Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: zippski on February 10, 2014, 12:35:09 am
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Well, HP has just updated its abysmal support website. Thank God for that. It's a small improvement, but that would be hard NOT to do.
Anyway, I was finally getting around to updating my Printer Utility and the firmware on my z3100 24" (I have a fairly recent version of firmware installed, but not the latest 7.5 series(?)...
Anyway, on the support link, I read this:
Important note: HP ProLiant Server firmware access
Starting February 2014, an active warranty or contract is required to access HP ProLiant Server firmware updates. View your existing contracts & warranties or get help linking contracts or warranties to your HP Support Center user profile. To obtain additional support coverage, please contact your local HP office, HP representative, or visit Contact HP. Click here for more information.
Yes, the above note is there on all the Deskjet z's, including the 3200, 5200 and 6200's. I have no service contract (never have). I searched around the site for old links, but I simply cannot access the firmware links anywhere, despite signing up as a registered user. There are only links to newer drivers and the utility.
So......does this mean what I think it means? No firmware updates without paying, and no firmware at all for the z3100, since they no longer offer a service contract any more for them.
Leigh
zippski
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Leigh-
I'm sorry, but HP would need to make a significant upgrade to their website to qualify as being merely "abysmal". They may reskin it and bolt on new parts, but it still has the same dysfunctional rotting core.
I think you may be confused by some boilerplate disclaimer on the printer page that has nothing to do with printer firmware upgrades, though. I think that notice is a red herring, and entirely unrelated to your quest.
By accident, I was able to find the page with what I think you are looking for, among the broken links and dead ends. Take a look at the page below, and let me know if this works for you. I don't think they are charging for firmware updates just yet.
http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/kb/search/?sp4ts.oid=3204970&spf_p.tpst=kbSearchMain&spf_p.pbp_kbSearchMain_myAction=withResults&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken#searchResultHead
PS: Always fill out a survey telling HP how impressed (or, ummm . . . . not) you are with their website whenever they ask you to fill out a survey on their site. Perhaps someday they will have enough complaints to blow the thing up and start over.
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Unfortunately, you are all wasting your time beating a dead horse. Whatever the technical qualities of those printers were in their day, the company has been a mess for many years. Too big to manage properly, and therefore not. What you are seeing in the prosumer printer area is a slow, on-going process of neglect most likely leading to a total vacating of the business line. People still happily using these printers should of course continue to do so, makes eminent good sense, but at the same time start evaluating the alternatives from Epson and Canon.
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HP's websites have been like that for the 7 years I frequented them, not better now, not worse, and yes they have been sub standard. Google for content and forget HP's searches. HP's market share in printers; consumer, offices, building industry, copy shops, print shops, sign industry, has not deteriorated over that period. There may have been shifts in that market and some branches are suffering. HP still is a giant in this industry but not very active now in the printers discussed in this forum. The only growth in the printing industry is in packaging, the rest is stagnant or declining. The course the digital revolution takes us on. Packaging is and will be inert as long as we like to receive the latest digital gadgets from East Asia.
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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
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Thanks Ron.
Unfortunately, that is the link I found as well that results in the dead-end and/or the message I referenced. There are no firmware upgrades shown anywhere on that chain of links, least none that I can find after a good deal of searching.
So, I'm left a bit disappointed (although my z3100 is working well, I was hoping that a couple of the remaining glitches (like unequal page margin offsets) would have been finally fixed in what I believe to be the very last v7.0.0.5 firmware that was released, IIRC, in early to mid-2013.
I'll have to check out the z-series wiki links and see what I can find. At least the drivers and printer utility now appear easier to find and update on the revised site. The other thing that is nice is that if you activate the pro-active service on the latest printer utility, there are now links that go directly to some previously hard-to-locate z3100 HP parts, such as the carriage belts, and other similar features. And, I've always loved the job-accounting feature found on the HP printer utility, which seems to be upgraded slightly.
Leigh
zippski
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HP's websites have been like that for the 7 years I frequented them, not better now, not worse, and yes they have been sub standard. Google for content and forget HP's searches. HP's market share in printers; consumer, offices, building industry, copy shops, print shops, sign industry, has not deteriorated over that period. There may have been shifts in that market and some branches are suffering. HP still is a giant in this industry but not very active now in the printers discussed in this forum. The only growth in the printing industry is in packaging, the rest is stagnant or declining. The course the digital revolution takes us on. Packaging is and will be inert as long as we like to receive the latest digital gadgets from East Asia.
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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
I think they are also still prominent in those gigantic industrial-strength printers used by large printing houses for making big posters and billboards. But I am given to understand that their current share in the prosumer and professional fine-art inkjet printing market is insignificant compared with Epson and Canon. That is a different category from all the mass-market copiers, scanners and multi-purpose units they sell through places like Office Depot, Best Buy and Staples (here in North America). In those too they are probably doing a brisk business, though I personally dumped all of it out of sheer frustration with poor quality and cranky usability and replaced them with a single Epson multi-purpose product - far simpler to install, maintain and use and much more reliable.
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When I was in the market for a 24" printer 2 years ago I looked at HP, Canon and Epson.
I was very fond of the Z3100, but decided against it, because of the company issues.
In the end I got an Epson 7890, which never let me down so far, not even after months of rest.
Cheers
~Chris
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When I was in the market for a 24" printer 2 years ago I looked at HP, Canon and Epson.
I was very fond of the Z3100, but decided against it, because of the company issues.
In the end I got an Epson 7890, which never let me down so far, not even after months of rest.
Cheers
~Chris
That was good thinking. I also believe it is just as important to look at the company as to look at the product.
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....no firmware at all for the z3100, since they no longer offer a service contract any more for them.
Leigh
zippski
I didn't check for firmware updates but HP does offer warranty in the USA.
According to their USA web site, hp provides their extended support for up to 5 years, NBD for machines currently under warranty and up to 2 years for machines not currently under warranty for the Z3100 and Z3200 series.
http://h30094.www3.hp.com/searchresults.aspx?cache=1139667378&culture=en-US&rbSelect=0&compatiblityChk=0&search_criteria=z3200+support
Here is an example for their 2 year post warranty contract
http://h30094.www3.hp.com/product.aspx?cache=1139667378&culture=en-US&sku=10293862
If you look under “Compatibility" in the link above, they state they support the Z3100 and Z3200 series.
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I think the problem is that my link is not a direct URL, so we probably get different results when we click on the link. I am able to download all of the HP firmware updates without a service contract, and without paying. Try searching again, and if you strike out, let me know what version you have and I will download it and put it on my server for you to download if you strike out on your own (I'll need your email address, of course, to send you my direct link).
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The OP is correct: you have to have a current service contract to get a firmware update for a z3100. Latest firmware I believe is TR12-TR_7.0.0.3 and that is a couple years old now. Maybe older.
Pretty sure no one is going to pay $700+ for some old firmware. Wishful thinking, HP! :D
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Yikes! I just revisited the same page that was letting me download firmware for each model last week and it is now asking for a serial number. I swear, it was all accessible to me when I tried earlier. I can't see that type of deep content being cached for me to get different results than others, but I have no other guess as to what happened. I'm willing to share my firmware, but I only have 44" Z3100ps GP firmware.
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HP's websites have been like that for the 7 years I frequented them, not better now, not worse, and yes they have been sub standard. Google for content and forget HP's searches. HP's market share in printers; consumer, offices, building industry, copy shops, print shops, sign industry, has not deteriorated over that period. There may have been shifts in that market and some branches are suffering. HP still is a giant in this industry but not very active now in the printers discussed in this forum. The only growth in the printing industry is in packaging, the rest is stagnant or declining. The course the digital revolution takes us on. Packaging is and will be inert as long as we like to receive the latest digital gadgets from East Asia.
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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
There is a whole segment of the market that they basically own over Epson and Canon and that is large format printing for non-photographic or non-graphics needs. Nearly all of our clients have a 42" or 60" Z6200 (or Z6100) that they use for large maps, blueprints, diagrams, etc... Almost all are using low end bond paper for their printing. Most of these places have never run a roll of photographic paper through their printer. I imagine they account for a lot of HP large format sales.
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That was good thinking. I also believe it is just as important to look at the company as to look at the product.
I am hanging my head in shame. I worked for hp from 1969 to 1973, when I left to get Rolm into the PBX business. I loved that company. While being engineering-driven, they were incredibly customer-focused. It helped that most of their customers in those days were engineers (see next bench syndrome). They have lost their way. It's been a long time. Very sad.
That's a rather personal approach to saying, "You're right."
Jim
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I am hanging my head in shame. I worked for hp from 1969 to 1973, when I left to get Rolm into the PBX business. I loved that company. While being engineering-driven, they were incredibly customer-focused. It helped that most of their customers in those days were engineers (see next bench syndrome). They have lost their way. It's been a long time. Very sad.
That's a rather personal approach to saying, "You're right."
Jim
It's true - HP was a super company back in those days.
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Yikes! I just revisited the same page that was letting me download firmware for each model last week and it is now asking for a serial number. I swear, it was all accessible to me when I tried earlier. I can't see that type of deep content being cached for me to get different results than others, but I have no other guess as to what happened. I'm willing to share my firmware, but I only have 44" Z3100ps GP firmware.
Check what is still available for HP Z owners. The firmware for the Z3200-PS 44" A and B model is still there for example. I made a download of all the drivers, utility for the plain Z3100 44" and the drivers and firmware of the Z3200-PS 44". It looks like drivers and printer utility will be available for all models and only the oldest models loose their firmware upgrade support. If HP could tell us what new features the Z3100 firmware upgrade holds it may be interesting to renew a service contract. For example the support of 300 ML carts for the 7 inks that correspond with the Z5200 ink set.
I suggest that we could fill the archives of the Wide_Inkjet_Printers list at Yahoo with the latest firmware archived among users. I also wonder what one would expect in firmware upgrades for the Z3100 model that is more than 7 years old now. It is a mature product. I can drive mine from Windows 7 64. On the Z3200 I did not install the latest firmware so far. It runs from Windows 7 64 too. It is fine as it is. When the formatter/harddisc goes belly up it is inevitable that you have to get another formatter, refurbished or new. I have replacement harddiscs here but never found someone who can tell me how to get the image copied.
On may wonder whether the success in keeping the Z3100 printers running so long (and often with only DIY service) made HP more strict on support. We have seen Epson restricting the supply of parts about 5 years ago for similar reasons.
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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
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There is a whole segment of the market that they basically own over Epson and Canon and that is large format printing for non-photographic or non-graphics needs. Nearly all of our clients have a 42" or 60" Z6200 (or Z6100) that they use for large maps, blueprints, diagrams, etc... Almost all are using low end bond paper for their printing. Most of these places have never run a roll of photographic paper through their printer. I imagine they account for a lot of HP large format sales.
For the total printing market HP still is close to 50% market share, more than what Canon and Epson do together. The ranking is HP, Canon, Epson in most of the market. It is only in the wide format and desktop photography inkjet market that Epson is leading and Canon second but growing fast. HP's big presence in sign printing and its domination in offices continues. Canon became bigger in the sign and office wide format market with the purchase of Océ. Epson is still a dwarf in that market. That makes the bashing of HP so silly, the company is still way bigger than Seiko-Epson and there are no signs it will fail in the coming years. Like Microsoft, Dell and other PC related companies it has to change course. There have been companies like Digital and Compaq that could not cope with changes in the market. There are companies that could, like IBM, Intel, Oracle. The printing industry changes and HP, Canon and Epson, all face that fact. We will see whether there is enough market for three or more companies. Right now there are 5 HP printers in my shop/house. A collapse of HP is really the least of my worries. If the Z3200-PS goes belly up here it will be a Z3200-PS B model that replaces it.
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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
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Ernst, what is the difference between the HP Z3200 and the HP Z3200 B?
Thanks.
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Ok, I see now that I was not crazy in saying "Where the heck are these guys getting their links from, I just keep reaching the same paid firmware dead end"
In any event, I think that my firmware is only 2 generations old (pretty sure it's version _5 or _7 now) and as I understand it, all drivers up to Win7 64 still work on my version, although I am still using a Win 7 32bit machine. Still, it would be nice to get the very newest firmware and see if the lingering couple of issues with the Z can be addressed (those being the curious uneven print margin issue, which I have finally fixed by experimenting with certain margin settings, and the slow PS6 printing interface, which I intend to address someday with a Qimage purchase).
I have no plans to get rid of the Z3100 now that I have located such a great 3rd party service office near Mississauga, Ontario, since I can't bear the thought of changing out inks, dealing with clogs or profiling paper without a spectrometer. I'll gladly suffer with my little glitches. When the z3100 finally dies, I'll simply buy a replacement z3200, or z3300, assuming they are true to their word and stay in the fine art photo business. That's the big "if" (I'm a bit touchy about that subject right now, having purchased the entire Olympus classic 4/3 SHG series of lenses over the past decade on a company promise to keep classic 4/3 going....but I digress...;-))
Still, that's a pretty sad state of affairs for HP to charge for the firmware upgrades, which are, when you think about it, fixes to its own faulty firmware. I certainly like the idea of a firmware-share on the wiki sites!
Leigh
zippski
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Ernst, what is the difference between the HP Z3200 and the HP Z3200 B?
Thanks.
I learned quite recently that the latest Z3200-PS printers have a B model description and older ones an A model description. The firmware updates have two versions too. I have no idea what the difference is. One would wish that the HD is replaced by an SSD.
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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
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I also wonder what one would expect in firmware upgrades for the Z3100 model that is more than 7 years old now.
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The reason companies make their firmware available is so their customers can update the equipment, usually addressing flaws discovered after the product's release. I have the latest firmware for my z3100. That's fine for me. But what if I, a paying customer who has paid thousands of dollars to HP, had not updated the firmware when it was still free and just now saw an update from 2 years ago and wanted to install it? HP would expect me to pay over $700. To upgrade to a 2 year old firmware. Outrageous. HP, you made a fine machine in the z3100. You about lost me when you discontinued twin packs of ink. But HP and ANY company who expects customers to pay for firmware udpates to products one already purchased is telling us they do not need nor want our business. OK, HP. I hear ya. Loud and clear. After their problems the last few years, you would think HP couldn't find a way to make another huge bumble. Gotta hand it to 'em. When my z3100 dies, HP has sure enough found a way to guarantee she won't be replaced by another HP printer.
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I can successfully download firmware updates from these links for the Z3100 (http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/psi/swdDetails/?cc=us&sp4ts.oid=3204971&swItem=pl_59723_5) and Z3200 (http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/psi/swdHome/?cc=au&jumpid=oc_r1002_auen_s-002_r0003&lang=en&sp4ts.oid=3737550&ac.admitted=1392685209357.876444892.492883150) 24" & 44"
Hope this works.
Brian.
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Well, that's kind of crazy. Not sure if I should try this or not. The paid firmware message and Yellow (!) symbol is splashed right across the top of that link.
I'd hate to download this and find out my Z no longer works without paying HP $700.00. I also noticed that my firmware version 7_0_0_3 was released in Jan 2009. Version 7_0_0_5 was released in May 2009, and this version 7_0_0_7 appears to have been released in July 2009.
I think that was the last firmware update ever released for the z3100 IIRC. 2009 - Sheesh, time flies. That's why it doesn't show Win7 compatibility, only Vista. I know it works with either.
Leigh
zippski
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Well, that's kind of crazy. Not sure if I should try this or not. The paid firmware message and Yellow (!) symbol is splashed right across the top of that link.
Do you mean this: "Important note: HP ProLiant Server firmware access"?
The way I read this notice is for a HP server firmware update not the HP DesignJet printers firmware updates.
Brian.
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Do you mean this: "Important note: HP ProLiant Server firmware access"?
The way I read this notice is for a HP server firmware update not the HP DesignJet printers firmware updates.
Brian.
I could not get to the firmware file of the Z3100 there. I could for the Z3200-PS. Both for Windows 7 64.
On the other hand if I select Vista 64 as the OS, the firmware upgrade for the Z3100 is available. So the warranty/serial number is not needed there. I guess it is just an HP web site (ab)normality.
With Vista 64 OS:
HP DesignJet Z3100 Photo Printer Series Firmware Upgrade
7.0.0.3-7
17 Jun 2009
515.6
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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
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When it comes to updates to a Z3100, there is some related software that needs to be updated.
it is the famous HP Advanced Profiling Solution...
I bought it for about 800€.
After a few years the measuring device - a rebranded X-Rite i1Display 2- stopped working and from OSX 10.7 also the software is useless.
the latest version is the one i have- there is no support site other than a download site with non working software.
If anybody has a solution please let me know...
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When it comes to updates to a Z3100, there is some related software that needs to be updated.
it is the famous HP Advanced Profiling Solution...
I bought it for about 800€.
After a few years the measuring device - a rebranded X-Rite i1Display 2- stopped working and from OSX 10.7 also the software is useless.
the latest version is the one i have- there is no support site other than a download site with non working software.
If anybody has a solution please let me know...
I have no real problems running APS from Vista 64 and W7 64. The Color Center profiling software integrated in Printer Utility gives more headaches on both OSses. As both Vista and W7 still have an XP extension I can run CC that way without issues. The HP Display puck is no longer used here but still serves as the dongle for APS. The new X-rite Display Pro is way better for monitor calibration. When I reported a problem with APS and the Z3200-PS + Vista 64 to HP Barcelona they replied that it was more or less in the hands of X-rite to update the software. They never did as far as I know. The problem is still there, you can not transfer the created profile automatically to the printer harddisc for distribution to more systems. You can save it to the system that builds the profiles and then bind it to the paper preset in paper preset management and then it will sync to the printer and the other systems. In practice I do not see a difference in profile quality between APS and CC when used on the Z3200. On the Z3100 the APS delivers a better profile than CC does on that machine.
So you might try to do it with an XP emulation or put a cheap PC with XP next to the Mac. Could run Qimage too. Profiles are synced to both systems too. XP is no longer supported next month but there is no need to use that system on the web. Over ten years I have seen much more complaints about outdated drivers with OS-X updates than with Windows updates. Dat is schrale troost, ik weet het.
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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
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dank Ernst, i think i will use my old 10.6 system for the occasion i need new profiles.
I am in contact with X-rite, but do not expect a solution from them.
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dank Ernst, i think i will use my old 10.6 system for the occasion i need new profiles.
I am in contact with X-rite, but do not expect a solution from them.
Yup - when it comes to corporate user-friendliness the combination of HP and X-Rite must be exponentially deadly. :-)
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Yup - when it comes to corporate user-friendliness the combination of HP and X-Rite must be exponentially deadly. :-)
And one of them is more or less a monopolist. All the printer manufacturers that have a printer model with integrated spectrometer; Canon, Epson, HP work with X-Rite. Hardware at least.
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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
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And one of them is more or less a monopolist. All the printer manufacturers that have a printer model with integrated spectrometer; Canon, Epson, HP work with X-Rite. Hardware at least.
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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
Sure - a good part of X-Rite's corporate energy over the past decade or so has been devoted to creating that monopoly.