la ndscape whose original orientation  was portrait, the paper may
not be wide enough for the image. For example,  rotating a portrait D/A1-size image on D/A1-size
paper by 90 degrees will probably exceed the wi dth of the paper. If you are using the Embedded
Web Server, the preview screen will co nfirm this with a warning triangle.
Autorotate
The Autorotate option automatically rota tes jobs by 90 degrees if doing so will save paper.
ENWW Rotate an image
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							Autorotation allows you to defer the decision of ro tating a page until printing time. This may be useful if
you routinely work with different ro ll sizes and want to ensure that jobs will not be clipped or waste
unnecessary paper width if and when roll conditions change.
TIP: Autorotation is particularly useful when combined with the  Minimize paper waste roll
switching option (see 
Roll switching options on page 25 ).
To enable autorotation:
●
In the Windows driver dialog:  select the Features tab, then  Autorotate .
● In the Mac OS Print dialog:  go to the Finishing  panel and select Autorotate .
● On the Embedded Web Servers Submit Job page:  select Advanced settings > Roll
options  > Autorotate .
● In the front panel:  select the Setup menu icon 
, then Job management  > Autorotate .
NOTE:If autorotation is set from your computer,  it overrides the setting in the front panel.
NOTE:The autorotate decision requires known job dimens ions. Therefore, printing does not start until
the job has been completely pr ocessed, regardless of the When to Start Printing  setting (see 
Select
when to print a job in the queue on page 107); and, if you request  Autorotate and Remove
blank areas , only the latter will be done.
TIP:Once the job is rendered and ready for repr ints, autorotation may take a few minutes,
depending on job dimensions and resolution. To spee d up autorotated reprints, send the job to render
when the roll configuration meets your planned scen ario, and leave last-minute autorotation only to
correct unexpected changes in roll conditions.  This applies to TIFF/JPEG/PS/PDF jobs only.
Print in gray shades
You can convert all colors in your image to shades of gray in the following ways:
●
In your application program:  many programs provide this option.
● In the Windows driver dialog:  go to the Color tab and look at the Color Options section.
Select Print in Grayscale .
● In the Mac OS X Print dialog:  go to the Color Options  panel and select  Grayscale from
the Mode drop-down list.
● On the Embedded Web Servers Submit Job page:  select Color > Color/Grayscale  >
Print in grayscale .
Use paper economically
Here are some recommendations for  making economical use of paper:
● If you are printing relatively small images or 
document pages, you can use nesting to print them
side by side instead of  one after another. See 
Nest jobs to save paper on page 89.
● If you are printing multipage documents with rela
tively small pages, you can print up to 16 of
them on one sheet of paper. Use the Pages per sheet option in the  Features tab (Windows
driver) or the  Layout panel (Mac OS driver).
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							●You may be able to save some pa
per by using the following options:
◦ In the Windows driver dialog:  select the Features tab and then  Remove Blank
Areas  and/or  Rotate by 90 degrees  or Autorotate .
◦ In the Mac OS Print dialog: select the  Finishing panel, then  Remove Blank Areas
and/or  Rotate by 90 degrees  or Autorotate .
◦ On the Embedded Web Servers Submit Job page: select  Advanced settings >
Roll options  > Remove blank areas  and/or Rotate.
● If you check the print preview on your computer before printing, you can sometimes avoid wasting
paper on prints containi
ng obvious mistakes. See 
Preview a print on page 85.
The Remove Blank Areas  option removes blank areas from the top and bottom of the print, so that
less paper is used in printing. If  you are using HP-GL/2, this option also removes blank areas from the
sides of the print.
Nest jobs to save paper
Nesting means automatically printing  images or document pages side by side on the paper, rather than
one after the other. This is done to avoid wasting paper.
1. Direction of paper flow
2. Nesting off
3. Nesting on
4. Paper saved by nesting
How to use nesting
Here are some general guidelines for using nesting:
●To enable nesting, use the front panel (Job
 Management menu) or the Embedded Web Server
(Setup tab).
● If you are working with batches of jobs  with the same format, choose nesting In order. This will
close the nest as the first file with a new format arrives.
ENWW Nest jobs to save paper
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							●If you are working with mixed file formats, choose nesting  Optimized. This option will nest
compatible pages in the queue, allowing for a ga p of up to 3 incompatible pages before closing
the nest (See nesting compatibility below).
● For the jobs you want nested 
together, choose common values you will be using and create
presets. You can use the Embedded Web Servers  Manage Presets tab to save your presets.
NOTE:If you have a multiroll printer with nesting enabled, your printer will do its best to save paper.
This means that the roll on which le ss paper is wasted will be chosen regardless of the roll switching
option you have selected (see 
Roll switching options on page 25).
NOTE: The printer will nest up to eight compatible jobs in a row.
TIP:Use the paper mismatch action  Print anyway to minimize paper waste by skipping paper
source or paper type restrictions. For a more fine -grained nesting of jobs based on desired paper
source or type, use the  Put job on hold paper mismatch action.
TIP: If you have a roll that is expensive or for spec ial purposes only, use roll protection so that jobs
with unspecified paper type and source will no t be able to use your special roll (see 
Roll protection
on page 91).
Nesting wait time
When a job is ready to print, if  Nesting is enabled, the printer will wait for more jobs to arrive in
order to nest them together. You can change this wa iting time from the front panel: select the Setup
menu icon 
, then  Job management options  > Nest options  > Select wait time .
You can also cancel nest  waiting by pressing the Form feed and cut key on the front panel.
Nesting compatibility
Because nested pages must be printed all at the  same time, they are required to share a common
printing format before they can be  nested together. If you routinely work with one or two file formats,
and print most of your jobs with the same settings,  you dont need to take any extra action to ensure
nesting compatibility. Otherwise, if you wa nt to minimize paper waste using nesting:
● Save your settings in  presets, using the Embedded Web Servers  Manage presets tab. You can
save:
◦ Print-quality settings ( Print quality, Max detail , More passes )
◦ Color and color adjustment settings (see 
Color adjustment options on page 97
)
◦ Layout and mechanical settings ( Margins, Mirror , Cutter )
● All pages must be in one or other of the following three groups (a single nest must contain
members of only one group):
◦ TIFF and JPEG, which can nest together
 even with different input profiles
◦ PostScript and PDF
◦ HP-GL/2 using the same color space (sRGB/aRGB/dRGB)
NOTE:
CALS/G4 pages do not nest.
NOTE:JPEG and TIFF pages with resolutions greater  than 300 dpi may not nest with other pages in
some cases.
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							Use ink economically
Here are some recommendations for making economical use of ink.
●For draft prints, use plain paper 
and move the print-quality slider to the left end of the scale
(Speed). For further economy, select cu stom print quality options, then select Fast and
EconoMode .
● Clean the printheads only when needed, and clea
n only those printheads that need cleaning.
Cleaning the printheads can be useful, but it uses ink.
● Leave the printer permanently turned on so that it
 can maintain the printheads in good condition
automatically. This regular printhead maintenance uses a small amount of ink. However, if it is not
done, the printer may need to us e much more ink later to restore the health of the printheads.
● Wide prints make more efficient use of ink th
an narrow prints, because printhead maintenance
uses some ink, and its frequenc y is related to the number of passes made by the printheads.
Therefore, nesting jobs can save in k as well as saving paper (see 
Nest jobs to save paper
on page 89).
Roll protection
If you choose to protect a roll, jobs will be printed  on it only if the job explicitly specifies the roll
number or the paper type loaded on the roll. This  may be useful, for example, in the following cases.
● To stop people from accidentally printing unimportant jobs on expensive paper.
● To avoid printing on a particular roll when printi
ng from AutoCAD without interacting with the HP
printer driver.
To protect a roll, go to the front pa nel and select the Setup menu icon 
, then Printing
preferences >  Paper options > Roll protection .
NOTE:If you protect a roll, then later unload the current roll and load a new one, the new roll
remains protected. You are protecting the roll numb er, not one specific roll of paper. That roll number
will remain protected until you cancel the protection.
TIP: If you print without specifying a roll number or  paper type, you will not be able to print on any
protected roll.
Unattended printing/overnight printing
Here are some recommend ations to help you to deal with a long queue of printing jobs.
● If feasible, use brand-new long rolls of paper.
● If you want to print on partly-used rolls, you 
can check the paper type and the remaining length in
the Embedded Web Server or in th e front panel, to confirm that you have enough paper to print
all your jobs.
NOTE: Information on the remaining length is availabl e only if you told the printer the length of
the roll when you loaded it, or if the printer read  the length of the roll from the barcode printed on
it.
● Load two rolls of paper suitable for your jobs. If
 the printer finishes one roll, it will automatically
switch to the other.
ENWW Use ink economically
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							●Check that you have paper wide enough to print a
ll of your jobs. Any jobs that are too wide may
be put “on hold for paper” if the  paper mismatch action is set to Put job on hold  (see 
Paper
mismatch action on page 25).
● Check the ink levels remainin
g in your ink cartridges.
● When you have submitted your print jobs, you 
can use the Embedded Web Server from a remote
location to monitor their status.
● Drying time should be set to  Automatic.
● For high throughput, sele ct the Setup menu icon 
, then Printing preferences  > Paper
options  > Roll switching options  > Minimize roll changes  or Use roll with less
paper .
● For economical use of paper, select the Setup menu icon 
, then  Printing preferences  >
Paper options  > Roll switching options  > Minimize paper waste  and Autorotate
On .
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