HP Designjet H series Printer Image Quality Guide
© Copyright 2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
Table of contents 1 Overview 2 Startup and check jet health Start with the printer in good working order .......................................................................................... 2 Load media correctly ............................................................................................................................ 2 Check jet health ....................................................................................................................................
8 Image quality flow chart ............................................................................................................................................................
1 Overview This guide provides general tips and tricks for getting the best printed output from your printer. It consists of the following sections: ● Startup and check jet health — daily startup tips, calibrations, ensuring that inkjets are operating well.
2 Startup and check jet health This chapter shows you how to configure your printer for best quality printing. Start with the printer in good working order The techniques in this manual will be much less likely to work if you are not using a printer that is in good working order: ● The printer was properly installed by an HP-authorized service technician, in a facility and environment that meets HP specifications as published in the Site Preparation Guide. ● The printer has the latest version (4.
indicated by an asterisk (*). All other Media Wizard entries are user-generated and can be modified when needed. ● Configure and load media as described in the printer User Guide. ● Wipe down synthetic media with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) before printing to reduce static charge, and remove fingerprints and dust, which could become visible in the print.
3 Printer settings This chapter shows you how to adjust the printer's media and print mode settings for the best output. Select print mode Figure 3-1 Front Page screen The printer has three print modes that are designed to balance printing speed and output quality, based on the distance from which the print will typically be viewed. Figure 3-2 Print Mode screen (quality options) 4 ● If the print will be viewed at a distance of greater than 5 m (16 ft), the recommended mode is Billboard mode.
Select ink coverage Figure 3-3 Print Mode screen (Plus and image detail options) ● If the print will require heavy ink coverage (large blocks of solid color or continuous tone photographic images), use Bidirectional, Plus mode. ● If the print will require light ink coverage (signage with lettering and large unprinted areas), select Bidirectional printing without Plus mode.
Adjust gloss You can increase the gloss level of printed output by shuttering the trailing UV curing lamp. This allows the drop of jetted ink to spread out more before it is cured, which gives the print a glossier look. To shutter the trailing lamp: 6 1. On the printer's Front Page screen, press the lamp status panel: 2.
ENWW 3. On the lamp modes screen, press Low, Medium, or High: 4. On the shutter aperture screen, press the up arrow for the trailing lamp repeatedly to change the angle of the shutter from 0 degrees to closed. The greater the angle, the glossier the appearance of the print. Closed will provide the maximum gloss.
4 RIP settings For detailed operating instructions, refer to the RIP user guide. Choose a resolution The print resolution is determined by the RIP. There is no resolution setting on the printer. ● For most images, use 600x600 dpi. ● If a grainy image is acceptable (when viewed from a longer distance or as a draft, for example) and faster print speeds are desired, use 600x300 dpi. ● For more saturated colors or printing on clear or backlit media, use 1200x600 dpi.
http://www.caldera.eu). Users of the HP RIP Software can create a custom profile to reduce ink usage. Refer to the HP RIP Software User Guide for instructions on creating a custom profile. ● For four-color printing with the Onyx or Caldera RIP, use the generic CMYK color profile (refer to your RIP manufacturer for instructions).
5 Troubleshoot image quality problems This chapter explains how to address typical image quality problems. Ensuring high-quality documents and images 10 ● Ensure that all text is converted to outlines (not bitmaps) or the fonts are included with the artwork files. ● All line art should be in vector form (not bitmap) for good scalability and reproduction. ● Large blocks of solid colors can show banding more obviously than smaller areas of color or photographic images.
Wide Banding Wide horizontal banding, sometimes referred to as “directional gloss banding” or “lawnmower banding,” which may be caused by light reflecting differently off adjacent printed areas. Ink that is laid down when the printhead carriage is moving in one direction will have a different reflectance characteristic than ink laid down in the opposite direction. This effect varies with the viewing angle, and is more pronounced in darker images with higher ink saturation.
Thin horizontal banding or stripes may indicate clogged inkjets or miscalibrated media feed. ● Check jet health using the procedure at the beginning of this guide. ● Check media feed calibration from the printer's control panel (Menu > Manual Calibrations > Media Feed Calibration). ● If used, Plus mode could have the effect of producing thin horizontal banding that resembles a media feed error. In this case, try printing without Plus mode.
Not enough saturation or contrast ● Use High Quality mode. ● Start with a good image, and apply the correct ICC color profiles in the application program and RIP. ● Check for missing jets. See Check jet health on page 3 for instructions. ● Do not use an Ink Saver profile. Inaccurate or unexpected colors ENWW ● UV inks have a limited shelf life. Expired inks may under go a color shift. Ensure that the expiration date marked on the ink packaging has not passed. Replace any expired ink.
6 Examples This chapter presents some examples of applying the tips and tricks in this guide to typical print jobs. Saturated photograph with dark areas Factor Recommended techniques Viewing distance: less than 1 m (3 ft) Print in High Quality mode Image content: saturated and dark colors RIP at 600x600 or 1200x600 dpi Ink coverage: high To prevent wide banding, print in Plus mode or unidirectionally.
Factor Recommended techniques Viewing distance: over 5 m (16 ft) Print in Production mode Image content: text and line art with large unprinted areas RIP at 600x300 dpi Ink coverage: low Print in any bidirectional mode Flexible banner ENWW Factor Recommended techniques Viewing distance: 1–5 m (3–16 ft) Print in Production mode Image content: large blocks of solid colors, some images and text RIP at 600x600 dpi Ink coverage: high To prevent wide banding, print in Plus mode.
7 HP Customer Care This chapter explains the HP Customer Care options. HP Customer Care In case of any question or problem, you should approach your local HP Authorized Representative for consultancy and support. However, if required, you can contact HP directly by using the following methods. NOTE: For up-to-date contact information, please visit http://www.hp.com/go/graphicarts. North America Tel: 800 925 0563 Fax: 952 943 3695 E-mail: cs.custsup@hp.
Honduras: 800 0 123 / 1 800 711 2884 Mexico: 52 55 5258-9922 Nicaragua: 1 800 0164 / 800 711 2884 Panama: 001 800 711 2884 Peru: 511 411 2443 / 0 800 10111 El Salvador: 800 6160 Venezuela: 58 212 278 8666 / 0 800 474 68368 CC LAR Nextel: (5255) 1088 0884; ID 52*20115*51 CC LAR e-Mail: carecenter.ipglf.lar@hp.
8 Image quality flow chart The image quality flow charts provide a high-level summary of the tips and tricks in this guide. You can print out the chart for reference and follow the recommended steps to optimal print quality, from start to finish.
HP Designjet H series Printers Image Quality Flowchart 1. STARTUP AND CHECK JET HEALTH START DAILY STARTUP LOAD MEDIA • Clean media, check for damage. • Configure media (User Guide, Chapter 2). • Load media (User Guide, Chapter 2). CHECK JET HEALTH 1. Print Prime Bars 2. Purge and Wipe the heads 3. Print Prime Bars, compare to previous day’s print. Is today’s Prime Bars print comparable to yesterday’s best Prime Bars print? No © Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
HP Designjet H series Printers Image Quality Flowchart 2. PRINTER SETTINGS FROM PAGE 1 Choose mode based on viewing distance: CHOOSE MODE • >5 m (16 ft): use Billboard Mode (fastest) • 1-5 m (3-16 ft): use Production Mode • <1 m (3 ft): use High Quality Mode (with Gloss mode if needed) Does the image require heavy ink coverage? Yes Use Production BiDi with Plus mode as needed or High Quality Mode TO PAGE 3 No IMAGE CONTENT © Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
HP Designjet H series Printers Image Quality Flowchart 3. RIP SETTINGS FROM PAGE 2 CHOOSE RESOLUTION CHOOSE PROFILE • Standard images: use 600 x 600 • Draft/grainy OK, need speed: use 600 x 300 • Need saturated colors or clear/backlit: use 1200x600 • Select the profile that matches the media you are using. • Reduce ink usage? Select Ink Saver profile. • If needed, perform a color calibration (see RIP user guide for instructions) 4. CHECK QUALITY Problem What to do Wide (gloss) horizontal banding 1.
HP Designjet H series Printers Image Quality Flowchart 1. STARTUP AND CHECK JET HEALTH 2. PRINTER SETTINGS START 3. RIP SETTINGS FROM PAGE 2 FROM PAGE 1 DAILY STARTUP LOAD MEDIA Choose mode based on viewing distance: CHOOSE MODE • Clean media, check for damage. • Configure media (User Guide, Chapter 2).
