HP Designjet 500, 510, and 800 Series Printers - User Service Tests

Service tests, functions, and information that can be accessed from the front panel include:

• Advance Calibration Routine
• Color Calibration
• Ink Cartridge Information
• Printhead Information
• Printhead History Utility

Advance calibration determines the amount of paper the printer advances between printing swaths of data. It is important that the paper loaded for this calibration is exactly that used for normal printing, both in quality (for example, glossy paper) and in width (for example, A0 or 914mm (36 inch)). Either roll or sheet media can be used.

To calibrate the advance, follow the steps below:

1. Load the paper used for normal printing and set the cutter to On (if using rolled paper).
2. From the main front-panel menu, select the Paper menu icon (Figure 1), and press ENTER.
   Figure : Paper menu icon

   
3. Select Advance calibration (Figure 2) and press ENTER.
   Figure : Select Advance calibration

   
4. Select Create pattern (Figure 3) and press ENTER.
   Figure : Select Create Pattern

   
   The printer prints the calibration pattern as shown below.
   Figure : Advance calibration pattern

   
5. When the sheet is complete, press ENTER to cut the paper (if using roll paper).
6. Go back into the Paper menu as described in Step 2.
7. Select Unload roll, and roll paper back onto the spindle (do not remove spindle from the printer.)
8. Enter the Paper menu again and choose load sheet.
9. Re-load the paper with the printed side up and the dotted line at the top (rotate the print 90 degrees counterclockwise), as shown in Figure 5, below.
   Figure : Pattern loaded into printer correctly (dotted line is fed into printer first)

   
10. Access the Advanced Calibration as described in Steps 2 and 3 above.
11. Select Measurepattern (Figure 6) and press ENTER.

The printer reads the calibration pattern and makes the appropriate internal adjustments.

note:

The pattern printed is solely for the use of the printer; you are not expected to relate any of its characteristics to the quality of your images.

Color calibration is the process of matching the ink with the paper, to ensure that the printed output matches the colors of the original image as closely as possible.

note:

The Printer stores calibration data for each type of media it has been calibrated for since it was turned on. When the Printer is turned off, it only retains the last calibration data stored, and will print using this calibration when it is next turned on, until new calibrations are entered.

When new printheads have been installed, HP recommends using the Color Calibrationroutine to ensure the best print quality.

To find out what paper the ink system is currently calibrated to use, follow the steps below:

1. From the main menu on the front panel, select the Ink System icon (Figure 8) and press ENTER.
   Figure : Ink system icon

   
2. Select Color calibration (Figure 9) and press ENTER.
   Figure : Selecting Color calibration

   
3. Select Status (Figure 10) and press ENTER.
   Figure : Selecting Status

   
   You should see the status message in Figure 11 displayed:
   Figure : The status message is displayed

   
4. If the paper loaded is not as displayed, choose Calibratepaper, (Figure 12).

The printer will begin printing and use a small calibration pattern to ensure an optimal match between the paper and the ink.

note:

To remove all calibrations and reset the Printer to its factory values, choose Color calibration>Reset from the Ink menu.

1. To get information on the Ink Cartridges, press the UP or DOWN ARROW key until the front panel displays the Ink menu(Figure 13). Press the ENTER key.
   Figure : The Ink menu

   
2. Press the UP or DOWN ARROW key until Informationis highlighted (Figure 14). Press the ENTER key.
   Figure : Select Information

   
3. Press the UP or DOWN ARROW key until Ink cartridgesis highlighted (Figure 15). Press the ENTER key.
   Figure : Select Ink cartridges

   
4. To view information about a specific color, press the UP or DOWN ARROW key to highlight that color (Figure 16). Press the ENTER key.
   Figure : Selecting a color

   

The front panel displays information on the selected ink cartridge, as shown in Figure 17.

The information displayed is:

• The model of the ink cartridge (No.10 for Black and No.82 for the Colors is recommended).
• The status of the ink cartridge.
• The warranty expiration date of the ink cartridge.
• The serial number of the ink cartridge.
• The amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge (the error of the ink level can be as much as + or - 25% according to the specifications of the printer.)

1. To get information on the Printheads press the UP or DOWN ARROW key until the front panel displays the Ink menu(Figure 18). Press the ENTER key.
   Figure : The Ink menu

   
2. Press the UP or DOWN ARROW key until Informationis highlighted (Figure 19). Press the ENTER key.
   Figure : Selecting Information

   
3. Press the UP or DOWN ARROW key until Printheads is highlighted (Figure 20). Press the ENTER key.
   Figure : Select Printheads

   
4. To view information about a specific color, press the UP or DOWN ARROW key to highlight that color (Figure 21). Press the ENTER key.
   Figure : Select a color

   

The front panel displays information on the selected Printhead, as shown in Figure 22.

The information displayed is:

• The model of the Printhead (HP No.11 is recommended)
• Whether the Printhead is In Warranty or Out of Warranty
• Status of the Printhead (whether it is inserted, faulty, worn out, or unknown)
• Printhead error code (if printhead is faulty)
• The action required depending on the status of the Printhead
• The end of warranty date of the Printhead
• The serial number of the Printhead
• How much ink has been consumed by the Printhead

  note:

  It is possible for a Printhead to consume more than one ink cartridge. Also, the % indicates the percentage over the expected life of the Printhead, but a Printhead may last more than 100%.

• Whether the Printhead Alignment has been performed since the last Printhead replacement
• Whether Color Calibration has been performed since the last Printhead replacement
• Whether a Paper Jam was ever detected while this particular Printhead was installed

The Printhead History utility contains information on the last five sets of Printheads installed in the Printer. The purpose of this information is to:

• Determine whether the printer is causing repetitive problems to the Printheads.
• Determine whether the Printheads are being replaced too early, before any recovery actions are attempted.
• The information that is stored for each Printhead is:
• How much ink was consumed when the Printhead was replaced.
• How long the Printhead was installed in the printer.
• Whether the Printhead was in or out of warranty when it was removed.
• Whether the Printhead experienced a paper crash.
• Whether the right level of Printhead recovery was performed (troubleshooting procedure) before a Printhead was replaced.
• The date the Printhead was removed from the printer.
• The reported Error Code (if any).