HP 2500C, 2500CM User Manual

HP

2500C/CM

Professional Series Color Printer

USER’S GUIDE

Acknowledgments

HP ColorSmart II, HP PhotoREt II and HP ZoomSmart Scaling
Technology are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company.

Microsoft is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Adobe is a U.S. registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

PostScript 3 is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Notice

The information contained in this document is subject to change
without notice.

Hewlett-Packard makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this
material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

Hewlett-Packard shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for
incidental or consequential damages in connection with the
furnishing, performance, or use of this material.

No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or
translated to another language without the prior written consent of
Hewlett-Packard Company.

Edition 1 – February 1999

©Copyright 1999 by Hewlett-Packard Company
450 Alexandra Road
Singapore 119960
Singapore

HP

CONTENTS

2500C/CM

Printer Basics

System Requirements 1
Printer Features and Benefits 1
Printer Parts and Locations 2
Control Panel Layout 2
Control Panel Keys 3
LEDs 3

Setting Up

Step 1 - Unpack the Printer 4
Step 2 - Remove All Tapes from the Printer 5
Step 3 - Connect Cables 5
Step 4 - Set LCD language Preference 6
Step 5 - Install Ink Cartridges 7
Step 6 - Install Printheads 8
Step 7 - Load Paper in Tray 2 9
Step 8 - Load Paper in Tray 3 11
Step 9 - Align Printheads 12
Step 10 - Install the Printer Software 13

Basic Printing Tasks

Loading the Trays 15

Loading Media in Tray 1 15

Loading Media in the Rear Manual Feed 16
Monitoring and Replacing Ink Cartridges 16
Replacing Printheads 17
Using the HP 2500C Series Printer Software 18

PCL Printer Software Components 18

Changing Print Settings 19

Changing Print Options 19
Using the Printer on a Network 19
Printing with Special Features and Options 19

Maintaining the Printer

Clean Printheads 21
Align Printheads 21
Calibrate Color 22

Contents

Installing the PostScript Module 22

Installing Additional Memory 25

LCD Messages

Control Panel Menus 27

Overview 27
Paper Handling Menu 28
Diagnostics Menu 29
Information Menu 29
Self Test Menu 30
Print Quality Menu 30
Printing Menu 31
IO Menu 32
Resets Menu 32
Configuration Menu 33
MIO Menu 33
PostScript Menu 33

Understanding Printer Messages 34

Troubleshooting

General Troubleshooting Tips 37

Non-Recoverable Error 38
Troubleshooting Feature in Toolbox 38

To use the troubleshooting feature in the HP 2500C
Series Toolbox in Windows 95, 98 and NT 4.0 38

To use the troubleshooting feature in the
HP 2500C Series Toolbox in Windows 3.1x 38

Printer does not Print 39
Partial or Blank Page Printed 39
Bad or Poor Print Quality 40
Text or Graphics are Cut Off 40
Garbage Printed 41
Clearing Paper Jams 41
Tips for Avoiding Paper Jams 42
Printhead Diagnostics 42

Understanding the Diagnostic Test 44

Customer Support 45

HP Supplies and Accessories 48

Printer Specifications 50

Minimum Printing Margins 54

Hewlett-Packard Limited Warranty Statement 55

Declaration of Conformity 57

Regulatory Notices 59

HP

2500C/CM

Congratulations on your purchase of an HP 2500C/CM Professional Series
Color Printer.

System Requirements

Please ensure that you have the following computer setup:
Minimum: Windows 3.1x: 486DX-66, 8MB RAM

Windows 95/98: 486DX-100, 8MB RAM
Windows NT 4.0/5.0: 486DX-100, 16MB RAM
Macintosh System 7.5.3 or later: 68040, 8MB RAM

Recommended: Windows 3.1x: Pentium 150/166, 16MB RAM

Windows 95/98, Pentium 150/166, 16MB RAM
Windows NT 4.0, Pentium 150/166, 32MB RAM
Macintosh System 8 or later: Power PC, 16MB RAM

50MB Free HardDisk space for 11” x 17” or A3 size
printing.
Graphics intensive files may require more disk space.

Printer Features and Benefits

Seamless Workgroup Integration with Robust Network Features

• The HP 2500C/CM Color Printer supports all major networking
operating systems and protocol.

• Easy printer setup, configuration and network printing
management with HP JetAdmin and WebJetAdmin.

• The HP 2500CM Printer supports Adobe PostScript 3 for true
document portability.

• User-friendly LCD and Key Panel for easy printer configuration,
status and error messaging and reduced MIS intervention.

Printer Basics

1

Significant Cost Savings and Speed Gains with HP’s New Modular Ink
Delivery System (MIDS).

• New half-inch printheads print larger swathes to achieve
significant speed gains of up to 9.5 ppm black, 7.5 ppm color.

• HP’s new Modular Ink Delivery System communicates with a smart
chip built into each printhead and ink cartridge to monitor ink
levels and printhead life.

• Printing in color becomes more affordable with lower costs per page.

Exceeds your Workgroup’s Color Expectations with HP PhotoREt II (up to 13”x19”)

• PhotoREt II uses the smallest ink drop size to create more shades
of color, smoother transitions between tones, and crisper-looking
output on any paper.

• Prints up to 13”x19” / A3 oversize when you need it.

Printer Parts and Locations

Paper

Knob

Tray 1/

Output Tray

Tray 2

Top C ov er

Tray 3

Printhead Latch

Power
Button

Extended
Tray Cover

Printhead
Access Cover

Ink Cartridge
Door

Back Panel

Rear Access
Door

Control Panel Layout

Menu Button

Item Button

Value Button

Select Button

LCD Panel

Cancel Job

Button

Attention (Red)

Ready (Green)

(Go)

2

Control Panel Keys

(Go) • Places the printer either online or offline.

• Allows the printer to resume printing after being offline. Clears
most printer messages and places the printer online.

• Allows the printer to continue printing with a warning message
such as TRAY x LOAD [TYPE] [SIZE] or UNEXPECTED PAPER SIZE.

• Exits the Control Panel menus. (To save a selected Control Panel
setting, first press the [Select] button.)

• Displays non-recoverable error codes.

[Cancel Job] Cancels the print job that the printer is processing. The time it takes

to cancel depends on the size of the print job. (Press it only once.)

[Menu] Cycles through the Control Panel menus. To print a menu map from

the Control Panel:

1. Press [Menu] until SELF TEST MENU appears.

2.Press [Item] until PRINT MENU MAP appears.

3. Press [Select] to print the menu map.

For information on each menu item, see LCD Messages.

[Item] Cycles through the selected menu’s items.

[Value] Cycles through the selected menu item’s values.

[Select] • Saves the selected value for that item. An asterisk (*) appears next

to the selection, indicating that it is the new default. Default
settings remain when the printer is switched off or reset unless
you reset all factory defaults from the [RESETS] menu.

• Prints the selected printer information page from the Control Panel.

LEDs

There are 2 lights or LEDs on the printer:

Led Indicators Color Function

Ready LED Green Is lit up when the printer is printing, in

normal state, OR when it is online.

Attention LED Red Blinks when the printer is in an error state,

OR requires attention.

For more information, see Troubleshooting section.

3

h, i

HP

2500C/CM

Step 1 - Unpack the Printer

1. Check that the following items are included with the printer:

d

g

f

e

a

b

c

a. Power Cord
b. Four HP No. 10 Ink Cartridges

(black, cyan, magenta and yellow)

c. Four HP No. 10 Printheads

(black, cyan, magenta and yellow)

d. Extended Tray Cover
e. Setup Poster
f. Getting Started Guide
g. Quick Reference Guide
h. Starter CD
i. HP JetDirect CD (HP 2500CM printer only)

2. Prepare printer location.
The location requirements for the printer are:

• A sturdy, level surface for placement

• Space allowance around the printer

745 mm

• A well ventilated room

• No exposure to direct sunlight or chemicals, including ammonia

based cleaning solutions

• Adequate power supply

• A stable environment – no abrupt temperature or humidity

685 mm

changes

• Relative humidity 20% to 80%

• Room temperature 59° to 95°F (15° to 35°C)

337 mm

532 mm

4

HP

2500C/CM

1. Remove the four tapes securing the printer. Open the top cover and
remove the fifth tape from the inside of the printer.

Step 2 - Remove All Tapes from the Printer

HP

2500C/CM

1. Ensure that the computer is turned off.

2. Plug the power connector firmly into the printer’s power socket.

3. Plug the power plug into an electrical outlet.

To connect the printer directly to the computer:

1. Connect the printer end of the parallel cable firmly to the parallel
port on the printer.

2. Snap both clips onto the notches on the connector.

3. Connect the computer end of the parallel port on your computer and
tighten the screws on the connector.

The HP 2500CM Professional Series Color Printer comes with a built-in
HP JetDirect internal print server.

To connect the HP 2500CM printer to the network, plug the network cable
into the network port on the print server. For more information on
configuring the printer in a network environment, refer to the Network
Guide which is available on your HP 2500C/CM Starter CD.

Step 3 - Connect Cables

5

HP

2500C/CM

You can set the LCD Panel to display printer messages in one of the
following languages:

• English • Norwegian

• German • Finnish

• French • Swedish

• Dutch • Danish

• Portuguese • Polish

• Italian • Czech

• Spanish • Russian

To do so:

1. Ensure that the printer is turned off.

2. Press and hold [Menu] and turn on the printer.

3. Continue to hold down [Menu] until the LCD displays “LANG = X”
(where “X” is the current language setting).

4. Press [Value] to scroll through the language list.

5. Press [Select] to choose and confirm your language selection.

Step 4 - Set LCD Language Preference

6

HP

2500C/CM

Step 5 - Install Ink Cartridges

1

2

3

1. Press the Power button to turn on the printer.

2. Lift to open the Ink Cartridge door.

3. Remove all four ink cartridges from their packaging and insert each ink
cartridge into its own color-coded slot. Make sure that each cartridge

is pressed firmly into place.

7

HP

2500C/CM

Step 6 - Install Printheads

1

1. Make sure that the Ink Cartridge Door is open. Grasp the side of the
Printhead Access Cover and lift up firmly to snap the cover open and
completely remove it from the printer. You may have to use some force
to open the cover.

Note: If the cradle cannot be found under the cover, it means that the tape
securing the cradle has not been removed. Open the Top Cover, remove the tape
securing the cradle, turn off the printer and turn on again.

2

2. Make sure the printer is turned ON.
The cradle will move away slightly. Open the purple printhead latch by

lifting the latch from the rear. Pull the latch forward and down to
release the latch hook from the purple carriage lock. Then lift and
push the latch toward the back of the printer.

3

3. Remove each printhead from its package.

Remove the protective tape from each printhead.

Insert each printhead into its own color-coded socket.

Push the printheads down firmly.

8

4

4. Close the printhead latch. Be sure that the hook on the printhead latch
catches the carriage lock.

Note: You may have to use some force to close the printhead latch.

5
6

5. Ensure that the Ink Cartridge Door is lifted. Align the tabs of the cover
with the tabs on the printer.

6. Lower and snap to close the cover.

7. Close the Ink Cartridge Door.

HP

1

2500C/CM

Note: Tray 2 is a fixed tray. Tray 1 has to be removed before Tray 2 can be accessed.

Tray 2 is designed to hold up to 150 sheets of paper and can accomodate paper
sizes such as Letter, A4, Legal, B4, A3, 11” x 17”, 13” x 19” and 330 x 483 mm.

Step 7 - Load Paper in Tray 2

1. Remove Tray 1 and set it aside.

2

2. If you are loading paper sizes such as B4, A3, 11” x 17” and
330 x 483 mm, unlock the tray lock, extend the tray and re-lock the
tray lock.

9

2

3
4

3. Unpack the Paper Length and Width guides.

4. Insert the Paper Length guide into the slot of the paper size you wish
to load.

5

5. Insert the Paper Width guide into the slot of the paper size you wish
to load.

6
7

6. Insert paper, print side down into the printer.

7. Tap the left side of the stack of paper to ensure that it is flush against
the right side of the tray.

8

8. Replace Tray 1.

9

9. If Tray 2 is extended, place the Extended Tray Cover over the tray.

10. On the Control Panel, press [Menu] until PAPER HANDLING
MENU appears.

11. Press [Item] to select TRAY 2 TYPE=

12. Press [Value] to select the media type you have loaded into the tray
and press [Select].

Click to see a video clip of the load Letter, A4 or Legal paper.

Click to see a video clip of the load B4, A3, 11” x 17”, 13” x 19”

10

or 330 x 483 mm paper.

HP

2500C/CM

Step 8 - Load Paper in Tray 3

1

Note: Tray 3 is designed to hold up to 250 sheets of paper and can accommodate

paper sizes such as Letter, A4, Legal, B4, A3, 11” x 17”, 13” x 19” and
330 x 483 mm.

1. Grasp the sides of Tray 3 and pull it out of the printer.

2

2. If you are loading paper sizes such as B4, A3, 11” x 17” and
330 x 483 mm, unlock the tray lock, extend the tray and re-lock the
tray lock.

3
4
5

3. Unpack the Paper Length and Width guides.

4. Insert the Paper Length guide into the slot of the paper size you wish
to load.

5. Insert the Paper Width guide into the slot of the paper size you wish
to load.

6

6. Load paper by aligning the paper edge to the Paper Length guide
first. Tap the other end of the paper to ensure that the paper is
properly loaded. Tap the left side of the stack of paper to ensure that
it is flush against the right side of the tray.

11

7

7. Re-insert Tray 3 into the printer.

8

8. If Tray 3 is extended, place the Extended Tray Cover over the tray.

9. On the Control Panel, press [Menu] until PAPER HANDLING MENU
appears.

10. Press [Item] to select TRAY 3 TYPE=

11. Press [Value] to select the media type you have loaded into the tray
and press [Select].

Click to see a video clip of the load Letter, A4 or Legal paper.

Click to see a video clip of the load B4, A3, 11” x 17”, 13” x 19”

HP

2500C/CM

Step 9 - Align Printheads

1. Press [Menu] until DIAGNOSTICS MENU appears.

2. Press [Item] until ALIGN PRNT-HDS appears.

3. Press [Select]

4. The printer will print a page with 5 sets of alignment patterns.

5. In each set (A, B, C, D, or E) select the most aligned (straightest) pair
of lines (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5).

6. Enter the corresponding numbers in the Control Panel by pressing
[Value].

7. When you have entered a value for a set, press [Item] to move to the
next.

8. When you have finished entering the values, press [Select].

9. The printer will print a confirmation page consisting of 2 squares and
a cross.

10. Check the confirmation page to see if the lines on the squares and
the cross are aligned.

11. Re-align the printheads if the confirmation page is not satisfactory.

12

HP

2500C/CM

Before you can use the printer, you must install the printer software. To
install the printer software, you need at least 8 MB of RAM and Microsoft
Windows 3.1x, 95 or 98 installed in your computer.

To install the printer software in Windows NT 4.0, you need at least 16 MB of
RAM and Windows NT 4.0 installed in your computer.

Installing the PCL Printer Software from the Starter CD into a PC

Note: The Starter CD includes a utility to easily copy the HP 2500C/CM software to

3.5-inch high-density diskettes as well as to copy files to a server. This allows you to

use the diskettes to install the software on systems that do not have a CD-ROM drive.

1. Start Microsoft Windows and make sure no other Windows

applications are running.

2. Insert the Starter CD into your CD-ROM drive. The installation

program will run automatically.

3. Click the Printer Driver option followed by Install in the CD menu to

install your printer software or Download to download the printer
software to either a hard disk, network drive or floppy disks. If
installation does not automatically run, follow the instructions below.

Installing PCL Printer Software from Floppy Disks (or the Starter CD,
if the installation program does not run automatically)

1. Start Microsoft Windows and make sure no other Windows

applications are running.

2. Insert Disk 1 into your computer’s floppy drive (or the CD into the

CD-ROM drive).

3. Select File, Run in Windows 3.1 or select Start, Run in Windows

95/98/NT 4.0.

4. At the Command Line Box,

• For floppy disk installation, type the letter of your computer’s

floppy disk drive followed by :\SETUP (for example, a:\setup).

• For CD installation, type the letter of your computer’s CD-ROM

drive followed by :\INSTALL (for example, d:\install).

5. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to complete

installation.

Step 10 - Install the Printer Software

Customizing the Printer Software

You may choose to customize the printer software so that certain items or
features such as Toolbox and bi-directional printing will be disabled the
next time you install the printer software. This feature is useful if you want
to install a customized configuration on several computers in a network.

13

To do this:

1. Download the printer software. During download, you will be asked if

you wish to customize the printer software. If you choose not to, you
may run the Installer Configuration Utility later by double-clicking
on the HPINSCFG.EXE icon in the driver directory of the Starter CD.

2. Choose the options you wish to install.

3. Click OK.

4. The printer software will be installed according to this configuration

the next time you run SETUP.EXE

Installing the PostScript Printer Software into a PC

Note: The PostScript Printer Software is available when you purchase a HP 2500CM
Printer or the HP 2500C PostScript upgrade kit. For more information, see HP
Supplies and Accessories.

1. Start Microsoft Windows and make sure no other Windows

applications are running.

2. Insert the PostScript CD into your CD-ROM drive.

3. Select File, Run in Windows 3.1 or select Start, Run in Windows

95/98/NT4.0.

4. At the Command Line Box, type the letter of your computer’s

CD-ROM drive followed by: \INSTALL (for example, d:\install).

5. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to complete

instructions.

14

HP

2500C/CM

Basic Printing Tasks

Loading the Trays

The HP 2500C/CM Professional Series Color Printer has 3 paper trays and
1 Rear Manual Feed for superior paper handling capabilities.

Tray 1 - This tray holds up to 10 sheets of paper. It is recommended that
you use this tray for media types and sizes that are seldom used.

Tray 2 - This tray holds up to 150 sheets of paper. It is recommended that
you use this tray to hold paper that is commonly used.

For instructions on how to load paper into Tray 2, see Step 7 in the Setting Up
section.

Tray 3 - This tray holds up to 250 sheets of paper. It is recommended that

you use this tray to hold paper that is commonly used.

For instructions on how to load paper into Tray 3, see Step 8 in the Setting Up
section.

Rear Manual Feed - The Rear Manual Feed is designed to provide a

straight paper path for printing on thicker media (up to 0.3mm) such as
cardstock or labels without bending. This paper path allows you to print
only 1 sheet at a time.

Loading Media in Tray 1

1. Set your printer software to pick paper from Tray 1 and print your

1

document.

For more information on how to set your print settings, please refer to
section on Changing Print Settings.

2. After sending your print job to the printer, the LCD panel will display
the message "TRAY 1 LOAD [TYPE] [SIZE]" where [TYPE] and [SIZE] are
the media type and size as specified in your printer software.

3. Slide the paper width guide to its outermost position.

4. Insert up to 10 sheets of paper along the right side of Tray 1, print side
down, until it stops.

5. Slide the paper width guide in until it stops at the edge of the paper.

6. Press the button to print.

Click to see a video clip of the above procedure.

15

Loading Media in the Rear Manual Feed

1

1. Set your printer software to pick paper from Rear Manual Feed and
print your document.

For more information on how to set your print settings, please refer to the
section on Changing Print Settings.

2. After sending your print job to the printer, the LCD panel will display
the message "MNL FEED LOAD [TYPE] [SIZE]" where [TYPE] and [SIZE]
are the media type and size as specified in your printer software.

3. Insert the media into the Rear Manual Feed at the back of the printer,
making sure that the edge of the sheet is aligned with the alignment
mark on the left side of the slot. Wait for the printer to grip the media
before releasing it.

4. Press to start printing.

Click to see a video clip of the above procedure.

Monitoring and Replacing Ink Cartridges

The printer monitors and shows the amount of ink left in each ink cartridge
on the LCD. When the ink in a particular ink cartridge is about to be used
up, a warning message will appear on the LCD Panel. At this point, your
ink cartridge will still have enough ink left in it for a few more print jobs.
However, it is recommended that you get a replacement ready as soon as
this warning message appears.

When the ink in a particular ink cartridge has fully run out, the LCD will
display a message [X INK OUT, REPLACE CART] (where X is the color of the
cartridge). When this happens, you will not be able to print until the
corresponding cartridge is replaced.

To do this:

1

2

1. Lift to open the Ink Cartridge Door.

2. Remove the ink cartridge from its packaging and insert it into its own
color-coded slot.

3. Push down the ink cartridge firmly.

Click to see a video clip of the above procedure.

Note:
Use only original No. 10 HP ink cartridges. The use of incompatible cartridges may
disrupt the intricate printing system, potentially resulting in reduced print quality
and even damaging the printer. HP does not guarantee non-HP cartridges or damage

16

to the printer resulting from the use of non-HP cartridges. For more information on
HP Supplies and Accessories, refer to page 48.