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Author Topic: Z3100 out of ink behavior  (Read 2804 times)

dajaka

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Z3100 out of ink behavior
« on: April 27, 2007, 11:44:06 am »

Halfway through printing a 6 foot long banner my Z3100 told me it was out of gray ink and thoughtfully stopped the print and cut it off.

In the past it has just stopped printing and let me replace the empty cartridge and continued on.

I was printing from Illustrator CS2 on Mac OS X over ethernet when this happened (although I don't think this probably has anything to do with it)

Im using firmware 4.1.02.

Is this normal?
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mcbroomf

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Z3100 out of ink behavior
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2007, 03:22:13 pm »

I've only had this happen once and it also cut off the print.  I think it was also grey.  I'd be interested in others experience.
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marty m

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Z3100 out of ink behavior
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2007, 04:30:51 am »

Quote
I've only had this happen once and it also cut off the print.  I think it was also grey.  I'd be interested in others experience.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=114603\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Same experience with me -- but it happened when I ran out of gloss enhancer

My conclusion is that the HP Z3100 is not as well designed as the Epson 4000 in this regard.  (HP, are you listening?  Can you correct this in firmware?  I assume so, and can only hope that you'll do so.)

For the benefit of HP, with the very old Epson 4000, when it runs out of ink it just stops printing and waits patiently for a new ink cartridge.  When the new cartridge is installed, printing resumes and it is seamless.  On BOTH the 4000 and the HPZ3100 it is important to print to the very end of a cartridge because the ink indicators aren't accurate and will lead you to believe that a cartridge is empty when it is not.  By printing all the way to the very end, you get a significant number of additional prints.

So, with the 4000, you keep printing until the cartridge runs out of ink, and then you replace it.

No wasted paper, no wasted prints, no wasted ink.

HOWEVER, when a new, supposedly state-of-the-art Z3100 runs out of ink, it does all three

* it wastes the print

* it wastes the ink from the print

* it wastes the paper from the print

And, last but not least, it wastes our time.

So, HP will you fix this in the next firmware release?
« Last Edit: April 28, 2007, 07:12:26 am by marty m »
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Ernst Dinkla

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Z3100 out of ink behavior
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2007, 07:19:48 am »

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Same experience with me -- and I also think it was light grey


When a new, supposedly state-of-the-art Z3100 runs out of ink, it does all three

* it wastes the print

* it wastes the ink from the print

* it wastes the paper from the print

And, last but not least, it wastes our time.

[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=114679\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I guess with that table you could have made 3 prints if the cart was still full :-)

Anyway the cart at least is bone dry, with Epson you normally waste 5-10% of the ink.

That HP should check what can be done is without question, meanwhile I check my carts on weight when the HP counter starts to tell me that the cart is low and it warns in many ways so you have to notice it.

A 69 ml carts weighs 42 gram empty (bone dry) full it is about 121 grams.
A 130 ml cart weighs about 55 gr (possibly less) and full it is about 192 grams.
So HP added more than 69 and 130 ml to the carts.

I take them out when the counter says that about 5-2 ml is left depending on the jobs I'm busy with. I will reinsert them when I have smaller prints to do. Till they are 2-3 ml above the netto weight if the printer allows it

My experience with prints that are interrupted for cart change on Epsons is that I sometimes see   differences in the way the ink gets dry on the switch so with the Epsons I did the same. Actually refilled them before they got empty.

Ernst Dinkla

www.pigment-print.com
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