Z3200 -- PhotoBlack on Matte Paper

[mlstne]

The photoblack ink on my new z3200 PCL 44" printer is being used up more rapidly than the color carts and other blacks.  I'm printing  color work exclusively on matte paper (Crane Museo Max) for which I've installed the canned HP profile and done the calibration.  I was under the impression that PhotoBlack was only used on glossy substrates.  Is this normal?

[John Nollendorfs]

On Matte  papers, both blacks are used. On photo papers, only the photo black is used.

[Ernst Dinkla]

To add to John's comment: there are some media presets for matte (art) papers that use the MK+PK+G+LG monochrome inks for neutral greys etc, the Quad set, both in color and B&W mode. For some bond paper media presets the same combination is used but minus the LG to reduce the ink amount laid down on the lower quality paper, HP calls that combination 3B. Not all matte paper media presets use PK though, there's also a MK +G+LG combination. Of course the PK is used with G and LG for gloss prints. The heavy black generation (UCR, GCR) in the driver media presets means there will also be more monochrome inks consumed but the gain is in less color inks used as the composite grey mixing is reduced to a minimum.

The document that describes this:

Working with Other
Commercially-available Paper
HP Designjet Z2100 and Z3100
Photo Printer Series
Updated version for Firmware 6.0.0.8


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

[mlstne]

Thanks, John & Ernst -- the mystery is solved.