HP Designjet H45000 HP Designjet H35000 and H45000 Printer Series - Repeating - Page 2

A small number of customers have reported that attempting to print large areas of solid color in a very specific range of hues produces a repeating pattern in the output. This repeating pattern has an interval of approximately 3.25" (8.25cm). The pattern is typically not observed in most output but may appear when certain colors are selected for printing. Contributing Factors We have determined that this artifact appears under the following conditions only: • large areas of solid color specified in the image file • color management disabled or unusually configured, or • color management settings or profiles that employ minimal ink saturation The artifact will be exaggerated if any of the following printer hardware conditions apply: • carriage wheels are dirty • printer rail is dirty • platen vacuum fan speed is higher than required for the media in use • carriage tilt, sabre angle, and/or Y-axis alignment is out of specification • media advance calibration is inaccurately performed Corrective Actions When this artifact is visible in only certain colors, or in certain colors when any of the contributing factors described above are present, there are a number of steps that can be taken to minimize or eliminate the artifact: 1. Clean the printer carriage wheels and rail thoroughly, as described in the printer's User Manual. 2. Ensure that the media advance has been properly calibrated, as described in the printer's User Manual. If performing the length/measurement calibrations (10"/34" or 250mm/900mm), ensure that a quality measuring device is employed. See Tech Note 2726, Media Advance Calibration Required Tools, for recommended devices. 3. Ensure that appropriate color management settings and workflow are in place. 4. Try a different color profile that will use more ink. 5. Change the color of the image source file to a color that does not produce the artifact. 2