HP Designjet 5100 User's Guide
HP Designjet 5100 printer
Customer Reference Guide
More Information
You can find more about the following topics on the Using Your Printer CD:
Printing materials and their characteristics
Animations of loading materials and installing ink supplies
More about solving problems
Page formatting
Printer configuration and maintenance
Functional specifications
A glossary of terms and a comprehensive index
There is also more information available from the following sources:
The WebAccess tool, for information about your printer status, technical
support, on-line documentation, etc.
HP Designjet Online (http://www.designjet.hp.com) for the latest product
information, including on-line documentation and application notes for
leading GIS software
The setup instructions that came with your printer
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Table of Contents
1. Use the front panel
2. Load and unload material
3. Maintain the ink system
4. Manage the prints
5. Front-panel messages
6. Troubleshooting image quality
7. Troubleshooting the ink supply
8. Troubleshooting print material jams
9. Legal and service information
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Use the front panel 1
Functional areas 1-2
The navigation keys 1-2
Display screens 1-3
Action keys 1-4
Status lights 1-4
Sleep mode key 1-5
Print mode selection 1-5
Selecting production mode 1-6
Internal prints 1-7
Print the configuration 1-7
Menu print 1-7
Front-panel menus 1-9
Setup menu: device setup 1-9
Setup menu: internal rip settings 1-12
Setup menu: queuing and nesting 1-12
Setup menu: page format 1-13
Setup menu: demos 1-14
Media menu 1-14
Ink cartridge menu 1-15
Printhead menu 1-15
Navigation 1-15
Using the navigation keys 1-15
Entering the setup menu 1-16
Navigation examples 1-17
Changing menu mode 1-17
Changing the page size 1-17
Changing the drying time 1-18
Restoring the default menu 1-19
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
1-1
Use the front panel
Functional areas
The front panel of the printer is made up of the following functional areas,
from left to right:
Action keys and associated status lights
A message display screen
Navigation keys
Sleep mode key and status light.
Action keys
On/off power LED
(red when in standby)
Green
status
lights
Sleep mode key
Message display
Navigation keys
The navigation keys
The navigation keys are TOP, BACK, ↑, ↓ and ENTER. They are located on
the right-hand side of the front panel.
You use these keys to navigate through the menu system and to select menu
icons and menus. See
page 15
.
Front-panel menus, on page 9 and Navigation, on
You can also use the navigation keys to respond to messages. See 4, in
section front-panel messages on the reverse of this guide, for detailed
descriptions of error and status messages.
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Use the front panel
Display screens
The front panel can display a variety of information. When one of the four
menus is highlighted, the front panel displays the following information:
Printer setup menu
If the Printer Setup menu is selected, there is a
brief and overall description of the status of the
consumable. If there is no printing material
loaded, then there is a message describing the
first step in loading material.
If you press Enter now, you will go to the Setup menu. See
menus, on page 9
Media menu
If the Media menu is selected, and there is
printing material loaded, the front panel
displays information on the material you have
loaded.
If you press Enter now, you will go to the
Media menu, see
Ink cartridge icon
If the Ink Cartridge menu is selected, the status of
each of the ink cartridges is shown. If there is a
problem with one or more of the ink cartridges,
the front panel will display an action message or
a error code, see 4, in section front-panel
messages on the reverse of this guide for more
details.
If you press Enter now, you will go to the Ink Cartridge menu, see
cartridge menu, on page 15
.
Media menu, on page 14.
.
Front-panel
Ink
Printhead icon
If the Printhead menu is selected, the front panel displays the status of each
of the printheads. If there is a problem with one or more of the printheads,
the front panel will display an action message or a error code see 4, in
section front-panel messages on the reverse of this guide for more details.
If you press Enter now, you will go to the
Printhead Menu, see
.
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Printhead menu, on page
1-3
Use the front panel
Menus
To configure the printer, use the menus to
select and change the settings. Use the ↑ and
↓ keys to navigate and press the Enter key to
select the options.
Procedure information
The front-panel display can help you through
the various procedures you have to perform,
such as loading printing material.
Action keys
The action portion of the front panel contains three buttons:
CANCEL stops printing and printing material loading while they are in
progress, cancels dry time, or cancels nest waiting. See cancelling a
page, on page 131.
LOAD/UNLOAD loads or unloads printing material. See loading a roll
into the printer, on page 34.
PRINT QUALITY selects the print mode, which may be Max Quality,
Productivity, Production, or Max Speed. A green status light indicates the
print mode you have selected. Two green lights indicate that you have
selected Production mode (not available with all printing materials). See
Print mode selection, on page 5.
Status lights
The green status lights indicates what setting is currently active in the front
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Use the front panel
panel.
NOTE: In most cases, settings in your application software or printer driver
will override the settings you make on the front panel of the printer.
Sleep mode key
After a period of inactivity, the printer goes into a sleep mode (low-power
usage mode). This is indicated by the front-panel display and status
indicators turning off. The indicator light on the front panel is on when the
printer is in standby mode. The printer “wakes up” when you press the sleep
mode key (or any other key) on the printer’s front panel, or when there is any
I/O activity, such as the arrival of a printing job.
Print mode selection
Choose Max Speed for the fastest printing. Ideal for checking prints,
when image quality is not very important.
Choose Production for fast printing with image quality good enough for
some production purposes. Production mode is available only with
certain paper types.
Choose Productivity for a good combination of image quality and
speed.
Choose Max Quality for the highest possible image quality.
You can print images in different settings to see which gives the best
combination of throughput and quality for your application. The resolution at
which your print will be printed is summarized in the table below.
NOTE: To print in Max Quality mode with the Enhanced IQ setting, you
must use glossy paper.
Print quality
setting
Max Speed 300 × 300
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Default
resolution
Resolution with Enhanced IQ
setting
1-5
Use the front panel
Print quality
setting
Production 300 × 300
Productivity 300 × 300 600 × 600
Max Quality 600 × 600
Default
resolution
Resolution with Enhanced IQ
setting
1200 × 600
(with glossy paper)
Selecting production mode
Production mode is a fast print mode that gives acceptable image quality for
some purposes. It is available only with dye-based inks and certain specific
HP paper types: Coated, Heavyweight Coated, Productivity Gloss, and
Productivity Semi-Gloss. When one of these paper types is loaded, the front
panel announces that Production mode is available.
If you select Production mode when using a printing material that does not
support Production mode, the printer will print in Productivity mode.
If you decide to use a non-HP printing material, see using non-hp printing
materials, on page 60.
Selecting production mode using the front panel
Press the Print Quality key repeatedly until you see two green lights, beside
Productivity and Max Speed. The two lights indicate that Production mode is
selected.
However, remember that the print mode selected in the front panel is ignored
if you have set a different mode in the printer driver or in WebAccess.
Selecting production mode using the printer driver
To select Production mode in the Windows HP-GL/2 printer driver, you must
select the Max Speed mode with the Enhanced IQ option.
Click the More button above to obtain the Advanced Optimization Options
box, below:
Selecting production mode using webaccess
Choose Submit Job and you will see a Print Quality option. Select
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Internal prints
1 Make sure that a roll or a sheet is loaded into the printer.
2 Press the TOP key to select the main menu
3 Make sure that the front panel displays the
4 Press the ↑ and ↓ keys on the front panel
Use the front panel
Production.
Print the configuration
To request a Current Configuration Print from the front panel:
on the front panel.
Ready message.
simultaneously to print the Current
Configuration Print.
5 The front panel displays the message Receiving while the file is being
processed, and then Printing as the printer starts printing.
Menu print
You can see the complete menu structure available on the printer by printing
the Menu print. Alternatively, see
help you to navigate the menus.
NOTE: The Menu print is printed in the size specified in the Page Format →
Size settings in the front panel. However, if a sheet is loaded, it will
automatically shrink to fit. Make sure this setting specifies the size you want
before printing.
1 Make sure that printing material is loaded.
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Front-panel menus, on page 9. Use it to
1-7
Use the front panel
2 Make sure the front panel displays the printer
setup menu icon. If it does, press the Top key to
select it. Press the Enter key.
3 The front panel will now display the printer setup
options:
4 Press ↓ key until “Demos” is selected. Press the
Enter key.
5 Press ↓ or ↑ key until “Menu” is displayed. Press
the Enter key.
6 The front panel will now display the message
“Receiving” while the file is being processed,
and then the printer starts printing the Menu
print.
Other internal prints
Your printer can produce a number of other internal prints, as follows.
Service configuration print
The Service Configuration print provides information needed by service
engineers, including the internal current configuration, operating conditions
(temperature and humidity), ink levels, and other statistics about printer
usage.
Network card configuration print
The Network Card Configuration Print shows the configuration of your
network card.
Usage report
The Usage Report shows the status of the printer’s usage counters. This
information includes the total number of prints, number of prints per print
mode, and total amount of ink used per color. The counts in this report are
estimates.
Image quality print
The Image Quality Print can be used to help diagnose whether the printer
has image quality problems, and if problems exist, help determine their
cause. See
29, in section image quality on the reverse of this guide.
Palette print
The HP-GL/2 Palette Print shows the color or grayscale definitions in the
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
currently-selected color palette. See the ‘Using Your Printer CD’.
Samples
These are prints showing the capabilities of the printer.
Front-panel menus
Key:
1 The items on a yellow background always appear on the Front Panel.
2 The items on a gray background appear in the front panel only when
Utilities > Menu mode is set to Full. Full is the default.
3 The items on a blue background appear in the front panel only when the
TUR is installed and loaded with a roll.
4 The items on a green background appear in the front panel only when the
TUR is installed and not loaded with a roll, or when the TUR is not installed.
Setup menu: device setup
Use the front panel
1st level 2nd level 3rd level
Accessories → TUR installed → Yes, N o
Other accessories → Yes, N o
Cutter → On, Off
Reduced
margins →
Lang →
Drying time → Automatic
Pen check → Optimized
Heater → Automatic
Sleep mode →
On, Off
CALS/G4, HP-GL/2, TIFF,
JPEG, Automatic
None
Manual → 1 to 255 min
Manual →
Next plot
None
Manual → 10 to 100%
30, 60, 120, 150, 180,
210, 240 min
every 1 to 255
plots
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Use the front panel
Setup menu: i/o setup
1st level 2nd level 3rd level
No I/O card
found
Card ID
Card setup → Configuration
Advanced → Reset card
I/O timeout → 0.5 to 30 min
Setup menu: utilities
1st level 2nd level 3rd level 4th level
Track media
length →
Usage →
Menu mode → Short, Full
Calibrations →
Reset
WebAccess
passwd
Test prints →
Statistics →
Default menu
Yes, N o
Print usage,
View usage
Printhead
alignment
Accuracy → Restore factory
Banding → Restore factory
HP-GL/2
config, Service
config,
Network card
config,
Usage report,
Image quality
print
RAM present,
Hard disk,
Code rev,
Service ID,
Num cycles,
Boot ROM
Recalibrate →
Recalibrate
Create pattern,
Measure
pattern
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Use the front panel
Display
contrast →
Clean platen →Automatic
Lens
maintenance
Up, Down
clean →
Clean now →
On, Off
Automatic,
Manual
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
1-11
Use the front panel
Setup menu: internal rip settings
1st level 2nd level 3rd level
Optimized,
Start printing →
Ink emulation → RGB →
Align calibration
→
Black
replacement →
Scale →
Immediately,
After
processing
CMYK →
On, Off
Off, On
100 ...
419%,
Fit to page
Native, sRGB, Apple
RGB,
Adobe RGB,
ColorMatch RGB
Native, EuroScale,
SWOP,
Toyo, DIC, JMPA
Setup menu: queuing and nesting
1st level 2nd
level
Queue mgmt
→
Queue → On, Off
Nest → Off
The Nest option appears only if Queue=On.
# ... →
In order →1 ... 99
3rd
level
Copies
→
Move to
top
Delete
page
min
4th
level
0 ... 99
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Setup menu: hp-gl/2 settings
Use the front panel
1st level 2nd
level
Software,
Palette →
Define palette
→
Merge → On, Off
Factory,
Palette A,
Palette B
Palette A,
Palette B
→
Factory →Pen no. 0 to 15 →Width →0 to
3rd level 4th
level
Pen no. 0 to 15 →Width
→
Setup menu: page format
1st level 2nd level 3rd level
Size → Inked area
1.0 × 1.4 m, 42 × 59
in,
44 × 62 in, 1.2 × 1.7
Extrawide →
Oversize → Over A2, Over A1
Arch →
JIS → Best JIS B, JIS B4 to B1
ANSI →
ISO →
Software
Rotate → 0 to 270
Margins →
Nest spacing
→
Mirroring → On, Off
Normal, Extended,
Smaller
Automatic
Manual → 0 to 30 mm
m,
52 × 73 in, 54 × 76
in,
60 × 100 in
Best ARCH, ARCH A
to E1
Best ANSI, ANSI A to
E
Best ISO A, ISO A4 to
A0
5th
level
0.13 to
12.0
mm
255
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
1-13
Use the front panel
Setup menu: demos
1st level
Samples
Palette
Menu
Media menu
1st level 2nd level 3rd level 4th level
Vendor name,
Type of media,
Roll/sheet info →
Media selection
→
Delete media →
Move media
TUR loaded → Yes, No
Form feed & cut
→
Width, Length,
Max XY, Profile
revision
HP →
Others →
(list of
downloaded
media profiles;
media profiles
provided with the
printer cannot be
deleted)
Yes, N o
HW Coated,
Coated Paper,
Photo Imaging
Gloss,
Colorfast Vinyl, HP
Adhesive-Backed
Polypropylene,
Paper Semi-Gloss,
Poster Paper,
Studio Canvas,
More...
Coated, →
HW Coated,
Photo,
Fine Arts,
Vinyl/Film,
Backlit,
Textile,
Colored,
CAD,
More...
Choose
profile,
Print
sample
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Use the front panel
The front panel shows only a selection of the available printing materials.
The Using Your Printer CD has a more complete list.
See also using non-hp printing materials, on page 60.
Ink cartridge menu
1st level 2nd level
Light cyan cart info, →
Light magenta cart info,
Yellow ca r t in fo,
Cyan cart info,
Magenta cart info,
Black cart info
Replace ink cartridge
→
Printhead menu
1st level 2nd level
Light cyan info,
Light magenta
info,
Printhead info →
Recover
printheads →
Replace
printheads →
Yell ow info,
Cyan info,
Magenta info,
Black info
All printheads,
Cyan,
Magenta,
Yell ow,
Black,
Light C,
Light M
Yes, No
HP 705 ink cartridge,
Ink level,
Capacity,
Part number,
Manufacture date
Yes, No
Navigation
Using the navigation keys
Once in the first-level menu, you can navigate the menu system using the
display keys.
Press the Top key to go back to the top (1st) level. This will bring you to the
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
1-15
Use the front panel
setup menu icon See Entering the setup menu, on page 16.
Press the Back key to display the previous menu level, without changing any
menu selections
Press ↑ to scroll up, or ↓ to scroll down though the menus.
Press the Enter key to:
a Select a menu and move to the next menu level, when in the menu system
b Change the printer’s configuration to the highlighted menu item indicated
with a
√ symbol.
The … characters in a menu box indicate that another level of menu is
available.
Entering the setup menu
1 Make sure the front panel displays the
Printer Setup menu icon. If it does not,
press the Top key.
2 Press the Enter key to enter the Printer
Setup menu:
Note
: If the short menu is
selected, the I/O setup menu
will not be available.
To see how to change from the full menu to the short menu, see
examples, on page 17
.
3 Now you are in the Printer Setup menu, you can change the settings of your
printer.
4 To return to the top of the menu system, press the Top key.
Navigation
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Navigation examples
Changing menu mode
The front panel displays two types of menu. One is the short menu. This
menu only contains the settings for everyday use of the printer. The other
menu is the full menu mode which contains all of the menus.
1 Make sure the front panel displays the
Printer Setup menu icon. If it does not,
press the Top key. Then press the Enter
key.
2 The front panel will now display the printer
setup options:
3 Press the ↓ key until “Utilities” is selected.
Press Enter key.
Use the front panel
4 Press the ↓ key until “Menu mode” is
selected. Press Enter key.
5 Use the ↑ or ↓ key to select the menu mode
you want. The selected option will have a
√ symbol.
6 To return to the top of the menu system,
press the Top key.
Changing the page size
This example shows how to adjust the page size.
1 Make sure the front panel displays the
printer Setup Menu Icon. If it does not,
press the Top key. Then Press the Enter
key.
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
1-17
Use the front panel
2 The front panel will now display the printer
setup options:
3 Press the ↓ key until “Page Format” is
selected. Press the Enter key.
4 The correct menu is already highlighted.
Press the Enter key to select “Size=”.
5 Press the ↓ key until “Software” is selected.
Press the Enter key.
6 ‘Software’ is now selected.The selection
you have made will be indicated by the
symbol.
7 To return to the top of the menu system,
press the Top key.
√
Changing the drying time
This example adjusts the drying time, a setting used to suit special printing
conditions. See the ‘Using Your Printer CD’ for more details.
1 Make sure the front panel displays the
Printer Setup menu icon. If it does not,
press the Top key. Then press the Enter
key.
2 The front panel will now display the printer
setup options:
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
3 Press the ↓ key until the “Device setup”
menu is selected. Press the Enter key.
4 Press the ↓ key until the “Drying time=”
menu is selected. Press the Enter key.
5 Press the ↑ or ↓ key to select “Manual”.
6 Press the Enter key to select it as the
setting for Drying time.
Use the front panel
7 Press the ↑ or ↓ key to select the drying
time.
8 To return to the top of the menu system,
press the Top key.
Restoring the default menu
If you are unsure about the settings you have made, or if you prefer to reset
the printer’s default menu, go to the Utilities menu and select Default Menu.
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
1-19
Use the front panel
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Load and unload
material
Loading roll guidelines 2-2
Loading a roll into the printer 2-2
Using pre-loaded spindles 2-2
Attaching printing material to the take-up reel 2-2
Help with loading 2-3
Loading a roll onto the spindle 2-3
Loading a roll into the printer 2-5
Attaching the roll to the take-up reel 2-9
Unloading the roll from the take-up reel 2-12
Removing the roll from the printer 2-15
Loading sheets 2-16
Unloading sheets 2-18
Using non-hp printing materials 2-18
Media length tracking 2-19
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
2-1
Load and unload material
Loading roll guidelines
There are three steps to loading a roll into the printer.
1 Load the roll onto the spindle and install the loaded spindle into the printer.
2 Insert the roll into the printer and set the media type in the front panel.
3 Attach the roll to the take-up reel (if you have one).
CAUTION Long rolls are heavy. You may need two people to load
Loading a roll into the printer
In the initial stages of loading a roll you may want to open the window, but
this is optional. If you are an experienced user for example, you can leave
the window closed, thus saving time.
NOTE: Always start the procedure through the front panel.
When loading a roll into the printer:
Check that the printing material is wound onto the spindle tightly.
Check that the spindle is loaded correctly, with the guides installed firmly
onto the spindle.
If you are using a three-inch cardboard core, check that the core
adaptors supplied with the printer have been installed. See below
them.
Using pre-loaded spindles
If you are a regular user of different printing materials, you can change your
printing material more quickly if you have more than one spindle loaded
with material. Extra spindles are available for purchase.
Attaching printing material to the take-up reel
When attaching printing material to the take-up reel:
Check the leading edge as it unwinds from the spool. If it is not evenly cut
or if it is skewed, trim the printing material.
Check that the printing material is straight when it is attached to the take-
up reel, otherwise it will skew as it is wound onto the core.
The core tube on the take-up reel must be the same width as the printing
material you are using.
Make sure the take-up core is pushed firmly into both spindle guides.
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
Load and unload material
If you need to feed more printing material from the printer, and the ‘Move
Media’ screen is no longer displayed, go to the Media menu and press
Enter. Then select ‘Move Media’.
If you are using a three-inch cardboard core, make sure the core
adaptors supplied with the printer have been installed.
Core adaptors
Help with loading
When loading printing material there is information available from:
This Pocket Guide, installed at the back of the printer
The labels located on the printer and on the spindles
The front panel, which will guide you through the procedures step by step
Loading a roll onto the spindle
1 Make sure the printer wheels are locked (the brake lever is pressed down) to
prevent the printer from moving.
2 Remove the empty spindle by pulling firmly on each end A and then B as
indicated below.
The spindle has a stop at each end to keep the roll in position. The stop at
the left-hand end can be removed to mount a new roll, it slides along the
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
2-3
Load and unload material
spindle to hold rolls of different widths.
3 Remove the removable stop (A) from the left-hand end of the spindle.
4 The roll may be very long; rest the spindle horizontally on a table and load
the roll on the table. Bear in mind that you may need two people to handle
it.
5 Slide the new roll onto the spindle. Make sure the printing material is
oriented as shown. If it is not, remove the roll, turn it 180 degrees and slide
it back on to the spindle.
6 Put the removable stop on to the upper end of the spindle, and push it
towards the end of the roll.
7 Ensure the spindle guide is pushed in as far as it will go, without using
excessive force.
8 With the movable roll stop on the left, slide the spindle into the printer left
and then right as shown by the arrows A and B.
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
9 The printing material should hang down from the roll exactly as shown
below.
If you are a regular user of different printing materials, you can change rolls
more quickly if you pre-load different materials on different spindles. Extra
spindles are available for purchase.
Loading a roll into the printer
NOTE: To start this procedure you need to have a roll loaded on the
spindle. See
Loading a roll onto the spindle, on page 3.
Load and unload material
NOTE: The following procedure assumes that you have the take-up reel
installed and turned On in the Device Setup menu.
1 Check the leading edge as it unwinds from the spool. If it is not cut straight,
continue with the next procedure. If the printing material is cut correctly, go
to step 3.
WARNING The knife used in the next step is sharp. Be sure the
printer’s wheels are locked. Keep fingers clear of the
cutting path. Keep the knife away from children.
2 Trim the leading edge of the roll only if it is not straight. If the amount of
printing material was printed at the end of the roll, this figure will be cut off if
the material is trimmed.
a Pull the printing material over the top of the printer and lay it over the
cutting track.
b Use the knife in the pocket located on the back of the printer to cut off the
first few inches of the material.
HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
2-5
Load and unload material
c Retract the blade and return the knife to its pocket.
3 Press the Top button to select the main menu on the front panel.
4 Make sure that the front panel displays the
Ready for media message. Shown alongside is
an example of what the front panel will display
with the main screen selected
5 Press the LOAD/UNLOAD MEDIA key on the
front panel.
6 The front panel displays:
7 Select Roll and press Enter.
8 Open the window (optional).
NOTE: If you have loaded rolls before and you are an experienced user,
you may want to leave the window down. Rolls can be loaded with the
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HP Designjet 5100 printer Customer Reference Guide
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