Print Quality
6-31
HP DesignJet 5000 and 5500 Series Printers Service Manual
The HP DesignJet 5X00 series is already optimized to minimize the
static build up within the printer, i.e. the spindle is connected to
ground, the print zone is made out of carbon filled plastic to make it
conductive, there is an antistatic brush in front of the printer, etc.
Another of the measures we took to reduce the static charges was to
place an anti-static back coating to the HP plastic media type.
Without this backcoating, the media charges itself.
So, despite the printer antistatic features, we have discovered that
the anti-static backcoating of the media is a MUST for the 5X00
Series in order to avoid the image quality and ink accumulation
issues we will describe later on.
Which printers are affected by this?
Customers who print on a 3rd party polyester-based film without
anti-static back coating are more susceptible to static related issues.
If they do not see any of the below mentioned symptoms, the media
probably has an anti-static back coating, thus they are not affected.
Printers are not affected if they print using:
– HP media approved for HP DesignJet 5000 Series or
– Any paper-based media.
Customers use only photo-based media are probably not affected.
Most photo-based media work fine. However, there are some
photo-based media with a plastic back coating that is conducive
to static-build up. These media could be affected too.
What can you see?
1 Presence of “shadows” on the printout.
See the following image to see an example. These “shadows” are
particularly visible next to black areas or at the border of the print.
This is because the media
is statically charged and
misdirects the smallest drop.
