DESIGNJET T2300 eMFP series Image-quality troubleshooting guide
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Table of contents 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 Most-common issues resolution ................................................................................................... 1 2 Troubleshooting print-quality issues .................................................................................. 3 General advice ......................................................................................
Vertical light lines at the intersection between CIS modules .......................................................... 23 Variable line thickness or missing lines ..................................................................................... 24 Inaccurately reproduced colors ................................................................................................ 24 Color fringing .................................................................................................................
Introduction Introduction 1 This guide contains a list of the most common print-quality and scan-quality errors that may arise when using your HP Designjet product. You are recommended to read it if you find any defects or unsatisfactory results after using your product. The guide will help you to correct most errors yourself. Failing that, it will help you to provide useful information to HP support, so that the error can be corrected as quickly as possible.
Introduction To start the wizard: ● From the Embedded Web Server: go to the Support tab, select Troubleshooting, then select Most common issues resolution. ● From the HP Utility for Windows: go to the Support tab, and select Most common issues resolution. ● From the HP Utility for Mac OS: select Most common issues resolution in the Support group.
ENWW Troubleshooting print-quality issues ● General advice ● Horizontal lines across the image (banding) ● Lines are too thick, too thin or missing ● Lines appear stepped or jagged ● Lines print double or in the wrong colors ● Lines are discontinuous ● Lines are blurred ● Line lengths are inaccurate ● The whole image is blurry or grainy ● The paper is not flat ● The print is scuffed or scratched ● Ink marks on the paper ● Black ink comes off when you touch the print ● Edges of o
General advice When you have any print-quality problem: Print-quality issues ● To achieve the best performance from your printer, use only genuine manufacturer's supplies and accessories, whose reliability and performance have been thoroughly tested to give trouble-free performance and best-quality prints. For details of recommended papers, see Using your product. ● Make sure that the paper type selected in the front panel is the same as the paper type loaded into the printer.
3. Print the Image Diagnostics Print. See The Image Diagnostics Print on page 15. 4. If the printheads are working correctly, go to the front panel and press and then to see the paper advance calibration status. If the status is DEFAULT, try performing paper advance calibration: see Using your product. If the problem persists despite all the above actions, contact your customer service representative for further support. Print-quality issues Lines are too thick, too thin or missing 1.
Print-quality issues 1. The problem may be inherent in the image. Try to improve the image with the application you are using to edit it. 2. Check that you are using appropriate print-quality settings. See Using your product. 3. Select the custom print-quality options in the driver dialog, and turn on the Maximum detail option (if available). Lines print double or in the wrong colors This problem can have various visible symptoms: 6 ● Colored lines are printed double, in different colors.
To correct this kind of problem: 1. Reseat the printheads by removing them and then reinserting them. See Using your product. 2. Align the printheads. See Using your product. Lines are discontinuous 1. Check that you are using appropriate print-quality settings. See Using your product. 2. Reseat the printheads by removing them and then reinserting them. See Using your product. 3. Align the printheads. See Using your product.
5. If you are using glossy paper, try changing to a different type of glossy paper. 6. Align the printheads. See Using your product. Line lengths are inaccurate If you have measured your printed lines and find that the lengths are not sufficiently accurate for your purposes, you can try to improve line length accuracy in the following ways. 1. Print-quality issues Print on HP Matte Film, for which your printer's line length accuracy is specified. See Using your product.
4. Go to the front panel and press then to see the printhead alignment status. If the status is PENDING, you should align the printheads. See Using your product. After alignment, you may wish to reprint your job in case the problem has been solved. 5. Go to the front panel and press then to see the paper advance calibration status. If the status is DEFAULT, you should perform paper advance calibration: see Using your product.
To reduce the risk of scuffs and scratches: ● Handle prints carefully. ● Avoid stacking prints on top of each other. ● Catch your prints as they are cut from the roll and do not let them fall into the basket. Alternatively, leave a sheet of paper in the basket so that freshly printed sheets do not make direct contact with the basket. Print-quality issues Ink marks on the paper This problem can occur for several different reasons.
Ink marks on the back of the paper This can happen after a lot of borderless printing, especially with non-standard paper sizes. Ink residues on the platen are likely to mark the back of the paper. Clean the platen with a soft cloth. Clean each rib separately without touching the foam between the ribs. Black ink comes off when you touch the print Print-quality issues This problem may be caused by printing with matte black ink on glossy paper.
To avoid this problem: 1. Print the Image Diagnostics Print. See The Image Diagnostics Print on page 15. 2. Consider printing with roll paper. 3. Consider using larger margins around your image. Vertical lines of different colors Print-quality issues If your print has vertical bands of different colors along it: 1. Try using thicker paper, choosing from the recommended paper types such as HP Heavyweight Coated Paper and HP Super Heavyweight Paper. See Using your product. 2.
If you are using Application Color Management, check that the color profile you are using corresponds to the selected paper type and print-quality settings. If you have doubts about which color settings to use, see Using your product. 5. If the problem consists of color differences between your print and your monitor, please follow the instructions in the “How to calibrate your monitor” section of the HP Color Center. At this point, you may wish to reprint your job in case the problem has been solved. 6.
The image is clipped Clipping normally indicates a discrepancy between the actual printable area on the loaded paper and the printable area as understood by your software. You can often identify this kind of problem before printing by previewing your print (see Using your product). ● Check the actual printable area for the paper size you have loaded.
Some objects are missing from the printed image ● 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.
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. Print-quality issues 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.
Print-quality issues Corrective action 1. Clean any faulty printheads (see Using your product). 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 Using your product).
3 Scan-quality issues 18 Troubleshooting scan-quality issues ● Random vertical lines ● Wrinkles or folds ● Line discontinuities ● Grain in area fills when scanning plain paper ● Small color differences between adjacent CIS modules ● Vertical light lines at the intersection between CIS modules ● Variable line thickness or missing lines ● Inaccurately reproduced colors ● Color fringing ● Clipping in dark or light areas ● Flare in the image when scanning glossy originals ● Vertical re
In this chapter the most common defects and failure modes are shown, sorted by relevance and frequency of appearance. A defect is a common image artifact that usually appears when using any CIS scanner. These are due to incorrect settings, product limitations or easily solvable mistakes. A failure mode is due to malfunctions of some of the scanner components.
Actions 1. Re-scan the original, setting the content type to Image, and contrast and background cleaning to zero. 2. If the problem persists, re-scan the original at a lower scanner resolution (Standard quality if scanning, Fast or Normal if copying). It may also help to flatten the original manually as much as possible before scanning it again. Scan-quality issues NOTE: The problem of wrinkles cannot always be solved, due to the technological limitations of CIS scanners.
damaged before calibrating the scanner (an old or damaged maintenance sheet may cause this problem); if it is damaged, call HP support and ask for a new maintenance sheet. 4. If the problem persists, proceed to analyze the following areas of the diagnostic plot: a. 4 (from module A to E). b. 10, at the intersection between modules. c. 13 in modules A and E, and 14 in modules B, C, and D.
3. If the problem persists: ● If the problem appears when copying, use Best quality. We also recommend using coated or glossy paper in order to avoid grain in copies. ● If the problem appears in a scanned file, scan at a lower resolution (Standard quality). 4. If the problem persists, clean and calibrate the scanner as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 37.
Sometimes the color mismatch between adjacent modules can be enormous, showing a serious scanner malfunction, as in the following example. If this occurs, see Completely wrong colors on page 33. 1. Repeat the scan or copy, setting the content type to Image, reducing the background cleaning to 0 or turning the original 90 degrees before scanning it again. 2. If the problem persists, clean and calibrate the scanner as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 37.
2. If the problem persists, clean and calibrate the scanner as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 37. Then proceed to analyze pattern number 2 of the diagnostic plot at the intersections between CIS modules. The example below shows a good result on the left and a bad result on the right: the latter has light vertical banding 0.5 cm wide at the intersection between two CIS modules.
Actions Make sure that you choose the correct paper type in the scan settings before scanning. 2. When dealing with copies, you must take into account that good color matching between a given original and its copy can be achieved only if both are printed on the same type of paper. In the case of scanned files, good color matching can be achieved only if your monitor is colorcalibrated or compliant with sRGB or AdobeRGB standards. 3.
3. If the problem still persists, you can diagnose this issue by analyzing the patterns 6 and 8 (A to E) of the diagnostic plot. The black horizontal lines appear slightly colored at the top and bottom of each end (in the example on the right, below). Normally, they look red at the top and blue or green at the bottom, but it could be the other way around. If you see this effect, call HP support and report “color fringing problem after calibration”.
If your scanned pattern looks like the incorrect one on the right, whether the clipping is in dark and/or light areas, call HP support and report “Clipping in dark/light areas”. Flare in the image when scanning glossy originals Scan-quality issues If the scanner is miscalibrated, or if the original plot you are trying to scan is very glossy or reflective, you can sometimes find flare in the scanned image, as in the following example: original on the left, scanned image on the right. Image © www.
Actions 1. Clean and calibrate the scanner as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 37. If the calibration failed, proceed as stated in Calibrate the scanner on page 39. However, if the calibration ended correctly, scan your original again and check that the colored vertical bands have disappeared. 2. If the problem persists, call HP support and report “vertical red/green bands after calibration”.
2. If the problem persists, proceed to analyze patterns 4, 13, and 14 of the diagnostic plot. If you find a problem similar to that shown below, call HP support and report a “stop-start effect” error. Vibration 1. Make sure that the scanner is placed on a flat surface, the scanner lid is correctly closed, and the printer is not working while you are scanning. Scan your original again. 2. If the problem persists, change (increase or decrease) the scanning resolution and re-scan your original.
Actions 1. Open the scanner lid. Clean the motor wheels (small black rubber) and the pressure rolls (wide white plastic). Check that all the pressure rolls can move freely. If you find dust particles or objects that obstruct the movement of the rollers, try to remove them, then close the scanner lid and repeat your scan. 2. If the problem persists, clean and calibrate the scanner as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 37, and analyze pattern 1 of the diagnostic plot.
If the problem persists, analyze pattern number 7 in modules A through E of the diagnostic plot. A correct example is given below, followed by two incorrect examples. Note that there is a black ring near the center of pattern 7. In this step, you must look at the region near the black ring. If you can see discontinuities in the black and white lines, call HP support and report a “defocus or blurring” error. Scan-quality issues 4.
Actions 1. Turn your original 90 degrees and repeat your scan. 2. If the problem persists, open the scanner lid. Clean the motor wheels (small black rubber) and the pressure rolls (wide white plastic). Check that all the pressure rolls can move freely. If you find dust particles or objects that obstruct the movement of the rollers, try to remove them, then close the scanner lid and repeat your scan. 3. If the problem persists, restart the scanner by turning it off and on again.
Actions 1. Open the lid of the scanner and check that the five CIS modules show blinking red, green and blue lights alternately. If a module is failing, call HP support and report a “CIS module illumination” error. 2. If all the modules lit up correctly in the previous step, restart the scanner by turning it off and on again. If you find an error message on the front panel during this operation, call HP support and report the error message. If no error message appears, try repeating your scan. 3.
5. If the colors are still wrong, analyze the whole diagnostic sheet. Check that you find completely wrong colors in the area corresponding to just one of the CIS modules, as in the following figure. If so, call HP support and report “completely wrong colors after calibration”, and report the letter of the CIS module that is failing (module A at the example). If all the modules are failing, call HP support and report that.
Image © www.convincingblack.com, reproduced with permission. 1. Restart your product. Then calibrate the scanner, as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 37, and repeat your scan. Turn the original 90 degrees if possible before rescanning. 2. If the problem persists, analyze pattern 3, modules A through E, of the diagnostic plot. Call HP support and report an “object replication“ issue if you see the kind of error shown on the right.
Incorrect edge detection, mostly when scanning tracing paper Tracing or translucent papers can be scanned with your product with good results, although totally transparent papers are not supported. Nevertheless, the resulting image may have extra margins or some clipping of the content in some situations when detection of the edge of the paper is not accurate, which may also happen when scanning plain paper if the glass plate is dirty.
Scanner maintenance ● Clean the scanner’s glass plate ● Calibrate the scanner Scanner maintenance 4 ENWW 37
Clean the scanner’s glass plate To maintain high image quality, you are recommended to clean the scanner's glass plate periodically: depending on how often you use the scanner, the types of originals that you scan and how clean your environment is. For routine maintenance, you can skip step 4, which is appropriate only when your scanner needs thorough cleaning. 1. Turn off the product using the Power key at the front, then also turn off the power switch at the rear and disconnect the power cable. 2.
Clean the pressure rollers. 5. Close the scanner cover and gently push it down to lock it into place. 6. Clean the area immediately in front of the scanner, where the scanned sheet rests before scanning. 7. Reconnect the product's power cable, turn on the power switch at the rear, and turn on the product using the Power key. Calibrate the scanner Your scanner has been calibrated at the factory, and theoretically CIS scanners do not need to be recalibrated during their lifetimes.
The supplied maintenance sheet required to perform scanner calibration looks like this: Load the maintenance sheet into the scanner face up, centered and with as little skew as possible. Once the calibration is finished, the maintenance sheet should be carefully placed into its solid cover, and saved in a fresh and dry place. Otherwise, it could be damaged, which could affect the operation of your scanner in the future.
The scanner diagnostic plot ● Prepare the product and the paper to print the diagnostic sheet ● Visual check for errors while printing the diagnostic sheet ● Scan or copy the diagnostic plot ● Monitor calibration ● Save the diagnostic plot for future use Diagnostic plot 5 ENWW 41
Prepare the product and the paper to print the diagnostic sheet Turn on your product and wait until it is functioning. Then select the paper on which the diagnostic plot is going to be printed (you can reuse the diagnostic plot any time in the future, if it is saved carefully). Ideally, the diagnostic plot should be printed on glossy paper, and you are highly recommended to do that if you use your product mostly for scanning or copying photo originals (posters, pictures printed on glossy paper, etc).
Alignment Looking at patterns 4, 13, and 14, you may find problems with the printer’s printhead alignment, which can cause defects such as the following. Diagnostic plot Additionally, misalignment problems can be seen in patterns 4 and 9 in the form of color fringing (which is exaggerated below, on the right). That is, the limits between two strong colors are not well defined or a third color appears between them.
three colored crosses that may be used to identify the problem in question. The correct pattern is shown on the left, an example of misalignment on the right. Loss of shadow or highlight details Looking at pattern 16, you may find a problem with the color calibration of the printer (CLC process). If you can distinguish lightness steps beyond the upper and lower specified thresholds, then the printer is fine. Here you can see examples of correct functioning on the left, incorrect on the right.
Streaks Looking at patterns 1, 2, 3, 9 and 16, you may find vertical streaks as in the examples shown below, if the printer’s printheads are not working correctly. Replacing the printhead for the color showing the streaks may solve the problem. Grain Looking at patterns 1, 2, and 3, you may find problems in the printer’s paper advance or the printheads that cause visible grain in area fills. The following examples show this defect: original on the left, printed image on the right.
Scan ● Quality: Max ● File type: JPG ● Content type: Image ● Paper type: photo or matte, according to the paper used to print the diagnostic plot. Use photo if in doubt. ● Quality: Best ● Content type: Image ● Paper type: photo or matte, according to the paper used to print the diagnostic plot. Use photo if in doubt. Copy Load the diagnostic plot into the scanner input tray, making sure that the printed side of the plot is facing up.
Index C clean the platen vertical lines of different colors 12 white spots 12 11 I image diagnostics print M monitor calibrate 46 most-common issues 15 1 P platen cleaning 11 print-quality problems banding 4 black ink comes off 11 blurred lines 7 bottom of print 11 clipped at bottom 13 clipped image 14 clipped or missing PDF objects 15 discontinuous lines 7 edges darker than expected 11 edges stepped or not sharp 11 fading colors 13 general 4 graininess 8 horizontal lines 4 if you still have a proble
