Z3200 minor issue

[iammikie]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum but not new to printing. I have been printing with Epson 17" printers and formerly with Canon ipf. A month or so ago I purchased new a HP Z3200 printer. I am in love with the print quality and ease of use, quite an upgrade for me.

I have been using Epson Luster paper, 20" and 24" rolls, and have run about 75 - 100 prints to date. I usually print about every day or two. The last two times that I have printed I get what looks like a scratch approximately 2 inches long at the start of the first print; it starts at the edge and runs approximately in the center. All subsequent prints run that day have no mark which resembles a scratch. I usually power off but do not disconnect the printer at the end of the day, but the next time I use it the same mark appears for the first print.

Is this a print head issue? If so, how would I find out which head is the problem? Or, is there something else that is the culprit?

Any suggestions much appreciated,

Mike Gallo

[Mark Lindquist]

Hi Mike, welcome to the forum.

If your printer is new within a few months, then it is still under warranty.  It would be a good idea to call HP and work your way up the tree to someone who can tell you what the deal is with your printer.  When it is new, it should be functioning perfectly. 
NOW is the time to use your warranty, while you still have it.  It could be symptomatic of an issue that needs to be cleared up.

So, you know, you are supposed to leave the printer plugged in and running 24/7/365, right?  This allows the micro drop technology to do its thing and keep the printer from developing clogs.

Other than that, You could try doing an advance paper calibration.  Go to your front panel and look for maintenance and find advance paper calibration.  Press and follow instructions.

See if that clears up the issue.

Also, if your paper is thick and has a curl in it from the roll, try this technique:

Go to front panel on the printer, Paper > Move Paper and scroll out a foot or so and see if it has excessive curl.  If it does, I suggest rolling more paper out and decurling it, then rolling it back in.  Often just rolling it out then rolling it back in does the trick.

Try those two things and see if it does the trick.

Can't stress enough how important it is to keep the printer plugged in and running all the time.

Good luck,

Mark

[iammikie]

Thanks Mark, I have left it plugged in but not on, so I will give it a try on 24/7. Also it may be due to paper curl. Think I will explore these options before I go to HP.  I'll post a follow up in a few days.

[iammikie]

Problem solved, it is a paper curl issue. Tried Mark's suggestions and discovered that if I used the paper advance back and forth a few times prior to the first print of the day the issues went away. Thinking back the issue started at the last 20% of the 100 ft roll.

Thanks again Mark!

[Mark Lindquist]

Thanks for reporting back.

Lula is an important resource for problems like this.  It's not just my input, but the combined input of many others, particularly Ernst Dinkla who has a great deal of experience with the Z Series printers.

I appreciate the feedback.  This helps the knowledge base. 

Good luck with your printer and printing.

Mark