HP 11 Printheads marked with Warranty Ends dates in the ranges indicated below might fail on installation, resulting in a printhead error message.
Printhead Affected date range (YYYYMMDD format)

• HP 11 Cyan, Magenta, Yellow (C4811A, C4812A, C4813A)
  • March 2020 and later (marked 20200301 and later in YYYYMMDD format)
• HP 11 Black (C4810A)
  
  • )April 2020 and later (marked 20200401 and later in YYYYMMDD format)

The Warranty Ends date is printed on the printhead packaging and on the printhead itself in the locations shown in the picture.

If you have an affected printhead, follow these steps:

1. On a Windows XP, 7, 8, or 10 PC with a USB connection to the printer, download a zip file with your firmware.
2. Open the zip file and run the HP DesignJet 500/800 Firmware Upgrade Tool A.05.01.
3. Wait for the upgrade to complete, and then turn the printer off, and then back on.
4. If the steps above do not help, contact HP Support for a replacement. Contact HP directly, rather than returning to the retailer.

This may work with your Designjet 500 or 800 if the install of the latest firmware now makes your plotter aware of expired inks --- I haven't tested it. Let me know if it works. Thanks!

If you cannot print is not because the ink is expired.

Try this.

1- delete all the pending jobs at the printer panel
2- reset the ink cartridges and acknowledge the warnings
3- print the Image Quality Print to check the status of the nozzles ant the printheads.
4- replace any bad printheads
5- do the printhead alignment and paper advance calibration
6- print an internal demo to test the hardware

​ISSUE: When printing an AutoCAD drawing/image on any of the HP Designjet 500 or 800 series printers using either roll or sheet fed media the drawing/image shifts and is clipped.
WORKAROUND: In Autocad 2000, 2000i and 2002, use the following steps:

1. Select File, Plot.
   
2. Click the Plot Device tab, and select the correct driver.
   
3. Select Properties.
   
4. Click Modify Standard Paper Sizes.
   
5. Click Modify.
   
6. Click Specify.
   
7. Specify non-Printable edge.
   
8. Select Next.
   
9. Enter the following values:
   
   1. Top margin 1.33 inches (34 mm)
      
   2. Bottom margin 0.0 inches
      
   3. Left margin 0.39 inches (10 mm)
      
   4. Right margin 0.0 inches
      NOTE: Remember to allow enough room between the image and the page size for the hard margins.

For an alternate solution using sheet fed media, cut a sheet larger to allow for the hard margin offset and trim the page after the print is made.
Other possible causes include:

• Incorrect paper size is selected
• Incorrect scaling factor has been chosen
• When creating different lay-outs the correct printer driver is not used

SUMMARY: The printer has hard margins of 17 mm leading and trailing edge, and a 5 mm left side and right side edge. The printer will offset the jobs 17 mm up and 5 mm in from the bottom-right corner. This may cause the document on the left and top side of the drawing/image to clip in portrait mode.

Here's a link to the HP website for the Designjet 500 and 800 to input the latest software into your wide format plotter. You can download from the HP site or download the file below. This is strictly for  the 800 and the 500 not any others. The firmware is version 04.02. It works with these operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows XP (32-bit)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for 64-bit Extended Systems
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit)
• Microsoft Windows Vista (64-bit)

Instructions:

1. Download and save the update file to your hard disk, be sure to remember where you saved it.
2. Ensure that all printers that are going to receive the update are turned on. Ensure that you can print to each printer from the computer that is running the update application.
3. Start the installation application. It will install all necessary files first. The application will then analyze each of the printers configured for the computer and report on their current status.
4. If any of your printers are out of date, the application will prompt you to update them. The update process sends a special file to your printer.
5. Once the update is complete a drawing will be shown on the front panel indicating that the printer must be disconnected. Disconnect the printer, wait for a few seconds and then reconnect the printer. This will delete all pending print jobs. For this reason, you should not print during the upgrade process. The update process may take several minutes.

Important: Do not turn Off the printer before the disconnect drawing is displayed on the Front Panel

​

HP has an amazingly simple little app that you can download and use with 500. 800, Z series and T series plotters. It is the HP Instant Printing Utility 3

It allows you to drag your file to the open application and click PRINT and it just simply prints....easy peasy.

It works with these operating systems:

Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit)
Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit)
Microsoft Windows Vista (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 8 (32-bit)
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows Server 2012
Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32-bit)
Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 10 (32-bit)
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)

There's a great video on YouTube that shows you how to configure your Designjet 500 or 800 through the front panel to connect to your network. This assumes that your plotter has a network card installed. 

I've been working hard in my workshop trying to get a plotter to work. It is a Designjet 500 that I purchased from someone who stated "The belt has been replaced but it still needs some adjustment." What he didn't say was that HE'D replaced the belt himself and he didn't have a clue what he was doing. When I took the covers off I found many parts that were loose and missing screws. I kept running the printhead alignment and it kept failing. Everything was back together properly, but it just wasn't able to align. So "Googled" it and found this HP forum posting...Now, I never take the bushings off the carriage when replacing a belt. But it appears the seller of this machine had! I switched them around and yes, the alignment came out perfect! So if you are in the same situation and it is possible that the bushings have been switched, give it a try.

From: http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Printers-Designjet-Large-Format/Double-Lines-being-Printed-Designjet-500/td-p/1091490?notmigrated#.VcVVSXFViko
Re: Double Lines being Printed - Designjet 500
Post Options
‎02-01-2010 08:46 PM

Here's my solution to the common double printing, blurred images on the Designjet 500 & 800.

When the carriage was removed to install a new belt, I had also removed the two "C" shaped bushings as well, one on each side of the carriage. I didn't need to, but thought I could get the carriage off without removing the right-hand side cap and service-station... BTW, you DO need to. 

Anyway... when they were reinstalled, they were swapped accidentally left for right (they only go in one way) and they fit pretty loosely in the carriage when they are swapped.

The resulting slop will allow the carriage to "cock" on the carriage return, and since it prints in both directions, the result is two images, identical, but shifted and produces a "blurry" or double-printed output.

We pulled the carriage again today, and sure enough, they were installed backwards. When the bushings are inserted in their little cavities correctly, it is a very light 'press-fit'. They will fit snugly, and will not fall out if you tilt the carriage left or right. You then secure them with the one small screw and washer for each side.

Buttoned the plotter up, and did a plot... voila!! Perfect plot without even doing a head alignment or anything!!!

It's worth a try... if you didn't remove these bushings, then I don't have any solutions for you. It's an elusive problem, but this repair sure fixed our broken plotter.

Sure beats buying a new $450 carriage assy.!!