I have the HP Z3100 44" printer, and I'm running Windows XP Home Edition on a PC. Today I downloaded the most recent driver (HPDesignjetZ3100PhotoSeries.EXE -- 17 May 2007), as well as the latest Firmware Update (TR12-TR_05_00_00-4).

My question is: Do I install the Firmware upgrade first, then the Driver?

Thanks,
Mary

I first installed the driver, then the HP Print Pro Plugin and last not least the Firmware. Worked fine (I am on Mac OSX though)

Best,
Clem

I installed the firmware first then the driver on my Win XP Pro box. The firmware installed flawlessly but the driver required some persistence to get it installed properly.

All works fine now.

Ron,

What improvements have you seen from the new firmware and driver?

Charlie

ok i know this is a stupid question, but which driver update do i need? I have the basic Z 44" without the postscript and no aps
C

The Raster driver.

Hi Charlie,

I've been out of town a lot since installing the latest firmware and drivers but my main motivation for installing was bug fixes and improvements in the paper types. Check out this link for a forum thread with a PDF that describes how the latest firmware affects paper types and consequently profiling for papers.

Link to 5.0.0.5 firmware for custom papers

I think I've seen improvements in the fine art>250gsm paper type for example. I haven't done extensive testing though. It may be that the new paper types make the biggest difference if you're using APS or something else with more patches for creating the profile. Time and testing will tell.

I'm hoping that more people will share their experiences with the standard built-in spectro profiling and those with APS or other packages for creating profiles for this latest firmware.

I installed the driver, then the firmware. Everything seems to be running OK so far. Thanks to everyone for their help.

Clem, where did you find the HP Print Pro Plug-in for download? I've searched the HP website, but I cannot find a way to download the file. Is this only for Mac operating systems?

Mary

I'm on a mac OSX system. I installed the firmware and then driver. Took three restarts of both printer and driver to get it to work.

I think the print pro plugin is only for mac systems. I'm not sure why one would use it since it has no option to select gloss for example.

Talked with tech support today and asked them which to do first (called about another issue). They recommended installing the driver first then the firmware upgrade.