Is the HP DesignJet Z3200 suitable for highend fine art printing?

[NikonD850Boy]

So I have been offered a HP DesignJet Z3200 Photo Printer at a great price and just wanted to know how others rate this printer..

I mainly shoot landscape and wildlife and like printing on high gloss papers where the images "pop out" and look extremely realistic. I also use my inkjet printers for proofing images prior to sending them off for printing on Fuji Flex with a LightJet C-Type Printer.

I sell a small volume of Giclee Prints so I am not really concerned about the speed of the Z3200 or the Single Sheet paper feed issue. I very much prefer Roll printing.

My primary concerns are the following:

It seems as though this printer is not a true 2400 x 1400 dpi printer. HP claims "Up to 2400 x 1200 optimised dpi from 1200 x 1200 input dpi and Optimisation for Photo Paper selected".

Now I know some claim that the human eye cannot see beyond 1200 dpi but would HP's optimised resolution equate to less sharper images when compared to those printed on a Canon IPF8400? Otherwise why would some companies go to the extra mile and print in 4000+ dpi?

Several reviews also claim that the Z3200 has a narrower color gamut than the likes of the Canon 8400. Does this narrow color gamut translate to significantly poorer images when compared to those printed on the Canon IPF8400? Or is it a de minimis narrower gamut when compared to a competitor's printer?

I want to hear from photographers who have used or own a HP DesignJet Z3200 Photo Printer...

[mfrohman]

I have 2 of these wonderful printers and would definitely recommend them, although I usually print on matte papers rather than high gloss papers. They are beloved by many on this forum for fine art printing. I'll let the more technical users of this forum weight in on resolution/gamut weight in but I think it's been discussed already on previous threads. You will want to look into the z3200s extended profiles if you really want to squeeze the most potential out of the z3200.

The biggest issue is that the z3200 was discontinued at the end of last year so inks, print heads and supplies might start to become scarce in about 4-5 years. The secondary market may keep things going a little longer who knows. You can make a lot of prints in 5 years though. If it's a used machine you're looking at you may want to have a look at the condition of the carriage belt and see if you see any fraying (a known issue after a few years of heavy use typically). I just replaced one on mine and it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be (parts and documentation are readily available).

Have a look through these threads and links to give you a better idea.

http://z3200.com/Making_Profiles_For_HP-Z3200_Printers.htm

https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=129356.msg1098866#msg1098866

https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=126853.msg1070267#msg1070267

[aaronchan]

I owned a Z3200 few years ago and it produce fantastic images on matt paper, specially black and white images.
I liked to used it for luster paper as well with the gloss enhancer on top of it.
But the reason why I gave it up is because of the speed which might not be a concern for you since you are using it for your own work rather than I was using it for running a business.
With the builtin spectrophotometer (aka i1pro), you can build beautiful icc profile on-board without scanning 1728 patches with your own hand.
For inks and print head, I wouldn't too worry about it. People are still running HP designjet 5500 these days.

aaron

[Larry451]

I now own a Z3200 which I use for fine art printing and love it.  I have had many epsons but having the spectrometer makes a huge difference for me. I certainly cannot see any difference between epson and HP for sharpness,  if anything I find the HP has better shadow detail but that might be because of the custom profiles.
regards
Larry.

[dgberg]

I am an Epson guy but bought a z3200 when the price was too good to pass up.
It does a very good job on the pk medias I have it delegated for. Slow! 50% slower then my 9900 and 100% slower then my
P8000. Love the gloss optimizer. Loading is no fun. Between the slow print speed and the awkward paper loading if I were looking to buy one printer this would not be it. That being said at the price it was purchased at it is an excellent machine with outstanding output.

[NikonD850Boy]

Ok so I finally purchased the HP DesignJet z3200 Revision B...but I am now having some problems:

I am missing 4 ink colors- but nevertheless I still installed the printer without the 4 colors.

When I logged in the Printer Server to check the ink levels of the installed ink I realised that it said "Reseat" Ink for all the installed ink cartridges. Would this resolve once I install the missing ink cartridges or do I have a problem with the printer?

[Mark Lindquist]

I am missing 4 ink colors- but nevertheless I still installed the printer without the 4 colors.

Why would you do that?  The only way the printer is going to function properly is if ALL cartridges are properly installed.

Now in order to get the printer to initialize, you'll need to pull all the cartridges first, then you'll need to get the missing cartridges making sure all are more than half full and then you can turn the printer on and wait for it to ask you for ink.  Once it does this, you can install all the cartridges.

Depending on how old the printer is and how long it's been sitting will determine if it's viable or not.

Good luck with your new printer and welcome to LuLa.

Mark

[NikonD850Boy]

Hey guys- Update

So I got new ink and new printer heads and installed them. After several messages telling me to re-install the printer heads and re-seat the cartridges- the printer finally moves onto installation. Then Several minutes running 4 different sets of installations. Eventually, the installation finished and the Printer began to move in my Canson Platine Fibre Rag Paper...Bingo I said to myself its working... only to then hear a bang and get a Paper Jam error.

I check the whole printer only to discover the carriage belt is in a thousand pieces.

I go onto the z3200.com website and finally learn how to replace the carriage belt...

So I undo the printer but then realize something odd with the Belt Tensioner (Q5669-60672). The screw touches the Black plastic tensioner. See attached photo...I found this quite odd. Is this the right screw or does it have to be a shorter screw?

In any case, I have ordered a new Kevlar coated belt from LPS Computer Store, a new carriage cable because the old one looks scratched and damaged on the edges. I have also replaced the battery on the formater board.

Do I need to do anything else besides the shorter screw for the Belt Tensioner and replacement of the carriage cable?

The Power supply unit looks fine...

[Mark Lindquist]

That screw is used to pull the spring tensioner mechanism back towards the main frame to properly seat it.  The tensioner should be properly positioned and fully seated so that the springs can do the work of pulling the correct amount of tension on the carriage belt.  The correct screw is long as yours is.  Once it goes through the frame it will be correct once the belt is in place and has proper tension which pulls the pulley forward in the housing..

The best thing you can do is clean the grooves on the scan-axis motor gear.  It's brass and a small sharp screwdriver like the kind used for tightening glasses screws works well, but not as well as a stainless steel dental pick.  Use a small fine brush or toothbrush to brush debris out of the grooves.  This will lengthen the life of the belt.

Be very careful to read the repair manual about installing the belt.  And when you put the printer back together, mind the red and black power cable that goes from the Main PCA board to the Print Mech board.  It's easy to pinch that cable and cause a short which will toast both your PCA and Print Mech Boards.

The idea when replacing the belt is to be careful NOT to do damage to other components while you're making the repair. 
Cleaning everything you can gets you farther ahead.  But clean carefully.

-Mark

[NikonD850Boy]

Thanks Mark.

A few more questions:

Once I put everything together do I really need to run the lengthy calibrations?
If I get asked to re-install the cartridge heads- should I replace the carriage assembly as well?

Thanks