HP Designjet CP Series Printers - Ink Delivery System Overview

Each ink cartridge is a large-capacity ink supply that refills the print head whenever the ink volume in the print head drops below a minimum level.

The print head has a 600-dpi thermal inkjet head for firing ink droplets onto the media and a reservoir that holds enough ink for a large number of prints. The actual number of prints between refills depends on the size and type of images you are printing.

The printer uses the print head cleaner to clean and maintain the print head to ensure the best possible image quality. It also seals the print head, when not in use, to prevent it from drying out.

You should replace an ink system when prompted by the printer. When the printer runs out of one or more colors of ink, the printer displays the following message on the front panel: "STATUS Out of ink."

The printer displays four blocks representing the four ink colors with empty ink systems shown as blinking empty blocks.

note:

The "Out of ink" message will be displayed only if the Print check frequency for the head service is set to 1.

To get the best images from the printer and ink systems, always:

• Install each ink system by the date on the ink system box.
• Change all three components in each ink color together: the print head, print head cleaner, and ink cartridge should be new every time you replace a color.
• Handle the ink system with care.

Now that you have switched on the printer, it will run the initializing procedure and then the front panel will display the following message: "STATUS Missing ink system."

1. Press the Replace ink system key on the front panel and wait for the print head carriage to move to the access position, at the left of the front panel.
2. The front panel display will then prompt you to install the ink system components in the following order:
   1. Install print heads (in the print head carriage).
   2. Install print head cleaners (behind the printer’s right door).
   3. Install ink cartridges (behind the printer’s left door).

You may want to refill the print heads before printing a very large (long axis) or dense print that may require more ink than the minimum volume in the print head. Select Refill in the Print head service menu. Refill causes the printer to refill all four print heads immediately. If a file is being printed when you select Refill, the printer waits for the current print to be completed before refilling the print heads.

note:

Each stall in the print head carriage has a dot indicating the color. When installing new print heads, you must put the correct color print head in the matching stall.

The print head colors can also be identified by the part numbers on the boxes. The sequence of the stalls is, from left to right: yellow, cyan, magenta, and black.

1. When the printer carriage stops and the front panel displays the message "Open window to access print heads," open the window of the printer.
   After you open the window, the printer will display the following message on the front panel. Blinking indicators show which print heads must be replaced.

   note:

   Do not open the window before the "Open window to access print heads" message is displayed. Follow the instructions in the front-panel display. If there are any problems during the installation, the printer will give you instructions in the front-panel display. Descriptions of all front-panel messages and instructions on what to do are listed in the User's Guide.

2. Press down lightly on the print head you are replacing and pull it toward you, removing it from its stall. Discard the used print head.
3. Take the new print head and remove the colored protective tape from the print head’s nozzles.
4. Insert the print head into the stall with the color dot that matches the color of the print head label. Press down lightly and push the print head away from you (toward the back of the cradle) until it snaps into place.
5. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 for any additional print heads you need to replace.
   When you have finished replacing print heads, the printer front panel displays the message
   "Close window to continue."
6. Close the window of the printer.
   The front panel will display the message:
   "Open right door to access head cleaners."

Continue with the next procedure, "Removing and replacing the print head cleaner."

  warning:

When you open the right door of the printer, the print head cleaners move to the opening in the printer for replacement. Keep hands clear of the opening until the print head cleaners stop moving.

1. Open the right door on the printer.
   After you open the right door, the printer displays the message similar to "X000" on the front panel. The X indicates which print head cleaner(s) must be replaced.
2. Press down on the print head cleaner handle and pull it out of the printer. Discard the used print head cleaner.
3. Insert the new print head cleaner into the matching color-coded slot in the printer.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for any additional print head cleaners you need to replace.
5. Close the right door on the printer.
   The front panel will display the message:
   "Open left door to access ink cartrg."
   Continue with the next procedure, Removing and Replacing the Ink Cartridge.

1. Open the left door on the printer.
   After you open the left door, the printer displays the message shown below on the front panel. The blinking indicator shows which ink cartridge must be replaced. In the example below, the yellow ink cartridge needs to be replaced.
2. While pressing down on the quick-release button, unplug the ink cartridge tube by pulling the tube connector away from the printer.

     caution:

   Never pull the ink cartridge out by the tube or connector. This may cause the ink cartridge to leak. Always grasp the body of the cartridge when removing or installing.

3. Remove the used ink cartridge from the slot in the printer. Discard the used ink cartridge.
4. Insert the new ink cartridge into the slot in the printer, making sure that you match the color of the ink cartridge with the color code on the printer.
5. Plug the valve on the ink cartridge tube into the connector on the printer making sure that you match the valve color with the color code on the valve connector.
6. Repeat Steps 2 through 5 for any additional ink cartridges you need to replace.
   When you have finished replacing ink cartridges, the printer front panel displays the message:
   "Close left door to continue."
7. Close the left door on the printer.
   After the left door is closed, the front panel displays the message, "STATUS, Checking ink system," while the printer checks that all ink system components have been installed correctly. This may take a few minutes.

After you replace the ink system, the printer:

• checks the ink system.
• aligns the print heads.
• performs a print head check.
• calibrates the color, if the color calibration function is enabled in the front-menu.

See the User's Manual for more information on these functions.

If no media is loaded, the printer will display the message "Load media to align print heads." Load media. The alignment procedure requires a minimum media size of A3 or B-size.

When the front panel displays "STATUS Ready," you are ready to print.

note:

Make sure that the printer window and the left and right doors are closed after you replace ink system components. The printer will not print while any doors are open.

The print head check is done:

• At the selected frequency
• Whenever you replace an ink system
• When the power is switched off and then switched back on.

The print head check is turned off.

To check the print heads, load an A3 or larger sheet in landscape orientation (wide side of sheet first) and select Check = Now in the Print head service menu.

note:

If using a third-party Raster Image Processor (RIP) to print with your printer, the printer may not be able to switch to spare nozzles. In this case, the printer will attempt to recover the nozzles.