HP Designjet Z3100 Photo Printer series - Manual (Page 194)

Image Quality Maintenance menu procedure
1. Load the paper you wish to use, see Paper handling on page 25 . You can use a roll or cut sheet,
however, it must be A3 landscape or larger (420 by 297 mm). Photo paper is recommended for the
best results; plain, bond and thin coated papers provide acceptable but marginal results.
NOTE: If you are using an A3 cut sheet, ensure it is loaded so the larger side feeds into the
printer.
CAUTION: Do not use transparent or semi-transparent paper to align the printheads.
2. Press the Menu key to return to the main menu and select the Image Quality Maintenance menu icon
, then Align printheads. The printer checks to see if it has enough paper to run the
realignment.
3. If the loaded paper is satisfactory, the printer runs the realignment and prints a realignment pattern.
Ensure the transparent window is closed, as a strong light source near the printer during printhead
realignment can affect alignment.
4. The process takes about five minutes. Wait until the front-panel display shows the process complete
before using the printer.
Scanning errors during alignment
If the alignment process fails, a Scanning problems message appears on the front panel. This means that
the alignment has not completed successfully. Therefore the printer is not aligned and the alignment should
be repeated before printing with good image quality. The problem may be due to:
● The paper used was not valid, repeat the alignment with valid paper
● Printhead health problems, clean printheads, see Clean the printheads on page 179
● The alignment was done with the transparent window open, repeat the alignment with the window
closed
If the problem persists after using valid paper, cleaning the printheads, and keeping the window closed,
there may be a failure in the scanning system needing reparation or the printheads, although clean, may
not work and need to be replaced.
Printhead status messages
These are the possible printhead status messages:
● OK: the printhead is working normally, with no known problems
● Missing: there is no printhead present, or it is not correctly installed in the printer.
● Test printhead separately: you are recommended to test the printheads individually to find the
failing printhead. Remove all the printheads and insert them alone one by one, closing the latch and
184 Chapter 14 Troubleshooting ink cartridge and printhead issues ENWW
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