I haven't printed for 6-9 months and I am getting banding in the dark areas of the print. I printed a diagnostic image & a Printhead alignment. How do I interpret the results of these processes? I can't find it in the manual nor on the internet via Google. Thanks in advance for any information.
Brian
There is information about reading the diagnostic print here:
READING AND UNDERSTANDING HP Z SERIES PRINTHEADS AND CHARTS
There's also information about how to check and clean your printheads manually. 6 months is a long time, but if you left the printer running during that entire time, it could be that a little cleaning and exercising will bring most the heads back to an acceptable range. When they are gone, they are gone, however, and it's easier to pony up and replace the bad heads. The trick is in knowing which can be saved and which need to just be thrown out.
As for banding, Advance paper calibration often fixes that problem. You get to it by going to Maintenance on the console.
But first, try these steps to make sure your printer is in ship-shape:
HOW TO KEEP YOUR Z SERIES PRINTER RUNNING in TOP SHAPEAn interesting thing about all Z's is that if you repeat procedures more than once, sometimes up to 3-5 times, the printer will come back and work right. Keep working, forcing ink through and if it can, it will. Often it does come down to that faulty printhead, so testing your printheads is a good idea. The paper towel test coupled with the diagnostic image, patience and time will tell.
Best,
Mark