HP (Hewlett-Packard) 5000 User Manual

Print Quality

6-22

HP DesignJet 5000 Series Printers Service Manual

If you are using double-sided media and there are marks and 
scratches evident on the media, the platen may need cleaning ((See 

⇒ 

).

This problem can appear on paper-based coated media if a lot of ink 
printed quickly. The media cannot absorb the ink quickly enough 
and becomes distorted. As the Printheads move over the media, the 
Printheads and the media come into contact with each other and the 
printed image is smeared.

1 Press the Cancel key on the front panel; if you continue to print, the 

paper may damage the Printheads.

2 Cancel the print job from your computer application.

In order to obtain better results perform the following:

n

Use HP recommended media. If the image you are printing has 
intense color, use HP Heavy Weight Coated (Economy) Paper.

n

Use extended margins, or try to increase the print margins by 
relocating the image on the page from the software application.

n

Ensure the Deflectors are installed on your Printer. 

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If the customer is using ‘Media Saving Options’ from the 
advanced section of the HP- GL/2 Driver, try disabling one or 
both of the options ‘auto rotate’ and ‘inked area’.

n

Use the Take Up Reel if you have one installed.

If the above fails to solve the problem of smears and scratching, 
change the media that the customer is using to a non-paper based 
media such as HP High Gloss Photo Paper.

If you see the colors are bleeding into the paper i.e. the color is 
soaking into the paper making the lines fuzzy and bleary. This will 
be because of the humidity conditions that the Printer is working 
under:

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Ask the customer to change the paper that they are printing with 
or 

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Remove the Printer from the high humidity conditions.