Diagnostic Part 2: Printheads & Paper Advance Test

This test is designed to check whether the Printheads and the Paper Advance Mechanism are working correctly. This part of the Image Quality Test should not be used to check for color consistency or accuracy.

Banding

If the Printer is experiencing a banding problem, you will see repetitive horizontal bands within the printed image. Banding can appear as follows:

Troubleshooting Banding Problems

If banding does not occur in ALL the colors, then it is more than likely a Printhead problem. In this case, try the following:

1. Check that the appropriate print quality settings are being used. Refer to Choosing the Correct Print Quality Settings for further information.

2. Recover the printheads using the option through the Front Panel (Ink Menu/Printheads/Recover Printheads). Reprint the Diagnostic Print or the print file and if the problem persists:

As there are two Printheads for each color, check exactly which Printhead is causing the problem Diagnostic Part 2: Printheads & Paper Advance Test.

If the problem continues, replace the faulty Printhead.

If banding does occur in ALL the colors, then it is more than likely a Paper Advance problem:

If the bands are light, it means that the paper has advanced too much.

If the bands are dark, it means that the paper hasn't advanced enough.

In high quality modes, graininess in ALL colors can indicate problems either with alignment or Paper Advance.

There is a high chance of seeing dark banding in the black bars of the Diagnostic Print when printing with optimized for drawings/text. This is NOT caused by a black Printhead issue as we described previously.

In order to solve any of these problems, try the following:

1. Check that the appropriate print quality settings are being used.

2. If the customer is using low quality paper, try recommending better quality paper (preferable HP paper). Printer performance can only be guaranteed by using recommended papers.

3. Perform the Paper Advance Calibration using the same type of paper that will be used for the final print.