Today I was on the phone helping a customer work through an error code - they were going to try a couple more tricks to try and get the machine to behave...Sounds like they had a paper crash and then the machine started displaying one errTor code after another...They said they'd call back if my directions didn't work.

30 minutes later the phone rings again and the voice says..."Now everything is displaying in Chinese and I can't figure out how to get back to English." I said, "go to Utilities and find Languages..." -- The customer said, "How will I do that, as I can't read the Chinese looking characters on my LED panel."

Lucky for them I had another plotter just like theirs in my inventory (an HP Designjet 600) and I turned it on and worked through my English menu to figure out the right number of ENTER, UP, DOWN for them to find their English again! Here's the directions in case it happens that your Designjet 600 suddenly displays in Chinese:
If the machine and carriage has parked in the left side
1. Press PREVIOUS 6 times -- (You won't see a change on the screen this is just to clear the menu.)
2. Press ENTER (You won't see a change)
3. Press DOWN 3 times
4. Press ENTER
5. Press DOWN 2 times
6. Press ENTER
7. Press DOWN 2 times -- now you should see the word "ENGLISH"
8. Press ENTER (to choose ENGLISH)
Now you should see in English:
UTILITIES
Language=English
Press UP
Press PREVIOUS 2 times

Now it should run in English...Whew...

Tonight I'm working on a Designjet 650C that I picked up from a very nice man who'd let the machine sit for a long time without use and apparently without covering it. If you have a plotter that is going unused for a long time and your environment is dusty, pull the cartridges and put them in a plastic bag AND cover the plotter. These old babies are work horses, but really they deserve a little extra care!

And while I was busy trying to recalibrate the bail that wasn't properly behaving, I found this site and was reminded how good they are. It appears that this site somehow got the info from HP that was set up for their HP Designjet technicians. This site has save my sorry butt many times throughout the years...so I'm giving them the official Katrinka Finkelstein Best Troubleshooting Site Award.

I'm often called with questions about print jobs that have become stalled in the print queue and won't let anything through.  This can ruin your day! This appears to be a flaw in some drivers and there's only one way to resolve it when it happens...you need to find the jobs and KILL them. You can press CANCEL in the print queue all you want and nothing happens...that's when you know you need to follow the steps below to fix this.

1.  Make sure all  print jobs are complete and that no new print jobs are being submitted. 
2. Double-click  SERVICES in the PRINT CONTROL PANEL and stop the “Print Spooler” service. 
3. Open the  C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32SPOOLPRINTERS in My Computer. 
4. Delete all  files located in this folder. Files in the Printers are named xxxx.spl, xxxx.shd  where xxxx is a hexadecimal number. Files with .shd and .spl extensions are printer files. Double-click Services in the Control Panel and start the “Print Spooler” services. 
5. Re-print any  print jobs AFTER you have determined what caused the stall: Was the job too big for your plotter's memory? If the failed plot was a PDF, try FLATTENING the file. (See my blog posting about flattening PDF's.)

• Turn off the plotter.
  
  
• Unplug the plotter for at least 5 minutes.
  
  
• Move the carriage to its home place(where it goes to sit when the plotting is over) – usually on the left.
  
  
• Plug it in again and turn it on.
  
  
• If it begins initialization and stops with an error message, note where in the sequence it stopped.
  
  
• If the error message indicated “check pathway” it means the carriage is sensing some extra resistance or there is something blocking the red light sensor on the side of the carriage. Check for old pieces of paper under the carriage...if nothing, try putting 3 drops of baby oil or mineral oil on the silver carriage rail...
  
  
• Turn it off and turn it back on again.
  
  
• If error message shows after the initialization is complete, press CANCEL to see if it will clear.
  
  
• Read the manual's troubleshooting or error message section to figure out what the machine is trying to tell you. I know it is a drastic and unusual move, but HP published these for a reason! You can usually find the manual online, but if you can't, contact me and I'll try to find it for you.
  
• If the error message has to do with the “encoder” use a lint free piece of cotton cloth wet with rubbing alcohol to do a very gentle wipe of the silver aluminum coated strip...called the encoder strip...and let it air drive. DON'T rub or the coating will come off and the plotter will not work again until you replace it!

Start Up

• Always plug into a surge protector outlet...this is good insurance and will save your plotter from a motherboard being fried by a power surge.
  
  
• They “initialize” when you first turn them on. This means they run through about 15 self tests.
  
  
• Try not to interrupt the plotter while it is initializing.
  
  

Paper (Media)

• Never try to load media unless the plotter indicates that it is ready for media.
  
  
• Roll paper always goes OVER the top of the roll...like toilet paper!
  
  
• A 36” wide machine CAN use a 24” roll...and all Designjets can use legal and standard size sheets of paper, too.
  
  
• Media must be straight when you push the load button...if it skews a little the plotter will sense it and spit the paper back at you. If you have the type of machine that grabs it from you when you insert it, LET GO the moment you feel it grab the paper...or you will make it skew.
  
  
• Most Designjets have a perforated or printed line on the right side of the place where you enter the paper into the machine, try to line up the right side of the paper near, but not past that line.
  
  
• If you are feeding separate sheets into the plotter and it keeps skewing, you may have paper that has too high a cotton content...try HP plain paper and see if that fixes the problem.
  
  Ink Cartridges:
  
  
• Some color machines don't care if the color cartridges are empty, they just need a cartridge in the slot. If colors are empty, it will still print in monochrome.
  
  
• Old cartridges can be revived sometimes by running the print head under hot water, then placing the cartridge on a wet paper towel to “wick” the ink out and clean out those 20 little ink jet holes on the print head. Leave it sit for at least 1 hour. Then take the cartridges outside and do a “whip cracking” shake --- holding it upright do a quick downward motion and a sudden stop, like you are cracking a whip...it should now have two small lines of ink on the print head. If not, repeat. If still not, the heads might be clogged, shake it a few more times, run under hot water again, try the wet paper towel soak again. If you still can't get ink to move, it is probably a bad cartridge that you won't be able to save.
  
  
• If a plotter continues to reject a cartridge that does produce ink (see above), turn off the machine, take a damp paper towel and wipe out the inside of the cartridge holder.
  
  
• Buy hard to find ink on eBay or Amazon.com to find the best deals...however, open the ink the moment you get it to be sure it hasn't bled out of the printhead...there will be ink all over the tape on the printhead when you open it and this means the cartridge can't be saved.
  
  
• If you can find a professional refiller to fill you empty cartridges, try it...if they guarantee their work.
  
  

General

• Leave your plotter turned on. Don't turn it off at the end of everyday. But DO plug it into a surge protector, or a storm could eat your plotter!
  
  
• If your plotter doesn't have enough memory it will print out 75% of the plot on the right side of the paper and the last 25% will be missing on the left. To resolve this, choose ADVANCED on your print driver and check the box that allows the computer to handle the memory for the plot.
  
  
  • You can also add memory – check the manual to see how much you can add.
    
    
  • If you are printing PDF's, try converting them to TIFFs as they are much smaller files.
    
    
  • Read your manual section on QUEUE and NESTING to figure out how best to manage large files.
    
    
• Keep the window on the plotter closed and even cover the machine if your office/work area is dusty.
  
  
• NEVER, when transporting, lay a plotter down...there is a spittoon with old ink that will spill over the interior of the machine AND there will be wet ink everywhere!
  
  
• You can connect your plotter to the USB port on your computer with USB to parallel printer cable. When adding the printer, be sure to NOT use the default LPT port, but instead choose the USB port offered on the dropdown menu.
  
  
• Most plotters on stands can be removed from the stands and sit nicely on a shelf or table if floorspace is scarce in your office.
  
  
• Most plotters have a UTILITIES section on the control panel there find the FACTORY RESET to return your plotter to what it originally was set-up to do. This is a good trick, because sometimes you may have inadvertently commanded the plotter to do something that creates conflicts.
  
  
• If you see small black “mouse turds” under the rubber carriage belt, it is starting to break down and can die at any point. Replace it ASAP....