DESIGNJET T2500 eMFP Image-quality troubleshooting guide Edition: 1st edition
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Table of contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Most-common issues resolution ........................................................................................................................... 1 2 Troubleshooting print-quality issues .............................................................................................................. 3 General advice ......
Line discontinuities .............................................................................................................................................. 21 Grain in area fills when scanning plain paper ..................................................................................................... 22 Small color differences between adjacent CIS modules ....................................................................................
1 Introduction 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.
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 Designjet Utility for Windows: go to the Support tab, and select Print Quality Troubleshooting. ● From the HP Designjet Utility for Mac OS: select Most common issues resolution in the Support group.
2 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 o
General advice When you have any print-quality problem: ● 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.
If the problem persists despite all the above actions, contact your customer service representative for further support. Lines are too thick, too thin or missing 1. Check that the paper type you have loaded corresponds to the paper type selected in the front panel and in your software. 2. Check that you are using appropriate print-quality settings for your purposes (see Using your product).
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: ● Colored lines are printed double, in different colors.
1. Check that you are using appropriate print-quality settings. See Using your product. 2. When printing on uncoated paper in Fast mode, try loading the paper as Bright Bond. 3. Align the printhead. See Using your product. 4. Reseat the printhead by removing, and then reinserting it. See Using your product. Lines are blurred Humidity can cause ink to soak into the paper, making the lines blurred and fuzzy. Try the following: 1.
1. Print on HP Matte Film, for which your printer's line length accuracy is specified. See Using your product. Polyester film is about ten times more dimensionally stable than paper. However, using film that is thinner or thicker than HP Matte Film will reduce line length accuracy. 2. Set the Print Quality slider to Quality. 3. Maintain the room at a steady temperature between 10 and 30°C (50 and 86°F). 4. Load the roll of film and let it rest for five minutes before printing. 5.
1. Check that the paper type you have loaded corresponds to the paper type selected in the front panel and in your software. 2. Try changing to a thicker paper type, such as HP Heavyweight Coated Paper or HP Super Heavyweight Plus Matte Paper. 3. Select a paper type that is slightly thinner than the paper you have loaded; this will persuade the printer to use less ink.
Whenever you notice this problem, cancel the printing job immediately. Press and also cancel the job from your computer application. Soaked paper can damage the printhead. Try the following suggestions to avoid this problem: 1. Increase the margins by relocating the image to the center of the page, either with your software or with the front panel’s Move Paper option (see Move the paper in the users guide).
Edges of objects are stepped or not sharp If edges of objects or lines appear to be poorly defined or lighter in density, and you have already set the print-quality slider to Quality in the driver dialog, select the custom print-quality options, and try setting the quality level to Normal. See Using your product.
White spots on the print You may notice white spots on the print. This is probably due to paper fibers, dust or loose coating material. To avoid this problem: 1. Try cleaning the paper manually with a brush before printing, to remove any loose fibers or particles. 2. Always keep the cover of your printer closed. 3. Protect your paper rolls and sheets by storing them in bags or boxes. Colors are inaccurate If the colors of your print do not match your expectations, try the following: 1.
Colors are different compared to the Designjet T2300 If you are printing an image from the Embedded Web server or using a USB pen drive, and you obtain significantly different colors in the Designjet T2500mfp compared to the Designjet T2300mfp, you might have different default values in the front panel of the printer. Please do the following: 1. Make sure you have the latest firmware release for the Designjet T2500mfp. 2. Press 3. Set the RGB Source Profile to sRGB (HP). 4.
● 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.
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 printhead that is currently installed in your printer, and whether it 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. Check that the selected paper type is the same as the paper type loaded into the printer. 3.
If you see horizontal lines in part 1 and also missing dashes in part 2 for the same color, you should clean the printhead, selecting the relevant color group. 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 gray printhead in a good state: And here is an example of the same printhead in a bad state: Corrective action 1.
ENWW ● Try using a higher print-quality option. See Using your product. ● 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/T2500/drivers/. ● If you are using a non-HP RIP, its settings may be incorrect. See the documentation that came with the RIP. ● Check that your product's firmware is up to date.
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3 ENWW 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 ● The Moirè effect ● Flare in the image when scanning glossy originals ● Vertical
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. NOTE: The problem of wrinkles cannot always be solved, due to the technological limitations of CIS scanners.
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. If you see any of these defects in the studied areas, call HP support and report a “line discontinuities” error after calibration. The four vertical thin black lines at the beginning and the end of the diagnostic plot show, approximately, the position of the intersection between CIS modules, where this kind of error usually appears.
4. If the problem persists, clean and calibrate the scanner as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 39. Check that the maintenance sheet is also clean, and that it is not 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. 5. If the problem persists, proceed to analyze areas 11 and 12 of the diagnostic plot across modules A to E.
Actions 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 39. If calibration ended without errors, proceed to analyze again pattern number 9 and modules A through E of the diagnostic plot. 3.
Variable line thickness or missing lines When scanning some CAD plots at Standard resolution, mostly when working with grayscale or black-andwhite prints that contain very thin lines, you may see a variation in line thickness, or even some missing lines, in some places: Actions 1. Repeat the scan or copy using a higher resolution (High or Max if scanning, Normal or Best if copying). You should also set background cleaning to 0, or set the content type to Mixed.
4. Note that the image enhancement settings are automatically reset to default values after a certain time, so you may get a different result from copying the same original if you have not checked the settings before starting the job. 5. For optimum color results, clean and calibrate the scanner as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 39. 6. Avoid placing the scanner in direct sunlight or near sources of heat or cold.
Image © www.convincingblack.com, reproduced with permission. Actions 1. If you are making copies, and the original is printed on photographic paper, while you are copying it onto matte paper, this problem is to be expected. However, you can try to improve the result by running a color calibration of the printer (see Using your product), and by reducing contrast and background cleaning; this also applies if you see this problem in scanned files. 2.
The Moirè effect When scanning some original plots that were printed using offset or low resolution halftone machines, you may sometimes find regular patterns where uniform area fills should be, like in the following example: Original Scanned image with Moirè Actions ▲ Repeat the scan or copy at a different resolution (quality) until you get the desired effect. The Moirè effect may appear in both high or low qualities, hence you will want to try a different quality from that used first.
Actions 1. Clean the original and the scanner’s glass plates, then scan again. 2. If the problem persists, recalibrate the scanner as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 39. Make sure you clean the maintenance sheet before calibrating the scanner, and check that the maintenance sheet is not damaged (if so, call HP support and ask for a new maintenance sheet). Re-scan your original after the calibration is completed. 3. If the problem persists, see Clipping in dark or light areas on page 26.
Actions 1. Clean and calibrate your scanner as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 39. Scan your original again and make sure that the printer is not working while you are scanning. Reduce scanning resolution (choose Standard if scanning, Fast if copying) if necessary. 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.
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 39, and analyze pattern 1 of the diagnostic plot.
the error appearing at the front panel. If no error is given in the front panel then report “scanner lid sensor failure”. 32 2. If all the modules lit up correctly in the previous step, close the scanner lid by pushing it down until you hear a click. Then calibrate the scanner as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 39 and repeat your scan. 3. If the problem persists, repeat the scan or copy using a higher resolution (High or Max if scanning, Normal or Best if copying).
Incorrect paper advance, skew during scanning, or horizontal wrinkles You may encounter problems with some thick glossy originals being moved through the scanner’s paper path. In some cases, the original may become skewed during the scanning process. If some of the paper rollers are not working correctly, you may find small horizontal wrinkles in the scanned image, due to the paper being stuck in some regions while not in others. Actions 1. Turn your original 90 degrees and repeat your scan. 2.
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. Actions 1. Restart your product. Then calibrate the scanner, as indicated in Scanner maintenance on page 39, 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.
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. In order to avoid these undesired effects, please follow these recommendations: Actions 1. Carefully clean the scanner’s glass plates and the original to be scanned with a cloth. Turn the original 90 degrees if possible and re-scan it afterwards.
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4 ENWW Scanner maintenance ● Clean the scanner’s glass plates ● Calibrate the scanner 39
Clean the scanner’s glass plates You are recommended to clean the scanner's glass plates periodically, depending on how often you use the scanner. 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. There is a small lever at the rear left of the scanner. Slide the lever up and open the scanner cover. WARNING! Do not lift the scanner while the scanner cover is open. Your fingers or hand may be trapped or crushed. 3.
● ENWW 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.
NOTE: The calibration sheet might be slightly different in your printer, but the calibration process is the same. 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.
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5 ENWW 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 45
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. 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.
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 printhead is not working correctly. Replacing the printhead may solve the problem. Grain Looking at patterns 1, 2, and 3, you may find problems in the printer’s paper advance or the printhead that cause visible grain in area fills. The following examples show this defect: original on the left, printed image on the right. Replacing the printhead may solve the problem.
● 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. The black arrows on the diagnostic plot indicate the direction of loading.
Index C clean the platen 10 vertical lines of different colors 11 white spots 12 I image diagnostics print M monitor calibrate 50 most-common issues 15 1 P platen cleaning 10 print-quality problems banding 4 black ink comes off 10 blurred lines 7 bottom of print 11 clipped at bottom 13 clipped image 13 clipped or missing PDF objects 14 discontinuous lines 6 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 problem
