HP Designjet Z2100, Designjet Z3100, Designjet Z3200 service manual

HP Designjet

Z2100/Z3100/Z3100ps/Z3200/

Z3200ps

GP Photo Printer Series

Version 10.0

September 21, 2008

For HP Internal Use Only

©Copyright Hewlett-Packard
Company 2008

This document contains
proprietary information that is
protected by copyright. All
rights are reserved. The
information contained herein is
subject to change without
notice.No part of this document
may be photocopied,
reproduced, or translated to
another language without the
prior written consent of Hewlett­Packard Company.

Version 10.0, September 21,
2008

Warranty

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.

WARNI NG

The procedures described in
this manual are to be
performed by HP-qualified
service personnel only.

Electrical Shock Hazard

Serious shock hazard leading
to death or injury may result if
you do not take the following
precautions:

- Ensure that the ac power
outlet (mains) has a protective
earth (ground) terminal.

- Disconnect the Printer from the
power source prior to
performing any maintenance.

- Prevent water or any other
liquids from running onto
electrical components or
circuits, or through openings in
the enclosure.

Electrostatic Discharge

Refer to the beginning of
Chapter 4of this manual, for
precautions you should take to
prevent damage to the Printer
circuits from electrostatic
discharge.

WARNING

The Warning symbol calls
attention to a procedure,
practice, or the like, which, if
not correctly performed or
adhered to, could result in
personal injury. Do not
proceed beyond a Warning
symbol until the indicated
conditions are fully understood
and met.

CAUTION

The Caution symbol calls
attention to an operating
procedure, practice, or the like,
which, if not correctly
performed or adhered to, could
result in damage to or
destruction of part or all of the
product. Do not proceed
beyond a Caution symbol until
the indicated conditions are
fully understood and met.

Content Management Department,
Barcelona Division,
Hewlett-Packard Espanola, S.A.
Avda. Graells, 501
08190 Sant Cugat del Valles
Spain

Safety Symbols

General definitions of safety
symbols are given immediately
after the table of contents.

Table of Contents 1

1 Troubleshooting
2 System Error Codes
3 Service Tests and Utilities
4 Service Calibrations
5 Parts and Diagrams
6 Removal and Installation
7 Preventive Maintenance

For information about Using this Manual, please refer to the next page.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual -1

Table of Contents

Using this Manual

Purpose

This Service Manual contains information necessary to test, calibrate and
service:

 HP designjet Z2100 Photo Printer 24 inch (Model Q6675A)
 HP designjet Z2100 Photo Printer 44 inch (Model Q6677A)
 HP designjet Z2100 Photo Printer Revision C 24 inch (Model Q6675C)
 HP designjet Z2100 Photo Printer Revision C 44 inch (Model Q6677C)
 HP designjet Z3100 Photo Printer 24 inch (Model Q5669A)
 HP designjet Z3100 Photo Printer 44 inch (Model Q6659A)
 HP designjet Z3100ps Photo Printer 24 inch (Model Q5670A)
 HP designjet Z3100ps Photo Printer 44 inch (Model Q6660A)
 HP designjet Z3200 Photo Printer 24 inch (Model Q6718A)
 HP designjet Z3200 Photo Printer 44 inch (Model Q6719A)
 HP designjet Z3200ps Photo Printer 24 inch (Model Q6720A)
 HP designjet Z3200ps Photo Printer 44 inch (Model Q6721A)

For information about using these printers, refer to the corresponding User
and Quick Reference Guides.

Readership

The procedures described in this Service Manual are to be performed by HP
Certified service personnel only.

Part Numbers

Part Numbers for Printer options, accessories and service parts are located
in Chapter 5,

Parts and Diagrams.

Conventions

A small arrow ⇒ indicates a link to other parts of the Service Manual where
you can find information related to the topic you are consulting.

-2 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

Troubleshooting 1

Using the Front Panel 1-4

Introduction 1-5
Using the Front Panel 1-4
Troubleshooting System Error Codes 1-5
Performing a Service Test on a failed Assembly 1-5
Performing the Necessary Service Calibrations 1-6
The Printer does not Power ON 1-6
The Printer does not Power ON 1-6
The Printer Continuously Rejects Printheads 1-6
Cover Sensors are not Working 1-6
The Line Sensor has Problems Detecting Media 1-6
Banding at variable extreme environmental conditions 1-8
Worm marks on HP Coated media with light area fills 1-8
Solving Media-Handling Problems 1-8

Software Troubleshooting 1-10

General advice: 1-10
Problems with Image Clipping 1-10
Output Only Contains a Partial Print 1-11
Some objects are missing from the printed image 1-12
If the spool file size is bigger than 1GB, part of the image will be clipped
1-12
Adobe Photoshop 1-13
Adobe Acrobat 1-16
Microsoft Powerpoint 1-17
Adobe Photoshop CS for Mac 1-18
Adobe Illustrator/InDesign for Mac 1-19

Print Quality Troubleshooting 1-20

Print Quality Troubleshooting Actions 1-20
The Service Image Quality Diagnostic Print 1-21
What is the Service Image Quality Diagnostic Print? 1-21
Considerations for Printing the Diagnostic Print 1-22
Printing the Diagnostic Print 1-22
Reading the Diagnostic Print Results 1-24

Diagnostic Part 1: Printhead Reliability 1-24
Diagnostic Part 2: Printhead Alignment 1-25
Diagnostic Part 3: Printheads & Paper Advance 1-26
No Printing Defects Found in the Diagnostic Print 1-28

The Advanced Diagnostic Prints 1-29

What are the Advanced Diagnostic Prints? 1-29
Printing the Advanced Diagnostics Print 1-29

Reading the Advanced Diagnostic Print Results 1-31

Paper Advance 1-31
Visual Alignment Diagnostic 1-34
Nozzle Health 1-36
Force Drop Detection 1-37

1

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-1

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems 1-38

Print Quality General Advice 1-38
Horizontal Lines Across the Image (Banding) 1-38
Lines are Missing, Too Thin, or Too Thick 1-39
Problems with Stepped Lines 1-40
Lines are Printed Double or in Wrong Colors 1-41
Lines are discontinuous 1-41
Lines are Blurred (Ink Bleeds from Lines) 1-42
Problems with Graininess 1-42
Paper is not Flat 1-43
Print Scuffing or Scratching when Touched 1-45
Marks on the Media 1-45
Problems with the Edges of objects 1-51
Bronzing 1-51
Black and white prints do not look neutral 1-52
Horizontal lines at the end of a cut sheet print 1-52
Vertical lines of different colors 1-52
White spots on the print 1-53
Problems with Color Accuracy 1-53

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting 1-55

Introduction to Ink Supplies 1-55

What are Ink Supplies? 1-55
Ink Cartridges 1-55
Available Ink Cartridges 1-57
Printheads 1-57
Available Printheads 1-58
General Information About the Ink Supplies 1-58
General Precautions When Handling Ink Supplies 1-59
When Should You Replace the Ink Supplies? 1-59

Ink Cartridge Levels, Information, and Replacement 1-59

Ink Cartridge Levels 1-59
“View Ink Levels” Direct Access Key 1-59
“View Ink Levels” from the ink menu 1-60
Obtaining Ink Cartridge Information 1-60
Changing an Ink Cartridge 1-61

Printhead Information, Replacement and Alignment 1-63

Obtaining Printhead Information 1-63
Changing a Printhead 1-64
Aligning Printheads 1-66
Reinsert Printheads Procedure 1-66
Image Quality Maintenance Procedure 1-66
Scanning errors during alignment 1-67

Ink Cartridge and Printhead Status Messages 1-68

Ink Cartridge Status Messages 1-68
Printhead status messages 1-68
Printhead Error Codes 1-69

Solving Ink Supplies Problems 1-70

You Cannot Insert the Ink Cartridge Into the Printer 1-70
You Cannot Insert the Printhead Into the Printer 1-71
The front panel says to reset or replace a printhead 1-71

Maintaining and Cleaning the Printheads 1-72

Clean the printheads 1-72

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-2

Flex Contacts Cleaning Tool 1-72

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-3

Troubleshooting

Using the Front Panel

Below is a diagram of the front panel.

View Loaded Paper

Unload Paper

Key Function

 Arrow Keys

Use the Arrow keys to scroll through a menu or toggle between YES or
NO

 Cancel

Use the Cancel key to abort or stop a procedure or reject test results.

 OK

Use the OK key to select a menu option.

 Power

Use the Power key to turn the printer ON and OFF.

 Menu

Use the Menu key to enter the main menu.

 Back

Use the Back key to go back to the previous menu or reject test results.

View Ink Levels

Form Feed and Cut

when prompted.

Up and Down

Cancel

OK

Power

Menu

Back

Service Key Combinations

 Diagnostic mode

With the printer OFF, press and hold the UP and OK keys. While holding
the Up and
printer. Hold all three keys until the Power key stops flashing, usually
about 20 seconds.

OK keys down, press and hold the Power key to turn on the

 Service Menu (Service Engineers Only)

From the main menu, press and hold the Up and Cancel keys.

 Service Menu (For users)

From the main menu, press and hold the Down and Cancel keys.

1-4 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

General Troubleshooting

Introduction

This chapter will guide you through the relevant steps to take when
troubleshooting the printer.

Troubleshooting System Error Codes

Chapter 2, System Error Codes contains a list of system error codes and
their respective descriptions and recommended corrective actions. Only try

recommended action at a time and check if the error code has

one
disappeared.

If you have an error code which is not documented in this Service Manual or
y

ou have an error which you cannot resolve, then report the error to the HP
Response Center or the nearest HP Support Office. When reporting the
error, have the following information ready:

 Model and Serial Number of the printer.
 Which firmware revision the printer is using (See Note below). Check

firmware in Utilities / Statistics / Code rev.

 The complete error number (See Note below).
 The Service Configuration Print.

The Current configuration sheet.


 Which software application the customer is using (name, version, etc.).

General Troubleshooting

When reporting the System Error Code, make sure that you
supply the full Error Code and the firmware version.
Without this information, HP Support Personnel cannot help
you.

Performing a Service Test on a failed Assembly

If possible, always perform a Service Test on the component/assembly that
you are about to replace, just to make sure that is the component/assembly
that has failed.

If the test on that component/assembly passes, you should
NOT replace it.

For information on the Service Tests and how to use them see Chapter 3,
Service Tests and Utilities.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-5

Troubleshooting

Performing the Necessary Service Calibrations

Is the printer calibrated correctly after replacing a component? For
information on the Service Calibrations and how to use them, see Ser

Calibration Guide to Removal and Installation, P
Service Calibrations

Remember that certain Calibrations are required even if an
Assembly has been disassembled to gain access to another
Assembly or Component.

.

age 6-8 and Chapter 4,

vice

The Printer does not Power ON

1 Check that the power cord is connected correctly to the Printer and to the

Power Socket.

heck that the Power Switch on the BACK of the Printer is in the ON

2 C

position.

3 Chec

4 C

5 R

k to see the LED on the Front Panel Power Switch are On.

heck that the Front-Panel Cable is correctly connected to the Electronics

Module. Also make sure that the Front-Panel cable is not damaged.

eplace the Power Supply Unit ⇒ Page 6-164.

The Printer Continuously Rejects Printheads

1 Clean the flex contacts on the Printhead and in the Carriage Assembly using

the Carriage Interconnect Wiper (Refer to Page 1-

2 If A

LL the Printheads are rejected (the status message on the Front Panel does

NOT show "OK" for ALL the Printheads) then perform the Electronic Module

⇒ Page 3-22.

Test

72) and try again.

Cover Sensors are not Working

1 Perform the Sensors Test ⇒ Page 3-33.

heck if the cable for the faulty sensor is not damaged and is connected

2 C

correctly.

eplace the faulty Sensor.

3 R

The Line Sensor has Problems Detecting Media

1 Check the type of media that is being used since the Line sensor may have

problems detecting transparent media or some types of Non-HP media. Try
loading white HP media in to the Printer and check if the Line sensor detects
it.

ometimes the line sensor has problems detecting media when sheet media

2 S

is loaded without a skew check. If the media type allows, always use the
automatic skew check feature. If the media type does not allow automatic
skew check, manually check that the media is correctly positioned.

1-6 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

General Troubleshooting

3 The Line Sensor is not calibrated correctly. Perform the Line Sensor

Calibration ⇒

he Line Sensor is damaged or faulty. Replace the Line Sensor ⇒ Page 6-

4 T

128.

Page 4-15.

Problems with Color Accuracy

1 The Color Sensor ESP (spectrophotometer) is a powerful tool unique to the Z

series printers to maintain color accuracy. If you notice any problems with
colors, perform the Color Sensor ESP (spectrophotometer) calibration. Refer
to Page 4-

18.

Troubleshooting Media Jams/Printhead Crashes

The failure modes "media jam" and "head crash" are grouped together
because in many cases a media jam causes the media to lift up into the
Carriage path and cause a Printhead crash, thus causing many media jam
failures to be reported as head crashes.

d the media jam occur when loading media?

1 Di

 If the client has had media jams, it is common for pieces of media to get

stuck in the media path. Clear the media path.

When clearing a media jam, sometimes media is stuck in
the paper path. To clear this, you must lift the Media Lever
and insert thicker media into the paper path to push out the
media that is still stuck there.

2 Is the customer using non-HP media?

 The use of non-HP media can easily be the cause of media jams and

head crashes (especially head crashes because HP media is specially
formulated to avoid cockle, one of the primary causes of head crashes). If
the media is not HP approved, advise the customer to use HP media and
check to see if the problem is now solved.

as media been loaded without skew check?

3 H

 Loading media without skew check can cause printhead crashes both

during loading and while printing. Whenever automatic skew check is
available for a media type, it should be used. If automatic skew check is
not allowed for the media type, manually check that the media is
correctly positioned.

 Standard/Normal Cut Sheets, depending on the degree of skew, cause

printhead crashes when the corners are not evenly controlled (they are
not pinched at the same time). This makes it more likely that the paper
will be bent or damaged. Frequently, the paper curls upward when the
paper expands due to ink absorption.

 Commercial FA Arts Sheets have the same problem as the Standard/

Normal Cut Sheets described above. The difference is that the
Commercial FA Arts Sheets have a weak, irregular edge that often makes
the problem worse.

 Hand-cut Rollsheets or Leftovers are not supported by the printers because

errors are frequently made by the operator that cause printhead crashes.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-7

General Troubleshooting

The printer has problems ejecting sheet media

The printer has problems ejecting sheet media, either continuing to eject the
paper long after it has been ejected or stopping the ejecting process before
the paper is completely ejected from the printer. To solve the problem, try the
following:

 Load media using the skew check feature whenever it is possible. When

sheet media is loaded without the skew check feature, the printer
estimates the length of the paper to be 4 times the width. If this estimate is
either too short or too long, the printer will not properly eject the media.

Banding at variable extreme environmental conditions

Since the Accuracy Calibration has been done at normal environmental
conditions, printing in extreme environmental conditions will cause banding
because the advance of the Media Advance Roller does not correspond to
the conditions present when the calibration was performed. To solve the
problem, try the following:

 Perform the Accuracy Calibration in the new environmental conditions

(Refer to the User’s Guide).

Roll media

Worm marks on HP Coated media with light area fills

Light bands (S-shaped) in Paper axis direction where light area fills are
printed, causing unacceptable Image Quality defect.

 Print the Service Configuration Print and check if the level of Humidity is

very low (below 30%). Increasing humidity may help in reducing the
severity of the problem.

The media is causing the problem and NOT the Printer. Do
not attempt to try and replace Printer parts to solve this
problem.

Solving Media-Handling Problems

The Front Panel indicates that media is misaligned or incorrectly positioned

 The roll may be loaded the wrong way. The paper should load over the

roll toward you.

 Check that the paper is correctly loaded onto the spindle.
 The paper may be loaded at an angle. The right-hand edge must be

aligned with the blue line on the Print Platen.

Ensure that the paper is wrapped tightly on the roll. This is
a very important step to remember because if this is not
done, the media may be loaded at an angle, causing the
media to be rejected.

 Make sure you choose the correct loading option on the Front Panel.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-8

General Troubleshooting

Sheet media  Always load sheet media using the Rear Input Tray. Do NOT load the

media as you would load roll media, unless you are getting marks on the
media with thick cut sheet media.

 It must be loaded with the right-hand edge against the blue line on the

Print Platen.

 Load the sheet media without skew check.
 The media may be crumpled or warped or may have irregular edges.
 If hand-cut media is used, the edges may not form a right-angle or they

may be rough. If possible, hand-cut media should not be used. Only
purchased sheet media should be used in the Printer.

 If you have problems with paper jams, check that the Overdrive is not

obstructed by bits of paper or using the Turn Drive Roller Service Utility
Page 3-61.

 Make sure you choose the correct loading option on the Front Panel.

.

⇒

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-9

Software Troubleshooting

General advice:

Check that you have the latest driver release. Driver releases are available at
www.hp.com/go/graphicarts

Installation

If the driver is available in a share drive, copy the installer or zip file locally
into the hard disk before executing it.

The drivers are published in different formats in the web

 Installer for Windows (.exe file that can be executed to start the

installation)

 Compressed package including all files that are needed to install the

driver through the Add a Printer Wizard in Windows (.exe file that can
be automatically extracted)

 Image file for Mac (.dmg file)

Usually the Windows installer includes other components apart from the
driver, like the HP Standard TCP/IP Port. This is the recommended port type
when you need to install the printer on the network, so make sure that you
have installed the driver with the installer at least once to have this port type
available.

If you want to upgrade the driver in the future, although it is recommended
to continue using the installer, you can use the manual wizard if you are
concerned about file download size. When you install the driver from the
original CD/DVD, you are using the Installer so the necessary components
will be installed also.

Installation logs are located at:

 C:\windows\hpdjxxxx.log (different for each printer name)
 C:\windows\sounder.his
 C:\windows\hpntwksetup.ini

They might be useful in case of escalating an installation error to the Lfp
Helpdesk

Software Troubleshooting

Problems with Image Clipping

This normally indicates a discrepancy between the actual printable area on
the loaded paper and the printable area as understood by the software. This
kind of problem can often be identified before printing by previewing the
print.

 Check the actual printable area for the paper size that is loaded.

printable area = paper size – margins

 Check what the software understands to be the printable area (which it

may call “printing area” or “imageable area”). For example, some
software applications assume standard printable areas that are larger
than those used in this Printer.

 If a custom page size with very narrow margins has been defined, the

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-10

Software Troubleshooting

printer may impose its own minimal margins, clipping the image slightly.
Consider using a larger paper size, or border less printing.

 If the image contains its own margins, it may be possible to print it

successfully by using the Clip Contents by Margins option.

 If a very long image needs to be printed on a roll, check that the software

is capable of printing an image of that size.

 The page may have been rotated from portrait to landscape on a paper

size that is not wide enough.

 If the paper was loaded without the skew check feature, the preview

function may not function correctly because the printer must estimate the
paper length. Whenever possible, load media using the skew check
feature.

 If necessary, change the printable area in the software.
 If necessary, reduce the size of the image or document in your software

application, so it fits between the margins

Another Possible Explanation

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. If you try to print
an image larger than this from these applications, the bottom of the image
will be clipped. In this case, the only way to print the whole image is to
reduce the resolution so that the whole image requires fewer than 32,768
pixels. An image 32,768 pixels long would print at a length of 54.61 in or

1.39 m if you select Best or Quality in the driver, 109.23 in or 2.78 m if you
select Fast, Normal or Speed in the driver.

To print the whole image, try these suggestions:

 When printing into a PS printer, Try using the PostScript printer driver to

print your job, if you have not already tried it

 The Windows PCL3 driver dialog includes an option called Max.

application resolution, which enables you to print successfully in this
situation. For the Z3200 it is set to Auto. For older products, or if you
want to make sure that the resolution is lowered, you might need to
change the setting manually to 300. You can find the option in the
Advanced tab, under Document Options > Printer Features.

 Save the file in another format, such as TIFF or EPS, and open it with

another application.

 Use a RIP to print the file.

Output Only Contains a Partial Print

If the output that was expected only contains a partial image, then try the
following to resolve the problem:

1

Was the
If so, send the file again and make sure that the

2 The I/O Timeout setting may be too short. Increase the I/O timeout setting

(Setup Menu/I/O Setup/IO Timeout) and then send the file again.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-11

Cancel

key pressed before all the data was received by the Printer?

Cancel

key is not pressed.

Software Troubleshooting

3 There might be a communications problem between the Printer and

Computer. Check the USB or network cable between the computer and the
Printer to make sure it is not damaged and is connected correctly.

4 Make sure that the software settings are correct for the current page size

(e.g. long-axis prints).

5 If network software is being used, make sure it has not timed out.

Some objects are missing from the printed image

Large quantities of data may be necessary to print a high-quality large­format print job, and in some specific workflow there may be issues that can
lead to some objects missing from the output.

Corrective Action

 In the Advanced tab, select Document options, Printer features, and set

Send job as bitmap to Enabled (HP-GL/2 driver only).

 In the Advanced tab, select Document options, Printer features, and set

16-bit App. Compatibility to Enabled.

 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.
 Select a lower print quality in order to reduce the resolution of the printed

image.

The above settings are mentioned for troubleshooting purposes and may
adversely affect the final output quality or the time necessary to generate the
print job. Therefore, they should be restored to their default values if they do
not help to solve the problem.

When working under Mac OS, the above settings are not available. Instead,
try reducing the resolution of bitmap images in the application software
being used.

If the spool file size is bigger than 1GB, part of the image will be clipped

Versions affected: Any application in Windows XP
Drivers affected: Drivers that use EMF spooling
Description:
Some drivers generate spool files in EMF format. The OS has a limitation in

the size of this EMF file. Currently the drivers that use EMF are:

 Z2100/Z3100 PCL3GUI driver
 Z2100/Z3100 HP-GL/2 driver if the preview or back to front printing

settings are used

Corrective Action

 Reduce the resolution.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-12

Software Troubleshooting

 Reduce resolution in driver by selecting a lower printmode (Best or normal

instead of Max Detail).

 In the Advanced tab of the driver, select Max application resolution =

300 to reduce the driver resolution while keeping the rest of the
printmode characteristics (number of passes for example).

 Disable the Print Processor module in the PCL3GUI driver, which is

responsible for generating EMF. You can do this by going to the
Advanced tab of the driver and disabling the Advanced Printing
Features. The trade-off is that you cannot use the following features in the
PCL3GUI driver: Preview, rotation, scaling, Office features, Back to front
printing.

 In the HP-GL/2 driver, do not use preview or back to front printing to

avoid generating EMF files.

 Use a RIP or a PS model

Limit for Windows 2000 spool file size is smaller (200MB).

Observation: Customer might report that when choosing preview, the job is
not printed but it is printed when he does not select the preview setting. The
cause of the problem might be related to the fact that the HP-GL/2 driver will
use EMF if you do a preview so this limitation applies in this case.

When the image needs to be rotated, parts of the image might be clipped or disappear

Versions affected: Any application in Windows
Drivers affected: Drivers that use EMF spooling, like the PCL3Gui driver for

the Z S

Description:

When the image is rotated, sometimes part of the image is clipped. We
ha
cases, instead of clipping the end of the image, the symptom is that some
objects inside the image disappear, we have seen the effect in Acrobat.

Corrective Action

 If possible, rotate inside the application instead of in the driver
 Reduce resolution in driver by selecting a lower printmode (Best or normal

Remember that if the image is wider than the paper loaded, the image will
be

instead of letting the driver rotate it automatically when it does not fit.

eries

ve seen this in several applications like Photoshop or Acrobat. In other

instead of Max Detail)

automatically rotated. If possible rotate the image inside the application

Driver version available in Fall’08 will improve the
performace when printing big files or rotating images.

Adobe Photoshop

It is not possible to open images that have more than 300,000

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-13

Software Troubleshooting

pixels in any direction (width or length)

Versions affected: All
Drivers affected: All

Corrective Action

Not available

It is not possible to print images that have more than 30,000 pixels in any direction (Print menu gets grayed out)

Versions affected: CS and previous
Drivers affected: All

Corrective Action

 Reduce image resolution in Photoshop (Image –> Image Size)
 Use a RIP to print the file

Image will be clipped if it is longer than 32768 pixels

Versions affected: All except CS2
Drivers affected: PCL3GUI and HP-GL/2 drivers
Description:
If the page size to be printed is bigger than 32768 pixels in any direction

(215 pixels), the image will not be completely printed. The number of pixels
depends on the driver resolution:

 At 1200dpi you can print 27.31” (69cm). This is equivalent to Max

Detail in the Z2100/Z3100 driver

 At 600 dpi you can print 54.61” (1.39m). This is equivalent to Best in the

Z2100/Z3100 driver

 At 300 dpi you can print 109.23” (2.78m). This is equivalent to Fast or

Normal in the Z2100/Z3100 driver

Corrective Action

 Reduce resolution in driver by selecting a lower printmode (Best or normal

instead of Max Detail)

 In the Advanced tab of the driver, select Max application resolution =

300 to reduce the driver resolution while keeping the rest of the
printmode characteristics (number of passes for example)

 Convert the image to PDF and print from Acrobat, or use a RIP
 Print from CS2. CS2 allows printing 231pixels, which results in lengths of

kilometers.

 Reduce the image size so that it is inside the limits that can be printed

and then scale from the driver to the desired size

 Use a RIP or a PS model

Carriage stops between swaths leaving some horizontal marks in the middle of the plot

Versions affected: All but seen more often in CS3
Drivers affected: PCL3GUI drivers
Description:

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-14

Software Troubleshooting

When printing some long or high resolution images, even if being inside the
limits of the number of pixels that can be printed, sometimes the carriage
stops between different swaths. When the carriage stops, an horizontal line
in a different color might be seen due to the ink that has dried between the
different passes of the carriage over the same swath

Corrective Action

 Reduce resolution in driver by selecting a lower printmode (Best or normal

instead of Max Detail)

 In the Advanced tab of the driver, select Max application resolution =

300 to reduce the driver resolution while keeping the rest of the
printmode characteristics (number of passes for example)

 Disable the Memory manager setting in the Advanced tab of the driver

Driver version available in Fall’08 will improve the
performace when printing big files or rotating images.

Image does not get correctly centered

http://www.adobe.com/go/kb402021
Versions affected: CS3
Drivers affected: All
Description:
Even after selecting the Center option in the Print Menu, the image is not

cent

ered

Corrective Action

 Install the Photoshop 10.0.1 update or later

Portrait or landscape orientation is not taken into account

http://www.adobe.com/go/kb403012
Versions affected: CS3
Drivers affected: All
Description:
Print options such as landscape orientation, print preview, scale fit to media,

r

oll paper-panormama printing, user-defined paper sizes, and printing the
full image, don't work as expected when you print from Photoshop CS3. This
can occur when you choose a custom page size in Photoshop CS3.

Corrective Action

 Get the latest CS3 patch
 Select the page size settings inside the File –Print menu instead of the File

– Page Setup menu

 Ultimately use CS or CS2 to print the image

Image is printed in letter size

Versions affected: CS3
Drivers affected: All
Description:

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-15

Software Troubleshooting

When creating a custom page size, the image is printed in letter size. The
difference between this limitation and the pixels limitation is that in this case
you have a reduction of size both in length and in width. In the case of the
pixel limitation you only have the reduction in length, but the width is usually
printed correctly.

Corrective Action

 Get the latest CS3 patch
 Create custom page sizes with bigger lengths than widths and then select

the landscape option if needed.

Latest drivers do not allow creating page sizes with bigger
widths than lengths.

 Select the page size settings inside the File –Print menu instead of the File

– Page Setup menu

 In Windows Vista, open the print preferences dialog again after clicking

on the Print button of the Photoshop Print dialog, and select again the
custom page size. It will be kept in this way.

 Ultimately use CS or CS2 to print the image

Adobe Acrobat

Image is printed in letter size

Versions affected: All
Drivers affected: All
Description:
When creating a custom page size, it might not be available to be selected

f

rom the application until you close Acrobat and open it again. The result is
that Acrobat will go back to the default selection for page size, which is
Letter. If the customer does not realize that the page size changed again
after closing the driver dialog, it will look like part of the image is clipped.

Corrective Action

 Close Acrobat and open it again.

Clipped images when printing long files

Versions affected: All
Drivers affected: Drivers that use EMF spooling

 Z2100/Z3100 PCL3GUI driver
 Z2100/Z3100 HP-GL/2 driver if the following settings are selected:

preview, back to front printing
Description:
The image is not completely printed. We have seen this more often in files

that ar

e longer than 54” (printing at 600dpi) or 108” (printing at 300dpi).
There is a limitation in the way that Acrobat handles EMF files, sometimes
depending on the complexity of the EMF file, part of the image is lost. It
could be that the end of the image is not printed, or some objects might
disappear.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-16

Software Troubleshooting

Corrective Action

 Update to latest Acrobat version. Old Acrobat releases had limitations in

the length of images that could be printed

 Create custom page sizes with bigger lengths than widths and then select

the landscape option if needed.

Latest drivers do not allow creating page sizes with bigger
widths than lengths.

 If you need to rotate the image, rotate it inside the applicatiion (with

Acrobat Professional). Please be aware that when you rotate in Acrobat
Reader you are just rotating the view but the file is not rotated.

 Reduce resolution in driver by selecting a lower printmode (Best or normal

instead of Max Detail)

 In the Advanced tab of the driver, select Max application resolution =

300 to reduce the driver resolution while keeping the rest of the
printmode characteristics (number of passes for example)

 Disable the Print Processor module in the PCL3GUI driver, which is

responsible for generating EMF. You can do this by going to the
Advanced tab of the driver and disabling the Advanced Printing
Features. The trade-off is that you cannot use the following features in the
PCL3GUI driver: Preview, rotation, scaling, Office features, Back to front
printing.

 In the HP-GL/2 driver, do not use preview or back to front printing to

avoid generating EMF files.

 Use a RIP or a PS model

Microsoft Powerpoint

Part of the image is lost when printing big slides in landscape orientation

Versions affected: All
Drivers affected: Z2100/Z3100 PCL3GUI driver
Description:
When printing a slide in landscape format which will need to be rotated in

or

der to fit in the currentlly loaded roll, the result is that parts of the image

might disappear (objects, background), or the image might be clipped.

Corrective Action

 Upgrade the unit to HP-GL/2 and use the HP-GL/2 driver
 Save in a different format and print from another application
 Print on rolls that are wider than the slides that need to be printed

Driver version available in Fall’08 will improve the
performace when printing big files or rotating images.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-17

Software Troubleshooting

Adobe Photoshop CS for Mac

It is not possible to open images that have more than 300.000 pixels in any direction (width or length)

Versions affected: All
Drivers affected: All

Corrective Action

Not available

It is not possible to print images that have more than 30.000 pixels in any direction (Print menu gets grayed out)

Versions affected: CS and previous
Drivers affected: All

Corrective Action

 Reduce image resolution in Photoshop (Image –> Image Size)
 Use a RIP to print the file

Image will be clipped if it is longer than 32768 pixels

Versions affected: All except CS2. Illustrator or Indesign have similar
limitations.

Drivers affected: PCL3GUI drivers
Description:
If the page size to be printed is bigger than 32768 pixels in any direction

(215 pixels), the image will not be completely printed. The number of pixels
depends on the driver resolution:

 At 1200dpi you can print 27.31” (69cm). This is equivalent to Max

Detail in the Z2100/Z3100 driver

 At 600 dpi you can print 54.61” (1.39m). This is equivalent to Best in the

Z2100/Z3100 driver

 At 300 dpi you can print 109.23” (2.78m). This is equivalent to Fast or

Normal in the Z2100/Z3100 driver

Corrective Action

 Reduce resolution in driver by selecting a lower printmode (Best or normal

instead of Max Detail)

 Convert the image to PDF and print from Acrobat, or use a RIP
 Print from CS2. CS2 allows printing 231pixels, which results in lengths of

kilometers.

 Reduce the image size so that it is inside the limits that can be printed

and then scale from the driver to the desired size

It is not possible to print longer than 455inches

Versions affected: All
Drivers affected: PCL3GUI drivers
Description:

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-18

Software Troubleshooting

Photoshop uses an internal resolution of 75dpi, so even if you have reduced
the resolution of the image to print longer files and overcome the 30.000
pixels limitation, you will not be able to print longer than 455inches.

Corrective Action

 Use a RIP

Adobe Illustrator/InDesign for Mac

It is not possible to create long documents
Versions affected: All
Drivers affected: All
Description:
When creating a new document, its size is limited to 227.5416 inches for

Illustrator and 106inches for InDesign.

Corrective Action

Not Available

It is not possible to print longer than 109inches

Versions affected: All
Drivers affected: PCL3GUI drivers
Description:
Files longer than 109inches will be clipped. The reason is:

 Illustrator does not take into account the raster resolution from the

application when printing on raster devices, and it always takes 300dpi,
which is the driver resolution, to create the spool file. Therefore it limits the
maximum printable document size to 109inches (32.700pixels/300dpi)

 InDesign has different settings to handle resolution (full resolution,

optimized resolution or screen resolution). For all cases, the spool file
includes 300dpi data so the maximum length is also 109inches

Corrective Action

 Use a different application
 Use a RIP or a PS printer

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-19

Print Quality Troubleshooting

Print Quality Troubleshooting Actions

For some Print Quality problems, a Call Agent can try and
troubleshoot the Printer by requesting the Customer to
perform certain actions. Using this process, most problems
can resolved without the need of an on-site visit.

When faced with a Print Quality problem, perform the following actions in
order to resolve the problem:

rinter Configuration:

1 P

 Check that the paper type loaded corresponds to the paper type selected

in the front panel and in the software. You can verify the paper type
selected through the Front Panel (Main Menu/Paper menu/View loaded

paper).

If you load a sheet without using the skew check feature,
the printer automatically estimates the paper length to be 4
times the width. If skew check is not used, the View Loaded
Paper option will only reflect the estimation made by the
printer, and not the real length.

Print Quality Troubleshooting

 Make sure that the correct Print Quality settings are used for different

types of print content.

 Dry time should be set to “Optimal”.

erform Printhead recovery (Main Menu/Image Quality Maintenance/

2 P

Clean Printheads).

3 Medi

a:

 Make sure that HP or HP-approved media is being used.
 When loading the media, make sure to use the skew check feature

whenever possible (skew check is not available for some types of media).

erform the Printhead Alignment (Main Menu/Image Quality Maintenance/

4 P

Align Printheads), using the same paper type with which you were
experiencing unacceptable image quality, if feasible (some paper types are
not suitable for Printhead Alignment).

heck if the latest version of the firmware is installed. If not, install the latest

5 C

firmware revision.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-20

The Service Image Quality Diagnostic Print

The Service Image Quality Diagnostic Print

What is the Service Image Quality Diagnostic Print?

The Printer contains an internal Image Quality Test which helps you to
diagnose the possible source of any image quality defects. The Service IQ
Diagnostic Print is available in the following options:

1 Image Quality Service Best Plot. This plot helps you to diagnose in more

detail the possible source of any image quality defects. It is accessible
through the Service Utility Menu.

The Image Quality Service Best Plot uses the Best Print Mode and is divided
in to three parts as follows:

 Diagnostic Part 1: Printhead Reliability Test. The purpose of this test is to

identify which Printhead is faulty.

 Diagnostic Part 2: Printhead Alignment Test. This test is designed to check

any color-to-color and bi-directional misalignment the printer may have.

 Diagnostic Part 3: Printheads and Paper Advance test. This test is

designed to check whether the Printheads and the Media Advance
Mechanism are working correctly.

2 Image Quality Service Normal Plot. This plot is the same as the Image

Quality Service Best Plot but uses the Normal Print Mode.

3 Advanced Diagnostic Plot. These tests provide more information of the IQ

defects that we could find in the Image Quality Service plot. For more
information, refer to page

1-29, The Advanced Diagnostic Prints.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-21

The Service Image Quality Diagnostic Print

Considerations for Printing the Diagnostic Print

1 The IQ Diagnostic Print prints in A3 and B sizes so you must have media

loaded (roll or sheet) that is this size or larger.

se the same type of media that the customer was using when they found

2 U

the image quality problem.

the customer is using non-HP media and after the Image Quality Test you

3 If

still have the same image quality problems, change to genuine HP media
and repeat the Image Quality Test.

you do not see any problems with the Image Quality Test, the problem

4 If

may not be with the printer itself. The problem may be with the RIP or the
driver.

If you do see problems with the Image Quality Test, continue with the
A

dvanced Diagnostic procedures which will help you diagnose the problem.

Printing the Diagnostic Print

1 In the Service Utilities submenu, scroll to “Diagnostic Print” and press OK.

2 You will be given three options. Use the Arrow keys to make the selection

and press the OK key to start printing the required Diagnostic Print or to
enter the Advanced Diagnostics menu.

3 If you selected the Advanced Diagnostics Prints in the previous step, use the

Arrow keys to make the required selection Paper Advance, Visual

Alignment Diagnostic, Nozzle Health, Force Drop Detection or Print Banding
Plot, and press the Enter key to start printing.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-22

The Service Image Quality Diagnostic Print

4 Make sure media is loaded, the Media Lever is lowered and that the Ink

System is correctly installed. Press the OK key to print the Diagnostic Print or
press Back/Cancel to exit without printing the Diagnostic Print.

5 The selected Diagnostic Print will now be printed.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-23

Reading the Diagnostic Print Results

Diagnostic Part 1: Printhead Reliability

The Nozzle Print Test test is designed to check if the Printhead nozzles print
correctly.

The nozzles check (bottom of the plot) is printed in a one-pass full swath
mod

e. The diagnostics test prints out every single nozzle of each Printhead

without applying an error hiding or alignment algorithm.
For each Printhead, you can see both the adjacent and the consecutive

no

zzles.

Reading the Diagnostic Print Results

If any nozzles are not printing correctly they will be shown on the right of
each Printhead Nozzle test.There is a series of numbered stepped diagonal
lines. If one or more of the nozzles are clogged, malfunctioning or mis­positioned, you will see that the stepped lines are broken or misdirected in
one or more places.

Below, the stepped lines highlighted in yellow are broken. When the line is

ompletely broken, this means the nozzle is out.

c

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-24

Reading the Diagnostic Print Results

Below, the stepped lines highlighted in yellow are misdirected. When the
line is misdirected, this means the nozzle is malfunctioning or out of
position.

On the left of each Printhead Nozzle test, there is a series of horizontal

traight lines. If one or more nozzles are misdirected there will be unequal

s
spaces between the corresponding lines.

Corrective Action

If the printer has nozzle defects, you can
The printer can automatically compensate for nozzle defects, so there is no
need to replace the Printhead.

The method of improving Nozzle Defects is to:

1 R

ecover the Printheads, using the Front Panel Main Menu/Image Quality

Maintenance/Clean Printheads option.

still get perfect print quality results.

eprint the Printhead Nozzles Test Plot to verify that the defective nozzles

2 R

have been corrected.

the problem continues, replace the defective Printhead.

3 If

Diagnostic Part 2: Printhead Alignment

This test is designed to check any color-to-color and bi-directional
misalignment the printer may have.

1 If the Printer is experiencing horizontal misalignment problems, the

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-25

Reading the Diagnostic Print Results

Alignment Test will show something like this:

2 If the Printer is experiencing vertical misalignment problems, the Alignment

Test will show something like this:

3 If the Printer is experiencing bi-directional misalignment problems, the

Alignment Test will show something like this:

Corrective Action

Perform the Printhead Alignment (Main Menu/Image Quality Maintenance/
A

lign Printheads), using the same paper type with which you were
experiencing unacceptable image quality, if feasible (some paper types are
not suitable for Printhead Alignment).

Diagnostic Part 3: Printheads & Paper Advance

This test is designed to check whether the Printheads and the Paper Advance
Mechanism are working correctly. This part of the Image Quality Test should
NOT be used to check for color consistency or accuracy.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-26

Reading the Diagnostic Print Results

Banding

If the Printer is experiencing a banding problem, you will see repetitive
horizontal bands within the printed image.

 Darker horizontal bands or lines repeated along the vertical band (from

top to bottom at the same distance).

 Whiter horizontal bands or lines along the vertical band (from top to

bottom at the same distance).

The plot is printed in Best or Normal mode (according to the menu option

elected) with Error Hiding ON. The top band has 100% ink density patches

s
while the bottom band has 50% ink density patches.

Troubleshooting Banding Problems

If banding doe
Printhead problem. In this case, try the following:

1

Check that the appropriate print quality settings are being used (refer to the
User’s Guide for more information)

2 Recover the printheads using the option through the Front Panel (Main

Menu/Image Quality Maintenance/Clean Printheads). Reprint the
Diagnostic Print or the print file and if the problem persists, replace the faulty
Printhead.

If banding doe
Advance problem:

s NOT occur in ALL the colors, then it is more than likely a

.

s occur in ALL the colors, then it is more than likely a Paper

 If the bands are light, it means that the paper has advanced too much.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-27

Reading the Diagnostic Print Results

 If the bands are dark, it means that the paper hasn’t advanced enough.
 In high quality modes, graininess in ALL colors can indicate problems

either with alignment or Paper Advance.

Corrective Action

In order to solve problems that result in banding, try the following:

1 Check that the appropriate print quality settings are being used (refer to the

User’s Guide for more information).

2 Check that the loaded media is the same type as selected in the printer. You

can verify the media type selected through the Front Panel (Main Menu/
Paper menu/View loaded paper).

3 If the customer is using low quality paper, try recommending better quality

paper (preferably HP paper). Printer performance can only be guaranteed
by using recommended papers.

4 Perform the Paper Advance Calibration using the same type of paper that

will be used for the final print (Main Menu/Image Quality Maintenance/
Paper Advance Calibration/Calibrate Paper Advance).

If there is white point banding in only one color band and the problem
cannot be fixed using the Printhead recoveries, in some cases using the force
a drop detection option can fix this issue.
37

see Force Drop Detection, Page 1-

No Printing Defects Found in the Diagnostic Print

If all the test patterns from the Diagnostic Print are correct and you still
experience Image Quality problems, you can use the following procedures
to resolve the problem.

 Reading the Advanced Diagnostic Print Results
 Visual Alignment Diagnostic
 Nozzle Health
 Force Drop Detection

If you still see Image Quality problems after performing these tests and the
Diagnostic Print still looks correct, then it might be a problem with the image
itself, or a software/application problem.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-28

The Advanced Diagnostic Prints

What are the Advanced Diagnostic Prints?

Advanced Diagnostic Plot. These tests provide more information of the IQ
defects found in the Image Quality Service plot.

The Adva

 Visual Media Advanced Diagnostic. Used to check advance reliability.
 Visual Alignment Diagnostic. Used to check pen alignment reliability.
 Visual Nozzle health Diagnostic. Used to check nozzle health reliability.
 Force Drop Detection. Used to reset the nozzle health historic data base

Printing the Advanced Diagnostics Print

1 In the Service Utilities submenu, scroll to “Diagnostic Print” and press OK.

nced Diagnostic Plot is divided into the following parts:

and force new drop detection.

The Advanced Diagnostic Prints

2 You will be given three options. Use the Arrow keys to select the Advanced

Diagnostics menu.

3 From the displayed options, use the Arrow keys to make the required

selection Paper Advance, Visual Alignment Diagnostic, Nozzle Health,
Force Drop Detection or Print Banding Plot, and press the OK key to start
printing.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-29

The Advanced Diagnostic Prints

4 Make sure media is loaded, the Media Lever is lowered and that the Ink

System is correctly installed. Press the OK key to print the Diagnostic Print or
press Back/Cancel to exit without printing the Diagnostic Print.

5 The selected Advanced Diagnostic Print will now be printed.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-30

Reading the Advanced Diagnostic Print Results

Reading the Advanced Diagnostic Print Results

Paper Advance

This plot helps you to visually check any alignment problems of the printer.
You use it to precisely measure the media advance error with a one dot row
accuracy, and to verify the stability of the media advance.

The whitest vertical line should be positioned in the 0 offset column with
minor v
on the 0 column or between +2 and -2 columns and the whitest vertical

varies greatly, the printer requires Paper Advance Calibration
Image Quality Maintenance/Paper Adv
Advance).

ariations between +2 and -2 columns. If the offset is not positioned

ance Calibration/Calibrate Paper

It is very important to verify that the loaded media is the
same media type as selected in the front panel. You can
verify the media type selected through the Front Panel (Main
Menu/Paper menu/View loaded paper). The wrong type of
paper selected will produce an offset error in the Paper
Advance.

(Main Menu/

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-31

Reading the Advanced Diagnostic Print Results

The following plot shows correct media advance, there is a straight white
line positioned close to the 0 column for the majority of the points.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-32

Reading the Advanced Diagnostic Print Results

The following plot shows a bad media advance, there is a straight white line
positioned close to the -6 column, instead of the 0 column for the majority of
the points.

Corrective Action

To fix Paper Advance problems, try the following:

1 C

heck the Paper Advance Calibration Status. This can be done by going to
Main Menu/Paper/View Loaded Paper. At the bottom, the Front Panel
displays the Paper Advance Calibration status. There are three status
messages:

 DEFAULT. The paper loaded is recognized as HP paper, which is

already optimized and calibrated for the printer. Do Not calibrate the
Paper Advance for this paper.

 RECOMMENDED. The paper loaded is NOT recognized as HP paper,

and Paper Advance values have NOT been customized for this paper
type. In this case, calibrate the Paper Advance from the user menu.

 OK. This indicates that the paper loaded has been calibrated before. If

the printer continues to have banding and graininess problems, calibrate
the Paper Advance from the user menu.

Whenever the printer's firmware is upgraded, the paper
advance calibration values will be reset to factory default.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-33

Reading the Advanced Diagnostic Print Results

2 To calibrate the Paper Advance from the user menu, go to Main Menu/

Image Quality Maintenance/Paper Advance Calibration/Calibrate

Paper Advance.

It is very important to verify that the loaded media is the
same media type as selected in the front panel. You can
verify the media type selected through the Front Panel (Main
Menu/Paper menu/View loaded paper). The wrong type of
paper selected will produce an offset error in the Paper
Advance.

Some paper types are not suitable for Paper Advance
Calibration. Do NOT use colored papers or transparent
materials such as translucent bond, clear film, matte film,
tracing paper, or vellum.

Paper Advance calibration from the user menu will only calibrate the Paper
Advance for the paper type loaded in the printer at that moment.

Calibrate Paper Advance has mostly solved the problem, try Adjust Paper

3 If

Advance to fine tune the Paper Advance (Main Menu/Image Quality
Maintenance/Paper Advance Calibration/Adjust Paper Advance).

Select the percentage of change from -100% to 100%. To correct light
banding
percentage.

he Paper Advance calibration from the service menu will calibrate the

4 T

Paper Advance for ALL paper types. This action is recommended when:

, decrease the percentage. To correct dark banding, increase the

 The Paper Advance calibration from the user menu does NOT solve the

problem.

 The Paper Advance problems affect ALL paper types.

The procedure for Paper Advance Calibration from the service menu is
doc

umented in Chapter 5, Service Calibrations. see Pa

Calibration, P

age 4-6.

per Advance

Visual Alignment Diagnostic

This plot helps you to visually check any alignment problems of the printer.
You use it to precisely measure the alignment error with a one dot row
accuracy. For the printer to be considered correctly aligned, the results must
be within ±1 dot row.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-34

Reading the Advanced Diagnostic Print Results

The illustration shows the complete Printhead Alignment that identifies each
of the specific alignment test results covered.

a

b

c

d

e

f

The Visual Alignment Diagnostic print shows the following diagnostic test
results:

a odd2e

b pe

c PA

d pe

e col

f thet

ven_SAD: Horizontal direction in forward and reverse.

n2pen_SAD: Horizontal direction.

D

n2pen_bidir_SAD: Horizontal bi-direction.

or_bidir_SAD: Horizontal bi-direction.

aZ and VLS: only contour part (dark bands).

Reading the Printhead Alignment Diagnostic Print

The following plot shows correct visual alignment. The lightest band is
po

sitioned on the 0 column.

Corrective Action

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-35

Reading the Advanced Diagnostic Print Results

For the thetaZ and VLS diagnostics the dark band of the print is the area to
check. In the following example print the lightest segment of the dark band is
positioned on the -1 column.

Dark band

 If any of the printheads are misaligned beyond the ±1 dot row range,

perform a Printhead Alignment. see A

ligning Printheads, Page 1-66

 If a Printhead Alignment does not correct the problem, replace the bad

printhead.

If the customer is using non-HP media and after the Image
Quality Test you still have the same image quality problems,
change to genuine HP media and repeat the Image Quality
Test. The best alignment calibration is obtained using HP
Photo Paper.

Nozzle Health

The print contains three separate parts.

a

b c

a The Variable Frequency Nozzle health plot with odd/even nozzles

separation. This is used to detect misdirected or weak nozzles, nozzles
not working correctly at all frequencies, or even Gloss Enhancer (GE)
color problems.
This plot might show defects with the p
Service Image Quality Diagnostic Print. Look at the color bars and lines

rintheads that are not visible in the

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-36

Reading the Advanced Diagnostic Print Results

to check if you see any missing parts of the plot, banding or white streak
in them.

b Inspector measuring tool test plot.

Test b should NOT be used by Service Engineers.

c Nozzle Print Test which is also part of the Image Quality Service Plot.

This test is designed to check that the Printhead nozzles print correctly.
The test prints out every single nozzle of each Printhead. No error hiding
or Printhead Alignment algorithm is applied. For each Printhead, you can
see both the adjacent and the consecutive nozzles.

This is what you would see in the N
nozzles not printing correctly:

n the right of each Printhead Nozzle test, there is a series of numbered

1 O

stepped diagonal lines. If one or more of the nozzles are malfunctioning or
mis-positioned, you will see that the stepped lines are broken or misdirected
in one or more places.

n the left of each Printhead Nozzle test, there is a series of horizontal

2 O

straight lines. If one or more nozzles are misdirected there will be unequal
spaces between the corresponding lines.

ozzle Print Test part if there are

Corrective Action for Nozzle Defects

If the printer has nozzle defects, it d
perfect print quality results. The printer has automatic procedures to hide
many nozzle defects.

ecover the Printheads using the option through the Front Panel (Main

1 R

menu/Image quality maintenance/clean printheads).

eprint the Nozzle Print test to check that the defective nozzles have been

2 R

corrected.

the problem continues, replace the defective Printhead.

3 If

oes not mean that you will not get

Force Drop Detection

If the Nozzle Print Test plot has persistent white point banding in only
one color that cannot be fixed with a printhead recovery, you can use this
option to resolve the problem by resetting the nozzle health data base so
that all nozzles are assumed to be correct.

Once the nozzle health data base has been reset drop detection is forced.
The normal cause of this white point banding in

incorrect detection of failed nozzles by the drop detector.

a single color is the

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-37

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

Print Quality General Advice

1 To achieve the best performance from the printer, only genuine HP

accessories and supplies should be used.

2 Mak

3 Mak

e sure that the paper type selected in the Front Panel is the same as

the paper type loaded into the printer and selected in your software.

e sure to use the most appropriate print quality settings for your

purposes. A lower print quality is likely to be seen if the print quality slider
has been moved to the Speed end of the scale, or the custom quality level
set to Fast.

4 Chec

5 C

6 A

k that the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity) are within
the temperature/humidity range as specified for the Printer and customer
substrate (refer to the User’s Guide for more information).

heck that the ink cartridges and printheads have not exceeded their

expiration dates.

void touching the paper while printing is in progress.

Horizontal Lines Across the Image (Banding)

Description of problem

When you look at the image you have p
across the image. Shown below is an example of what you might see if you
have this problem:

rinted, there are horizontal lines

Corrective Action

heck that the paper type loaded corresponds to the paper type selected in

1 C

the front panel and in the software. You can verify the paper type selected
through the Front Panel (Main Menu/Paper menu/View loaded paper).

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-38

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

2 Check that the appropriate print quality settings are being used (refer to the

User’s Guide for more information) and reprint the image. In some cases
print quality problems can be resolved by selecting a higher print quality
level.

3 In case of banding at Best print quality, try the More Passes option in the

driver.

int the Service Image Diagnostics Print, and clean any printheads that

4 Pr

need cleaning. Reprint the job in case the problem has been solved

5 Check the paper advance calibration status. If the status is PENDING,

perform the Paper Advance Calibration (Main Menu/Image Quality
Maintenance/Paper Advance Calibration/Calibrate Paper Advance).

fter calibration reprint the job.

6 A

.

Lines are Missing, Too Thin, or Too Thick

Description of problem

Shown below is an example of what you mi

ght see if you have this problem:

Corrective Action

heck that the paper type loaded corresponds to the paper type selected in

1 C

the front panel and in the software. You can verify the paper type selected
through the Front Panel (Main Menu/Paper menu/View loaded paper).

heck that the appropriate print quality settings are being used (refer to the

2 C

User’s Guide for more information). Select the custom print quality options in
the Print dialog, try turning on the Maximum detail option. Reprint the job in
case the problem has been solved.

3 If the r

4 C

5 C

6 U

esolution of the image is greater than the printing resolution, a loss of
line quality may be seen. You can find the Max. Application Resolution
option in the Windows driver dialog's Advanced tab, under Document
Options > Printer Features. Set the Max Application Resolution to 600.
Reprint the job in case the problem has been solved.

heck the Printhead alignment status. If the status is PENDING, perform the
Printhead Alignment (Main Menu/Image Quality Maintenance/Align
Printheads). After alignment reprint the job.

heck the paper advance calibration status. If the status is PENDING,
perform the paper advance calibration (Main Menu/Image Quality
Maintenance/Paper Advance Calibration/Calibrate Paper Advance). After
calibration reprint the job.

se Part 3 of the Image Quality Diagnostic Print, check if there are a
significant amount of nozzles out in the color that is actually causing the

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-39

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

problem (if see you a problem with the Black color in the customer print, then
only check the Black printhead in the Image Quality Diagnostic Print). If
there is a significant amount of nozzles out then replace the defective
Printhead.

Problems with Stepped Lines

Description of problem

When you look at the image you have printed there are ‘
the borders of arrows and diagonal lines. The lines should be straight with
no stepping.

Shown below is an example of what you might see if you have problems
w

ith Stepped Lines:

stepped lines’ in

Corrective Action

he problems may be inherent in the image that you are trying to print. Try

1 T

to improve the image with the application that generated the file.

heck that the appropriate print quality settings are being used (refer to the

2 C

User’s Guide for more information).

rn On the Maximum Detail option in the Driver. Printing speed will be

3 Tu

reduced, and the maximum detail option sometimes causes problems like
missing objects or clipped images. For most print jobs, the default resolution
is highly recommended.

hange the image rendering resolution to 300 dpi or 600 dpi depending

4 C

on the printing needs. You can find the Max. Application Resolution option
in the Windows driver dialog's Advanced tab, under Document Options >
Printer Features.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-40

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

Lines are Printed Double or in Wrong Colors

Description of problem

This problem can have various visible symptoms, as shown below:

Colored lines are
printed double, in

different colors

Corrective Action

eseat the Printheads by removing them and then reinserting them.

1 R

As you reseat the printheads, the printer will automatically
align the printheads. It is important that the alignment is
completed properly, see Aligning Printheads, Page 1-66

Borders of colored
blocks are wrongly

colored

Lines are discontinuous

If the lines are broken in the following way:

1 Check that the appropriate print quality settings are being used (refer to the

User’s Guide for more information).

eseat the Printheads by removing them and then reinserting them.

2 R

As you reseat the printheads, the printer will automatically
align the printheads. It is important that the alignment is
completed properly, see Aligning Printheads, Page 1-66

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-41

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

Lines are Blurred (Ink Bleeds from Lines)

Description of problem

This problem is often caused by the ink soaking into the paper, making the
lines blur

Corrective Action

1 Chec

for high-quality printing.

2 Mak

the paper type loaded into the printer and selected in your software.

red and fuzzy. This could be because of the humidity in the air.

k that the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity) are suitable

e sure that the paper type selected in the Front Panel is the same as

ry using a heavier paper type. When printing dense colors, it is

3 T

recommended to use HP Heavyweight Coated Paper HP Super,
Heavyweight Coated Paper or thicker Digital Fine Art papers.

4 If glo

5 S

6 A

7 A

ssy paper is being used, try changing to a different type of glossy

paper.

elect the custom print quality options in the Print dialog, and turn on the

More passes option

llow the prints time to dry separately; do NOT cover or stack them.

lign the printheads. see Image Quality Maintenance Procedure, Page 1-

66.

Problems with Graininess

Description of problem

Shown below is an example of what you might see if you have problems
w

ith graininess:

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-42

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

Corrective Action

1 Check that the paper type loaded corresponds to the paper type selected in

the front panel and in the software. You can verify the paper type selected
through the Front Panel (Main Menu/Paper menu/View loaded paper).

2 Check that printing is on the correct side of the paper.

3 Check that the appropriate print quality settings are being used (refer to the

User’s Guide for more information). Select the custom print quality options in
the Print dialog, and try turning on the More passes option. Reprint the
job in case the problem has been solved.

4 If you are using a Z3200 series printer, you can reduce grain by turning off

or reducing the amount of gloss enhancer. You can do this through the
Printer Utility, see the Users Guide for more details.

5 Check the Printhead alignment status. If the status is PENDING, perform the

Printhead Alignment (Main Menu/Image Quality Maintenance/Align
Printheads). After alignment reprint the job.

6 Check the paper advance calibration status. If the status is PENDING,

perform the paper advance calibration (Main Menu/Image Quality
Maintenance/Paper Advance Calibration/Calibrate Paper Advance).

7 After Paper Advance Calibration, reprint the job.

Paper is not Flat

Description of problem

If the paper does not lie flat when it comes out of the Printer, but has shallow
waves in it, you are likely to see visible defects in the printed image, such as
vertical stripes. This can happen when you use thin paper that becomes
saturated with ink.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-43

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

Shown below is an example of what you might see if you have problems
with the paper not being flat:

Corrective Action

heck that the paper type loaded corresponds to the paper type selected in

1 C

the front panel and in the software. You can verify the paper type selected
through the Front Panel (Main Menu/Paper menu/View loaded paper).

ry using a heavier paper type. When printing dense colors, it is

2 T

recommended to use HP Heavyweight Coated Paper HP Super,
Heavyweight Coated Paper or thicker Digital Fine Art papers.

3 Chec

4 S

k that the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity) are within
the temperature/humidity range as specified for the Printer (refer to the
User’s Guide for further information).

elect a paper type that is slightly thinner than the paper you have loaded;
this will persuade the printer to use less ink. Here are some example paper
types in ascending order of thickness:

 Plain Paper
 Coated Paper
 Heavyweight Coated Paper
 Fine Art Paper
 Super Heavyweight Plus Matte Paper
 Thick Fine Art Paper (>250 g/m²).

If your paper type has different versions in the front panel with more and less
ink

, select the one with less ink.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-44

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

Print Scuffing or Scratching when Touched

Description of problem

The black ink pigment can smudge when touched by a finger, a pen, or
some other object. This is particularly noticeable on coated paper, matte
proofing paper, and fine art material.

Glossy paper may be extremely sensitive to damage from the basket or to
anything else that it contacts soon after printing, depending on the amount
of ink used and the environmental conditions at the time of printing.

Corrective Action

1 Handle prints carefully.

2 Avoid stacking prints on top of each other.

3 Disable the automatic cutter before printing, so that the print will not 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.

Marks on the Media

Marks on the paper can come in a variety of forms, including horizontal
smears, pinchwheel marks, starwheel marks, and ink marks on the back of
the paper.

Ink marks on the back of the paper

This can happen after a lot of border less printing, especially with non­standard paper sizes. Also, loading media without skew check frequently
leads to printing on the platen. Ink residues on the platen are likely to mark
the back of the paper.

Corrective Action

 Clean the platen with a soft cloth. Clean each rib separately without

touching the foam between the ribs.

 You can also load and unload a sheet of paper 3 times or until clean.

Horizontal Smears on the Paper

Horizontal smears on the paper occur when the printheads touch the paper
and smear the image. In extreme conditions the customers print can look like
the image below where the printheads have actually come into contact with
the media and scraped off the ink. This problem can happen for different
reasons, and will mostly depend on the following factors:

 The type of paper used
 The printmode selected

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-45

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

 The environmental printing conditions

Corrective Action

henever you notice this problem, cancel the printing job immediately.

1 W

Press the Cancel key and also cancel the job from your computer
application. Soaked paper can damage the printheads.

heck that the paper type loaded corresponds to the paper type selected in

2 C

the front panel and in the software. You can verify the paper type selected
through the Front Panel (Main Menu/Paper menu/View loaded paper).

se a recommended paper type and the correct print settings.

3 U

sing sheet paper, try rotating the sheet 90 degrees. The orientation of the

4 If u

paper fibers may affect performance.

you are using sheet media, load the media with skew check enabled if it is

5 If

possible (skew check might not be suitable for some papers due to the way
they are manufactured or cut).

a lot of ink is used on plain or coated paper, the paper absorbs the ink

6 If

quickly and expands. As the printheads move over the paper, the printheads
may touch the paper and smear the image. Try using a heavier paper type,
like HP Heavyweight Coated Paper, HP Super Heavyweight Coated Paper
or thicker Digital Fine Art papers that can absorb ink without expanding.

elect a paper type that is slightly thinner than the paper you have loaded;

7 S

this will persuade the printer to use less ink. Here are some example paper
types in ascending order of thickness:

 Plain Paper
 Coated Paper
 Heavyweight Coated Paper
 Fine Art Paper
 Super Heavyweight Plus Matte Paper
 Thick Fine Art Paper (>250 g/m²).

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-46

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

If your paper type has different versions in the front panel with more and less
ink, select the one with less ink.

8 Try to increase the margins by relocating the image to the center of the page

with the software application being used.

9 If hor

10 If the hor

izontal smearing occurs when you are using Photo Gloss or Semi-Gloss
papers, try setting the carriage position to HIGH. To set the carriage
position to HIGH, create a custom paper type according to the following
procedure:

rom the HP Easy Printer Care (Windows) or HP Printer Utility (Mac OS),

a F

create a custom paper type based on the paper type that resulted in
horizontal smears (for Photo Gloss or Semi-Gloss papers ONLY). For
more information on creating custom paper types, see the User´s Guide.

When you name the paper type, it is a good idea to use the
paper’s commercial name and something indicating the
high carriage setting.

b Go to Change Printing Properties and select the paper that you just

created.

hange the paper thickness to the highest setting.

c C

elect the custom paper type from the Front Panel and align the

d S

printheads (see A

heck that the custom paper type is selected from the Front Panel and

e C

perform a Color Calibration.

f If the c

g T

the cause of the problem may be the environmental conditions. Check that
the humidity and temperature are within specifications for both the printer
and the paper.

ustomer prints with ICC profiles, create a new ICC profile.

ry printing the project again using the new custom paper with the

carriage position set to HIGH.

izontal smearing occurs when you are using Digital Fine Art paper,

ligning Printheads, Page 1-66)

11 If

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-47

the humidity and temperature are OK, install the Extra High PRS Wedge.

The Extra High PRS Wedge increases the distance between the printhead
and the paper and can help eliminate horizontal image smearing problems.

The new Extra High PRS Wedge can be ordered using Part
Number Q5669-67055. For the relevant removal and
installation procedures, see page 6-109.

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

Pinchwheel Marks

Pinchwheel marks are caused by the pressure of the Pinch Roller on the
paper before printing the image. These are vertical marks that go through
the entire plot and are more or less visible depending on the contents of the
plot.

Corrective Action

he cause of the Pinchwheel marks may be the environmental conditions.

1 T

Check that the humidity and temperature are within specifications for both
the printer and the paper.

the printer is a Z2100/Z3100/Z3100ps, install the new Rubber

2 If

Pinchwheel Kit. The new Pinchwheels are made of rubber material, greatly
improving printer performance and eliminating Pinchwheel marks.

The new Rubber Pinchwheel Kit (for the Z2100/Z3100/
Z3100ps printers) can be ordered using Part Number
Q5669-67060. For the relevant removal and installation
procedures, see page 6-200.

The Z3200 series already uses rubber pinchwheels, so this
solution does not apply to the Z3200 series.

Rear Tray Marks

Rear Tray Marks are vertical marks that appear when using thick sheet
medi

a and loading it with the rear tray path. Although they appear similar

to pinchwheel marks, they are not the same and can be diagnosed:

 Rear tray marks are 3 cm wide. Pinchwheel marks are 1.5 cm wide.
 Rear tray marks are 4-10 cm apart. Pinchwheel marks only 1 cm apart.
 The texture of a rear tray mark is very irregular, whereas pinchwheel

marks are more consistent.

 For a 24 inch plot, you will see 1-5 rear tray marks. For a 44 inch plot,

you will see 1-9 rear tray marks. If you see more marks than that, it is
likely that they are pinchwheel marks.

Corrective Action

oad the media using the roll path instead of the rear tray path. Use the

1 L

black hub of the spindle to align the sheet. Even if you use the roll path, you

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-48

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

should specify that you are loading a sheet to avoid print quality problems.

Starwheel Marks

Starwheel marks are caused by the pressure of the starwheels on the paper
j

ust after the plot is printed. These are vertical, non-continuous marks that are

more visible in dark areas of the plot..

Corrective Action

the printer is a Z2100/Z3100/Z3100ps, install the new Starwheel

1 If

Assembly (with Actuator). The new Starwheel Kit tilts the Starwheel Rail,
increasing the distance between the active starwheels and the paper and
reducing Starwheel marks.

The ac
passive Starwheels are located inside the print path. The new Starwheel
Assembly (with Actuator) reduces active Starwheel marks, but does NOT
reduce passive Starwheel marks.

2 If the printer is a Z3200/Z3200ps or Z2100 Revision C, you can raise the

starwheels to the UP position semi-automatically. See the User´s Guide.

tive Starwheels are located over the Starwheel Roller, and the

The new Starwheel Assembly (with Actuator) (for the
Z2100/Z3100/Z3100ps printers) can be ordered using part
numbers Q5669-67061 (24 inch) or Q6659-67016 (44 inch).
For the relevant removal and installation procedures, refer
to page 6-164.

The Z3200 and Z2100 Revision C series have an automatic
starwheel that can be controlled through the printer utility
(Z3200) or the front panel (Z2100 Revision C).

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-49

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

3 For the Z2100 (revision a or b)/Z3100/Z3100ps printers, activate the UP

position of the new Starwheel Assembly (with Actuator) on the left side. Slide
the left actuator away from the Starwheel Assembly (the UP position).

4 Activate the UP position of the new Starwheel Assembly (with Actuator) on

the right side. Slide the right actuator away from the Starwheel Assembly
(the UP position).

Dark Ink Marks on the Media due to cockle

They appear when the media advance is not properly controlled and so the
car

riage interferes with it (cockle). These marks can appear at the edges of

the media (in the beginning of the plot) or at any other position in the plot.

Corrective Action

the starwheel position has been set to HIGH with the printer utility, set the

1 If

starwheel position to DOWN again (use the actuators for the Z2100/
Z3100/Z3100ps, the Printer Utility for the Z3200, or the front panel for
Z2100 Revision C). Although starwheel marks will be more visible, it should
fix the “dark ink marks on the media” problem.

sing a roll that is close to its end, it could be that there is to much curling

2 If u

and it is not being well controlled by the Starwheels. A recommendation in
this case would be setting the starwheel position to the DOWN position (use
the actuators for the Z2100/Z3100/Z3100ps, the Printer Utility for the
Z3200, or the front panel for Z2100 Revision C) and trying to remove

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-50

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

curling by, for example, leaving the media loaded on the machine during
the night to "straighten" it.

3 If the problem continues after you have set the starwheel position to DOWN,

the problem could be the Carriage Assembly, the Starwheel Rail, or the
Starwheel End Support. Check to see if they are damaged or need to be
replaced.

Problems with the Edges of objects

Stepped or not sharp

The edges of objects or lines appear to be poorly defined or lighter in
densit

y than expected.

Corrective Action

 Make sure that the Print Quality slider is set to Quality, and that More

passes and Max detail are set to OFF.

Darker than expected

The edges of objects seem darker than expected.

Corrective Action

 Make sure that the Print Quality slider is set to Quality, and that More

passes and Max detail are set to OFF.

Bronzing

When printing on photo paper with gray and black ink only a gloss
differential problem can be encountered when light is directly reflected from
the print, producing 'bronzed' reflections where ink has been laid.

Corrective Action

If the printer is a Z2100:

 Use the full set of inks option when printing greyscale images.

If the printer is Z3100/Z3200:

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-51

Troubleshooting

 If using standard print quality options, ensure that the slider is set to

Quality.

 If using custom print quality options, ensure that the Gloss enhancer

option is set to Whole page. You can also try Economode.

 Make sure that the correct paper type is selected in the front panel and

the driver or software of the customer.

If the printer is a Z3200 only:

 -Increase the amount of gloss enhancer used.

As general advice for all models, and as last resource, display the print
vertically or behind a glass.

Black and white prints do not look neutral

Consider printing in grayscale (color options submenu inside the printing
preference menu). See the User´s Guide for more information.

 For all printers, check that the Advanced color options for grayscale

printing in the driver are not being used to modify the neutrality of the
grayscale prints.

 If the customer is already printing in greyscale, and the printer is a

Z2100, select “Print with Black and Grey Inks Only.”

Horizontal lines at the end of a cut sheet print

There is a type of defect that only affects the end of a print, within
approximately 30 mm of the trailing edge of the paper. Some very thin
horizontal lines may be seen across the print.

Corrective Action

1 Print the Service Image Diagnostics Print, and clean any printheads that

need cleaning. Reprint the job in case the problem has been solved

2 Try printing with roll paper.

3 Try using larger margins around the image.

.

Vertical lines of different colors

The print has vertical bands of different colors along it.

Corrective Action

1 Try using a heavier paper type. When printing dense colors, it is

recommended to use HP Heavyweight Coated Paper HP Super,
Heavyweight Coated Paper or thicker Digital Fine Art papers.

2 Use higher print quality settings (refer to the User’s Guide for more

information).

3 If you have already set it to Quality, try selecting Custom Options and

then More Passes.

1-52 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

White spots on the print

White spots are seen on the print. This is probably due to paper fibers, dust,
or loose coating material.

Corrective Action

lean the paper manually with a brush before printing, to remove any loose

1 C

fibers or particles.

lways keep the cover of the printer closed.

2 A

otect paper rolls and sheets by storing them in bags or boxes.

3 Pr

Problems with Color Accuracy

Corrective Action

1 Ensur

2 C

3 C

4 If

5 If y

e that the paper type being used has been color calibrated, which will
give color consistency from print to print, and from Printer to Printer. Check
that the paper type you have loaded corresponds to the paper type selected
in the front panel and in your software.

heck that printing is on the correct side of the paper.

heck that the appropriate print quality settings are being used (refer to the
User’s Guide for more information). Reprint the job in case the problem has
been solved.

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.

ou are using application-managed colors, check that the color profile you
are using corresponds to the selected paper type. If you are working with
non-HP papers, you might need to create an ICC Profile. If you have doubts
about which color settings to use, or you want to create an ICC profile, see
the users guide.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-53

Troubleshooting Print Quality Problems

6 If you select application-managed colors in your application and printer-

managed colors in the printer driver, your results will be wrong. You should
manage colors in the application or in the printer, but not in both.

7 Print the Service Image Diagnostics Print, and clean any printheads that

need cleaning. Reprint the job in case the problem has been solved

Color accuracy using EPS or PDF images in page layout applications

Page layout applications such as Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress do not
support color management of EPS, PDF, or grayscale files.

If these types of files have to be used, try to ensure that the EPS, PDF, or
grayscale images are already in the same color space that is intended to be
used later on in Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress. For instance, if the final
objective is to print the job in a press that follows the SWOP standard, at the
time of creating the EPS, PDF or grayscale the image should be converted
into SWOP.

.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-54

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

Introduction to Ink Supplies

What are Ink Supplies?

For each of the ink colors used in the printer, there are two components, the
Pr

inthead and Ink Cartridge. These components are called Ink Supplies.

Printheads

Ink Cartridges

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

Ink Cartridges

The printer's Ink Cartridges provide ink to the Printheads. The color Ink
C

artridges supplied with the printer have a capacity of 69ml but optional

130 ml cartridges are also available

All these Ink cartridges are physically the same size. Only
the internal capacity varies.

The Ink Cartridges for the Z2100/Z3100 Photo Printer series require no
main

tenance or cleaning. As long as each Ink Cartridge is inserted correctly
into its slot, the ink will flow to the Printheads. Because the Printheads control
the amount of ink transferred to the page, you will continue to see high­quality printing results even when the ink levels are getting low.

.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-55

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

The front panel displays the status of the Ink Cartridge. Using the front panel,
detailed information can be viewed regarding the Ink Cartridges.

The following tables include all the ink cartridges available for the Z2100/
Z3100 Photo Printer series.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-56

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

Available Ink Cartridges

Standard Z2100 Z3100 Z3200 Part number

HP 70 Matte Black x x x C9448A

Photo Black x x x C9449A
Gray x x C9450A
Light Gray x x x C9451A
Cyan x C9452A
Magenta x x x C9453A
Yellow x x x C9454A
Light Magenta x x x C9455A
Red x C9456A
Green x x C9457A
Blue x x C9458A
Gloss Enhancer x x C9459A
Light Cyan x x x C9390A

HP 73 Red x

Twin Pac k Z2100 Z3100 Z3200 Part number

HP 70 Matte Black x x x CB339A

Photo Black x x x CB340A
Gray x x CB341A
Light Gray x x x CB342A
Cyan x C9452A
Magenta x x x CB344A
Yellow x x x CB345A
Light Magenta x x x CB346A
Red x CB347A
Green x x CB348A
Blue x x CB349A
Gloss Enhancer x x CB350A
Light Cyan x x x CB351A

HP73 Red x CD952A

CD951A

Printheads

The Printheads are extremely durable and do not need to be replaced every
time an Ink Cartridge is replaced. They are independent of the Ink
Cartridges and will continue giving excellent image quality results even if the

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-57

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

Ink Cartridges are low on ink.

If you notice a decline in print quality such as lines or dots missing from text/
graphics, go to Page 1-20, Pr

int Quality Troubleshooting.

Available Printheads

Standard Z2100 Z3100 Z3200 Part number

HP 70 Matte Black/

Cy

an

Light Magenta/
Lig

ht Cyan

Magenta/
Ye

llow

Photo Black/
Lig

ht Gray
Blue/Green x x C9452A
Matte Black/

Re

d

Gloss
Enhancer

HP 73 Matte Black/

Re

d

General Information About the Ink Supplies

For optimum results from the printer and modular ink delivery system always
f

ollow these guidelines when handling the ink supplies:

x C9448A

x x x C9449A

x x x C9450A

x x x C9451A

x C9453A

x x C9454A

/Gray

x CD949A

 Always install the Ink Cartridges and Printheads before the expiration

date, which is on the packaging.

 Install Ink Cartridges and Printheads in their color-coded slots.
 Follow the instructions on the front panel of the Printer during installation.
 Avoid unnecessary removal of the Ink Cartridges and Printheads.
 When turning off the Printer always use the power Off button on the front

panel. The Printheads are then stored correctly which prevents them from
drying out.

 The Ink Cartridges should never be removed while the printer is printing.

They should only be removed when the printer is ready for you to replace
them. The front panel will guide you through the removal and installation

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-58

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

procedure.

General Precautions When Handling Ink Supplies

Use the following precautions when handling Ink Supplies:

Do not touch, wipe or attempt to clean the printhead
nozzles. This can damage the printhead.

 Handle the ink supplies with care. In particular the Printhead, which is a

high precision device and must be handled carefully.

 Do not touch the Printhead nozzles.
 Do not put the Printhead down on the nozzles.
 Do not be rough when handling the Printheads. Always set them down

gently.

 Do not drop the Printheads.
 Proper handling will assure optimum performance throughout the

Printhead life.

 Do not touch the end of the Ink Cartridge which is inserted into the printer

as there may be a small amount of ink on the connection.

 Avoid storing partially used Ink Cartridges on their ends.

When Should You Replace the Ink Supplies?

When to change the ink supplies is mostly determined by you with guidance
f

rom the front panel. In conjunction with the messages displayed in the front
panel and the message explanations in this chapter, you will be able to
choose for yourself when is the right time to change the ink supplies.

The Printer will also display the ink level and will tell you when the ink supply

w on ink. This means you have constantly updated information about the

is lo
ink supplies.

Ink Cartridge Levels, Information, and Replacement

Ink Cartridge Levels

Trough out this chapter all the example Front Panel screens
are for the Z2100 Photo Printer unless otherwise stated.

The front panel displays Ink Levels shown as level bars. These bars represent
how much ink is remaining in the Ink Cartridges: as ink is used up the bars
get shorter in length.

There are two methods for checking the ink levels of your Ink Cartridges.

“View Ink Levels” Direct Access Key

 Pressing the “View ink levels” direct access key on the Front Panel will

immediately show you the ink levels. For more information about direct

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-59

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

access keys, see Using the Front Panel, Page 1-4

“View Ink Levels” from the ink menu

 Choosing the View ink levels option from the Ink menu will

immediately show you the ink levels:

Obtaining Ink Cartridge Information

croll to the Ink Menu icon and press OK.

1 S

2 In the Ink Menu submenu, scroll to Ink cartridge information and press

OK.

3 In the Ink Cartridge Information submenu, scroll to the Ink Cartridge that you

want information on and press OK.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-60

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

4 The front panel displays information on the selected Ink Cartridge. Use the

Arrow keys to scroll through the information.

The information supplied is:

 The make of the Ink Cartridge (hp no.70/73 is recommended).
 The product number of the Ink Cartridge.
 The serial number of the Ink Cartridge.
 The current status of the Ink Cartridge.
 The current ink level of the ink cartridge in milliliters.
 Original capacity of the ink cartridge in milliliters.
 The manufacturer of the Ink Cartridge (hp is recommended).
 The current warranty status of the Ink Cartridge.

Changing an Ink Cartridge

There are two occasions when you need to remove an ink cartridge:

 The ink cartridge is very low and you want to replace it with a full

cartridge for unattended printing (you can use up the remaining ink in the
first cartridge at a more convenient time).

 The ink cartridge is empty or faulty, and you must replace it to continue

printing.

Do not try to remove an ink cartridge while printing.
Remove an ink cartridge only if you are ready to insert
another one.
Make sure the printer wheels are locked (the brake lever is
pressed down) to prevent the printer from moving.

Change an ink cartridge using the following procedure:

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-61

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

1 Scroll to the Ink Menu icon and press OK.

2 In the Ink Menu submenu, scroll to Replace ink cartridges and press

OK.

3 The front panel displays the status of the Ink Cartridges.

4 Press OK to continue.

en the relevant Ink Cartridge cover for the Ink Cartridge you want to

5 Op

replace.

ull the required Ink Cartridge straight up to remove it from the printer.

6 P

he front panel indicates the missing Ink Cartridge.

7 T

8 Before removing the cartridge from its wrapping, shake it vigorously.

wrap the new ink cartridge, find the label identifying the ink color. Check

9 Un

that the letter or letters marking the empty slot, matches the letter or letters on
the cartridge label.

10 Ins

ert the ink cartridge into its slot.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-62

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

11 Push the cartridge into the slot until it snaps into position. You should hear a

beep and see confirmation that the cartridge has been inserted.

12 When all cartridges have been inserted, close the cover.

Printhead Information, Replacement and Alignment

Obtaining Printhead Information

croll to the Ink Menu icon and press OK.

1 S

2 In the Ink Menu submenu, scroll to Printhead information and press

OK.

3 In the Printhead Information submenu, scroll to the Printhead that you want

information on and press OK.

4 The front panel displays information on the selected Printhead.

The information supplied is:

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-63

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

 The make of the printhead (hp no.70/73 is recommended).
 The product number of the Printhead.
 The serial number of the Printhead.
 The current status of the printhead.
 How much ink has been fired (consumed) by the printhead. Note: It is

possible for a printhead to consume more than one Ink Cartridge.

 The current warranty status of the Printhead.

Changing a Printhead

croll to the Ink Menu icon and press OK.

1 S

2 In the Ink Menu submenu, scroll to Replace printheads and press OK.

3 The printer moves the Carriage to the correct position to replace Printheads.

If the carriage is left in the removal position for more than
three minutes without inserting or removing any
printheads, it will try to move back to its normal position at
the right-hand end.

4 When the carriage has stopped moving, the front panel display will prompt

you to open the window and lift the carriage cover.

5 Open the window.

ift the Carriage cover to access the printheads.

6 L

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-64

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

7 Lift the blue handle and pull the Printhead straight up out of the Carriage.

8 To insert a new printhead first remove the orange protective caps.

9 The printhead is designed to prevent you from accidentally inserting it into

the wrong slot. Check that the colored label on the printhead matches the
colored label of the carriage slot into which the printhead is to be inserted.
Insert the printhead slowly and vertically, straight down. It may be damaged
if you insert it too fast, or at an angle, or if you rotate it as you insert it.

10 Ins

11 Close the Window.

12 When all the printheads have been inserted correctly and accepted by the

ert all other printheads that need to be installed, and close the carriage

cover.

printer, the printer will beep. If the printer does not beep when you insert the
printhead and the Replace message appears on the front panel display,
the printhead may need to be reinserted.
The front panel display confirms that all

printheads are correctly inserted.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-65

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

The printer will start checking and preparing the printheads. The default
routine process, when all printheads are changed, takes 25 minutes. If the
printer finds problems in preparing the printheads, it will take longer, up to
55 minutes. For a single printhead insertion, the times vary between 15 and
35 minutes. After all printheads are checked and prepared, for the
printhead realignment.

Aligning Printheads

Precise alignment between printheads is essential for accurate colors,
smooth color tr
printer has an automatic printhead alignment process which runs whenever
a printhead has been accessed or replaced.

In cases where the paper has jammed, you have used a custom paper, or

e experiencing problems with color accuracy you may need to align the

ar
printheads. If the paper has jammed, it is recommended that you reinsert the
printheads and initiate the realignment procedure with the Image Quality

Maintenance menu.

Do not use transparent and semi-transparent paper to align
the printheads. Photo paper is recommended for the best
quality, and roll or sheet media loaded with skew check is
preferable to loading media without skew check. If
possible, always avoid loading media without skew check.

ansitions, and sharp edges in graphical elements. Your

Reinsert Printheads Procedure

the realignment process is running and the wrong paper is loaded, press

1 If

the cancel key on the front panel. Do not print if the realignment process has
been canceled. You can restart the alignment with the Image Quality
Maintenance menu procedure.

oad the paper you wish to use,. You can use a roll or cut sheet, however, it

2 L

must be A3 landscape or larger.

emove and re-insert all the printheads, see Remove a printhead and Insert

3 R

a printhead. This will start the printhead alignment procedure.

4 Ensu

5 T

1 L

2 Pr

re the transparent window closed, as a strong light source near the

printer during printhead realignment can affect alignment.

he process will take about six minutes. Wait until the front panel display

shows the process complete before using the printer.

Image Quality Maintenance Procedure

oad the paper you wish to use. You can use a roll or cut sheet, however, it
must be A3 landscape or larger (420 by 297 mm). Do not use transparent
and semi-transparent paper to align the printheads. Photo paper is
recommended for the best results; plain, bond and thin coated papers
provide acceptable but marginal results.

ess the Menu key to return to the main menu and select the Image Quality

Maintenance menu icon.

elect Align printheads. The printer will check to see if it has enough paper

3 S

to run the realignment.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-66

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

4 If the loaded paper is satisfactory, the printer will run the realignment and

print a realignment pattern. Ensure the transparent window is closed, as a
strong light source near the printer during printhead realignment can affect
alignment.

Z3100/Z3100ps/Z3200ps Plot:

Z2100 Plot:

he process will take about five minutes. Wait until the front panel display

5 T

shows the process complete before using the printer.

Scanning errors during alignment

If the alignment process FAILs, a scanning problems message appears on

front panel. This means that the alignment has not completed

the
successfully. Therefore the printer is not aligned and the alignment should be
repeated before printing with good image quality. The problem may be due
to:

 The paper used was not valid, repeat the alignment with valid paper.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-67

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

 Printhead health problems, clean printheads.
 The alignment was done with the transparent window open, repeat the

alignment with the window closed.

If the problem persists after using valid paper, cleaning the printheads, and
keeping the window closed, there may be a Failure in the scanning system
needing reparation or the printheads, although clean, may not work and
need to be replaced.

Ink Cartridge and Printhead Status Messages

Ink Cartridge Status Messages

OK The Ink Cartridge is operating correctly and no action is required.

Missing There is no Ink Cartridge present, or it is not properly connected to the

printer

Low The Low message is an early warning sign and it is advisable that new

supplies should be obtained of that particular color. The amount of ink
remaining in the Ink Cartridge depends on it’s capacity, but there is
approximately 14% of ink available for the user.

Ver y Low When the Very Low message is displayed, overnight printing should not

be attempted. Changing the Ink Cartridge is strongly recommended to
prevent the printer from stopping halfway through a print. There is
approximately 8% of ink available for the user.

Empty The printer will stop and will not be able to continue printing until a new Ink

Cartridge has been installed. If this occurs halfway through printing an
image, you should check the quality of this image, as stopping mid-plot can
affect the print. It would be recommended to reprint the image once a new
Ink Cartridge has been installed.

Reseat You are recommended to remove the Ink Cartridge and then reinsert it.

Replace You are recommended to replace the Ink Cartridge with a new Ink

Cartridge.

Altered There is something unexpected about the Ink Cartridge's status.

Expired The Ink Cartridge has passed the expiration date.

Printhead status messages

OK The Printhead is operating correctly and no action is required.

Missing There is no Printhead present, or it is not properly connected to the printer.

Test printhead
separately

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-68

You are recommended to test the printheads individually to find the failing
printhead. Remove all the printheads and insert them alone one by one,
Closing the latch and the carriage cover after every insertion. The front
panel display will indicate the failing one showing the reseat or replace
message.

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

Reseat You are recommended to start the printhead removal process from the front

panel, but instead of removing the printhead, simply press the OK key on the
front panel.

Replace You are recommended to remove the printhead and then reinsert it; if that

fails, clean the electrical connections; if that fails, replace the printhead with
a new printhead.

Replacement
incomplete

Remove The printhead is not a suitable type for use in printing (for instance, a setup

A printhead replacement process has not completed successfully, relaunch
the replacement process and let it finish completely (it is not needed to
change the printheads).

printhead).

Printhead Error Codes

The following table describes the Printhead Error Codes. Refer to the above
descriptions of the status messages for the appropriate action.

Error
Code

0 Working OK The printhead is

1 Fails

2 Fails

4 Shutdown Not used
8 Fails Vpp Replace Suspected vpp ink

16 Temp

32 Temp

64 Temp too

128 Temp too

256 Bad

Status
Name

Logical V

Continuity

Extremely

High

Extremely

Low

High

Low

Acumen

Info

Status

Message

Replace The printhead may

Reseat Could be caused

Replace Printhead

Reseat Printhead

Replace Printhead

Reseat Printhead

Replace Critical acumen

Description Comments

working properly

have a vcc short

by bad insertion.

Better to reseat

the PEN than to

reject it.

short

Could be caused

temperature above

normal margins

temperature below

normal margins

temperature above

normal margins

temperature below

normal margins

info outside

margins

by a short in the

ink supplies

Could be caused

by bad Vpp

continuity

Could be caused

by a short in the

ink supplies

Could be caused

by bad Vpp

continuity

Printhead has a

manufacturing

problem

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-69

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

Error
Code

512 No Pen Missing There is no

1024 Bad

2048 Wrong

4096 Mismatch Replace Wrong color

8192 CSdata Not

16384 CSdata

32768 Fails Energy

65536 Empty

131072 Full Dummy Remove Requested during

262144 End of Life Warning Printhead

524288 Expired Warning Printhead has

Status
Name

Accumen

Access

Model

Responding

Transmit

Error

Calibration

Dummy

Status

Message

Reseat or

Test

Separately

Replace Wrong printhead

Reseat CSdata

Reseat CSdata

Reseat Energy calibration

OK during

Purge

Description Comments

printhead

Acumen cannot be

accessed

inserted

inserted

commuication

failed

commuication

incorrect

failed

warranty expired

used expired or

non-HP ink

Bad acumen

continuity or a

short; Cannot

identify problem

printhead

Mechanical

lockouts should

prevent this. Error

is redundant.

Mechanical

lockouts should

prevent this

Could be caused

by bad insertion

Could be caused

by bad contact

Could be caused

by bad contact

Requested during

purge, otherwise

should be

removed

purge

Solving Ink Supplies Problems

Most of the problems that you could encounter when working with the ink
supplies are solved with guidance from the front panel. A full list of front
panel messages are supplied in the User’s Guide.

You Cannot Insert the Ink Cartridge Into the Printer

1 Ensure that you have the correct cartridge number for your printer. Z2100/

Z3100 printers use hp no.70 supplies, while the Z3200 uses hp no70
supplies for all colors except red, which is no.73.

2 Ensure that the Ink Cartridge is the correct color for that slot.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-70

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

3 Ensure that the Ink Cartridge is the correct orientation, with the color coded

label at the top.

Never clean inside the Ink Cartridge slots as this can cause
damage to the Printer.

You Cannot Insert the Printhead Into the Printer

1 Ensu

2 Ensu

re that you have the correct cartridge number for your printer. Z2100/
Z3100 printers use hp no.70 supplies, while the Z3200 uses hp no70
supplies for all colors except red, which is no.73.

re that the printhead is the correct color for that slot.

3 Ensu

4 Ensu

1 F

2 C

3 R

4 C

re that the printhead is in the correct orientation.

re that the protective cap is removed from the Printhead.

The front panel says to reset or replace a printhead

rom the front panel, turn the power off then on.

heck the front panel display message, if it shows the ready message, the

printer is ready to print. If the problem remains continue with the next step.

emove the printhead.

lean the electrical connections on the backside of the printhead with a lint
free cloth. You can carefully use a mild rubbing alcohol if moisture is needed
to remove residue. Do not use water. You can use the Flex Contacts Cleaning
Tool.

This is a delicate process and may damage the printhead. Do not touch the

s on the bottom side of the printhead, especially not with any alcohol.

nozzle

5 Reinsert the printhead.

heck the front panel display message. If the problem remains, try a new

6 C

printhead.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-71

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

Maintaining and Cleaning the Printheads

Clean the printheads

As long as the printer is kept turned on
periodically. This ensures there is fresh ink in the nozzles and prevents
nozzle clogs, which ensures color accuracy.

If you have not already done so, please refer to Horizontal lines across the
ima

ge (banding) and The Image Diagnostics Print before proceeding.

To clean the printheads, press the Menu key to return to the main menu and
s

elect the Image Quality Maintenance menu icon, then Clean Printheads. If
you have gone through the Image Quality Diagnostic print process, you
know which colors are failing. Select to the pair of printheads which contain
the failing colors. If you are not sure which colors to clean, you can also
select to clean all printheads.

Cleaning all printheads takes about nine minutes. Cleaning a single pair of

intheads takes about six minutes. Cleaning all printheads uses more ink

pr
than cleaning a single pair.

If you have cleaned the printheads u
from the front panel and are still experiencing image quality problems, you
can try cleaning the printhead nozzles manually using the following

procedure.

, an automatic cleaning is performed

sing the Clean printheads procedure

This is a delicate process and may damage the printhead.
Do not touch the electrical connections on the backside of
the printhead.

You must remove the printhead (see Remove a printhead) and using a cotton
swab and a little de-ionized, distilled water, or Flex Contacts Cleaning Tool
clean the bottom of the printhead until the residue is removed.

Flex Contacts Cleaning Tool

The Flex Contacts Cleaning Tool is part of the Maintenance
Tool Kit which can be ordered using Part Number Q5669-

60690. All the instructions needed to use the Flex Contacts
Cleaning Tool will be packaged with the kit.

Whenever you replace the Printhead, check the empty slots to see if they
need cleaning. In extreme circumstances, when a Printhead is inserted, it is
possible that the Printer will not recognize it due to the build-up of ink on the
electrical connection between the Printhead and the Carriage Assembly.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-72

Ink Supplies Troubleshooting

The flex contacts cleaning tool is available as a service part for the Z2100/
Z3100 Photo Printer. It contains replacement sponges and an instruction
sheet, and should be used for cleaning the electrical interconnects of both
the Carriage Assembly and the Printhead.

If the front panel displays the message “Reseat” or “Replace” next to the
offending printhead, try cleaning the flex circuits of the Carriage and the
Printheads using the Flex Contacts Cleaning Tool.

Do not touch, wipe or attempt to clean the printhead
nozzles. This can damage the printhead and reduce print
quality.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 1-73

Troubleshooting

1-74 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

System Error Codes 1System Error Codes 1

Introduction 2-2
Continuable and Non-Continuable Error Codes 2-2
System Error Code Brief Descriptions 2-3
System Error Codes - Full Descriptions 2-7

2

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-1

System Error Codes

Introduction

System error codes are hexa-decimal based numbers generally caused by
internal system errors. The following pages contain a list of system error
codes and their respective descriptions and recommended corrective
actions. Only try one recommended action at a time and check if the error
code has disappeared.

If you have an error code which is not documented in this Service Manual or

ou have an error which you cannot resolve, then report the error to the HP

y
Response Center or the nearest HP Support Office. When reporting the
error, have the following information ready:

 Model and Serial Number of the printer.
 Which firmware revision the printer is using (See Note below). Check

firmware in Setup Menu / Information Menu / Show Printer Information.

 The complete error number (See Note below).
 The Service Configuration Print.

The Current configuration sheet.


 Which software application the customer is using (name, version, etc.).

When reporting the System Error Code, make sure that you
supply the full Internal Error Code and the firmware
version. Without this information, HP Support Personnel
cannot help you. To view the Internal Error Code, hold the
UP key and press the CANCEL key at the same when the
System Error.

Code is displayed on the Front Panel.

This is the code definition required
when escalating a problem

Continuable and Non-Continuable Error Codes

Some of the Error Codes are continuable, which means you can press OK
on the front-panel and continue working with the Printer. Non-Continuable
Error Codes do not allow you to continue working with the Printer, in this
case power the Printer OFF and ON again and see if the System Error
disappears. If the Error Code reappears, then the Printer requires an on-site
visit in order to resolve the problem.

Even though the customer can continue working with a
Continuable Error Code, an on-site visit should still be
planned to troubleshoot the problem.

2-2 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

System Error Code Brief Descriptions

Reading a System Error Code

System Error Codes explain which component/system is failing and what
action should be taken to resolve the problem.

System Error Codes are displayed directly on the front panel (but can also
be seen on the Information Page) and have been defined in the format
XX.YZ. or XX.n:YZ.m.

 XX: Can be a malfunctioning subsystem or process (2 digits).
 n: Subsystem or process Index (if more than one used in the product) -

Optional.
– e.g. Identify the Ink Supply (color and number).

 Y: Who should perform the action (1 digit) - (0 for User or1 for Service

Engineer).

 Z: Action to perform (1 digit).

System Error Code Table

System Error Code Brief Descriptions

The following table explains the XX part of the System Error Code or
Warning:

Code Component/System

01.0 Main PCA/Electronics module

01.1 Add-on Electronics module (printmech)

01.2 Print Mech PCA

01.3 Right Ink Supply Station

02.1 Carriage PCA
03 Power supply
06 Formatter
08 Formatter, Front panel
11 Trailing cable
21 Service station

21.1 Service station

22.0 Bongo error BPS0 (ISS Left)

22.1 Bongo error BPS1 (ISS Left)

22.2 Bongo error BPS2 (ISS Right)

22.3 Bongo error BPS3 (ISS Right)
24 Tube assembly (IDS)

26.n Ink Cartridge (color = n)
27 Printhead error
31 Cutter

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-3

System Error Codes

Code Component/System

38 Output Tray
41 Paper-axis motor

41.1 Paper-axis motor
42 Scan-axis motor
44 Aerosol fan
47 Star wheel motor
48 PPS mechanism
51 Window Sensor
52 Drop detector
55 Line sensor
56 Drive roller analog encoder sensor
58 Color sensor (ESP)
61 Error job
62 PC Interface
63 Input/output through LAN card
64 Input/output through USB port
65 Input/output (not known what port)
66 Input/output (not known what port)
67 Input/output through FireWire port
68 Loss of engine counters tracking
71 Memory management

71.19 PrintMech PCA/Formatter
72 Firmware error
73 Servo
74 Firmware upgrade

74 .1 Media Profile Update

75.1 Preventive Maintenance kit #1

75.2 Preventive Maintenance kit #2

75.3 Preventive Maintenance kit #3
76 Disk Full
77 Web access application
78 Borderless

78. 1 Media Settings
79 Assertion (uncontrolled FW error)

79.1 Recoverable Firmware Error
81 Media advance

81.1 Media advance
84 Roll Feed

2-4 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

System Error Code Brief Descriptions

Code Component/System

85 Media-axis encoder reading
86 Carriage Movement
87 Scan-axis encoder reading
93 Ink Pumping
94 Color calibration

94.1 Profiler
95 Printhead alignment
97 Paper advance calibration

Corrective Actions Table

The following table explains the YZ part of the System Error Code or
Warning:

Code Recovery Action Response

00 Replace

01 Reseat/Reconnect/Clean/Adjust (manually)

02 Calibrate/Adjust (using Automatic Process)

03 Power OFF and Restart the Printer

04 Upgrade System Firmware

05 Upgrade Driver or Computer Software

06 Add Accessory

07 Escalate

08 Send Plot Again

09 Wrong Part Installed

Possible for
customer to

perform

action

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-5

System Error Codes

Code Recovery Action Response

10 Replace

11 Reseat/Reconnect/Clean/Adjust (manually)

12 Calibrate/Adjust (using Automatic Process)

13 Power OFF

14 Upgrade System Firmware

15 Upgrade Driver or Computer Software

16 Add Accessory

17 Escalate

18 Send Plot Again

19 Wrong Part Installed

hp qualified

personnel

assistance

required

2-6 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

System Error Codes - Full Descriptions

System Error Codes - Full Descriptions

This sections describes each of the system error codes and warnings that
could be encountered while using the printer and provides the remedial
action required to solve the problem detected.

Only replace one component at a time and check if the
error has gone before replacing another component. Using
this procedure you will be able to determine exactly which
component failed.

System Error: 01.0:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Communication with Main PCA failed.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Remove the formatter and reinsert it again. Ensure that it connects

properly in the Main PCA connector.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Formatter ⇒ Page 6-159.

System Error:

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

01.1:YZ

Error in the Print Mech PCA.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Formatter ⇒ Page 6-159.

System Error:

Problem
Description:

01.2:YZ

Failure reading acumen chip of an Ink Supply Station.

Corrective Action: Try the following:

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that there are not two cartridges of the same color installed.
 Perform the Ink Delivery System diagnostic test ⇒ Page 3-39.

– If the test finds that the ink supply is defective, replace it.
– If the test does not find any errors, remove all the ink supplies from the

I

SS and reboot the printer.

 Install the ink cardtriges with the printer booted in normal mode. Use the

replacement option available from the Front Panel and install the
cartridges one by one. If an error appears after installing a supply, the

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-7

System Error Codes

last supply you installed is defective. Replace it.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Left Ink Supply Station⇒ Page 6-

147.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Right Ink Supply Station⇒ Page

6-143.

System Error: 01.3:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Device I2C acumen Right Ink Supply Station failure.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the cables between the Right Ink Supply Station and

PrintMech PCA are not damaged and are correctly connected.

 Perform the Ink Delivery System diagnostic test to troubleshoot the

problem further ⇒

 If the System Error continues, replace the Right Ink Supply Station Page 6-

143.

System Error: 02.1:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Problem with the Carriage PCA.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Trailing Cable is not damaged.
 Check that the Trailing Cable is correctly connected between the Main

PCA and Carriage PCA.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Trailing Cable and Carriage

PCA Cover. ⇒

 If the System Error continues, replace the Carriage PCA ⇒ Page 6-138.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA. ⇒ Page 6-161.
 Replace the Carriage Assembly ⇒ Page 6-100.

Page 3-38.

Page 6-92.

System Error: 03:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Problem with Power Supply Unit.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Perform the Electronics Module Test Diagnostic to troubleshoot the

problem further ⇒

Page 3-22.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Power Supply Unit (PSU) ⇒ Page

6-161.

2-8 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

System Error: 03.0:10

System Error Codes - Full Descriptions

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Replace the battery:

System Error: 06:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Battery of Real Time Clock ran down.

1 Turn the printer off and unplug the cable. Unplug any network or USB

cables.

2 Loosen the screws that attach the formatter to the printer with your fingers, or

with the help of a flat screwdriver, and remove the formatter.

3 Locate the round, flat battery in the formatter.

4 Push the battery slightly to one side and then pull it up. A little force may be

required.

5 Insert the new battery by pressing it down.

6 Insert the formatter into the printer by pressing it down, and tighten the

screws.

7 Reconnect the cables and turn the printer on.

Failure reading/writing NVM in Hard disk.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Formatter ⇒ Page 6-159.

System Error: 08:YZ (or Front Panel is blank)

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

No comunication between the Front Panel and the Main PCA.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Front Panel interface cable is not damaged and is

correctly connected between the Main PCA and the Front Panel.

 Check that the connections between the Formatter and the Main PCA are

not damaged and are correctly connected.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Formatter ⇒ Page 6-159.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Front Panel ⇒ Page 6-48.

System Error: 11: YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Trailing Cable does not seem to be detected.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-9

System Error Codes

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Trailing Cable is not damaged.
 Check that the Trailing Cable is correctly connected betwen the Main

PCA and Carriage PCA and make sure that the connectors in these
boards are not damaged.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Trailing Cable ⇒ Page 6-92.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Carriage PCA ⇒ Page 6-138.

System Error: 21:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Fail moving Service Station.


 Remove the Right Cover and make sure the cables from the Printmech

PCA to the Service Station are connected and are not damaged.

 Make sure that the Service Station path is clear. Remove any visible

obstacles (e.g. screws, plastic parts, etc...) restricting the movement of the
Service Station.

 Perform the Service Station diagnostic test to troubleshoot the problem

further ⇒

Page 3-45.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Service Station ⇒ Page 6-60.
 If the System Error continues, replace the PrintMech PCA ⇒ Page 6-71.

System Error: 21.1:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Fail moving the Primer Motor of the Service Station.

 Remove the Right Cover and make sure the cables from the Printmech

PCA to the Service Station are connected and are not damaged.

 Perform the Service Station diagnostic test to troubleshoot the problem

further ⇒

Page 3-45.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Service Station ⇒ Page 6-60.
 If the System Error continues, replace the PrintMech PCA ⇒ Page 6-71.

2-10 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

Warning: 2x.n:10

System Error Codes - Full Descriptions

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Ink supply error found during IDS diagnostic test. The n represents the ink
supply that is failing. The ink supply furthest to the left is always 0, and then
they count up from left to right. The following graphic illustrates this for the
Z3100/Z3200.

01 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 91011

Left Ink Supplies Right Ink Supplies

 Replace the left or right Ink Supply Station, depending on which supply

failed ⇒ Page 6-

System Error:

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

22.0:YZ

Left Ink Supply Station error.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the cables between the Left Ink Supply Station and Main PCA

the are not damaged and are correctly connected.

 Perform the Ink Delivery System diagnostic test to troubleshoot the

problem further ⇒ Page 3-

 If the System Error continues, replace the Left Ink Supply Station ⇒ Page

6-147.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.

143 and Page 6-147.

38.

System Error:

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

22.1:YZ

Left Ink Supply Station error.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the cables between the Left Ink Supply Station and Main PCA

the are not damaged and are correctly connected.

 Perform the Ink Delivery System diagnostic test to troubleshoot the

problem further ⇒ Page 3-

38.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Left Ink Supply Station ⇒ Page

6-147.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-11

System Error Codes

System Error: 22.2:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Right Ink Supply Station error.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the cables between the Right Ink Supply Station and

PrintMech PCA the are not damaged and are correctly connected.

 Perform the Ink Delivery System diagnostic test to troubleshoot the

problem further ⇒

 If the System Error continues, replace the Right Ink Supply Station ⇒ Page

6-147.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.

System Error: 22.3:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Right Ink Supply Station error.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the cables between the Right Ink Supply Station and

PrintMech PCA the are not damaged and are correctly connected.

 Perform the Ink Delivery System diagnostic test to troubleshoot the

problem further ⇒

 If the System Error continues, replace the Right Ink Supply Station ⇒ Page

6-147.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.

Page 3-38.

Page 3-38.

System Error: 24:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Ink Setup failure (you must bring purgers).

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Insert the new purgers, reconnect the power cord and power
On the Printer.

 Perform the Ink Delivery System diagnostic test in order to check that the

bongos (pushers) go up and down to pressurize ink in the tubes and the
Out of Ink sensors work properly ⇒

Page 3-39.

 Try purging the Ink Supply Tubes again once the Printer has been

restarted.

 If the diagnostic test does not find any problem, install new cartridges in

the printer and try purging the Ink Supply Tubes again. It could be that
one of the cartridges is defective.

 If the problem persists, replace the Ink Supply Tubes ⇒ Page 6-151.
 Replace the Formatter ⇒ Page 6-159.

2-12 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

System Error: 31: 01

System Error Codes - Full Descriptions

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

An error has been detected with the cutter.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check the Cutter Assembly for blockage or any other obvious problems.
 Replace the Cutter Assembly ⇒ Page 6-43.

System Error: 31: 02

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

An error has been detected with the cutter.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check the Cutter Assembly for blockage or any other obvious problems.
 Replace the Cutter Assembly ⇒ Page 6-43.

System Error: 31: 03

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Paper is loaded. While testing the cutter, paper should not be loaded.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord.

 Unload the media.
 Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.


System Error: 41: 03

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Media-Axis Motor failure (likely due to friction or obstacles in the media
path).

 Same as 41:YZ but after testing the issue is repeatable.

System Error: 41:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Media-Axis Motor failure (likely due to friction or obstacles in the media
path).

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Open the Window and check for any visible obstacles restricting the

movement of the Media Advance Roller. If there is a wrinkled mass of
media inside the paper path, lift the Pinch wheels (using Media Lever)
and clear the obstruction.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-13

System Error Codes

 Perform the Paper Drive diagnostic test to troubleshoot the problem further

Page 3-18.

⇒

 If the problem persist check that the Media Advance Drive cable is not

damaged and is correctly connected to the Main PCA.

 Replace the Media Advance Drive ⇒ Page 6-180.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.

System Error: 42:03

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Scan-Axis Motor failure (likely due to obstacles in the scan axis or electrical
fault).

 Same as 42:YZ but after testing the issue is repeatable.

System Error: 42:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Scan-Axis Motor failure (likely due to friction or obstacles in the media path).

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Open the Window and check for any visible obstacles restricting the

movement of the Media Advance Roller. If there is a wrinkled mass of
media inside the paper path, lift the Pinch wheels (using Media Lever)
and clear the obstruction.

 Perform the Scan Axis diagnostic test to troubleshoot the problem further

Page 3-6.

⇒

 Check that there is no obstacle preventing the Service Station from

working.

 Perform the Service Station diagnostic test to troubleshoot the problem

further ⇒

Page 3-45.

 Check that the Scan-Axis Motor cable is not damaged and is correctly

connected to the PrintMech PCA.

 Replace the Scan-Axis Motor ⇒ Page 6-116.
 If the System Error continues, replace the PrintMech PCA ⇒ Page 6-71.

System Error: 44:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Fan Electrical fault, or not connected..

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Aerosol Fan cable is not damaged and is correctly

connected to the PrintMech PCA

 Replace the Aerosol Fan Assembly ⇒ Page 6-65.
 If the System Error continues, replace the PrintMech PCA ⇒ Page 6-71.

2-14 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

System Error: 47:03

System Error Codes - Full Descriptions

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Star wheels motor error.

 Same as 47:YZ. The error is continuable, but only if it happens from time

to time.

System Error: 47:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Star wheels motor error..

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Starwheel Assembly cable is not damaged and is correctly

connected to Main PCA.

 Open the Window and check for any visible obstacles restricting the

movement of the Starwheel Assembly, then clear the obstruction.

 Perform the Scan Axis Starwheel diagnostic test to troubleshoot the

problem further ⇒

 Replace the Starwheel Motor ⇒ Page 6-211.
 Replace the Starwheel Lifter⇒ Page 6-200 and Page 6-207.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.

Page 3-7.

System Error: 48:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

PPS system failure.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Pen to Paper Space (PPS) Solenoid cable is not damaged

and is correctly connected to the PrintMech PCA.

 Perform the Scan Axis PSS diagnostic test to troubleshoot the problem

further ⇒

Page 3-9.

 Make sure the Service Station is correctly installed. Sometimes, if the

Service Station is not correctly installed, the front of the Service Station
falls down (causing the Service Station to be tilted), and the L-Bracket
support does not fit properly. The front of the Service Station should be
“UP,” and the L-Bracket should fit well with the Service Station.

 Replace the Pen to Paper Space (PPS) Solenoid ⇒ Page 6-73.
 If the System Error continues, replace the PrintMech PCA ⇒ Page 6-71.

System Error: 51:YZ

Problem
Description:

Window Sensor failure.

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-15

System Error Codes

 Check that the Window Position Sensor cable is not damaged and is

correctly connected to the PrintMech PCA.

 Perform the Sensors Test to troubleshoot the problem further ⇒ Page 3-33.
 Replace the Window Position Sensor ⇒ Page 6-54.

System Error: 52:10

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

The printer has detected fibers in the Drop Detector.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Drop Detector cable is not damaged and is correctly

connected to the PrintMech PCA.

 Clean the drop detector.
 Check that the Service Station cable is not damaged and is correctly

connected to the PrintMech PCA.

 Replace the Drop Detector ⇒ Page 6-64.
 Reset the Calibration Flag of the Drop Detector ⇒ Page 4-12.
 If the System Error continues, replace the PrintMech PCA ⇒ Page 6-71.

System Error: 55:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Problem with the Line Sensor (Tetris). The printer has detected a failure to
access Line Sensor EEPROM).

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Perform the Carriage Test to troubleshoot the problem further ⇒ Page 3-

27

 Check the Line Sensor connections to the Carriage PCA.
 Replace the Line Sensor ⇒ Page 6-128.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Carriage PCA ⇒ Page 6-138.

System Error: 56:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Drive roller analog encoder sensor fail or calibration failed.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Perform the Media Path Test to troubleshoot the problem further ⇒ Page

3-18.

 Replace the Encoder Disk and Encoder Sensor ⇒ Page 6-176.
 If the System Error continues, replace the Main PCA ⇒ Page 6-161.

2-16 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

System Error: 58:YZ

System Error Codes - Full Descriptions

Problem
Description:

The Color Sensor ESP (spectrophotometer) of the printer is not working well.
It could be any of the following problems:

 Problem with the Color Sensor ESP (spectrophotometer).
 Communication problem between the Color Sensor ESP

(spectrophotometer) and Carriage PCA.

 The color sensor shutter does not open properly.

Corrective Action: Try the following:

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Replace the Color Sensor ESP (spectrophotometer) ⇒ Page 6-122.
 If the problem persists check the internal code error (Press UP and

CANCEL while the error is displayed). If the internal error code is
0x0606002 replace the Service Station ⇒
error code is 0x06060003 change the Carriage PCA ⇒ Page 6-138.

System Error: 61:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

The file format is incorrect and the Printer cannot process the job.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the driver installed in the customer computer is the one that

will work with that printer (i.e if the customer has a Z3100 without an HP­GL/2 upgrade kit, check that the driver installed is the PCL3GUi as other
drivers will not work).

 Check the graphic language setting of the Printer (Refer to the User's

Guide).

 Resend the file to the printer.
 Check that the Printer has the latest Firmware version. If not, update the

Firmware to the latest version.

 The PostScript™ fonts are missing. Upgrading the Firmware will re-install

the fonts.

 The file cannot be printed because it is password protected. Resend the

file without password protection.

Page 6-60. If the internal

System Error: 63:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Input/Output problem through the network interface of the Formatter.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Network cable is correctly connected to the Formatter.
 Check that the Printer has the latest Firmware version. If not, update the

Firmware to the latest version.

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-17

System Error Codes

 If the System Error continues, replace the Formatter ⇒ Page 6-159.

System Error: 64:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Input/Output problem through the USB Port.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the USB cable is correctly connected to the Printer.
 Check that the Printer has the latest Firmware version. If not, update the

Firmware to the latest version.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Formatter ⇒ Page 6-159.

System Error: 65:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Memory Driver Internal I/O error, I/O Socket Manager Internal I/O error.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the unknown port cable is correctly connected to the Printer.
 Check that the Printer has the latest Firmware version. If not, update the

Firmware to the latest version.

 If the System Error continues, replace the Formatter ⇒ Page 6-159.

System Error: 68:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Loss of engine counters tracking.

 Reboot the printer. The printer will continue to function correctly, but the

life counters will not continue counting until you restart the printer.

System Error: 71:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Out of memory failure.

 It is recommended that you remove any unnecessary files from the Hard

Disk Drive of the Formatter using the Web Server.

 If there seems to be a problem with the HP-GL/2 driver, try the Send

Job as bitmap option in the driver

 Reduce the resolution of your image or the print quality in your driver.

2-18 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

System Error: 71:19

System Error Codes - Full Descriptions

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Default Serial Number found in the main and backup NVM. It seems that
both the Print Mech PCA and Hard Disk Drive have been replaced together.

 Perform the “Error 71:19 Recovery” Service Utility ⇒ Page 3-55.

You MUST NEVER replace both the Formatter and the
PrintMech PCA at the same time. If both parts need to be
replaced, you MUST first replace one part and then power
ON the Printer until it completely initializes. Then you can
power OFF the Printer and replace the other part.

System Error: 72:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Check the internal error code:

A service calibration must be performed. Check the internal error code to
see which calibration must be performed. To check the internal error code,
press UP and CANCEL together while the error code is displayed.

 0x07090001 (gain). Perform the Line Sensor Calibration ⇒ Page 4-15.
 0x07090002 (LS2K). Perform the Line Sensor Calibration ⇒ Page 4-15.
 0x07090003 (DD). Perform the Drop Detector Calibration ⇒ Page 4-12.
 0x07090004 (Adv). Perform the Paper Advance Calibration ⇒ Page 4-6.
 0x07090005 (Alig). Perform the Printhead Alignment Calibration ⇒

Page 1-

66.

 0x07090007 (CLC). Perform the Color Sensor Calibration ⇒ Page 4-18.
 0x07090008 (Analog Encoder). Perform the Paper Advance Calibration

⇒ Page 4-

6.

System Error:

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

74:YZ

Error uploading firmware update file.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Make sure the connection between the computer and the printer is

functioning properly.

 Try to update the Firmware again.
 If available, try another connection method to do the upgrade or a

different computer/operating system.

System Error:

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

74.1:YZ

Error uploading media profile update file.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-19

System Error Codes

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Make sure the connection between the computer and the printer is

functioning properly.

 Try to upload the media profile update file again.
 If available, try another connection method to do the upgrade or a

different computer/operating system.

System Error: 75.21:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

The spittoons (Left Spittoon, Service Station) have reached 80% capacity.

 Use Preventive Maintenance Kit #2 to replace the Left Spitton and Service

Station.

System Error: 75.22 :YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

The spittoons (Left Spittoon, Service Station) are full.

 Use Preventive Maintenance Kit #2 to replace the Left Spitton and Service

Station.

System Error: 76:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Hard disk drive is full.

 Remove any unnecessary files from the hard disk using the web server.

System Error: 77:YZ

Problem
Description:

Web access application. The web server is not functioning correctly.

Corrective Action: Try the following:

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Printer has the latest Firmware version. If not, update the

Firmware to the latest version.

System Error: 78:08

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

The job received can not be printed without borders on this paper.

 Use a paper that supports borderless printing.
 This system error code does NOT require service help. It should be

resolved by the customer.

2-20 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

System Error: 78.1:YZ

System Error Codes - Full Descriptions

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Media settings area missing in media settings file.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Printer has the latest Firmware version. If not, update the

Firmware to the latest version.

 Update the OMES of the paper type that is failing.

System Error: 79:YZ

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

Generic Firmware error.

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Printer has the latest Firmware version. If not, update the

Firmware to the latest version.

System Error: 79.1:YZ

Problem
Description:

Recoverable firmware error that does not stop the printing process.

Corrective Action: Try the following:

 Switch the Power OFF from the back of the Printer and disconnect the

Power cord. Reconnect the power cord and power On the Printer.

 Check that the Printer has the latest Firmware version. If not, update the

Firmware to the latest version.

System Error: 81:YZ

Initial checks: This error can occur because the printer has been dropped during

transportation, causing structural damage. Before continuing with the 81:YZ
troubleshooting, first look for structural damage.

To identify the structural damage, look for the following three things:

 Consistent 81:YZ error codes.
 Platen fingers rubbing on the roller surface, leaving black marks on the

Designjet Z Series — Service Manual 2-21

System Error Codes

roller.

 A gap on the platen beam. If there’s any gap in Z (vertical direction)

between the plastic feature of the platen and the metal side plate, then
the chassis is damaged and the unit cannot be repaired.

e

t

a

l

ep

sid

l

a

t

e

M

c

i

t

s

la

P

Problem
Description:

Corrective Action: Try the following:

2-22 Designjet Z Series — Service Manual

Problem with paper advance. This source of error could come from an error
in any of the following systems: paper motor, disk encoder, cables or main
electronics.

 Open the Window and check for any visible obstacles restricting the

movement of the Drive Roller. If there is a wrinkled mass of media inside
the paper path, lift the Pinchwheels (using the Media Lever) and clear the
obstruction.

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