Designjet 1050C What paper size do I select f I am using a 36" roll ? I cannot print a 8.5 x 11 on the plotter

I would check the sensor on the carriage that detects paper. It might be dirty enough that printer cannot detect the subtle edge of the clear film. It is the blue light that turns on on the bottom of the carriage when you load paper.

you should check the paper size loaded at the driver open devices and printers- choose HP DJ5500 driver - right click and open Printer properties-click the paper/sizes tab at the top-check that the paper size is set to ROLL- then set roll size ( 24"=A1--36"=A0---42"=A0/2A0)
now when you try to print make sure that the printing application ( EG paintshopPro) has the correct Page size (under document Properties)
and that your not strectching to fit or using the overprint commands within your printing application. the plotter should never be allowed to overprint as this model has no ay of clearing the excess ink that would be left on the platten

I have had some success by converting pdf to jpg and printing from Adobe Photoshop. The HP 500 ps and 500plus are VERY fussy about paper size conflicts.

This data is printed out on the Service Configuration Print

1. Load the plotter with media.
2. When the device is 'Ready' scroll the menu to the Printer setup options and press Enter.
3. Once in the 'Printer Setup options' menu, use the arrow keys to scroll to 'Utilities', and press Enter.
4. In the Utilities menu, use the Arrow key to scroll to 'Test Prints' and press Enter.
5. Use the arrow key to scroll to 'Service Config' and press Enter to print the Service Configuration Print.
   

You should find the data you are after under the heading of Maintenance on the printout

Good Luck!

If there is no obvious obstruction in the print head path, the most likely problem is a worn carriage belt. Open the front lid and check for rubber crumbs under the carriage belt. If there are crumbs, the belt is disintegrating and needs to be replaced.

The service manual can be downloaded from: www.lpscomputer.com/ec/manuals.htm and the parts are available at: http://www.lpscomputer.com/c-736-designjet-1050c-belt.aspx

i'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it sounds like your carriage assembly is bad. the slot that holds the magenta cartridge is defective.have the carriage assembly and trailing cables replaced. this should resolve your problem. these parts are becoming harder to find because of the age of the printer. carriage assembly part number is C6074-69388. trailing cable is C6074-60418 making the assumption this is a 36" plotter. also you can try cleaning the contacts on the carriage assembly. good luck!

Friends,

You doesn't say what application and OS versions you have, or if the printer is shared from a server or connected locally to a workstation. This is signifcant to solve the problem. Please clarify.

To make this work properly, all machines should have the HPGL driver and all drivers should have both the "Autorotate" "Inked Area" boxes ticked - both under General > Printing Preferences > Advanced AND under Advanced > Printing Defaults > Advanced.

Then you should create a paper size that is as wide as the media is wide, and longer than the longest/widest paper size you're ever going to print (6-10 feet long is OK!) - BOTH under Printing Preferences AND under Printing Defaults. This will ensure that every "odd" paper size (within media width limits) is printed without problems.

If the printer is installed on a server and shared, these settings should be done on the server - and the driver should be reinstalled on the workstations. If not, these chanvges should be done on each workstation that has access to the printer over the network.

When using older versions of AutoCAD you might have to reinstall the printer there as well for the changes to take effect.

Note: This solution has worked successfully over several years while working at HP support. The suggestion about the looong paper size may sound strange but it works!

//Al

This is a common problem on the 500 range, not so common on the 1050. A quick way around the problem (using the parallel port only) is to load the HP Designjet 750c drivers. Send the drawing to the 750 using memory in computer option and it WILL print.

Was the plot originally done on a size D or E plotter.. A .pdf is generally not a good way to send a plot that has to be done to scale.. Can they re-send the plot in a hpgl format, or a format that you can use in another program, liks ACAD, and then print it through that program? This would provide you with some control, that a pdf document will not allow.

This is just a stab in the dark for me, but I am familiar with plotters in general, just not the many formats to print from..

if i remember correctly you can not do edge to edge on this printer. you may have the reached the outer limits with your current configuration. sorry this is not the answer you are looking for.