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Author Topic: HP Z3200ps Printer Driver Issues  (Read 10356 times)
Kelly S.
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« on: September 09, 2020, 01:47:26 PM »

Last week, I was getting a partial image (~10%) using Qimage to make a print on my HP Z3200ps 44-inch printer with Windows 10 as my operating system.  I suspected a corrupt printer driver, so I deleted the printer (driver: HP Designjet Z3200ps 44in Photo V4) and reinstalled it.  The colors produced with the reinstalled driver were different than before, there is now more red and not enough black.   The previous V4 driver was installed back in March this year.

I contacted Mike Chaney at Qimage, he suggested installing the raster driver: the one labeled “HP Windows HPGL2 Driver”.  After I installed the HPGL2 Driver and submitted a print, I got a "61.01 - wrong file format. The printer cannot process the job" error message.  So, I promptly shutdown the printer, disconnected the power cord from the wall socket, then, reconnected and restarted the printer after I waited for 2 minutes.... and I got the same error message!

Mike suggested posting my printer issues on the Qimage forum.  Although I have never posted anything before, I’m hopeful that this user group will be able to help me find a solution.  I have learned a lot through articles/comments from folks on public forums such as Ernst Dinkla and Mark Lindquist; who generously share their vast knowledge on the Z3200 series printers with other users. 

In case you wonder how I installed the driver, below is the process that I followed...

- Download the HPGL2 driver for Z3200ps printer at the HP website.
- In "Add printer driver wizard", under the "Advance" window within "Printer Property", I selected "New Driver", "Have Disc"... then, I selected the folder where I downloaded the HPGL2 driver, and the print wizard automatically put the driver’s .inf file in the file window.  I clicked OK, then "HP Designjet HPGL2 driver" appeared in the next window.  I clicked "Next", "Finish", "Appy" to complete the process.

I also tried different drivers as shown below.  I was able to print through Qimage, but the colors were off (too much red and not enough black, BTW, all ink levels were more than 30% full). 

- HP Designjet Z3200ps 44in Photo
- HP Designjet Z3200ps 44in Photo V4
- HP Designjet 5800 V4 (this driver showed up in the "Add printer driver wizard" after I set the pointer to the Z3200ps PCL driver (version 61.162.11209.100) that I downloaded from the HP website.

None of these drivers allow me to select the custom paper option (i.e. such as the “Hahnemuhle photo rag ultra-smooth” paper that I calibrated using the printer’s spectrophotometer).  So, I just selected "use printer setting" for the media option; and "Any" for drivers that don't have the "use printer setting" option.  On the printer, I used the front panel to select the custom paper that I wanted.

I’m now at a lost regarding what to do next, any help bringing my Z3200ps printer back to good form is greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Kelly

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« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2020, 03:47:14 PM »

Hopefully Ernst will chime in since he's our local HP Z* wizard.  Smiley  In the mean time, I assume you clicked the "Properties" button on the Printers and Settings tab to open the driver and tried to select your media from inside the actual driver?  I ask because HP doesn't always communicate all the media types to Windows so they may not show in the drop down list directly on the Printers and Settings tab; sometimes you have to go into the driver to select the media type, particularly if you are using custom media types.

Regards,
Mike
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Kelly S.
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« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2020, 05:03:12 PM »

Yes Mike, I tried different ways to look for the custom paper option…

      -   Inside Qimage, I clicked the “properties” button to open the driver, but found no custom paper option there.

      -   Outside Qimage in printer setting, I selected "Z3200ps printer", then click “General” and “Preference” to get to driver printing preferences.  I found no custom paper option under “paper type” either.

Regards,
Kelly
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« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2020, 01:29:32 PM »

I just noticed there is a very recent update for their Z3200 PCL 3 driver (Sept 4).  Sometimes Windows updates cause issues with printers and this update may resolve some issues:

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-designjet-z3200-photo-printer-series/3737540

Unless you've already tried that new driver, I would recommend installing that PCL 3 driver to see if it resolves any of the problems.

Regards,
Mike
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Kelly S.
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« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2020, 03:44:43 PM »

Hi Mike,

I tried that PCL 3 driver mentioned in your message already.  It has no option for "paper type" or default to "printer paper setting" option either.  The test print showed too much red and not enough black just like the test prints from other drivers that I tried.

The interesting things is the PCL3 driver showed up as a “HP Designjet 5800 V4” driver after installation.  I'm not sure if it is an indication of problems.  Below is the process that I used for the PCL3 driver installation for your reference.

I selected the Z3200ps printer in the “printer and scanner” window.  Under “Printer Properties”, “Advanced”; I selected “New Driver”, “Have Disk”, “Browse” and highlighted the PCL driver .inf file download from HP (hpi2144.inf).  Then I hit “next”, and I got the message “You have successfully completed the add printer driver wizard.  You are about to add the following drivers: HP Designjet D5800 V4, x64, Type 4 – User Mode”.  I then completed the process by selecting “Finish”, “Apply”.

Regards,
Kelly
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Ernst Dinkla
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« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2020, 10:12:10 AM »

Kelly,  real color issues I have not experienced with different drivers, where they occured it was either hardware issues or when QU's interface to the driver was not correct on the HP media preset shown and actually used in the driver. I have asked Mike to add a short cut to reset only the HP driver to its default (that is now shift + click on the driver icon in QU) while keeping the QU settings for the rest. I often repeat jobs from the interactive log file so at least the QU settings stay as archived and the driver is reset to the default and I change the driver settings for a job only in the driver itself. If the QU windows show other driver settings than what I did in the driver I ignore that ( I rather see them greyed out for HP drivers but that is not in my hands ;-). Second thing is that I modify the default driver settings through Windows Configuration menu that the default becomes Application Color Management where it normally is Driver Color Management (one of the other things that can cause color shifts). Write this from memory so the exact terms are not used. I also set the print quality on high so 600PPI is asked by the printer and I set it to a glossy paper + the Gloss Enhancer used over the entire print area. That becomes the default while I usually take a matte paper and a lower resolution print quality. That is for me the most consistent workflow now.

I archived HP W10 driver + Printer Utility versions in 2016 and 2017 while I still used W7 then.  I have a simple complot theory:  HP marketing dictates HP driver upgrade policy ;-), so a device no longer sold gets another treatment. W7 system + HP drivers are still better so there is a W7 comp. kept in reserve. On my W10 system I installed the 2017 driver + PU at the end of 2019. Then synchronised the media presets stored on the printer with PU which brings back all the custom media presets + custom profiles stored on the printer. I think some features of Color Center are lost in that upgrade, smaller target sizes for profile making etc. I can still access the W7 system for the larger ones I think. Old profiles are excellent though and calibrating the media presets I do from the printer panel. Not much new media used here.

Latest issues were very slow transfer of the printer data to the printer. I do not know precisely what causes that. Emptied the printer harddisk of old jobs. Could be W10 security issues, I have to dig further.

I can send you the drivers etc that I use if you like that. PM me.


Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst Dinkla

https://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." H. L. Mencken
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Kelly S.
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« Reply #6 on: September 15, 2020, 03:06:58 AM »

Ernst,

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to my questions, I appreciate it!!

Based on you input, I’ve made changes in the following areas…

1.   Changed the HPGL2 Driver to the HP Designjet Z3200ps 44in Photo V4 driver in Windows.

2.   Based on the diagnostic print, I replaced the E-G print head and Gloss Enhancer ink cartridge.  Colors on the test print look correct, however, that is only if I selected the “printer manage color” option in the driver.  The colors look awful when I selected “Application select color”.  Is there something else that I need to do in Photoshop or Capture One to make it work with the “Application select color” option?

3.   In HP Utility, the “Synchronize Paper Presets” option is grayed out.  I noticed there’s a note about my custom papers profile being obsolete, so I recalibrated all of my custom papers and then restarted my computer.  Unfortunately, the “Synchronize Paper Presets” option is still grayed out, and there is no option for me to select my customer papers in the driver on the computer.  What other options do I have to syn the paper profiles in the printer to the computer?

4.   When I used the letter size paper (8.5 by 11 inches or 215.9 by 279.4 mm) for test prints, and loaded the paper in the portrait orientation; the printer always printed the image (and cutting out part of it in the process) in the landscape orientation no matter if I rotated the image to match the paper in Qimage.  Problem is the Z3200ps printer doesn’t let me load the letter size paper in the landscape orientation, any suggestions?

5.   The last question is a really dumb one… I tried to reset only the HP driver to its default while keeping the QU settings for the rest by pressing down shift + click on the driver icon in Qimage… I tried that on the QU icon before opening up the application, and the QU icon on the upper left hand corner after I opened the application, none of that seemed to work.  What did I do wrong?

Best Regards,
Kelly
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Ernst Dinkla
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« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2020, 11:01:26 AM »

Ernst,

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to my questions, I appreciate it!!

Based on you input, I’ve made changes in the following areas…

1.   Changed the HPGL2 Driver to the HP Designjet Z3200ps 44in Photo V4 driver in Windows.

2.   Based on the diagnostic print, I replaced the E-G print head and Gloss Enhancer ink cartridge.  Colors on the test print look correct, however, that is only if I selected the “printer manage color” option in the driver.  The colors look awful when I selected “Application select color”.  Is there something else that I need to do in Photoshop or Capture One to make it work with the “Application select color” option?

3.   In HP Utility, the “Synchronize Paper Presets” option is grayed out.  I noticed there’s a note about my custom papers profile being obsolete, so I recalibrated all of my custom papers and then restarted my computer.  Unfortunately, the “Synchronize Paper Presets” option is still grayed out, and there is no option for me to select my customer papers in the driver on the computer.  What other options do I have to syn the paper profiles in the printer to the computer?

4.   When I used the letter size paper (8.5 by 11 inches or 215.9 by 279.4 mm) for test prints, and loaded the paper in the portrait orientation; the printer always printed the image (and cutting out part of it in the process) in the landscape orientation no matter if I rotated the image to match the paper in Qimage.  Problem is the Z3200ps printer doesn’t let me load the letter size paper in the landscape orientation, any suggestions?

5.   The last question is a really dumb one… I tried to reset only the HP driver to its default while keeping the QU settings for the rest by pressing down shift + click on the driver icon in Qimage… I tried that on the QU icon before opening up the application, and the QU icon on the upper left hand corner after I opened the application, none of that seemed to work.  What did I do wrong?

Best Regards,
Kelly


Kelly,

2. We are writing about printing to the Z3200 from Qimage Ultimate, consider the last as your application and have color management settings correct there. Let us limit the topic to HP media present in the HP driver choices and still available on the market. For example the HP ID Premium Satin Paper 260 gr/m˛. Shift+click on the driver icon (not the top one in QU but the one in my reply at 5.). Select that paper in the driver, have the driver default setting already on Application Color Management (but check here) + Roll or Sheet (manual) + image quality setting (requesting 300 or 600PPI) + the printing page say A3 + landscape or portrait. O.K. there. Then go to QU's color management, select Application Color Management there + the HP ID Premium Satin Paper printer profile + Relative Color rendering + BPC. O.K. there. Do not alter settings like print page size, media choice or landscape/portrait after that in Qimage Ultimate's menu!!

Images you print should have a color space assigned, that is done in Capture One when you process from RAW to Tiff or JPG to the Output map. Use AdobeRGB as the color space for example. Take your Tiffs or Jpegs from that C1 Output map with the QU menu thumbs page of that map. Check Display Image Info of one of the thumbs (right click) and look for the AdobeRGB presence in that file. If not there, no AdobeRGB was assigned/saved for that file in C1. The default color space replacement for non-assigned images is sRGB by Qimage if it can not find other clues in the file's EXIF. There can be a color shift if you edited a file with AdobeRGB set as the color space in the image editing application and it gets sRGB attached somewhere on its route to the print. It could be that printer color management (as you describe giving better color) just guessed better what color space you used in C1 or another image editing application. Or you knew what you used in C1 and selected that for the printer driver CM, two choices for RGB files processing there (PCL3 raster photo driver): AdobeRGB or sRGB. Printer profile is in the black box there so no access to it.

3.  You absolutely have to get the default HP paper profiles installed in the Windows system for QU's color management to function. Normally a Synchronise Paper Presets does that. Media Presets and the linked Printer Profiles are taken from the printer harddisk and so distributed to one or more systems that have access to the printer. Try to get the Printer Utility working for that task. Calibration is not needed at that point and will not help in distributing the profiles. Calibration is meant to keep the color fundament to a certain standard, over time for the printer hardware (heads mainly) and small changes between paper production batches can alter the color fundament. With calibration keeping that standard you do not need to make new profiles, the fundament remains the same for the profiles made in the past. Your color issues right now are not related to that, normally these shifts are hardly noticeable.

4. Check minimum sheet sizes you can load on a HP Z3200/3100. Roll width minimum is 30cm, length of a sheet (paper transport direction) should be similar, width of a sheet at least 21cm.
Set print page preview in the HP driver to check whether the image is turned before the printing start. You can cancel it then. Do not alter the landscape/portrait mode from the QU menu, do it in the printer driver as already written in 2. There are issues with HP drivers integration with QU. A letter size paper sheet will have a printable area of roughly 205x262mm. Do not lock the rotation of a landscape image when printed on a portrait printpage. Make sure the image is not printed over several sheets, there will be a QU warning anyway. Find your way in the QU settings is best I can write.

5. I come back to that, Lunch is served.
Edit: Shift/Click on the Properties text as shown in this screengrab.


Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst Dinkla

https://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." H. L. Mencken


« Last Edit: September 15, 2020, 12:11:09 PM by Ernst Dinkla » Logged
Fred A
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« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2020, 01:41:09 PM »

Quote
There are issues with HP drivers integration with QU.

Just to clarify and in all fairness to QU and Mike,
For clarity, the HP Z drivers have issues involving integration with Windows.  QU uses standard Windows functions to change things like media type and size which work with literally all other printers on the market.  Mike has covered the HP Z driver bugs in detail in an earlier post.
I happen to know that Mike has spoken with HP techs advising them of the anomalies present in the Z 3200 drivers, but they ignored him.
But a big thanks to Ernst for helping Kelly and others over the years with HP printers.
You are the main guru.
Fred
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Kelly S.
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« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2020, 03:41:30 AM »

Ernst,

Based your feedback, I made some progress tonight but still not quite reaching the end goal.

2. Application manager color:

    •   "Display Image Info" in QU shows the test file I'm using has a “Adobe RGB 91998” ICC profile

    •   I tried multiple setting combinations in the driver and QU as shown below,

     a)  Driver: Application manage color + HP Hahnemuhle smooth fine art paper + Best print quality + Letter + Portrait.  QU: Printer profile is “OFF” + HP Hahnemuhle smooth fine art paper + 600PPI + Letter + Portrait.  Result: test print showed a lack of colors, not even close to quality if “printer manage color” was chosen.
     
     b)  Same as above except in QU: Printer profile is set to “Hahnemuhle photo rag ultra smooth (customer profile that I’ve created)”.  Result: test print closer to “printer manage color” quality, but the image is about half a stop too dark.
     
     c)  Same as above except in the printer driver under Color Management/Advance, I changed the Device Profile from “System default (sRGB IEC61966-2.1)” to “Hahnemuhle photo rag ultra smooth (customer profile I’ve created)”.  Result: same as point (b) above (test print closer to “printer manage color” quality, but the image is about half a stop too dark.)

Seems "Application manage color" ought to be a better option than "printer manage color" with respect to print quality, what am I doing wrong?

3. Synchronize Paper Presets in HP Utility:

I’ve done a couple hours of research on the internet, the only thing that make some sense is that when “Synchronize Paper Presets” is grayed out, it means there is no paper presets in the system.  I promptly created a new paper preset to see if it would activate the “Synchronize Paper Presets” option.  Unfortunately, it is still grayed out.  I feel I'm reaching a dead end here.

4. Not able to print in the correct orientation with letter size paper:

I fixed it!!  The problem is in the driver’s rotation setting.  The default setting is “Auto-rotate”.  The problem was solved when I changed it to “Rotate by 0 degree”.  However, there was no print preview even after I turned on the “Print Preview” option in the driver.

5. shift + click on the driver icon in Qimage:  Got it.

Thanks Ernst for your patience and the thorough explanations!!  I’ve learned a lot and I feel that I’m very close to resolving the printing issues that I’m having with your help.

Best Regards,
Kelly
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« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2020, 06:58:33 AM »

a)  Driver: Application manage color + HP Hahnemuhle smooth fine art paper + Best print quality + Letter + Portrait.  QU: Printer profile is “OFF” + HP Hahnemuhle smooth fine art paper + 600PPI + Letter + Portrait.  Result: test print showed a lack of colors, not even close to quality if “printer manage color” was chosen.

Let me address this one right away.  If you select "Application Manages Color" in the driver, don't set printer profile to "OFF" in Qimage: set it to your Hahnemuhle paper profile.  If you set the driver to "Application Manages Color" and set Qimage's "Printer Profile" to "OFF", then nothing is managing color!  When you select "Application Manages Color" in the driver, the application (Qimage) needs to apply the profile... which means "Printer Profile" in Qimage should be the printer profile you want to use for that job/media.

Regards,
Mike
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Kelly S.
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« Reply #11 on: September 16, 2020, 10:00:42 AM »

Mike,

Thank you for setting me straight on Qimage's "Printer Profile" to "OFF" setting, I now understand that is not what I wanted. 

By the way, I just noticed a typo in point (b) and point (c) in my last response, where I wrote "(customer profile that I’ve created)".  It's actually "custom profile" and not "customer profile" that I meant to say.

Thanks,
Kelly
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