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Author Topic: Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained  (Read 18449 times)

Ernst Dinkla

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Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #20 on: October 22, 2007, 03:43:21 am »

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I'm using Qimage with a Z3100ps printer and recently printed a 600dpi at 122x24 inch photograph (10-foot panorama with a one-inch border). The TIFF file is 1.96GB!

This is the longest print I've attempted. (I have no idea how the recipient will mount it...it was my donation to a local fund raising auction for a historical landmark building).  So much for the pixel limit theory.

DC
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Through the RIP I guess. If that length has been achieved with the normal driver it would be interesting as it would indicate different firmware without that 277 cm limit in the PS model.

With my Wasatch Softrip I can print longer too but not with the quality I get with Qimage + the Z3100 driver.


Ernst Dinkla

try: [a href=\"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/[/url]
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Colorwave

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Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #21 on: October 22, 2007, 11:54:47 am »

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Through the RIP I guess. If that length has been achieved with the normal driver it would be interesting as it would indicate different firmware without that 277 cm limit in the PS model.

With my Wasatch Softrip I can print longer too but not with the quality I get with Qimage + the Z3100 driver.
Ernst Dinkla

try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/
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I guess that's the case, Ernst, as I have made 36" x 120" prints on my PS printer through Illustrator.  Just a software quirk in the raster driver, I suppose, that prevents it.
-Ron H.
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Ernst Dinkla

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Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #22 on: October 30, 2007, 07:18:41 am »

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I guess that's the case, Ernst, as I have made 36" x 120" prints on my PS printer through Illustrator.  Just a software quirk in the raster driver, I suppose, that prevents it.
-Ron H.
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Done more trials with Qimage, some Epson drivers, the Z3100 driver and the Canon iPF9000 driver. Meanwhile Qimage is upgraded to 25 meter = 1000" print length in normal mode so if a driver allows it and the system + OS can handle it there's hardly a limit but the roll length. If the driver has a banner choice next to roll and sheet you can also use the Poster-Tile Stitching method in Qimage which allows much longer prints on for example the Canon iPF9000 than the Canon driver limit of 3.3 meter allows. The same for older Epsons with a banner choice in the media menu.

Can somebody tell me whether there is a banner mode in the existing Z3100 driver/printer or a way to create a similar behaviour in roll handling by the driver/printer ?  I have tried everything and I get 1 CM white intersections between the tiles Qimage sends to the driver. This way the normal Z3100 driver is limited to the discussed 108" length.

Is a banner choice added to the new firmware + driver ? Or is the practical length of the old driver increased in the new one to that of the PS model driver and 91 meter as promised in all driver menus becomes a reality now ?


Ernst Dinkla

try: [a href=\"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/[/url]
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Ernst Dinkla

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Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #23 on: November 02, 2007, 08:56:01 am »

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Done more trials with Qimage, some Epson drivers, the Z3100 driver and the Canon iPF9000 driver. Meanwhile Qimage is upgraded to 25 meter = 1000" print length in normal mode so if a driver allows it and the system + OS can handle it there's hardly a limit but the roll length. If the driver has a banner choice next to roll and sheet you can also use the Poster-Tile Stitching method in Qimage which allows much longer prints on for example the Canon iPF9000 than the Canon driver limit of 3.3 meter allows. The same for older Epsons with a banner choice in the media menu.

Can somebody tell me whether there is a banner mode in the existing Z3100 driver/printer or a way to create a similar behaviour in roll handling by the driver/printer ?  I have tried everything and I get 1 CM white intersections between the tiles Qimage sends to the driver. This way the normal Z3100 driver is limited to the discussed 108" length.

Is a banner choice added to the new firmware + driver ? Or is the practical length of the old driver increased in the new one to that of the PS model driver and 91 meter as promised in all driver menus becomes a reality now ?
Ernst Dinkla

try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/
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The new 06 00 00-8 firmware + new driver isn't changing anything on this limitation.

It looks like you need the Z3100 PS RIP model or a  third party RIP to get over the 108" length. As the Z3100 doesn't know a banner mode like the Canon and Epson wide formats there's no chance to overcome that limit with the poster/tile method of Qimage.

The balance between the plain Z3100 and the Z3100PS tilts to the last even more now, APS included, longer print lengths in both PS RIP and driver mode, and a RIP that works together with the integrated calibration which isn't possible with my Wasatch SoftRip. Other RIPs mat possibly be more integrated than mine but as I understand it now IP will not include Z3100 support at all. Pity that there is no upgrade path from the plain Z3100 to the Z3100PS model.


Ernst Dinkla

try: [a href=\"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/[/url]
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Colorwave

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Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #24 on: November 02, 2007, 12:44:42 pm »

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Pity that there is no upgrade path from the plain Z3100 to the Z3100PS model.
Ernst Dinkla
Ernst-
You should try to lobby HP for that if you are interested, since I don't think there would be anything more involved than licensing you the intellectual property for the PSD.  I don't think that there is a hardware component involved, is there?
-Ron H.
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rdonson

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Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #25 on: November 02, 2007, 01:09:36 pm »

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Ernst-
You should try to lobby HP for that if you are interested, since I don't think there would be anything more involved than licensing you the intellectual property for the PSD.  I don't think that there is a hardware component involved, is there?
-Ron H.
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I'll add to that.  Ernst I think your comments on the print length should be added to this [a href=\"http://luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=20524]thread.[/url]
« Last Edit: November 02, 2007, 01:09:45 pm by rdonson »
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Regards,
Ron

Ernst Dinkla

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Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #26 on: February 08, 2009, 03:16:23 pm »

Quote from: Ernst Dinkla
The new 06 00 00-8 firmware + new driver isn't changing anything on this limitation.

It looks like you need the Z3100 PS RIP model or a  third party RIP to get over the 108" length. As the Z3100 doesn't know a banner mode like the Canon and Epson wide formats there's no chance to overcome that limit with the poster/tile method of Qimage.

The balance between the plain Z3100 and the Z3100PS tilts to the last even more now, APS included, longer print lengths in both PS RIP and driver mode, and a RIP that works together with the integrated calibration which isn't possible with my Wasatch SoftRip. Other RIPs mat possibly be more integrated than mine but as I understand it now IP will not include Z3100 support at all. Pity that there is no upgrade path from the plain Z3100 to the Z3100PS model.


Ernst Dinkla

try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/


The last driver and/or firmware upgrade 07 00 etc. made a 500 mm longer length available on my Z3100 non-PS model. It can print up to 3269 mm 128.7 inch right now.
The issue with Qimage Poster/Tiles method isn't solved, the Z3100 driver doesn't know a true banner mode and will still leave 10 mm white at the place where it should stitch the tiles seamless.



Ernst Dinkla

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markdfink

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Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #27 on: February 13, 2009, 08:42:29 am »

I know this would be a kludge of a fix, but what about chopping a long image into printable chunks, NOT cutting the paper, then using the up/down arrows to move the paper back into the printer just the right amount so that the next chunk starts printing where the previous one left off? It would take a bit of trial and error to find the right spot, (assuming that the up/down arrows allow small enough movements that are repeatable), but once you have it figured out, it should work each time.

My original thought was to see if there was some way to send a command to the printer to move the paper backwards a set amount to match what it advances, like the old ESC commands back in the DOS days. If that were possible, then after printing the first chunk, you would issue the command and then print the next chunk.

Mark
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Ernst Dinkla

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Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #28 on: February 13, 2009, 11:43:48 am »

Quote from: markdfink
I know this would be a kludge of a fix, but what about chopping a long image into printable chunks, NOT cutting the paper, then using the up/down arrows to move the paper back into the printer just the right amount so that the next chunk starts printing where the previous one left off? It would take a bit of trial and error to find the right spot, (assuming that the up/down arrows allow small enough movements that are repeatable), but once you have it figured out, it should work each time.

My original thought was to see if there was some way to send a command to the printer to move the paper backwards a set amount to match what it advances, like the old ESC commands back in the DOS days. If that were possible, then after printing the first chunk, you would issue the command and then print the next chunk.

Mark
www.pinnacle-vr.com
www.northernlight.net
www.360cities.net

Not my cup of tea.

However Matt Nolan writes the following on the Qimage list and that is promising:

>>>Success!  Using the Z3100 HPGL2 driver I was able to print out a
3'x17' panorama using Qimage and it looks great.  The driver offers a
maximum of 91 meters -- I didnt test it, but I suspect it may be
correct.

The next thing I want to test is Mike's suggestion of cutting up
gigapixel images in photoshop and then reassembling them in Qimage as
separate images printed on the same page.  This is different than the
banner trick where Qimage cuts the image and tries to avoid the page
break (which doesnt work with the Z3100).  So if this new technique
works, I dont see that there is anything standing in the way of
printing a 10,000 x 100,000 gigapixel image, or even larger, using
Qimage.<<<


Ernst Dinkla

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markdfink

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Re: Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #29 on: January 18, 2011, 05:01:43 pm »

Is there any news on this topic with the new drivers?

Mark
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Ernst Dinkla

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Re: Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #30 on: January 19, 2011, 03:07:51 am »

On the Z3200-PS I have no length limit problems. There is no reason for me to explore what the Z3100 can do, I might be one or two firmware upgrades behind. As written the optional HPGL-2 driver solved that issue for other owners.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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markdfink

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Re: Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #31 on: January 19, 2011, 11:00:15 am »

I think I found the thread you are referring to. To summarize, getting the HP GL-2 upgrade kit would allow me to break the 10 foot barrier on my Z3100. I wouldn't use that driver for printing, staying with the current driver that I now use, but the upgrade kit allows that driver to overcome the length limit. Is that correct? From what I've seen, the upgrade kit is around $350.

Thanks,

Mark
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Ernst Dinkla

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Re: Z3100 Print Length Issue Explained
« Reply #32 on: January 19, 2011, 11:11:56 am »

Yes, that is the idea. You better contact Matt Nolan to see whether that has been a bullet proof solution over the last year.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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