Some help with my HPZ3200 PS please

[LenR]

Dunesurfer,

I use windows 2000 (to run a Mimaki and Summa) and MAC OS 9, 10.5, 10.6 and 11.968

The 3200 is a PS and I use a Mac with 10.5.8 to control it. 

[Ernst Dinkla]

Compared to the Wasatch SoftRip 6.2 that I also have but never use it is not bad but has way less features. If I recall it correctly the PS3 driver it builds on is not really a CMYK-device system but more disguised as. It still expects RGB colorspaces in the files. Too often you see Postscript related files have total CMYK or several CMYK elements in them with offset gamut profiles assigned. Most of my work is with RGB Tiffs and JPEGs (properly profiled) which the PCL3 driver does excellent and Qimage gives me nesting and much more. That is what I recommend to my customers. When I get a PDF with CMYK or a mix I should use the Wasatch for a correct flow but there are too many cons in that RIP too so I load the PDF in Photoshop CS5 and get it converted to the RGB-device printer profile right away there, using different renderings + soft proof + gamut warning so it fits the printer gamut best. Then I print the Tiff without any CM on in Qimage and the PCL3 driver. It is not the right route but one that gives me some visual feedback on the colors in the conversion.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst
Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

[dunesurfer]

Thnxs for all who contributed so far.I,m learning.:-))
Ernst,i take it,you use PHOTOSHOP.

[MonsterBaby]

"Ernst,i take it,you use PHOTOSHOP." whats the meaning of that sentence? what has PS or Elements to do with you printing?? NOTHING!..

to come back to that thread and be a little more precise: there are two printer drivers possible PCL and PS. single or next to each other.

If you want to use the PCL the computer has to do the rendering. like with every other inkjet driver. you can print from PS from Elements or from ANY application as the aplication renders the data. Qimage for example.. Ernst is THE hp guru.. and Qimage is def. the best!.. rendering intends, nestings and so on.

If you want to use the PS driver.. you can do the same as above with PCL.. AND MORE!.. but first if you want to use the PS driver for above (printing from aplication like Qimage) there are no advantages but disadvantages. its a lot slower and its very confusiong to find the right page setups.

now to the AND more.. the printer beeing a PS printer with this driver is what HP refers to as a RIP.

to actually take advantage of the PS driver like stated above you use the print utility (HPPU and Ernst .. i liked that ;-))
or as i do.. you just type the IP adress of your printer in the browser.. same.

then you can just send a file to the printer (jpg, tiff, some more .. and PDF!!!) you can also have nesting active! then the printer just places the pictures on the roll as what is best!.. you can select a colorprofile for each file you send and a rendering intend (s and aRGB) and some CMYK profiles..

The printer just sends.. and is free then!!! (to be considered using XP) BUT the printer takes a long time to then render the data.. the results are AMAZING tho!

this might not be noticable easily.. but it is the only way that the printer renders 16bit TIFFs.. in PCL.. the computer scales down and sends 8bit.. here you send the 16bit TIFF and the printers colortables render it..

i use it actually quite often for some large format work PLUS.. if i do a limited edition for an artist i can have it saved in the printer!!!.. then whenever he needs it again.. i dont even have to start the printer but look it up on the panel, say print, and it STARTs. bumm!

the color is dead on .. as with Qimage or anything else using the same profiles.

what ernst refers to is true. if you send CMYK data the printer is suposed to transfer it to RGB to then split up again.. not the best in theorie.. BUT
the hp engineers did an AWESOME job.

i spent the last years in learning how to profile RIPs. i worked with EFI, wasatch, colortuner, colorgate and ONYX... and it too years and material to figure out what is goind on an to get good results.

i only did ONE large RGB profile with APS for my proofing paper.. and when i send a fogra27 (supported) PDF including a mediawedge to the printer.. and measure the wedge it even gets FOGRA aproved.. dE 2,5 on average.. not the best.. but approved for FREE, and without any work!!! awesome

meaning.. you cant use this for proofing.. but i have some clients that want pdfs printed on glossy film for presentation.. i just use this build in RIP.. its so easy and so accurate.
they have a pantone color in there pdf?.. no prob.. the Z does that, too.. sometimes more precise then EFI..

BUT.. you have to understand everything. it took me years.. and now i am convinced that HP lost the battle agains epson and canon not because of their brilliant masterpiece (already years ago!!!) but because they have the poorest support ever!!.. they sell that RIP and NO one could answer all those questions that i had to find out myself!..

and dunesurfer.. if you still think its about you using PS or elements.. read over 

[Damir]

That reminds me to Minolta that years ago pioneer wireless flash control and put in the manul sentence: you can control your flash in wireless mode.
How?? You need to figure out by yourself 

[MonsterBaby]

haha.. yes!.. me like dad... 

[dunesurfer]

Monster,
THANXS for coming on here.I fully agree.I neve rhad the problems i have now,with my older EPSON..
As you might have read right at the beginning of this thread.I am in  SITUATION WHERE I NEED TO MAKE DRASTIC DECISIONS.But the information is limited.And if i ha dmore time,well,no problem,as i would have take it step by step,and do the leanring curve as you also stated,YOU HAD TO FIND OUT YOURSELF,WHAT WORKS AND NOT.
I,m not on your level yet,hence my STUPID QUESTIONS.:-))

Ok,if i sum it up.Does,nt matter if i use ELEMENTS TEN or what.Main point is,use the POST SCRIPT DRIVER,where the rip is built in.Do the editing,or framing in elements,export into the rip,(ps driver) and end of story.

Is there any snags in setting the printer up in elemnts,or should i just follow standard setup procedure.

[MonsterBaby]

like ernst said.. and i agreed. there are many great functions in Qimage as a print program, sharpening for example. BUT.. if you dont want to learn anything new and are familiar with elements.. you got it all right there!

open your clients pix in elements.. make sure they are either in sRGB or adobeRGB.. corect them. levels.. what ever.. frame them.. leave a boarder.. IMPORTANT here.. what u see is what you get.. you cant place the print on the paper.. so if you want a white margin left or right.. you have to set up the pic in elements with those boarders.as you imagine!

i do that, too.. pretty simple.. and gives you the advantage, that f.e you can set within the printer!! nesting on.. and corner marks on!.. and then i have printed books where each sheet is 18x11 inches.. the pic is 16x9.. so i open the pic in elements.. (16x9) say canvas size 18x11 .. do my levels.. then you have to save them as TIFFs (lzw) is ok. including s or aRGB profile) .. dpi doesnt matter.. BUT the size has to be the richt size.. thats what it will come out.

then u open the HP PU.. printer center.. go to send .. it will pop up in the browser.. you choose your file.. state if you want to save it in the printer.. quality adjustments can be made.. in my above case i choose rotate 90°.. because then the printer will nest two 11" sheets next to each other AND will print the cut marks around the SHEET!!.. and not around the pic!.. something i wasnt able to do with qimage.. so VERY neat for me.. to print those books..

you choose which profile is embedded... and the rendering intend.. preferrably perceptual.. send it off.. there you go!.

[dunesurfer]

Hi,thanxs for that  info.
Will ask more,or if i ran in aproblem,will post screen shots,and i really would then appreciate it,if you can give some guidance.
Giel