Plotter
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This page is about the HP DesignJet 600 plotter.
HP DesignJet 600
Roll-fed 600dpi plotter using (original) DeskJet Black Ink cartridge printheads.
The standard memory installed in this plotter is 4MB, upgradeable to 20MB to enable larger / more complex plots to be printed.
Serial and Parallel interface - choose from control panel - currently (5/1/2014) connected to the embroidery pc (Fairuza) using a short pll cable with a usb adaptor.
Switching on
Before switching on, make sure that the paper roll is in place, positioned against the right-hand alignment mark, and not torn so as to prevent the printhead from moving.
Switch on, button at the left-hand side. The button detent is broken, but it can be held in by sliding the shim of wood tied around the housing over the switch. The printer will go through an extensive self-test routine, which includes sweeping back and forth across the paper to see how wide it is.
When ready, the display will say so.
Printing
There is a driver installed under Linux on the embroidery pc.
Windows only has 32bit drivers, so if you want to print from your own laptop, good luck :) (see here).
There are probably more printer settings that need to be checked when printing on a device like this, where the paper size is not obvious. The paper roll is A0 (841mm) width, to check that this is the current selection when the print dialog is opened from the application that you want to print from.
The only other option to check is under printer / advanced options, where there is an option to 'print as bitmap image'. This should not be selected, as it slows down transmission of the data increasing the possibility of errors (e.g. an A4 document printed at 400%, which was the test piece, requires the transmission of 210MB of data in 'bitmap image' mode, compared with under 2MB otherwise using the plotters internal intelligence.
After a job is completed, the plotter waits for over a minute (see the display) for the ink to dry before cutting the paper (this is for when transparency film is being printed). Do not try and manually feed or cut the paper during this time - it will take you longer than this to re-load and align the paper once more.
Ink
The DesignJet 600 takes a pair of ink-cartridge / printheads, type HP26 (or equivalent). A supply of remanufactured ones is currently available (in the green shopping back, under the plotter).
Testing and Settings
Testing and printing has so far only been done from a .PDF file under Windows XP. No changes were made to settings from the printer's own control panel, which are set to: ... {to do} and under Ubuntu Linux
Other operating systems and document types have yet to be tested. Please update the following list when done:
OSX is not supported in anyway
| Operating System | File Type | Working OK |
|---|---|---|
| Windows XP | OK | |
| .DOC | ||
| AutoCAD | ||
| .PPT | ||
| Mac OS | ||
| .DOC | ||
| AutoCAD | ||
| .PPT | ||
| Linux | ||
| .DOC | ||
| AutoCAD | ||
| .PPT |
Network
The printer now has a JetDirect card install and has been assigned the IP 10.0.0.97 on the space's network. however, the jetdirect card does not appear to work.
Future
A spindle needs to be fabricated to keep the paper roll from drifting in position.
Links and references
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/openprinting/macosx/hpijs#Printers