Color Maintenance Tool (CMT) Information

Use the Color Maintenance Tool (CMT) to perform a set of color maintenance checks and corrections that ensure the printer is within color specification and can consistently produce and maintain excellent color prints. Using the Color Maintenance Tool reduces time and waste caused by running jobs when the printer is not in a good color state.

NOTE: Jobs cannot be submitted from the print server when the Color Maintenance Tool is being used.

Access the Color Maintenance Tool from the Options menu or Shortcut Bar at the Printer Interface. When this feature is selected, a window opens that allows the current color state of the printer system to be assessed. If necessary, operations can be performed to optimize the system’s color to a known good color state.

Components of the Color Maintenance Tool:

• Print quality verification
  (Engine Check and System Check)

• Xerographic calibration and setup
  (dC0951 Xerographic Setup and dC0610 MOB Sensor Calibration)

• Color setup
  (TRC Linearization and DFE Profiling)

Color Maintenance involves running the following two types of color check processes to determine if the state of the printer is in an acceptable range:

• Engine Check

• System Check

If one or both of the check processes fail, the tool provides the following corrective actions to take:

• TRC Linearization

• dC0951 Xerographic Setup

• dC0610 MOB Sensor Calibration

• DFE Profiling

Color Maintenance Operations Summary Tool:

For authorized users only, the Color Maintenance Operations Summary Tool is accessible from the Administration window on the Printer Interface to view the last 100 color maintenance operations performed on the system. For more information about the Summary Tool, refer to the Printer Interface Online Help, Administration window.

When to select Automatic Mode or Expert Mode:

The Color Maintenance Tool feature provides an Automatic Mode of testing and correcting or, for more advanced users, an Expert (manual) Mode where a precise operation can be performed or create a profile on a nonstandard white stock.

For daily color maintenance, it is recommended that the operator always use Automatic Mode. In Automatic Mode, the Color Maintenance Tool performs a built-in sequence of corrective steps to verify and correct the system to a known good color state. The Automatic process of the CMT is designed to provide all the color verification and correction an operator needs in one session.

When to Perform Color Maintenance:

It is recommended for the Automatic Mode of the Color Maintenance Tool be run daily at the beginning of each shift and immediately prior to running color critical jobs to make sure accurate output.