pizza wheel marks?

[Chris152]

I'm getting a series of 10 or 12 small lines, each a few mm in length, toward the centre of prints on matte paper on my B9180.

Are these likely to be a result of the paper feed wheels and, if so, what should I do? Can I adjust the wheel or should I contact HP? The machine's only a month or so old.

Thanks

Chris

[Ken Sky]

Sounds more like a head strike. Suggest you ensure the paper isn't buckling or that correct print head elevation has been chosen through your paper profile choice.

[Chris152]

The paper is as flat as I could expect it to be - certainly no sign of warping/ buckling. It's HP A3+, straight from the box. The profile is for HP Photo Matte paper, which came with the software, so shouldn't be the issue.

Can you describe the difference between head strike and pizza marks, so I can judge which it is?

Thanks

Chris

[bez]

Chris - Which way do the lines run?
Pizza wheel are parallel to direction of paper travel, head strikes (or blocked nozzles etc) are at right angles - direction of print head, obviously.

[Chris152]

They run at right angles to the direction that the print moves. So it does sound like the print head is hitting the paper.

Perhaps I need to check the profiles - I have found the HP page from which I can download non-HP papers, but not one with profiles for HP papers. Do you have an address for that? The profile I'm using is for HP Everyday Photo Matte paper, as that's the only one I'm offered when I try to print through PS (the paper box says nothing about 'everyday' on it - just 'photo matte'). Perhaps I'm using a thicker paper, which would explain the problem.

All was fine til I upgraded to PS CS3, and now I can't use the Photoshop plug-in which doesn't work with CS3 (it was fine with PS7). I also used (with the plug-in) to be presented with an HP Photo Matte profile that wasn't everyday. I guess that's progress...

Thanks for your reply,

Chris

[bez]

Chris – it does seem like a paper or printhead problem of some sort. The head passes very close to the paper, as Ken suggests, and it’s almost impossible to be related to profiles, or any other problems to do with plug-ins etc.

[Chris152]

Sorry bez, I'm perhaps misunderstanding - from what Ken wrote, I understood that the paper profiles determined the location of the print head. I assumed that if you have a thicker paper, the profile determines the location of the head allowing space for the paper. Is this wrong? Thanks.

[bez]

Sorry Chris, I was probably wrong to say it can’t be related to profiles, but I’m not really familiar with the 9180 so my comment was related to printers in general.

If the HP has an adjustable head, don’t you have manual control (as well as automatic) over the platen gap, as one does with some Epsons?
One way to check this would be to deliberately use the wrong profile – one for the thickest (or thinnest) paper from the HP range, matt or gloss.

Alternatively can you watch the print going through the machine? I would expect you could see, or hear a head strike...

[whelkmagic]

I have found the HP page from which I can download non-HP papers, but not one with profiles for HP papers. Do you have an address for that?

As far as I am aware you do not need to download ICC Profiles for HP's own papers. These profiles are built in with the print driver. So when you print
and choose Paper Type & Quality you should have a choice of the built in profiles for HP papers (at least that's they way it is on a Mac).

[Chris152]

I'm working on a Mac too. The first print dialogue box that opens when I go to print in PS only offers 'everyday photo matte', not just 'photo matte'; when I've finished with that and press 'print', a second dialogue box opens that has both 'photo matte' and 'everyday photo paper, matte', but 'photo matte' is grayed-out and not available.

Any thoughts how I can access the 'photo matte' profile?

ps Photo Matte is definitely a supported paper type on the 9180, and I used to have access to the profile when I could use the PS plug-in that came with the HP software.

[whelkmagic]

Very odd.

I am on OS 10.5.2
When I print from Photoshop (CS3) I first get the Photoshop print dialog - with no paper options. It looks like the image on this link.

http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/so ... -print.jpg

when I press Print from here I get something like this (obviously says B9180 this was the nearest picture I could find):

http://profpaulosr.no.sapo.pt/Imagens/O ... 85Word.jpg

When I chose Paper Type / Quality I have a 'Paper Type' Option and all the HP papers are in here - under 'Photo Paper' I have an option for 'HP Photo, Matte'

[Chris152]

I'm still new to all this, so any oddness is probably my fault! BUT - here's a possibility - when I tried to buy the photo matte paper direct from HP, they told me they had none in stock and thought that it may be being discontinued. As I say, I'm using CS3 and therefore no plug-in, and the machine's only about a month old. Perhaps they pulled the profile from software that's not using the plug-in? (But that would require HP to be incredibly efficient...)

Anyway, I'll get on with checking the links you posted in case my theory is wrong! - thanks.

EDIT: OK, the difference is that I have been letting PS manage the colours. When I let the printer manage the colours, I get the Photo Matte option, exactly as you say, and as reproduced in the first link. And this is what I had when, in PS7, I used the plug-in. Thank you!

It is odd, though, that when PS manages the colours I don't get the profile. I watched the Radiant Vista tutorial on this and it said that if you want correct reproduction, PS should manage colour. - any thoughts?

In the meantime, perhaps we've resolved the issue of the head-strikes!

[whelkmagic]

Ah ha! See what you mean - if you switch to Photoshop Manages Colours there are a few HP papers that appear greyed out. Presumably because these papers aren't comaptible with Photoshop managing colours they can't guarantee results?

Glad you've got the head strikes resolved. I had some odd scratches on one of my prints but I just ignored it hoping it would go away and it did - only came through on one print - but I did have a moment of panic.

I've got another thread on this forum about this - its a bit rambling (I tend to ramble a bit) but if you read the replies by Costas they are very helpful.

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/BB/viewtopic.php?t=5407

Only thing I need to figure out is how to switch of Colour Management in the Print Driver on a Mac - you wouldn't happen to know?

[Chris152]

Sorry, no - when I set it to PS manages colours, the reminder appears immediately beneath asking me if I disabled colour management in the printer dialogue; when I set it for printer to manage colours, the reminder asks if I enabled colour management in the printer dialogue. But I don't know how to do either. (The next window to open when I press 'print' has a 'colour matching' option, but both options are grayed-out.)

Again, I watched the Radiant Vista tutorial and there was a clear option to enable/ disable the printer colour management in the Epson dialogue box.

I'm sure it must be pretty easy on the HP, but I can't find it!

Anyone?

[whelkmagic]

I know it should be easy - I've been Google'ing it all morning and am getting nowhere. The trials of being a Mac user.

When we do find out we'll probably say - ah there it is! Its so obvious!