HP Z3200 Printer Alignment Questions - HELP NEEDED

[maxs]

Hi,
Finally getting around to firing up my new Z3200. Had been sitting in my living room for over a month. Finally got the inks and am ready to step through the rest of the steps in the startup guide.

In step 75 (Print head alignment) it is meant to prompt to load paper for printhead alignment.

I have a couple of questions around this.

1. If I get to this step and there is no paper (paper is on order and will not arrive till late next week), do I just leave the printer ON?
2. Can I use any paper (sheet feed) 8.5x11 say from staples and allow it to do the alignment? OR do I need a 44" wide paper roll for alignment?
3. If 44" roll should this be my best paper? or should I order something else for alignment purposes? Any recommendations?

I know these are basic questions but I am eager to get this puppy going. Or should I not start up the printer yet and just wait till the paper arrives and then insert the inks/print heads and all in one go?

I had read somewhere (can't remember) that target patterns when calibrating will use whatever size paper is in use. And folks had said they with they had used smaller size to save ink. Does any of that apply to print head alignment too?

Thx

Max

[plasakow]

The pattern it prints is longer than 11", so I think you'll have to get a larger sheet of paper to do the printhead alignment.  I have, however, never tried it with anything but 24" paper. 

[glyph]

You can cancel the printhead alignment process when it prompts you do perform it and come back to it later. IIRC, you need about 18" x 24" for alignment, and you certainly don't want to do it on crappy paper that doesn't print nicely. I believe that HP recommends not using mat papers, but I've used smooth, well coated matte inkjet paper with success in the past. The printer doesn't care if it is sheetfed or roll paper. If all you have is 44" paper, you will wind up with some waste that can be reused as a sheet later. Once the printer's been initialized, you will want to keep it powered up full time thereafter. I only turn mine off when it gets a little addled and needs a quick reset.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Try to use a paper weight that is roughly the average of the paper weights you will use later on. I still use the HP Matte Litho-Realistic for that purpose but it's the last 24" roll of the old production type. 270 gsm.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

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