MHMG - Creating Profiles and the Z3200ps Printer

[Mark Lindquist]

As a new owner of a Z3200ps model, help

HP marketing brochures say the Z3200ps model comes standard with APS. The manual says a CD is included and you install the APS software after you've got the HP printer utility and "Color center" up and running. No such CD was included with my new printer. Can't find any info on the HP website whatsoever (what a mess that site is). Anyway, speaking with another LULA forum participant, Mark Lindquist, on the phone last night, he tried to walk me through how to access bigger profiling charts than the ~464 patch basic version. We are both on Macs. We both went to the same drop down menu. He sees a menu feature to choose 1728 patches instead of the base 464. I don't! We are both on Mac 10.11 (El Capitan), but my HP utility version is a couple of decimal points newer. Aargh!! Why is this brilliantly engineered printer so ham strung with poor documentation that seems like it hasn't been updated to go along with later driver changes over the last several years? The list of inconsistencies between the printer interface and what the user guides say goes on and on.

Can anyone suggest how I can get the Z3200 to work with bigger profiling charts? I don't really care if this is the Color Center software or the APS software. I'd just like to be able to find the feature and print with a larger number of patches if possible.

thanks in advance for any insight you can give me.

best,
Mark
http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com

I've started a new thread here Mark, so it won't be confused with the other one.

So here's the deal.
I am running on Mac OS 10.9.5 not El Capitan.  I've chosen to keep my Mac Pro tower back a few OS's for stability.

My new HP Z3200 is running the same firmware yours is.
I am running an earlier utility - Version 5.29.0

I'm running an earlier driver as well.

Just to show you what you are missing here are photos of the paper preset manager drop down menu with my system:







So I recommend that you install an earlier version of the Utility, specifically, V 5.29.0.

I've been giving this a lot of thought and I'm pretty sure the utility is the problem.

Installing an earlier Utility should be fine and it should play nice with your printer and system.

Once you have a good Utility, then you should be good to go.  I just printed the 1728 chart and I'm waiting for it to dry overnight.

If you would like to discuss it further, feel free to contact me or continue on in this thread if you like.

Happy New Year!

Mark

[Mark Lindquist]

I sent you a text and I guess it didn't go through this AM?

[MHMG]

Hi Mark,

OK, thanks so much for all your help last night on the phone (it surely saved me hours of frustrating efforts with HP documentation), and yes, the "color measurement" option is totally missing on my system when we are both in the same main drop down menu. While the differences between our systems might be the root cause as to why I don't have feature and you do, I think it's pretty lame to abandon already functional and useful features (like Apple does routinely with it's "latest and greatest" software updates, Pages 2009 versus Pages 2011, Aperture versus the castrated "Photos" software, Final Cut 9 versus final Cut 10, etc, etc.), particularly in this case when HP continues to sell this printer model with APS capability claims. Kind of like upgrading a new car purchase to leather seats, paying for it, and then getting vinyl upholstery instead.

In general, I'm very leery of downgrading computer systems to older OS's and older software versions. I will try to install your cited versions on another older computer, and see if indeed this resurrects the "color measurement" feature on that dialogue screen.

thanks,
MarM McC-G

[MHMG]

I sent you a text and I guess it didn't go through this AM?

Hi Mark, just got that text. My phone battery was totally dead because I messed up with it yesterday (thinking it was charging when it wasn't), so I"m just getting back to "current" condition with it. I see I do indeed have new message from you.  If you are willing, let's carry on with your suggestions as to other driver versions offline, but it is still troubling that latest versions may have abandoned such useful features. I'm no stranger to legacy hardware/software setups, but it's always sad when it comes to that situation with otherwise truly elegant hardware in the modern digital age, and even more so, when said hardware is still being sold as "new" by the OEM.

best,
Mark McC-G

[Mark Lindquist]

Yes, I agree, Mark.  It is a shame that HP has been giving Windows users a better interface with the Color Center.  We have the color center built in as widgets in paper preset management.  This happened a couple of years ago that the GUI's changed between Windows and OSX, etc.

Fine to continue the dialogue - let me get a few things done and that will give you some time to charge your phone.

Meanwhile I will send you something in Dropbox.

Best -

Mark

[johncustodio]

I'd like to try using version 5.29.0. I have the current version 5.33 on my Z3100, but HP's website doesn't have any of the older versions. Does anyone know of a link to where I can download this version? Thanks.
-John

[MHMG]

Hi Mark,

Thanks again for all of your help. You know this Z series very well!  Downgrading the Utility version to the one you sent me, 5.29, did the trick. I've got the full functionality now, and it's running properly on my newest MacbkPro under OS10.11 (El Capitan). Also, the initial problems I was having trying to get the printer to go from absurdly long "processing" times to actual printing was solved by your other suggestion as well, i.e., to fully turn off and unplug the printer plus delete and reinstall the driver in the Mac "Printers and scanners" preference pane. My new Z3200PS is now running like a champ, and even playing nicely with Apple's color sync utility. I can now use ACU to "print as color target", and thus try profiling the Z with other profiling apps I own. The standard profiling on the Z does a decent and incredibly convenient job, but bigger patch counts and perhaps some newer profiling algorithms may help to coax every last bit of quality out of this very cool Z3200

Best wishes for the New Year to all!

Mark
http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com

[kers]

Now my position is different;

I have a HPZ3100,
Bought the APS software and it does not work anymore in 10.9.5
I cannot get it activated. I seem to have activated it (with dongle + password) but then...
it jumps back to demo mode preventing me to calculate the profile from the measured profiles...( i can save the measurements)
i am using APS 1.41- the latest version and do not know were tot turn to to get some help.
Is there any (Mark) one here that could help me with this?

[Mark Lindquist]

Now my position is different;

I have a HPZ3100,
Bought the APS software and it does not work anymore in 10.9.5
I cannot get it activated. I seem to have activated it (with dongle + password) but then...
it jumps back to demo mode preventing me to calculate the profile from the measured profiles...( i can save the measurements)
i am using APS 1.41- the latest version and do not know were tot turn to to get some help.
Is there any (Mark) one here that could help me with this?

Kers,
Have you tried downloading software from this place:

Download APS Software

[kers]

yes , i use that version...
But no it does not work ; after a succeeded activation it jumps back tot demo before i can do any print profile.
There seems to be no support at all nor from HP or from Xrite...
The colorimeter already is way off for some years its only use now is being a dongle.
Considering i payed 800 € it is a bit of a shame.
Thank you for your attention...
I work my way around it i hope; i think i can get is running from a 10.6.8 system...

PS
fortunately i have an old macbook from 2006 running 10.6.8 and i can use it to run APS i just discovered
From system 10.7 it is not working anymore...
self - service