HP DesignJet Z6100 PS A0 User Manual

							the need to handle the test print, provides repeatable drying times, and allows fast measurements with
precise electromechanical positioning of the spectrophotometer over the color patch. This provides
unprecedented ease of use and matches or exceeds the performance of more expensive offline, handheld
profiling systems.
A summary of the color-management process
To get the accurate and consistent  colors that you want, follow these steps for each paper type that you
use.
1 . If the printer does not recognize your paper type, 
add the type to the printers list of known papers.
See 
Use non-HP paper on page 47 . Typical users might add a few custom paper types every year.
2 . Color-calibrate the paper type to ensure consistent colors. Perform this calibration when a printer
alert recommends this calibratio
n (typically, every few weeks for each paper type you use). In
addition, calibrate immediately before a particularly  important print job in which color consistency
is vital.
3 . Color-profile the paper type to en
sure accurate colors. Profiling does not normally need to be
repeated; after you have a profile for a particular  paper type, you can continue to use it. However,
re-profiling does no harm, and some users repeat the profiling pr ocess every month to ensure that
the profile is up-to-date.
4 . When printing, select the correct color pr
ofile for the paper type that you are using.
Paper types that are defined in the printer also have  color profiles stored in the printer. However, HP
recommends that you calibrate the paper before using it.
If you define a new paper type, th e printer automatically leads you through calibration and profiling.
The following diagram shows the operations that the HP Color Center performs, in order.
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							NOTE:You can perform all three operations in se quence, as shown. You can also choose to
start with or stop after any of the three oper ations. However, color calibration is performed
automatically after you add a new paper type.
Color calibration
Your printer uses color calibration to produce consis tent colors with the specific printheads, inks, and
paper type that you are using, and in your particul ar environmental conditions. After color calibration,
you can expect to get identical prints from any two  different printers that are situated in different
geographical locations.
Calibration should be done in any of the following circumstances:
● Whenever a printhead is replaced
● Whenever a new paper type is introduced that ha
s not yet been calibrated with the current set of
printheads
● Whenever a certain amount of printing ha
s been done since the last calibration
● Whenever the printer has been turned off for a long period of time
● Whenever the environmental conditions (tempe
rature and humidity) change significantly
The printer usually reminds you with an alert whenever  you need to perform color calibration, unless you
have disabled the alerts. However,  if the environmental conditions change, the printer will not be aware
of it.
You can check the color calibration status of the currently loaded paper at any time by selecting the
 icon, and then selecting  View loaded paper > View paper details . The status can be one of
the following conditions:
● Pending: the paper has not been calibrated
NOTE:
Whenever you update the printers firmwa re, the color calibration status of all
papers is reset to PENDING. See 
Update the printer firmware on page 141 .
● Recommend: the printer software recommends that
 you calibrate the printer because it has
recognized a condition that  might require calibration
● Obsolete: the paper has been calibrated, but the 
calibration is now out of date and should be
repeated
● OK: the paper has been calibrated, and the calibration is up to date
● Disabled: this paper 
cannot be calibrated
NOTE:Colored papers; glossy canvas; and transpar ent materials such as translucent bond,
clear film, tracing paper; and vellum ar e not suitable for color calibration.
You can also check the color calibration status by us ing HP Easy Printer Care (Windows) or HP Printer
Utility (Mac OS).
Calibrate a paper type before creating its color prof ile. Later recalibration does not require a new color
profile.
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							You can start color calibration in the following ways:
●From the printer alert that recommends calibration
● From the HP Color Center: select  Calibrate Your Printer
● From the front panel: select the 
 icon, and then select  Image quality maintenance  >
Calibrate color
After launching calibration, the process is fully au tomatic and can be performed unattended after you
have loaded appropriate paper. The pape r must be at least 24 inches wide.
The process takes about 8 minutes and consists of the following steps.
1 . A calibration test chart is printed, which contai
ns patches of each ink that your printer uses.
2. To stabilize the colors, the test chart dries for a period of time that 
depends on the paper type.
3 . The HP Embedded Spectrophotometer 
scans and measures the test chart.
4 . The printer uses the measurements to calculate the 
necessary correction factors for consistent color
printing on that paper type. It al so calculates the maximum amount  of each ink that can be applied
to the paper.
Color profiling
NOTE: Color profiling information applies only to PostScript printers.
Color calibration provides consistent  colors, but consistent colors are not necessarily accurate colors.
In order to print accurate colors, convert the color values  in your files to the color values that will produce
the correct colors when using your printer, your inks, and your paper. An ICC color profile is a description
of a printer, ink, and paper combination that cont ains all the information for these color conversions.
When you have defined and calibrated  a new paper type, the printer is ready to create a ICC profile for
use with your paper, which allows you to print on it with the best po ssible color accuracy. Alternatively,
if your paper type is already known to the prin ter, you already have its appropriate ICC profile.
Create your own profile
Create a color profile easily by using the HP Color Center to select  Create and Install ICC Profile.
The printer prompts for information about the paper , and then creates and installs the new profile
automatically.
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							The process takes about 15 to 20 minutes and consists of the following steps.
1 . A profiling test chart is printed, which contains pat
ches of each ink used in your printer. Unlike a
calibration test chart, most of th e patches contain combinations of ink.
NOTE:To use a longer drying time, instruct the HP Color Center to create the test chart
without creating a profile (Windows: select  Print target only; Mac OS: select Print ICC
profiling chart ). Later, when the chart is completely  dry, restart the HP Color Center and
request a profile that uses the test chart th at you have already created (Windows: select
Create ICC profile from a target that has already been printed ; Mac OS:
select  Scan ICC profiling chart and create ICC profile ). The scan will begin after the
spectrophotome ter warms up.
2. The HP Embedded Spectrophotometer scans and measures the test chart.
3 . The printer uses the measurements 
to calculate the necessary correction factors for consistent color
printing on that paper type. It also calculates th e maximum amount of each ink that can be applied
to the paper.
4 . The new ICC profile is stored in the correct syst
em folder on your computer, where your software
programs can find it.
The profile is also stored in the printer so other computers that are connected  to the same printer can
copy it. A profile can be accessed and used as  soon as a job is submitted from the Embedded Web
Server. HP Easy Printer Care (Windows) or HP Printe r Utility (Mac OS) will notify you if your printer
has profiles that are not yet stored on your computer.
NOTE: You might need to quit and restart some prog rams in order to use a profile that has just
been created.
Use a third-party profile
If you have obtained an ICC profile through means othe r than using the printer’s built-in profiling software
(for instance from an Internet download or a third-pa rty profiling software package), you can install it for
use with your printer and paper.
NOTE: You can only import and export CMYK profiles.
The printer needs to know which pa per type the profile corresponds to. First select a paper type from the
list of papers that the printer recognizes. When selecting a paper type, try to pick one that resembles your
actual paper type as closely as possible. The paper  type determines the amount of ink that is used and
other basic printing parameters, so making a good ch oice here is fundamental to achieving good results
later on. If you find that you cannot obtain satisfactory re sults with the profile and paper type that you
picked, try selecting different types,  and use the one that works best.
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							If the paper that you are using is not listed, or if you cannot find a paper type that resembles yours closely
enough, you can define a new type. See 
Use non-HP paper on page 47 . The printer then calibrates itself
for use with that paper, after which you  can return to installing the ICC profile.
After you have selected the paper typ e, browse to the file that contains the ICC profile to use with your
printer and paper. Normally, ICC profile file names en d in the extension “.icc” (for International Color
Consortium) or “.icm” (for Image Color Matching). Th e profile is stored in the correct system folder on
your computer, and in the printer.
Profile your monitor
Also calibrate and profile your monitor (display device), so that the  colors you see on the screen relate
more closely to those that you see on yo ur prints. You can do this in two ways:
● Use your operating system. In the HP Color Center, select  How To Calibrate Your Display for
further information.
● Use the optional HP Advanced Profiling So
lution, which gives more accurate results.
HP Advanced Profiling Solution
HP and X-Rite have worked together to develo p the HP Advanced Profiling Solution, powered by
GretagMacbeth™ technology, which take s advantage of the spectrophotometer that is built into the printer
to provide a revolutionary end-to-end calibrated ICC color workflow.
The HP Advanced Profiling Solution,  tailored for HP printers, offers a powerful and automated, yet cost-
effective, color-management system with a fully streamlined workflow. This helps you to avoid the cost,
hassle, and delay of offline meas urement devices. Together, GretagMacbeth and HP provide a new tool
that designers, photographers, and other creative  professionals can use to generate proofs and photo-
quality prints accurately and consistently.
The Advanced Profiling Solution  includes the following features:
● The HP Colorimeter monitor calibrator, with whic
h you can accurately calibrate and profile all of
your monitors: LCD, CRT, and laptops
● An ICC profiling and editing software program that
 provides additional features and functionality
beyond those included in the HP Color Center
Use the Advanced Profiling Solution to perform the following tasks:
● See matching colors on your screen and printed paper.
● Edit your color profiles vi
sually for maximum control.
● Perform all operations easily using a step-by-step 
software interface—no extra manuals are needed.
● Generate color profiles for all yo
ur paper types, in RGB or CMYK.
The HP Advanced Profiling Solution  is fully supported by HP, so you do not need to deal with various
support organizations from different companies.
Key features
The HP Advanced Profiling Solution he lps you take control of your colors:
● Calibrate and profile all of your 
monitors: LCD, CRT, and laptop.
● Perform an automated CMYK profiling through the HP
 software drivers to ensure accurate printing
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							●Perform an automated CMYK profiling when your prin
ter is driven by a Raster Image Processor (RIP)
for accurate digital prints and proofs.
● Edit your profiles easily and visually for ultimate color control.
Color-management options
The aim of color management is to reproduce colors as
 accurately as possible on all devices, so that when
you print an image, you see very similar colors as  when you view the same image on your monitor.
The following are two basic app roaches to color management:
● Application-Managed Colors : your software program converts the colors of your image to the
color space of your printer and paper type by usin g the ICC profile that is embedded in the image
and the ICC profile for your printer and paper type.
● Printer-Managed Colors : your software program sends your  image to the printer without any
color conversion, and the printer conv erts the colors to its own color space. The details of this process
depend on the graphics la nguage that you are using.
● PostScript : the PostScript interpreter  module inside the printer performs the color conversion
by using the profiles that are stored in the prin ter and the ones that are sent with the PostScript
job. This kind of color manage ment is done when you are using the PostScript driver and you
specify printer color management, or when you se nd a PostScript or PDF file directly to the
printer through the Embedded Web Se rver. In either case you have to select the profiles to use
as default (in case the job does not specif y any) and the rendering intent to apply.
● Non-Postscript (PCL, RTL, HP-GL/2) : the color management is done by using a set of
stored color tables. ICC profiles are not used. Th is method is somewhat less versatile than the
previous methods, but is a little simpler and fast er, and can produce good results with standard
HP paper types. This kind of  color management is done when you are using a non-PostScript
driver and you specify printer color management, or  when you send a non-PostScript file directly
to the printer through th e Embedded Web Server.
NOTE:The printer can convert only two color spac es to its own color space by using the
stored color tables: Adobe RGB and sRGB if you are using Windows, and Adobe RGB and
CYMK if you are using Mac OS
You are recommended to consult the HP Knowledge Center at http://www.hp.com/go/
knowledge_center/djz6100/  to see how to use the color-management  options in your particular software
program.
Select  Application-Managed Colors and  Printer-Managed Colors according to the place you
want to establish the setting:
● In the Windows driver:  click the Color tab.
● In the Mac OS Print dialog box:  select the Color Options  panel.
● In some applications:  make this selection in the application.
Color adjustment options
The objective of color management is  to print accurate colors. Perform color management correctly to print
accurate colors withuot manual color adjustments. Ho wever, manual adjustments might be useful in the
following situations:
● Your color management is not providing accurate colors
● You want colors that are subjective
ly pleasing rather than accurate
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							You can adjust the colors of your print in similar ways In Windows and Mac OS:
●In the Windows driver:  click the Color tab, and then select  Print in color. Make sure that
the  Advanced Color Adjustments  check box is selected, and then click the  Settings button.
● In the Mac OS Print dialog box:  select the Color options  panel, and then select  CMYK
Settings.
In either operating system, you can make adjustments  by using the black slider and the three color sliders.
●Use the black slider to make the 
entire print lighter or darker.
● Use the color sliders to fade or emphasize each of 
the primary colors in the print. The primary colors
are red, green, and blue or cyan, magenta, and yellow, depending on the color model that is used
in the image.
Perform black point compensation
NOTE: This option is available only when printing a PostScript, PDF, TIFF, or JPEG job.
The black point compensation option controls whethe r to adjust for differences in black points when
converting colors between color spac es. When this option is selected, the full dynamic range of the source
space is mapped into the full dynamic range of the destination space. It can be very useful in preventing
blocking shadows when the black point of the source  space is darker than that of the destination space.
This option is allowed only when the relative  colorimetric rendering intent is selected. See 
Set the rendering
intent on page 116.
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							Black point compensation can be specified in the following ways:
●With a Windows PostScript printer driver: click the  Color tab, and then select  Black point
compensation .
● With a Mac OS printer driver: select the  Color Options panel, and then select  Black point
compensation .
● Through the Embedded Web Server: select the  Submit Job page, and then select  Color > Black
point compensation .
● On the front panel: select the 
 icon, and then select  Printing preferences  > Color
options  > Black point compensation .
Set the rendering intent
NOTE:This option is available only when printing a PostScript, PDF, TIFF, or JPEG job.
Rendering intent is one of the settings available when  doing a color transformation. Because some of the
colors you want to print might not be  reproducible by the printer, using the rendering intent allows you to
select one of four different ways of handling these out-of-gamut colors.
● Saturation (graphics) : best used for presentation graphics,  charts, or images that are made up
of bright, saturated colors
● Perceptual (images) : best used for photographs or images in which colors blend together. This
setting attempts to preserve  the overall color appearance.
● Relative colorimetric (proofing) : best used when you want to match a particular color. This
method is mainly used for proofing. It guarantees th at if a color can be printed accurately, it will be
printed accurately. The other methods provide a more  pleasing range of colors but do not guarantee
that any particular color will be pr inted accurately. This option maps  the white of the input space to
the white of the paper on which you are printing.
● Absolute colorimetric (proofing) : this option is the same as relative colorimetric, but without
mapping of the white. This renderin g is also used mainly for proofing, where the goal is to simulate
the output of one printer (including its white point).
The rendering intent can be sp ecified in the following ways:
● With a Windows PostScript printer driver: click the  Color tab, and then select  Rendering
intent .
● With a Mac OS printer driver: select the  Color Options panel, and then select  Rendering
intent .
● Through the Embedded Web Server: select the Submit Job  page, and then select Color >
Rendering intent.
● On the front panel: select the 
 icon, then Printing preferences  > Color options > Select
rendering intent.
HP Professional PANTONE* Emulation
When you use a named PANTONE* color in an image, your software program normally sends a CMYK
or RGB approximation to that color to the printer. Ho wever, instead of taking the printer or the paper type
into account, the software merely produces a generic approximation of  the PANTONE* color, that looks
different on different printers and on different papers.
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							HP Professional PANTONE* Emulation takes into account the characteristics of the printer and the paper
type. The results look as similar to the original PANT ONE* colors as is possible on a given printer using
a given paper type. This technology  is designed to produce emulations that are similar to those that
prepress professionals establish.
To use HP Professional PANTONE* Emulation, just turn it on.
● With the Windows PostScript printer driver: click the  Color tab, and then select  HP Professional
PANTONE Emulation .
● With a Mac OS printer driver: select the  Color Options panel, and then select HP Professional
PANTONE Emulation .
● Through the Embedded Web Server: select the  Submit Job page, and then select  Color > HP
Professional PANTONE Emulation .
● On the front panel: select the 
 icon, and then select Printing preferences  > Color
options  > Black point compensation .
NOTE:HP Professional PANTONE* Em ulation is available only when printing a PostScript or
PDF job.
You can also use the Embedded Web Se rver to print a swatch book that shows emulations of PANTONE*
colors from your printer, along with  a measure of the color difference (ΔE) between each emulation and
the original PANTONE* spot color. HP Professional  PANTONE* Emulation not only provides the closest
match that can be achieved on yo ur printer; but also provides clear information about how close the
emulation is to the original spot color.
To print a swatch book, click the Embedded Web Server  Main tab, and then select  HP Professional
PANTONE* Emulation . Select the PANTONE* stock to emulate,  and then select the PANTONE* colors
that you want to print. When you have selected all the colors that you want, click the  Print button.
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							Color emulation modes
If you want to print a particular print job and to see approximately the same colors that you would get
from printing the same job on a different HP Design jet series printer, use the printers emulation mode.
NOTE:Color emulations do  not apply to TIFF and JPEG jobs.
●
In the Windows driver: click the Color  tab, select Printer Managed Colors , and then select
Printer Emulation  from the Source profile  drop-down menu. Then select from the Emulated
printer  drop-down menu.
● In the Mac OS  Print dialog box: select the  Color Options panel, and then select  Printer
Emulation . Then select from the  Emulated printer drop-down menu.
● On the front panel: select the 
 icon, and then select  Printing preferences  > Color
options  > Emulate Printer .
● Through the Embedded Web Server: select the Submit Job  page, and then Job settings >
Advanced settings  > Color  > Color management  and the desired emulation mode.
You can emulate the following printers:
● HP Designjet 1050c Plus
● HP Designjet 1055cm Plus
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