HP Z3200ps media selection

[NackJich]

Hi again ..
I took the plunge and bought a used Z3200ps. There are issues with it although it has passed printer calibration. I think I need to reinstall my drivers using a method I have read on this amazing forum (not given to grovelling but it is!)..

I have lines on a print. Thin lines going all the way across the print but not very noticeable in areas of colour. VERY obvious on the black background. I attempted to calibrate one paper type, and on the matrix of colours all seem fine except the Black/Grey set to the far right of the print which has lines. One of the black tanks is VERY low, so that's the obvious first step to try fix this.

I am not using HP media, and would like to ask members what would they select for the following media, please? I understand that the selection is crucial for good results.

Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk Baryta
Hahnemuhle leonardo Canvas 360gsm
Or would you create a new paper type from scratch?

Thankyou!! NJ

[Mark Lindquist]

First of all, how old are the print heads?
How old id the printer?
Have you profiled the paper either from the front panel or the color center?
Have you done print head cleanings?
Diagnostic chart?
Advance paper calibration?

The lines are banding caused by issues that the  things above will likely fix.

Try printing with Quality: "Best" > "more passes" - don't check maximum Detail.

Any of those papers you listed are fine. 

ANY paper you want to use is fine with the Z3200ps - make your own in printer profiles!  Sky's the limit!

Welcome to the forum -

Mark

PS - you might find information of interest here:

PRINTHEADS

Notes on Z3200ps

[NackJich]

Thanks Mark . I'll go through all of these things you mentioned. First I want to make sure the drivers are set up correctly. But I noticed something odd. Thge printer was indicating "Low on photo black" and said something like the print may not complete correctly. So I open up the right hand ink section, and there are 2 matt blacks. The photo black has a matt black cart inserted?? Anyway, will have a play now. Thanks for your help !!

[Mark Lindquist]

Wow.  2 Matte blacks.  Is one of them close to full, LOL?

Please report back.  I like to know if I'm giving good advice.

You're one of the only ones who has actually said "Thanks" lately.

A lot of guys come on here for the first time, get their issues solved and just go their way, never reporting back in.

And by the way, learn, learn, learn everything you can about making custom profiles.  The color center is your friend.

Get the manuals - they're difficult, but have a ton of good info in them.

Don't forget, each printhead is actually 2 colors in one printhead.  You need only 6 printheads.  Buying them is Waaaaaaay less than buying inks.  It will save you tons of headaches.  So easy to replace, so easy a fix for an old printer.

Mark

[NackJich]

Yes the one I removed was just about full. What a daft trick to pull lol. I made a diagnostic chart and there are a few blocked heads, with predictably the black being the worst. It's cleaning the heads now. I bought some outdated printheads from the USA for quite a little money, but I won't install 'em unless I have to. My first print is gorgeous BTW. Very dark black on the cheapest of papers. Can't wait to let it loose on the canvas!!

I have one question: the printer should be left on and it periodically self-maintains. How do I know if this is happening as I am not here 95% of the time? Thanks again.NJ
Do I need to fill those verification things in every time I post?

[Mark Lindquist]

I have one question: the printer should be left on and it periodically self-maintains. How do I know if this is happening as I am not here 95% of the time?

That, my friend, is one of those " if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to see or hear it, does it still make a sound?"  kind of things, I'm afraid.

I can tell you that the printer does indeed go through its cleaning cycles periodically and at first, one wonders what in the heck that noise is.

If you're really concerned about it, install a web cam.  Call it printer cam and you never know, you might make some money with it, LOL.

OK.  So here's the deal.

I understand about the money, but IMO it's being penny-wise and pound foolish to save the good heads.  My way of thinking is to install all new heads and KEEP the OLD ones for emergencies.  You will get the printer running correctly and beautifully, and you'll know you have installed new printheads with the same expiration dates.  You will also know which ones if there are any, are defective while they are still in warranty.  The old printheads will last a long time if you put the orange caps from the new ones back on them and put them in the same cases the new one came out of and them put them in baggies.  If you're going to be running really good and expensive paper through the printer, it should be running at top shape.  Also, you'll save a good deal of money with less spoilage overall, and you won't be second guessing if it's a printhead that's causing a problem.

Really, the old ones will work fine in a pinch, but they're crap to keep running them thinking you're saving money.

But that's just my opinion FWIW/YMMV.

I don't know what verification things you're referring to.  I just write stuff and hit the post button.

BTW - where are you located?  I'm in North Florida, USA.

Mark

[NackJich]

Good advice.. I will do as you suggested. Makes a lot of sense given that the heads are quite inexpensive. I'll do that tomorrow and have a go at a first canvas print. Ignoring those lines, my first B/W print is incredible on paper that cost me 20p a sheet! (33 cents). I'm in Mirfield UK, just down the road from where Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was born. Boldly going with this printer lol ..

[Mark Lindquist]

I would expect that if you do the cleaning and install the new printheads and do a head alignment, then head cleaning then a diagnostic image print on GLOSSY paper, that if the diagnostic image looks good you may be set.  Don't forget to calibrate your canvas before you try printing.  You can look and see if advance paper calibration is recommended from the front panel.  Try printing first, and then if all else fails, do the advance paper calibration again and see if it will take.

Remember, those lines sometimes disappear if you choose more passes only.

Good luck - let us know how things go.

Mark

[NackJich]

Hi Mark.. I replaced two heads in the end, and I think I'm up and running now! Photo black was very reluctant to appear on the diagnostic image. I had to remove and reinsert the printhead before there was a solid black square (the offending stripey one). The first canvas print is unbelievable. The only slight worry was a terrible noise coming from top left near the ethernet socket, but it fell silent after a switch off/on. I'm starting to think I bought a good printer !!
On the subject of general rudeness.. years ago I had a motherboard that wouldn't work unless you installed certain drivers in a specific way. I posted a solution on a forum and a link to some files for download. I got hundreds of requests for these, but very rarely a thankyou or a kiss my a** !!

[Mark Lindquist]

That's great news NackJich.  I'm glad to hear things are working for you.

If I may suggest, continue to print and keep working the ink flowing through the printheads.

These printers are meant to be printing.  The maintenance routine does help, but making sure it's running in top shape is most important first.

Good idea to do occasional nozzle cleanings and diagnostic prints just to keep track of how it's doing.

Great news for you.  Love it when a plan comes together.


Mark

[kevk]

The only slight worry was a terrible noise coming from top left near the ethernet socket, but it fell silent after a switch off/on.

Mark has a good page on the "Dreaded Shredded Belt" here: http://marklindquistphotography.com/HPZ3200_Repair_Notes_Mark_Lindquist_Photography.htm
The noise may be the belt or the belt pulley so watch out for little bits of black rubbery gunk falling on your prints and either sticking or falling off to reveal white un-inked paper underneath. If you start seeing this it will only get worse until the belt destroys itself, so replace the belt (and the pulley if it is damaged too) as soon as you see these symptoms.
Speaking from bitter experience with my Z3100 here  

Good luck,
Kevin

[NackJich]

Thanks Kev/Mark .. there is black dust all along the path under the belt. Not a huge amount, and I have not seen any on the prints, but it's failing for sure. I am still having problems with the blacks. With PhotoBlack There is banding on the diagnostic image (Zebra lines seems a good description!) and matt black is not perfect but has some evidence of lines. I changed the printhead with an expired one, and now I'm wondering if I need to try a brand new one? I gather the printer decides which of the blacks to print based on the paper choice. I have in mind to print an area of black to see if it eventually runs clear. How would I make the printer print a solid a4 square of only PhotoBlack? When I did the printhead swap, there was very little ink coming through, but removing it and reinserting seemed to improve things a lot, but now I'm back at the start !! Thank you.

[Mark Lindquist]

Nack,

There are several other things that could be a problem.  One thing is you can start simple and work your way up to more sophisticated troubleshooting.

Here are a few suggestions:  TURN OFF PRINTER ON/OFF SWITCH WHEN PRINTHEAD MOVES INTO MIDDLE WHEN YOU OPEN LID.

1. Take out all your inks and put them in plastic freezer bags, seal them up and shake them up really good.  And I do mean shake them really well for a long time - like 3-5 minutes vigorously.  You can put the inks in individual bags then all the bags in one big bag, and shake all at the same time.

2. Take out all your printheads and do the same thing to them - seal them in freezer bags and shake them vigorously for a long time.

3. If you have a left over pad for cleaning the contacts on the printheads, use that and re-clean the contacts in the print head carriage.

4. Do exceptional cleaning inside your printer.  Cleaning the encoder strip and the cleaning station (use distilled water and lint-free wipes). 
    Don't just so-so clean the cleaning station - really get it brand new clean.

Put everything back, Inks first, making sure all sockets are clean, then the printheads themselves.

NEXT:  TURN ON THE PRINTER

1. Allow the printer to re-initialize and go through resetting/aligning all the printheads.  This will take some time.  If it just comes up without initializing, do               
a printhead alignment.  Then, next:

2. Immediately do a full nozzle clean as soon as possible.

3. Print a diagnostic image and check the chart.  Print on Glossy or semi-gloss paper.

4. Compare this new chart with the old chart.

5. If there are any suspect printheads, either re-clean and do it again, or replace.

6. Just make up an 8x10 square of black and print it numerous times.

Try printing again.

IF This all fails, it could be that you have air in your lines or clogs from it sitting around too long.

Get a hypodermic needle and insert into the socket where the ink plugs in the print head and draw some ink out.  Place the cartridge back in and start over.  Do this several times until you have resuscitated the patient.

You have to be super aggressive at this point.  Go after the printer and eventually it will respond.

Tunr it off from the front panel.  Turn off the switch, unplug it and wait a few minutes, then plug back in and turn it back on.

This often helps.

Keep at it and don't give up.  You can eventually get there.  The out of warranty printhead should not be a problem if it's not too old, but if you're worried about it, buy a new one and ease your mind.  It's more likely the issues I mentioned above.  Keep the faith, do the work.

I've been there many times, it will come back if you keep at it.  And like I said before, once you get it, run a lot of prints through it so it won't have another issue.

Hope this helps,

Mark

Edit:  While you're in there, be sure to lubricate the guide rail for the carriage.  If you want to keep using your printer as long as possible before the belt fails, lubricate that rail.  Less friction means less stress on the belt.

[NackJich]

Thanks for the very detailed solution.. I went out and bought some things today for the big overhaul, but in the end the printer decided to behave itself! I made a custom profile for an Epson A3 Matt paper, and the lines on the black were no longer evident. Subsequently I made a stunning print on this old paper stock of mine, and I decided to run more and more stuff through it and fingers crossed. Will oil the guide rail as soon as I can. I can't believe I have such a great unit. It was just lying around I get the impression for a long time. Thanks again !! NJ

[Mark Lindquist]

You're welcome NackJich -

Glad to hear it's back on track again.  Actually, the accuracy of each custom profile makes a huge difference in how the printer performs. It's important to choose the correct paper base when making a preset profile.  Additionally, changing the printing properties does make a huge difference.  If you have a thick sheet and you have the printer height set to thin via a profile paper preset, then Zebra Stripes can result.

There are a few things that are required to make the Z Series printers run well if not perfectly:

Regular basic housekeeping maintenance

Keeping the guide rail lubricated

Print head alignment

Periodic nozzle cleaning

Diagnostic printout checks

Keeping the printer running at all times

Occasional re-starts, unplugging printer

Always calibrating papers

Using advance paper calibration for larger or custom papers

Use of out of warranty inks and printheads ok if your printer is out of warranty and you're on your own.  But if the inks or printheads have expired past two years or more, question it and replace.

Always shake inks vigorously if printer has sat for a long time.

Keep printing - run test prints at least weekly if possible.

Best to have printer plugged in to a UPS for surge protection and back up power.

When problems occur, begin with a diagnostic image printout, and go from there.

Always start at the wall when trouble shooting.  In other words check power and connectivity first. 
Always shut down and unplug the printer and restart before attempting any further troubleshooting.



You mentioned that you're super happy with the printer.  Here's the thing.  HP Z Series printers are finicky and at times frustrating.
When they're running well they can be fantastic.
When they're not running well, they can be just crap.

Expect more problems as time goes on.  The belt will no doubt break possibly within 1 week to a year, it's just a reality.

If you're using outdated printheads, it's important to do periodic diagnostic charts and keep up with how they are doing.

This all sounds overly compulsive, but these things make a huge difference.  They are simple to do and will help govern the quality of your prints.

I hope your Z lasts a long time and you get a lot of use out of it.  They really are fantastic printers.

Mark