HP Z3200ps Blue Green reseat front panel error

[Mark Lindquist]

Hello folks,

Haven’t been around for a long time - 75 now with more than my share of health issues.

We have a lot of power outages in Florida and although I have a large UPS, it only lasts so long. Even with back-up solar and a 15KW diesel generator, occasionally power to the printer(s) is lost. Today I shut the printer down to reapply another coating of Armour-All (sp) to the carriage belt that is showing signs of wear. As usual I got a front panel message:

“Blue Green printhead must be reseated.”

I’ve encountered this many times and realize my “work around” might be helpful to some of you still maintaining and operating these magnificent printers. Here’s mostly what seems to work (for me):

This error usually occurs if printer looses power.
Unplug from back, switch to off.
Plug back in, turn back power switch to on.
Let the printer reboot.
B/G reseat error message will still be on front panel.
Turn printer off from front panel.
Finally, reboot with on/off button at front panel.

Error message should be gone. If not, go back to beginning and do it all again.

This can save a lot of ink, paper and time.

Most often this works. If you know the printhead is good and you’ve kept your printer always on, and have been using it,
This will mostly work (it seems).

Glad to see many of you are still here. Hi to all of you.
And… Happy Father’s Day!

Take care -

Mark

[kers]

Hi Mark, good to hear from you...
Yes for me i have 2 well working z3200's and buy a lot of second hand ink and printheads to keep them working.

did you see this post?      https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=141083.0

have you ever refilled printheads? amnd or sucked air out of the tubesystem?

-
about reseating printheads-- i have one printhead that already from the start wanted to be reseated. i will try your method next time...

[Mark Lindquist]

Hi Mark, good to hear from you...
Yes for me i have 2 well working z3200's and buy a lot of second hand ink and printheads to keep them working.

did you see this post?      https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=141083.0

have you ever refilled printheads? amnd or sucked air out of the tubesystem?

-
about reseating printheads-- i have one printhead that already from the start wanted to be reseated. i will try your method next time...

Hi Pieter,
Nice to hear from you - glad you're keeping your printers up and running.
So as to your question, Yes, I have seen the post, and in the past have experimented with refilling printheads. We have several very hi-tech vacuum units in the wood studios, and I was successful using a vacuum, but all in all, with the pickiness and mess, I defer to Ernst on this subject - he's the master.

I have many carefully stored printheads in freezer bags that have a little distilled water in them. I usually do the "ink blot stamp method" with very absorbent paper towels and more often than not they come back. I don't like doing more other than soaking in hot water, etc., in a pinch, because inevitably I make a mess and get stuff on my clothes. To me, that stuff is nasty business, but, when necessary, "a guy's got to do what a guy's got to do."

I will say, that often the Z's throw the printhead reseat error and it has nothing to do with a bad printhead, but is a bug in the startup sequence. Mostly we accept that the printhead is bad and go down the rabbit hole, when all that's really required is a double boot workaround. Not to say that this is "THE ANSWER" but many times it is. Several reboots and the Z3200's "fix" themselves. I mostly always try this first. Of course, a diagnostic image will tell the whole story.

My father had a mule growing up on a Vineyard Farm in Kingsburg, in the San Joquin valley, CA, where they made raisins for Sun-Maid. When the mule got stubborn, he simply tied a string around the mule's ear and let it hang down. He'd "click-click" and the mule would giddyup and start plowing again, distracted by the string. I think, oddly, that Z printers are sometimes like that. They get into wobbles, get cranky and just sit down.

I haven't tried tying a string on the side of the printer yet, but you get my drift, I'm sure. LOL

Best wishes,

Mark

[Kyle Jackson]

Hey Mark, great to see you around again! Sorry to hear about the health challenges, hope you're having a better day today 

Thanks for this idea! My Z3200 was doing same with MK-R, and I was just reseating it..., and grumbling every time because brand new head and the wear on the contacts. But it was occurring after power outs / restarts just like yours. I have the LPS Computers seals on them and since they make the heads sit a bit higher in the carriage, I trimmed them down on MK-R and it seemed to fix it. But if it returns I'll try the double reboot.

Yes my printers "sit down" a lot lol! 

[kers]

I have the LPS Computers seals on them and since they make the heads sit a bit higher in the carriage....

Would never use those seals if they change the distance of the printhead to the paper...

[Kyle Jackson]

Would never use those seals if they change the distance of the printhead to the paper...

Yes I have reservations about them too because of that. The heads definitely sit a bit higher, maybe 1.5 mm or so. At the time I was just trying to get the printers operational again, and then got hit by a car so haven't been able to work with them more to see the effect on print quality. When I get back to it I might replace them by making my own seals, similar to those mentioned in another thread here recently.

[kers]

... and then got hit by a car so haven't been able to work with them more to see the effect on print quality....

printing is dangerous business!; hope you are allright !

[Ernst Dinkla]

Yes I have reservations about them too because of that. The heads definitely sit a bit higher, maybe 1.5 mm or so. At the time I was just trying to get the printers operational again, and then got hit by a car so haven't been able to work with them more to see the effect on print quality. When I get back to it I might replace them by making my own seals, similar to those mentioned in another thread here recently.

Yes, when the head carriage lid is still open the heads will be a bit higher but with tube rings soft enough like I have here and the lid closed there will not be much difference, the way the lid is locked creates quite a downwards force on the heads. I cut two versions of the length of the tube, one printer has 4.0mm rings, the other 3.8mm rings. Made a kind of die to fit the tube in plus a guide for the knife, measured the cut parts individually and throw out the extremes. I see no difference between the printers. The head contacts still make a good connection in the head slots. Head linearisation after every head change takes care of x-y shifts and a slightly higher head height (z) would be welcome as less strikes on for example Museum Etching will happen. There is some tolerance in the whole HP system that is solved with checks like linearisation and the droplet sensor. If it was pure hardware precision we had to trust on then we should have had way more problems.

[MHMG]

Hey Mark L.,

Great to hear from you on LL again. I guess this thread offered a return to LL for me as well after quite some time away.

My chronic printhead reseat message occurs with the M-Y head. Recently installed as brand new and this chronic error message came along with it!  I can't even shut the printer down normally without my Z3200 now throwing this error.  Very stable power where I live, but nevertheless, I typically shut down all my printers to wait out the occasional severe thunderstorm, otherwise I leave them on.  I had tried variations of Mark's method without success, but this morning my M-Y reseat message was back after another controlled shutdown last night. So, I followed Mark's instructions precisely. It did take two complete cycles, but it worked!

Very nice tip for us HP Z3200 users!

cheers,
Mark McCormick-Goodhart

[kers]

... but this morning my M-Y reseat message was back after another controlled shutdown last night. So, I followed Mark's instructions precisely. It did take two complete cycles, but it worked!

Very nice tip for us HP Z3200 users!

cheers,
Mark McCormick-Goodhart

I always reseat and that works too ... granted it makes a new printhead calibration...
but here in Holland i almost never shut my printers off.

[Kyle Jackson]

Yes, when the head carriage lid is still open the heads will be a bit higher but with tube rings soft enough like I have here and the lid closed there will not be much difference, the way the lid is locked creates quite a downwards force on the heads. I cut two versions of the length of the tube, one printer has 4.0mm rings, the other 3.8mm rings. Made a kind of die to fit the tube in plus a guide for the knife, measured the cut parts individually and throw out the extremes. I see no difference between the printers. The head contacts still make a good connection in the head slots. Head linearisation after every head change takes care of x-y shifts and a slightly higher head height (z) would be welcome as less strikes on for example Museum Etching will happen. There is some tolerance in the whole HP system that is solved with checks like linearisation and the droplet sensor. If it was pure hardware precision we had to trust on then we should have had way more problems.

Ah! Very good point, Ernst. I forgot about the carriage lid clamping down on the heads. That would help even things up between heads, and the rest is digital compensation as you say.

[Kyle Jackson]

My chronic printhead reseat message occurs with the M-Y head. Recently installed as brand new and this chronic error message came along with it!  I can't even shut the printer down normally without my Z3200 now throwing this error.  Very stable power where I live, but nevertheless, I typically shut down all my printers to wait out the occasional severe thunderstorm, otherwise I leave them on.  I had tried variations of Mark's method without success, but this morning my M-Y reseat message was back after another controlled shutdown last night. So, I followed Mark's instructions precisely. It did take two complete cycles, but it worked!

I just had a variation of this experience... I have a new MK-R (the head, not the car) that has complained about reseats since the beginning after every reboot. (Maybe HP's last production run is defective?...) So to test Mark's Magical Mystery Method I woke up the printer, it's fine (no reseat message). Intended to shut it down from the front button to see if reseat message appears on restart, but front power button wasn't responsive. Shortly after the menu button stops too, so it seems hung so I reset it with rear power switch.

Shortly after reboot I get the reseat message, so this is the usual pattern now. So I yanked the plug, and restarted it. This time it did the longgggg "preparing print system" startup. When done, all was fine, no reseat message. So I didn't need the second reboot at all.

So then I did a front button shutdown and restart to see if the reseat message comes back, and it did. So it's not a permanent fix sadly. Yanked the plug again, this time only got the short startup sequence, but no reseat message when done.

So it seems yanking the plug clears the reseat message, but restart by either power button brings it back. 🤷‍♂️

[Mark Lindquist]

Hey Mark L.,

Great to hear from you on LL again. I guess this thread offered a return to LL for me as well after quite some time away.

My chronic printhead reseat message occurs with the M-Y head. Recently installed as brand new and this chronic error message came along with it!  I can't even shut the printer down normally without my Z3200 now throwing this error.  Very stable power where I live, but nevertheless, I typically shut down all my printers to wait out the occasional severe thunderstorm, otherwise I leave them on.  I had tried variations of Mark's method without success, but this morning my M-Y reseat message was back after another controlled shutdown last night. So, I followed Mark's instructions precisely. It did take two complete cycles, but it worked!

Very nice tip for us HP Z3200 users!

cheers,
Mark McCormick-Goodhart

Hey Mark MHMG -
Nice to hear from you. Glad the work around worked for you.
Moral of the story is: NEVER fully trust the error messages thrown by the Z's.
"We're not the droids their looking for..."

[Mark Lindquist]

I just had a variation of this experience... I have a new MK-R (the head, not the car) that has complained about reseats since the beginning after every reboot. (Maybe HP's last production run is defective?...) So to test Mark's Magical Mystery Method I woke up the printer, it's fine (no reseat message). Intended to shut it down from the front button to see if reseat message appears on restart, but front power button wasn't responsive. Shortly after the menu button stops too, so it seems hung so I reset it with rear power switch.

Shortly after reboot I get the reseat message, so this is the usual pattern now. So I yanked the plug, and restarted it. This time it did the longgggg "preparing print system" startup. When done, all was fine, no reseat message. So I didn't need the second reboot at all.

So then I did a front button shutdown and restart to see if the reseat message comes back, and it did. So it's not a permanent fix sadly. Yanked the plug again, this time only got the short startup sequence, but no reseat message when done.

So it seems yanking the plug clears the reseat message, but restart by either power button brings it back. 🤷‍♂️

Hi Kyle,

After so many years with these printers going back to when Michael Reichmann got his Z3100 and I got mine very shortly thereafter, I've learned these critters have the ability to accept specific sequences that trigger them to proceed forward. It almost seems like learning, however, according to the top tier engineers, there are sequential steps that the printer picks up on even if required 3 or more times. The shutdown/reboot system I listed seems to be one of the tried and true sequences, but of course, I used many others and eventually have gotten there as well. I find, that if the printer looses power in an outage or whatever, my system is fast and accurate. Glad you banged around and found something that worked for yours in that case. Cheers!  Mark

[Kyle Jackson]

Yup they're definitely eccentric haha! 

Forgot to mention that printer I tried wasn't my Z3200, it was my original Z3100ps that HP gave me in 2009. (15 years omg... 🥲 )

[JCD]

Wow! The old gang is back in town. Yep here in Atlanta we have these pop up thunderstorms where I shut down all my printers. And, with the new MK/ R heads I usually end up doing Marks unplug trick. I have an older head like one from eBay there is no issue.

It’s really discouraging how they have jacked up the prices of the inks, but better something than nothing.

I accidentally bought one of those Chinese “refurbished” heads on EBay and damn if it didn’t work totally normally. I wonder if they aren’t really grey market versions with a different label, made in the same factory.

Has anyone used those third party inks for the Zs ? Do they look the same? I’m sure the permanence is nothing like the oem.

I’m shocked that both my Z3200 and the original Z3100 that I bought a year after they were first released are still working like new.  I have those lps belts on them.

John

Yup they're definitely eccentric haha! 

Forgot to mention that printer I tried wasn't my Z3200, it was my original Z3100ps that HP gave me in 2009. (15 years omg... 🥲 )

[Kyle Jackson]

I accidentally bought one of those Chinese “refurbished” heads on EBay and damn if it didn’t work totally normally. I wonder if they aren’t really grey market versions with a different label, made in the same factory.

Has anyone used those third party inks for the Zs ? Do they look the same? I’m sure the permanence is nothing like the oem.

Hi John, if you look on the underside of the printhead (in the corner/"armpit") there would be an hp logo moulded into the plastic. The used Z3200 I bought a while ago came with a bunch of aftermarket heads (and inks) that the owner wanted to use (but couldn't because the printer wouldn't run for them). When I looked at those 3rd party heads I saw that they had the hp logo, but it was burned/melted off, like someone took a soldering iron to it. And a different sticker was applied. Here's some pics; note the "remanufactured" on the label:
https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=141083.msg1242843#msg1242843

I don't know how all that works, but it looks like those heads start out as legit hp products and are eventually picked up by a 3rd party to "refurb" and resell.

In any case I didn't use the heads or inks, at least for now. Continuing with the hp inks as long as I can scrounge some up. So I can't comment on how those heads/inks perform. Saving them for a dark day lol.

[JCD]

Wish I knew how to refurbish those heads…..The one I have was good and looked new but I’m sure you are right and they called it refurbished. Don’t want to pull it out to look. In your case the guy letting it sit there so long would dry up any head. I wouldn’t trust any of those Chinese inks for what I do without legitimate testing which there is none.   If it gets to that point I’d probably sadly  give up on them.  I have two Epsons one new one with a 5 year warranty , but I’m still emotionally attached to my Zs 🙂


John

Hi John, if you look on the underside of the printhead (in the corner/"armpit") there would be an hp logo moulded into the plastic. The used Z3200 I bought a while ago came with a bunch of aftermarket heads (and inks) that the owner wanted to use (but couldn't because the printer wouldn't run for them). When I looked at those 3rd party heads I saw that they had the hp logo, but it was burned/melted off, like someone took a soldering iron to it. And a different sticker was applied. Here's some pics; note the "remanufactured" on the label:
https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=141083.msg1242843#msg1242843

I don't know how all that works, but it looks like those heads start out as legit hp products and are eventually picked up by a 3rd party to "refurb" and resell.

In any case I didn't use the heads or inks, at least for now. Continuing with the hp inks as long as I can scrounge some up. So I can't comment on how those heads/inks perform. Saving them for a dark day lol.