Z3100 B&W Print Problem

[Mary K]

I am having a problem with printing of approximately the last 5/16" of B&W prints on my HP Z3100 printer when selecting B&W and allowing the printer to manage color.  I am on a PC running Vista Ultimate, and am printing through Photoshop CS4.  Firmware is TR12-TR_7.0.0.3, and the driver is 61.73.361.41.  I have not experienced this problem in the past using this setup.

I am printing on cut sheets, glossy paper, and selecting GE for the whole page.  The paper I am using is Inkpress Baryta Warm Tone, but I tried it with some Epson Glossy and had the same result.  Approximately the last 5/16" of the print is a different tone than the rest of the print.  If I print the B&W image in color, and let Photoshop manage color, the problem goes away.  The sheet size is 11" x 17", and the image is 9.5" x 14.5".

I have run the print head cleaning process, as well as a head alignment, but the problem persists.

Another issue I have is that if I disable the print skew check for cut sheets, the last 1/4"-3/8" of any print (B&W or color) will not print.  It seems as the printer thinks it is out of paper in this case.  In the above case the printer knows it has paper, as it continues to print the GE for approximately 3/4" beyond the place where ink is laid down.

All help appreciated, Mary

[Ernst Dinkla]

I am having a problem with printing of approximately the last 5/16" of B&W prints on my HP Z3100 printer when selecting B&W and allowing the printer to manage color.  I am on a PC running Vista Ultimate, and am printing through Photoshop CS4.  Firmware is TR12-TR_7.0.0.3, and the driver is 61.73.361.41.  I have not experienced this problem in the past using this setup.

I am printing on cut sheets, glossy paper, and selecting GE for the whole page.  The paper I am using is Inkpress Baryta Warm Tone, but I tried it with some Epson Glossy and had the same result.  Approximately the last 5/16" of the print is a different tone than the rest of the print.  If I print the B&W image in color, and let Photoshop manage color, the problem goes away.  The sheet size is 11" x 17", and the image is 9.5" x 14.5".

I have run the print head cleaning process, as well as a head alignment, but the problem persists.

Another issue I have is that if I disable the print skew check for cut sheets, the last 1/4"-3/8" of any print (B&W or color) will not print.  It seems as the printer thinks it is out of paper in this case.  In the above case the printer knows it has paper, as it continues to print the GE for approximately 3/4" beyond the place where ink is laid down.

All help appreciated, Mary

Mary,

A strange problem. The last example suggests  a driver or connection problem. The printer doesn't measure the paper length when Skew Check is Off but uses an arbitrary length that exceeds the actual length most of the time. I expect it is also longer than your 17". Power down the printer and let it initialise again, has solved odd issues before. Check whether the Windows spooler is completely empty. Try printing from another application. Reinstall the printer driver. Try another connection cable or switch from ethernet to usb or the other way around.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

New: Dinkla Canvas Wrap Actions for Photoshop
http://www.pigment-print.com/dinklacanvaswraps/index.html

[Mary K]

Mary,

A strange problem. The last example suggests  a driver or connection problem. The printer doesn't measure the paper length when Skew Check is Off but uses an arbitrary length that exceeds the actual length most of the time. I expect it is also longer than your 17". Power down the printer and let it initialise again, has solved odd issues before. Check whether the Windows spooler is completely empty. Try printing from another application. Reinstall the printer driver. Try another connection cable or switch from ethernet to usb or the other way around.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

New: Dinkla Canvas Wrap Actions for Photoshop
http://www.pigment-print.com/dinklacanvaswraps/index.html

Ernst,

It is a strange problem indeed, but I got around it by printing with Qimage.  I finally thought about zooming in on the print preview, and was able to see the problem there.  I powered down the printer and restarted, and checked the Windows spooler too (it was clear).  I don't know if I want to reinstall the printer driver, as I'm leery of other issues cropping up besides this one.

I can print through Photoshop and not have the issue when printing 16" x 24" on 17" x 25" paper . . . go figure!

Thanks, Mary