HP DesignJet Z3100 24 User Manual

							●If you are trying to print a very long image on a roll, check that your software is capable of printing
an image of that size.
●You may have asked to rotate the page from portrait to landscape on a paper size that is not wide
enough.
●If necessary, reduce the size of the image or document in your software application, so it fits between
the margins.
There is another possible explanation for a clipped image. Some applications, such as Adobe Photoshop,
Adobe Illustrator, and CorelDRAW, use an internal 16-bit coordinate system which means that they cannot
handle an image of more than 32,768 pixels. If you try to print an image larger than this from these
applications, the bottom of the image will be clipped. To print the whole image, try these suggestions:
●Try using the PostScript printer driver to print your job, if you have not already tried it.
●Reduce the resolution so that the whole image requires fewer than 32,768 pixels. The PCL and HP-
GL/2 drivers for Windows include an option called 16-bit App. Compatibility, which can be
used to reduce the resolution of such images automatically. You can find this option in the
Advanced tab, under Document Options > Printer Features.
●Save the file in another format, such as TIFF or EPS, and open it with another application.
●Use a RIP to print the file.
Some objects are missing from the printed image
Large quantities of data may be necessary to print a high-quality large-format print job, and in some
specific workflows there may be issues that can lead to some objects missing from the output. Here are
some suggestions to help you to avoid this problem.
●Try using the PostScript printer driver to print your job, if you have not already tried it.
●Select a smaller page size and scale to the desired final page size in the driver or in the front panel.
●Save the file in another format, such as TIFF or EPS, and open it with another application.
●Use a RIP to print the file.
●Reduce the resolution of bitmap images in your application software.
●Select a lower print quality in order to reduce the resolution of the printed image.
●In the Advanced tab of the PCL or HP-GL/2 driver dialog for Windows, select Document
options, Printer features, then:
●Set Send job as bitmap to Enabled (HP-GL/2 driver only).
●Set 16-bit App. Compatibility to Enabled.
●Set Max. Application resolution to 300.
NOTE:The above settings are mentioned for troubleshooting purposes and may adversely
affect the final output quality or the time necessary to generate the print job. Therefore, they
should be restored to their default values if they do not help to solve the problem.
A PDF file is clipped or objects are missing
In older versions of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader, large PDF files could be clipped or lose some objects
when printing with the HP-GL/2 driver at high resolution. In order to avoid such problems, upgrade your
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							Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader software to the latest version. From version 7 onwards, these problems
should be solved.
The Image Diagnostics Print
The Image Diagnostics Print consists of patterns designed to highlight printhead reliability problems. It
helps you to check the performance of the printheads that are currently installed in your printer, and
whether any printhead suffers from clogging or other problems.
To print the Image Diagnostics Print:
1.Use the same paper type that you were using when you detected a problem.
2.Use the View loaded paper key on the front panel to check that the selected paper type is the same
as the paper type loaded into the printer.
3.
At the printers front panel, select the Image Quality Maintenance menu icon 
, then Print
diagnostic image.
It takes about two minutes to print the Image Diagnostics Print.
The print is divided into two parts, both of which test printhead performance.
●Part 1 (top) consists of rectangles of pure colors, one for each printhead. This part represents the
print quality that you will get from each color.
●Part 2 (bottom) consists of small dashes, one for each nozzle on each printhead. This part
complements the first, and aims more specifically to detect how many faulty nozzles each printhead
has.
Please look carefully at the print. The names of the colors are shown above the rectangles and in the center
of the patterns of dashes.
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							First look at the upper part of the print (part 1). Each colored rectangle should be a uniform color without
any horizontal lines across it.
Then look at the bottom part of the print (part 2). For each individual colored pattern, check that most of
the dashes are present.
If you see horizontal lines in part 1 and also missing dashes in part 2 for the same color, the printhead
responsible needs cleaning. However, if the rectangles look solid, do not worry about just a few missing
dashes in part 2; these are acceptable because the printer can compensate for a few clogged nozzles.
Here is an example of a light gray printhead in a good state:
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							And here is an example of the same printhead in a bad state:
The gloss enhancer (E) cannot be seen when printed on its own, because it is a clear fluid. To make it
visible in the Image Diagnostics Print, it is printed over gray ink (G).
●In part 1 (top), the gloss enhancer is seen as a slightly different gray inner section of a gray rectangle.
On some papers the inner section may look darker, on other papers it may look lighter.
●In part 2 (bottom), the small dashes of gloss enhancer, one for each nozzle of the printhead, are
seen as small lighter gray dashes on top of a gray area.
On most plain and coated papers the gloss enhancer can barely be seen, so such papers are not suitable
for troubleshooting the gloss enhancer.
Corrective action
1.Clean any faulty printheads (see Clean the printheads on page 179). Then reprint the Image
Diagnostics Print to see whether the problem has been solved.
2.If the problem remains, clean the printheads again, and reprint the Image Diagnostics Print to see
whether the problem has been solved.
3.If the problem remains, consider cleaning your printheads manually (see 
Clean the printheads
on page 179). You could also try reprinting your current print job, in case it now prints satisfactorily.
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							4.If the problem remains, try cleaning the printhead drop detector. The printer normally notifies you
when this is necessary, but it may be worth trying even if the printer has not suggested it. See 
Clean
the printhead drop detector on page 180.
5.If the problem still remains, replace any persistently faulty printheads (see 
Handling ink cartridges
and printheads on page 117), or contact HP Support (see Contact HP Support on page 200).
If you still have a problem
If you still experience print-quality problems after applying the advice in this chapter, here are some further
things that you can do:
●Try using a higher print-quality option. See 
Printing on page 45.
●Check the driver you are using to print with. If it is a non-HP driver, consult the driver vendor about
the problem. You could also try using the correct HP driver, if feasible. The latest HP drivers can be
downloaded from 
http://www.hp.com/go/designjet/.
●If you are using a non-HP RIP, its settings may be incorrect. See the documentation that came with
the RIP.
●Check that your printers firmware is up to date. See 
Update the firmware on page 136.
●Check that you have the right settings in your software application.
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							14
Troubleshooting ink cartridge and
printhead issues
●Cannot insert an ink cartridge
●
Ink cartridge status messages
●
Cannot insert a printhead
●
The front-panel display recommends reseating or replacing a printhead
●
Clean the printheads
●
Clean the printhead drop detector
●
Align the printheads
●
Printhead status messages
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							Cannot insert an ink cartridge
1.Check that you have the correct type of cartridge (model number).
2.Check that the colored label on the cartridge is the same color as the label on the slot.
3.Check that the cartridge is correctly oriented, with the letter or letters marking the cartridge label
right-side up and readable.
CAUTION:Never clean inside the ink cartridge slots.
Ink cartridge status messages
These are the possible ink cartridge status messages:
●OK: the cartridge is working normally, with no known problems.
●Missing: there is no cartridge present, or it is not correctly connected to the printer.
●Low: the ink level is low.
●Very low: the ink level is very low.
●Empty: the cartridge is empty.
●Reseat: you are recommended to remove the cartridge and then reinsert it.
●Replace: you are recommended to replace the cartridge with a new cartridge.
●Altered: there is something unexpected about the cartridges status.
●Expired: it is past the cartridges expiration date.
Cannot insert a printhead
1.Check that you have the correct type of printhead (model number).
2.Check that you have removed the two orange protective caps from the printhead.
3.Check that the colored label on the printhead is the same color as the label on the slot.
4.Check that the printhead is correctly oriented (compare with the others).
5.Check that you have correctly closed and latched the carriage lid, see Insert a printhead
on page 125.
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							The front-panel display recommends reseating or
replacing a printhead
1.From the front panel, turn the power off then on.
2.Check the front-panel display message, if it shows the ready message, the printer is ready to print.
If the problem remains continue with the next step.
3.Remove the printhead, see 
Remove a printhead on page 122.
4.Clean the electrical connections on the backside of the printhead with a lint free cloth. You can
carefully use de-ionized or distilled water if moisture is needed to remove residue. Do not use water.
CAUTION:This is a delicate process and may damage the printhead. Do not touch the
nozzles on the bottom side of the printhead, especially not with any alcohol.
5.Reinsert the printhead, see Insert a printhead on page 125.
6.Check the front-panel display message. If the problem remains, try a new printhead.
Clean the printheads
As long as the printer is kept turned on, an automatic cleaning is performed periodically. This ensures
there is fresh ink in the nozzles and prevents nozzle clogs, which ensures color accuracy. If you have not
already done so, please see 
The Image Diagnostics Print on page 172 before proceeding.
To clean the printheads, press the Menu key to return to the main menu and select the Image Quality
Maintenance menu icon 
, then Clean printheads. If you have gone through the Image Quality
Diagnostic print process, you know which colors are failing. Select the pair of printheads which contain
the failing colors. If you are not sure which colors to clean, you can also select to clean all printheads.
Cleaning all printheads takes about 10 minutes. Cleaning a single pair of printheads takes about six
minutes.
NOTE:Cleaning all printheads uses more ink than cleaning a single pair.
If you have cleaned the printheads using the Clean printheads procedure from the front panel and are
still experiencing image quality problems, you can try cleaning the printhead nozzles manually using the
following procedure.
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							CAUTION:This is a delicate process and may damage the printhead. Do not touch the electrical
connections on the backside of the printhead.
First, remove the printhead, see Remove a printhead on page 122, and then use a cotton swab and a
little de-ionized or distilled water to clean the bottom of the printhead until the residue is removed.
Clean the printhead drop detector
The printhead drop detector is a sensor that detects which nozzles on the printheads are not printing in
order to substitute them for good printing nozzles. If particles, such as fibers, hair, or paper pieces, block
the sensor print-quality is affected.
When the front panel displays a warning message that the clean process is needed, you are recommended
to clean the printhead drop detector. If you do not clean the printhead drop detector immediately, the
printer continues working normally, however, the front panel display continues to show the warning.
CAUTION:Wear gloves to avoid getting ink on your hands.
1.Turn off the printer at the front panel.
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