HP Designjet Z6100 color matching

fumblejack · 10-28-2009, 08:02 AM

I am putting this in a couple of forums hoping to learn something, even if there isn't an answer.

We have three of these printers on site, one is PS the other two are not. We have found that using the embedded web server to be the smoothest and ideal way of submitting jobs in all three. Recently, we have been getting some interesting output from the machines, the PS model in particular. When submitting a pdf, we have started to get 71:04 errors, but all electronic tests pass, also 512mb RAM. Then, the pdf prints a darker box around text. I am pretty sure that the box is the 'layer' where the text was added on top of the background which was previously created. When we convert the file to TIFF, the box goes away and the image is flattened. Why can't the pdf print 'flat'?

Here is the interesting part though. The non-PS machines then print the TIFF and the colors are lighter then the PS machine? The printers are supposed to print the same out of the box. We had a file that had a pantone color on it that we turned into a TIFF. Through the PS printer, the color came out a little bit darker, and through the non-PS machines, the color came out a lot darker. Why aren't these printer printing the same thing? I think that there may be some loss of color from the way that TIFF is, but that the printers can't print the same color is interesting.

Any ideas why this is so?

Dogg · 10-29-2009, 04:33 PM

Just a thought, I'm not familiar with the model or how the pdf function works, but like all file formats, it is always changing. It's possible you are creating pdf files in a format the printer can't read properly. Ensure the printer software/firmware is up to date. Verify which version of pdf is supported.

fumblejack · 10-30-2009, 07:16 AM

I am inclined to agree that there is something wit the file and the way that it was created. The printers are located in a print shop,who are under the mercy of the person and system and program that created the file. PDF, it was supposed to be an easy, transferable file format.

10-28-2009, 08:02 AM	#1 (permalink)
fumblejack Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 8 OS: Windows	HP Designjet Z6100 color matching I am putting this in a couple of forums hoping to learn something, even if there isn't an answer. We have three of these printers on site, one is PS the other two are not. We have found that using the embedded web server to be the smoothest and ideal way of submitting jobs in all three. Recently, we have been getting some interesting output from the machines, the PS model in particular. When submitting a pdf, we have started to get 71:04 errors, but all electronic tests pass, also 512mb RAM. Then, the pdf prints a darker box around text. I am pretty sure that the box is the 'layer' where the text was added on top of the background which was previously created. When we convert the file to TIFF, the box goes away and the image is flattened. Why can't the pdf print 'flat'? Here is the interesting part though. The non-PS machines then print the TIFF and the colors are lighter then the PS machine? The printers are supposed to print the same out of the box. We had a file that had a pantone color on it that we turned into a TIFF. Through the PS printer, the color came out a little bit darker, and through the non-PS machines, the color came out a lot darker. Why aren't these printer printing the same thing? I think that there may be some loss of color from the way that TIFF is, but that the printers can't print the same color is interesting. Any ideas why this is so?

10-29-2009, 04:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
Dogg Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: St Louis, MO Posts: 2,084 OS: XP sp3	Re: HP Designjet Z6100 color matching Just a thought, I'm not familiar with the model or how the pdf function works, but like all file formats, it is always changing. It's possible you are creating pdf files in a format the printer can't read properly. Ensure the printer software/firmware is up to date. Verify which version of pdf is supported. __________________ Google is your friend !

10-30-2009, 07:16 AM	#3 (permalink)
fumblejack Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 8 OS: Windows	Re: HP Designjet Z6100 color matching I am inclined to agree that there is something wit the file and the way that it was created. The printers are located in a print shop,who are under the mercy of the person and system and program that created the file. PDF, it was supposed to be an easy, transferable file format.