HP Designjet Z6100ps 60 User Manual

							How long does the printer wait for another file?
So that the printer can make the best nest possible, it waits after receiving a file to determine whether a
subsequent page will nest with it. This waiting period  is the nest wait time; the factory default nest wait
time is 2 minutes. This means that the printer waits up to 2 minutes after the last file is received before
printing the final nest.
You can change this waiting time on the printers front panel. Select the 
 icon, and then select  Job
management options  > Nest options  > Select wait time . The available range is 1 to 99 minutes.
NOTE:Nesting requires that you set the  When to start printing feature to After
processing . To do so, select the 
 icon, and then select  Job management options >
When to start printing  and select After processing .
While the printer is waiting for nest ing to time out, the remaining time appears on the front panel. You
can print the nest (cancel the nest wait time) by pressing the  Cancel button.
Which pages can be nested?
All pages can be nested unless they  are so large that two of them cannot fit side-by-side on the roll, or
more pages remain that can fit on the remaining length of the roll. A single group of nested pages cannot
be split between two rolls.
Configure the nesting option
On the printers fron t panel: select the  icon, and then select  Job management options  > Nest
options  > Enable nesting  and select Off, In order , or Optimized order.
The following are three nesting options:
● Off
Select the  Off setting to disable the nesting feature.
● In order
Pages are nested on the roll in the same order in which they are submitted to the printer. The nest is
broken and printed as soon as  one of three conditions is met:
● The nest is full, meaning that the remaining paper
 on the roll is insufficient to accommodate the
next page that is submitted.
● The nesting timeout elapses.
● The next page to arrive is incompatible with the pages that are already nested.
For more information about the compatibility of a page, see 
How job compatibility is defined
on page 100 .
The advantage of In-order nesting is that the wait  time for pages to nest – and therefore the total
printing time – is typically redu ced because more conditions exist  to break the nest. The disadvantage
is that the nest is broken by the first incompatible  page submitted, even if a sufficient length of paper
and additional compatible pages are in the queue.  This means that a higher probability exists that
the paper will not be used efficiently.
● Optimized order
Manage print jobs 99
Print options
 
						

							Pages are nested on the roll independent of when they are submitted to the printer. An incompatible
page does not break a nest. Instead, the printer  waits for more compatible pages and queues the
incompatible pages until one  of three conditions is met:
● The nest is full, meaning that the remaining length of paper on the roll is too small to
accommodate the next page submitted
● The nesting timeout elapses
● The incompatible-page queue is full. The printer queues up to six incompatible pages while it
nests compatible pages. Upon receiving the sevent
h incompatible page, the nest is broken and
printed. Then the pages in the incompatible-page queue print.
For more information about the  compatibility of a job, see 
How job compatibility is defined
on page 100.
The advantage of Optimized order nesting is that it  typically wastes less paper because the nest is
not broken when an incompatible page is submitte d. The disadvantage is the overall printing time
is typically longer be cause the printer waits for compatible pages.
NOTE:Pages might not be printed in the order th at the were submitted to the printer when
the Optimized order option is selected.
How job compatibility is defined
In order to be in the same nest, the individual pages  must be compatible in all of the following ways:
● All pages must have the sa
me print-quality setting.
● The Maximum Detail  setting must be the same on all pages.
● The Mirror  setting must be the same for all pages.
● The Rendering Intent  must be the same for all pages.
● The Cutter  setting must be the same for all pages.
● The color adjustment settings must be the same for all pages. These are known as  Advanced Color
Settings  in the Windows driver, and  CMYK Settings in the Mac OS driver.
● Pages must be all color or a
ll grayscale. The pages cannot be a mix of color and grayscale.
● All pages must be in one of the following two groups; the two groups cannot be mixed in the same
nest:
●HP-GL/2, RTL, and CALS G4
● PostScript, PDF, TIFF, and JPEG
● JPEG, TIFF, and CALS G4 pages that have a reso
lution greater than 300 dpi might not nest with
other pages.
Nest with crop lines
Crop lines are lines that are printed onto the paper during a print job to indicate where the paper should
be cut to create a specific paper size. Crop lines can be printed for individual jobs or for multiple jobs
printed with the nesting feature.
NOTE: Selecting the crop lines option in the  Nest options menu overrides the setting in the
Printing options  menu for an individual job.
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Print options
 
						

							To print crop lines for multiple jobs printed with the nesting feature through the Embedded Web Server:
1 . Go to the Printer Settings page on the  Setup tab.
2 . Select  Printer settings  > Job management  and then select Yes from the  Nest drop-down menu.
3 . Go to the Submit Job  page on the Main tab.
4 . In the Job Settings  tree, select Advanced settings  > Roll options , and then select  Yes from
the  Enable crop lines  drop-down menu.
For information about how to print crop lines for individual jobs, see 
Print crop lines on page 84 .
Check ink and paper usage for a job
Two methods exist to check ink and paper usage for a job.
NOTE: The accuracy of the usage st atistics is not guaranteed.
Ink and paper statistics with HP Easy Prin ter Care (Windows) or HP Printer Utility
(Mac OS)
1 . Access HP Easy Printer Care (Windows) 
or HP Printer Utility (Mac OS). See HP Easy Printer Care
(Windows) or HP Printer Utility (Mac OS) setup options on page 25.
2 . Go to the Accounting  window to view information about the most recent jobs.
3 . In Windows, go to the  Job Accounting tab.
In Mac OS, select Information  > Job Accounting and click the Look Up button.
Printer statistics with the Embedded Web Server
To obtain printer statistics throug h the Embedded Web Server, go to the  Accounting page on the Main
tab and find the job for which you want information.
Request the printers internal prints
The internal prints provide various kinds of informatio n about your printer. Request these prints from the
front panel, without using a computer.
Before requesting any internal print, make sure that paper is loaded and that the  Ready message appears
on the front-panel display.
To print an internal print, select the 
 icon, Internal prints , and then select the type of internal print
that you want.
The following internal prints are available:
● Demo: shows some of the ca
pabilities of the printer
● Menu map: shows details of
 all the front-panel menus
● Configuration: shows all the current front-panel settings
● Usage report: shows estimates of th
e total number of prints, number of prints by paper type, number
of prints by print-quality option , and total amount of ink used per color. The accuracy of these
estimates is not guaranteed.
● HP-GL/2 palette: shows the color or grayscale de
finitions in the currently-selected color palette
Request the printers internal prints 101
Print options
 
						

							●PostScript font list: lists the PostScript fonts that 
are installed in the printer (PostScript printers only)
● Service information: provides informat
ion that service engineers require
Use paper economically
Here are some recommendations for making economical use of paper:
● If you are printing more than one job, consider 
nesting the jobs. Nesting means placing pages side-
by-side on the paper, rather than one after the other. See 
Nest jobs to save paper on page 98 .
● You might be able to save some paper by using the following options:
●
In the Windows HP-GL/2 or PostScript driver, select the  Features tab and then select  Remove
top/bottom blank areas  or Rotate by 90 degrees.
● In the Mac OS  Print dialog, select the  Finishing panel and then select  Remove top/
bottom blank areas  or Rotate by 90 degrees .
● If you preview the print on your computer before
 printing, you can sometimes avoid wasting paper
on prints that contain obvious mistakes. See 
Hold for preview on page 90.
NOTE: Be aware that when you submit more th an one job at a time by clicking the Add files
button in the Embedded Web Server, all of the jobs  that you submit will adopt the settings of the
final job that you submit. However, none of the jobs in the print queue are affected.
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 )
● 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 might use much more ink late r to restore the health of the printheads.
● Wide prints make more efficient use of ink than narrow prints
NOTE:
Be aware that when you submit more th an one job at a time by clicking the Add files
button in the Embedded Web Server, all of the jobs  that you submit will adopt the settings of the
final job that you submit. However, none of the jobs in the print queue are affected.
Change the graphic language setting
Unless you are troubleshooting one of the problems  mentioned in the following section, you should not
need to change the default  graphic language setting (Automatic). Avoid changing the setting because
setting a specific graphic language  means that you can print only files that have been created in that
language.
NOTE: Any setting selected in HP Easy Printer Care  (Windows) or HP Printer Utility (Mac OS)
overrides the setting sele cted on the front panel.
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Print options
 
						

							Use the front panel
To change the graphic language setting, select the  icon, and then select Printing preferences
>  Select graphics language, where the following options are available.
●
Select  Automatic  to allow the printer determine which type of  file it is receiving. This setting works
for most software programs.
● Select PS  if you are printing only PostScript files, and if your PostScript jobs do not start with the
standard PostScript header (%!PS) and do  not include PJL language-switching commands
Alternatively, select  PS if you have experienced problems whil e downloading PostScript fonts. In this
case, select  Automatic  again after you have downloaded the fonts.
If you are downloading fonts over a USB connection, select the 
 icon, and then select  Printing
preferences  > PS > Select encoding .
● Select  TIFF, JPEG , PDF, or  CALS G4  only if you are sending a file  of the appropriate type directly
to the printer without going through a printer driver . This is normally done only through the Embedded
Web Server, which sets the langua ge without user intervention.
NOTE:The PS and  PDF options are available with PostScript printers only.
Use the HP Easy Printer Care (Win dows) or HP Printer Utility (Mac
OS)
Change the graphic language setting from the HP Easy  Printer Care and HP Printer Utility by using the
following steps.
1 . In Windows, click the  Settings tab and then select  Printer settings > Printing preferences .
In Mac OS, select Configuration  and then select Printer settings  > Configure printer
settings  > Printing preferences .
2 . Select one of the following options:
●
Select  Automatic  to allow the printer determine which type  of file it is receiving. This setting
works for most software programs.  Automatic is the recommended value.
● Select  HP-GL/2  only if you are sending a file of the  appropriate type directly to the printer,
without going through a printer driver
Change the graphic language setting 103
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							7Color management
● What is color?
● The problem: color in the computer world
● The solution: color management
● Color and your printer
● A summary of the color-management process
● Color calibration
● Color profiling
● Color-management options
● Color adjustment options
● Perform black point compensation
● Set the rendering intent
● HP Professional PANTONE* Emulation
● Color emulation modes
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							What is color?
We see the world around us as steeped in color. Color is in the first instance simply an aspect of how we
experience our environment and is th erefore subjective. Our color experiences are closely related to brain
activity that is triggered by signals that our eyes  send to it. These signals undergo a complex and highly
interlinked sequence of processing stages that make the relationship between what our eyes emit and
what we experience anything but direct. The signals  sent by the eye depend on the light-sensitive cells
that line the back of our  eyes, and they belong to three types, each sensitive to electromagnetic radiation
of different physical properties (w avelengths). Such electromagnetic ra diation is called light and objects
appear to have certain colors beca use of how the objects interact with light (by emission, reflection,
absorption, transmission, scattering, etc.).
Our individual experiences of color are also affect ed by our previous experiences and memories and by
the way in which we put our experiences into langua ge. Finally, environmental factors such as changes
in lighting, scene content, or the proximity of other colors also have an effect, which makes the way in
which we view a given display or print an essential pa rt of the colors we see. Differences in all these
aspects (from physiological differences  between people, to differences in their past experiences, memories
and linguistic tendencies) can result  in people talking about colors differe ntly even in response to the same
light reflected from an single object. However, many similarities exist between how individuals experience
color. You can make very specific  judgments about color that others will also agree with when care is
taken in the process.  In conclusion we can say that color results  from the interaction between light, objects,
and a viewer, which makes it a very complex an d to a large degree subjective phenomenon.
The problem: color in the computer world
Color-imaging devices such as printers, displays, projectors, and televisions create colors by using
different methods and materials (col orants). Displays, for instance, use colorants that emit red (long
wavelength), green (medium  wavelength), and blue (short waveleng th) light. A white color requires all
three colorants and black requires that none of them  be used (i.e. that no light be emitted). Devices that
use light-emitting colorants are calle d additive, because the light from them is added together before it
enters a viewer’s eyes. Printers, on the other hand, us e materials that absorb parts of the light that shines
on them. They are called subtractive.  Typical prints use cyan (red absorbing), magenta (green absorbing),
and yellow (blue absorbing) inks and an additional blac k ink that absorbs light at all wavelengths. To get
white using a printer requires not absorbing any of th e light that illuminates a piece of paper and to get
black, all of the inks need to be used  to absorb all of the light that is present.
To control the output of color imaging devices,  the following color spaces are normally used:
● RGB (Red, Green, and Blue)  is the color space typically used for additive devices. A color is
represented as a combination of spec ific quantities of red, green, and blue colorants that create the
range of colors (color gamut) in the device.
NOTE: Colors in subtractive devices can also be controlled by using RGB data. Especially
when control over the printer’s black ink is  unnecessary, this is an efficient option.
●
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black)  is the color space for subtractive devices, such
as printers or presses. A color is represented as  a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
(K) inks, and combinations provide the en tire range of colors in the device.
What is color? 105
Color management
 
						

							Color spaces are only methods of controlling different color-imaging devices. They do not describe colors
directly. The same CMYK values, for example, create di fferent colors when sent to different printers that
use different inks and paper types. For example, consid er a printer that can use indoor inks or outdoor
inks. The printer (hardware) is the same, but it has tw o different color gamuts due to the different chemistry
of the inks (dye-based versus pigm ented). Furthermore, they need to work with different paper types, as
ink interaction with the paper depend s on its chemistry. Thus, the colors resulting from given CMYK values
depend on the types of inks and papers that you use  with a printer. If this is the case using the same
printer, you can easily imagine how different resu lts can be obtained with printers using different
technologies and therefore us ing different ink chemistry.
The same happens with RGB-controlled devices. For  example, imagine that two different monitors from
the same manufacturer have their white points at 9600  K and 6500 K, respectively. Their colors are going
to be different because they will be  related to a different white point reference. The situation varies even
more among monitors from different  manufacturers. To emulate the standard color temperature of the
graphic-arts industry, set the white point of  your monitor to 5000 K (also called D50).
NOTE:The white point is the brightest neutral color th at a device can reproduce or that is present
in an image. The human visual system automati cally adapts to the content of an image based on
its white point.
An RGB image, such as an image obtained from a d igital camera and edited on a monitor, must first be
converted to CMYK before printing. Different devices  do not give access to the same color gamuts: some
colors that can be shown on a display cannot be matc hed in print, and vice versa. The following figure
illustrates how the human eye perceive s a larger range of colors than a typical display or printer. It also
shows that the color gamuts in tw o different types of color-imaging  devices do not match each other.
1. All colors
2 . Computer monitor gamut
3 . CMYK press gamut
Some color spaces are not device-dependent, but in stead represent how a viewer sees colors, such as
CIE Lab or CIECAM02. These colo r spaces are defined by the CIE (Commission Internationale de
l’Éclairage). The advantage of these spaces is that if two objects have  the same CIELAB values, they look
the same when viewed under the same conditions. Valu es in these spaces can be obtained from measuring
the light emitted or reflected by an object.
106 Chapter  7   Color management
Color management
 
						

							The solution: color management
Many colors from an RGB-controlled device cannot be reproduced in a CMYK-controlled device, and vice
versa. These colors are called “out-of-gamut” colors.
1 . Describe the color behavior of a device as  accurately as possible by using an ICC
profile.  The color behavior of a device can be  described by taking various RGB or CMYK
combinations, sending them to a de vice, measuring the resulting output, and expressing it in a device-
independent color space (for example, CIE Lab). The re sulting relationship is stored in an ICC profile,
which is a standard file that translates the co lor space of a device(CMYK or RGB) to a device-
independent color space (for example CIE Lab). The  process of generating an ICC profile is called
profiling.
2 . Convert colors as effectively as possib le by using a Color Management System
(CMS).  A CMS is software that uses information from  ICC profiles to transform the color space of
one device (defined by a source profile) into  the color space of another device (defined by a
destination profile). In this solution, difficulties ar ise with the colors that exist in the gamut that one
device uses and that the other does not use.
The following four settings describe and CMS:
● CMS:  Color Management System. The software that co nverts the color information that is stored in
the input image (defined by a source profile) into  an output image that has the color space specified
by a destination profile. Many different CMSs are  on the market: in software programs, in operating
systems, and in printing software, including the HP Designjet Z6100 internal RIP.
● Source profile:  a description of the color behavior of the input device
● Destination profile:  a description of the color behavior of the output device
● Rendering intent:  the most difficult challenge in color ma nagement is when a color in the source
gamut does not correspond directly to a color in the destination gamut. When a perfect match is not
possible, choices must be made about how to treat gamut differences. These choices are called
rendering intent. There are four different possibilit ies depending on the final output that you want to
achieve.
● Use Perceptual  for the most pleasing final output. It is suitable for photographic content.
● Use Saturation  for vivid final output. It is suitable fo r business graphics (charts, presentations,
and so on), but is not reco mmended for color matching.
● Use Relative Colorimetric  for press proofing. This render ing intent provides a match for
colors that are inside both the source and de stination gamuts, and minimizes differences when
a match is not possible.
● Use Absolute Colorimetric  for press proofing (like Relative Colorimetric), when you also
want to simulate the color of the source’s paper.
The solution: color management 107
Color management
 
						

							The following are the most commonly used device color spaces and profiles:
● RGB mode:
●
sRGB (sRGB IEC61966-2.1):  for images that typically originate from consumer digital
cameras and scanners and from the Web
● Adobe® RGB (1998):  for images that typically originate  from professional digital cameras
● Specific RGB device space:  for images that are coming from or going to a specific RGB
device that has been profiled
● CMYK mode:
●
SWOP:  Specifications for Web Offset Publications,  a set of press standards that have been
defined for a typical U.S. press and  for different types of paper stock
● ISO 12647-2:  a set of press standards th at have been defined by the International Standards
Organization for different types  of paper. Some examples of the definitions include Coated,
Uncoated, and so on.
● Other regional standards:  Euroscale, JMPA, Japan Color
● Specific CMYK device space:  for images that are coming from or going to a specific CMYK
device that has been profiled.  The HP Designjet Z6100 printer  can measure itself and generate
an CMYK ICC profile, describing its color be havior for the paper that was loaded when it
calculated the measurement.
Color and your printer
As a creative professional, predicta ble and dependable results from your printer are essential to getting
your job done. Predictability is a ke y element of an efficient color workflow. You need prints that match
your expectations and that generate neutral grays and  correct colors on your selected paper, print-to-print
and printer-to-printer. Dependability ensures that ever y print is free of print-quality defects and ready to
use or send to your customer. You save time and  effort and avoid wasting ink and paper, and you can
meet demanding production  schedules with confidence.
HP Designjet Z6100 printers have been engineered wi th advanced hardware and driver features to ensure
predictable and dependable results, and offer dramatic improvements in efficiency and control for your
color workflow.
HP Embedded Spec trophotometer
HP Designjet Z6100 printer series revolutionizes professional color workflows by using a built-in
spectrophotometer for color calibration and profiling.
A spectrophotometer is a precision  instrument that can determine the exact composition of the light that
is reflected from a color patch. It  splits the reflected light into different wavelength components and
measures the strength of each component. The HP  Embedded Spectrophotometer is mounted on the
printhead carriage.
The HP Designjet Z6100 printers use the spectrophoto meter to generate custom ICC profiles automatically
for your preferred paper types. It then calibrates the pr inters to deliver print-to-print and printer-to-printer
consistency with less than  half the color error of earlier HP Desi gnjets, under all environmental conditions,
and even on unknown (not factory-profiled) paper types.  A built-in white calibration tile, which is protected
by an automatic shutter, ensures reliable me asurements that meet international standards.
The printer, color-imaging pipeline, and professional-quality spectrophotometer with GretagMacbeth i1
color technology are integrated wi th the HP Color Center software for the HP Designjet Z6100. Giving
the calibration and profiling processe s direct access to the writing system allows precise control of ink
levels and color separations for each printed color  patch. The automated measurement process eliminates
108 Chapter  7   Color management
Color management