DESIGNJET T790 and T1300 ePrinter 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 ......................................................................................
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Introduction Introduction 1 This guide contains a list of the most common print-quality errors that may arise when using your HP Designjet. You are recommended to read it if you find any defects or unsatisfactory results after using your printer. 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 Print quality troubleshooting. ● From the HP Utility for Windows: go to the Support tab, and select Print quality troubleshooting. ● From the HP Utility for Mac OS: select Print quality troubleshooting 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
● If you still have a problem Print-quality issues 4 Chapter 2 Troubleshooting print-quality issues ENWW
General advice ● 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 printer. ● Make sure that the paper type selected in the front panel is the same as the paper type loaded into the printer. At the same time, check that the paper type has been calibrated.
3. Print the Image Diagnostics Print. See The Image Diagnostics Print on page 16. 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 printer. 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.
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 printer. 3. Select the custom print-quality options in the driver dialog, and turn on the Maximum detail option (if available). Print-quality issues 1. Lines print double or in the wrong colors This problem can have various visible symptoms: ENWW ● 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 printer. 2. Align the printheads. See Using your printer. Lines are discontinuous If your lines are broken in the following way: Print-quality issues 1. Check that you are using appropriate print-quality settings. See Using your printer. 2. Reseat the printheads by removing them and then reinserting them. See Using your printer. 3. Align the printheads. See Using your printer.
5. If you are using glossy paper, try changing to a different type of glossy paper. 6. Align the printheads. See Using your printer. 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. Print on HP Matte Film, for which your printer's line length accuracy is specified. See Using your printer. Print-quality issues 1.
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 printer. 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 printer.
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 16. 2. Consider printing with roll paper. 3. Consider using larger margins around your image. 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 printer. 2. Try using higher print-quality settings (see Using your printer).
print-quality settings, you may wish to reprint your job at this point in case the problem has been solved. Print-quality issues 4. 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 printer. 5.
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 printer). ● Check the actual printable area for the paper size you have loaded. ● Check what your software understands to be the printable area (which it may call "printing area" or "imageable area").
Some objects are missing from the printed image Large quantities of data may be necessary to print a high-quality large-format print job, and in some specific workflows there may be issues that can lead to some objects missing from the output. Here are some suggestions to help you to avoid this problem. Print-quality issues ● Try using the PostScript printer driver to print your job, if you have not already tried it.
The print is divided into two parts, both of which test printhead performance. ● Part 1 (top) consists of rectangles of pure colors, one for each printhead. This part represents the print quality that you will get from each color. ● Part 2 (bottom) consists of small dashes, one for each nozzle on each printhead. This part complements the first, and aims more specifically to detect how many faulty nozzles each printhead has. Print-quality issues Please look carefully at the print.
Print-quality issues And here is an example of the same printhead in a bad state: Corrective action 18 1. Clean any faulty printheads (see Using your printer). 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 printer).
If you still have a problem ENWW ● Try using a higher print-quality option. See Using your printer. ● 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/T790/drivers/ or http://www.hp.com/go/ T1300/drivers/. ● If you are using a non-HP RIP, its settings may be incorrect.
Index C clean the platen vertical lines of different colors 13 white spots 13 12 I image diagnostics print M most-common issues 16 1 T troubleshooting most-common issues 1 P platen cleaning 12 print quality troubleshooting wizard 1 print-quality problems banding 5 black ink comes off 12 blurred lines 8 bottom of print 12 clipped at bottom 14 clipped image 15 clipped or missing PDF objects 16 discontinuous lines 8 edges darker than expected 12 edges stepped or not sharp 12 fading colors 14 general 5
