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HP Color LaserJet CP1210 Printer Series

A colour laser printer in a very compact form with high quality output. The CP1210 series uses an inline arrangement of four cartridges to give speeds of 8 pages per minute in colour and 12 ppm for mono print. These speeds are fairly fast for a small, entry level machine.

Although the native resolution of the print engine is just 600x600dpi HP ImageREt 3600 allows HP to claim print-shop quality colour output.

All the printers also have a USB 2.0 interface.

The same print engine is the basis for a multifunction printer /copier

These Printers were released in April 2008. HP estimated the CP1215 street price as $299. UK Prices in early 2010 were around £150 ex VAT.

Printers in this series can be thought of as a replacement for HP's successful Color Laserjet 2600 series of entry level colour laser printers. The design is substantially different with the cartridges and belt arranged in a horizontal row rather than vertically. The colour cartridges are smaller - just 1400 page average yield against the CLJ 2600 rated yield of 2,500 pages. HP are following a current industry trends in reducing the cartridge yields on entry level printers.

The CP1215 and CP1215 are very similar in general approach, appearance and layout to the CP2025. The CP2025 is twice as fast at 20 pages per minute, has double-sized 2,800 page color cartridges and is available with duplex and extra trays. Not surprisingly it is somewhat dearer with the base model costing about £250 ex VAT in June 2010.


Control:

The CP1215 has a simplified control panel with 9 LED indicators, go and stop buttons. This limits what can be done via the control panel, most facilities are provided via the Microsoft Windows drivers and the "HP Toolbox" software. The service manual has a list of the light codes. Status and alert messages appear on the computer screen.

The CP1518ni has a 2 line LCD panel and menu buttons.

Most aspects of the printer can be controlled via the built in control panel on the CP1515n and CP1518ni . However it may be easier to adjust some settings via the "HP Toolbox FX" software.

The CP1515 and CP1518ni have an embedded web server which can be used to:

The printer's TCP/IP address will be obtained by DHCP and will be visible on printing a configuration page. To view the embedded web server type http://a.b.c.d into the address/URL field of a browser such as internet explorer replacing a.b.c.d with the "dotted quad" IP address. A typical address is "192.168.0.5" so the URL would be "http://192.168.0.5".

These printers also support HP Web Jetadmin. Jetadmin is normally installed on the network administrator's computer and can view the status of all HP printers on the Intranet.


Duty Cycle:

Up to 30,000 pages per month. More realistically the recommended monthly volume is 250 to 1,000 pages per month.


Up to 12 pages per minute black and 8 pages per minute in colour. First mono page as fast as 26 seconds and colour in 32 seconds from ready. Typical job completion as fast as 55 seconds.

True resolution 600x600 dpi in black and colour. The CLJCP1215 has ImageREt 2400. Other printers in the series have HP ImageREt 3600, ColourSphere toner and HP Edge enhancement give good photographic quality. HP claim "print-shop quality color" in their brochures.


Paper Handling:

A4, 150 sheet input tray and a single-sheet priority feed slot. Media weights 60 to 176 gsm and up to 220gsm with HP Color Laser glossy photo paper.


Duplex:

No automatic option but there is support for manual duplex in the driver.


Processor:

264MHz processor with 16MB RAM on the CP1210 which uses host-based printing. 450MHz with 96MB RAM on other models.


Memory:

96MB installed as standard. The installed memory will usually be sufficient for word processing documents with a few pictures printed using PCL. Memory might need extending to ahndle complicated full page photographs, or documents with multiple fonts, or where the HP PostScript Level 3 emulation is used. Extra memory can also speed up printing of multiple documents by reducing the time needed to re-rasterise each page.

The CP 1510 series has a single DIMM Slot accessible at the rear right of the machine. DIMMs are available in 128MB and 256MB versions. Turn the power off and unplug any USB cable before changing memory and take anti-static precautions. The printer should recognize extra memory and the memory increase should be visible in the configuration page.

If more memory is installed the computer drivers need to be reconfigured to recognize and use it.


Interface:

Hi-Speed USB 2.0 for connection to a nearby computer. Ethernet 10/00 Base-TX via RJ45 connector.

The CP1518ni also has 1 PictBridge port, 4 Secure Digital/Multimedia Card slots


Network:

Ethernet 10/100 with TCP/IP protocols only. Apple Mac support via Rendezvous.


The CP1215 is a host based printer. The CP1515 etc have HP PCL 6. HP PostScript level 3 emulation.


System Compatability:

Microsoft Windows 2000, XP and certified for Vista. Apple Mac OS X V10.2.8 and later.

Linux Cups does not seem to provide a specific listing for these models (early 2010). The CP1210 being a host-based printer and relying on the Windows HP Toolbox utility (having no control panel) is probably not a good choice for Linux.


Power:

Laser printers draw a trickle of power in standby for the processor and memory. They draw much more power when printing as the fuser heats the page.

As usual with laser printers there are two models for US/ Canada/ Japan and rest of the world including the UK

Power Consumption:

HP Color LaserJet CP1510 Series Printer: Printing 260W, Ready 12W, Sleep 11.2W, Off 0W.

Weight:

18.2KG

Consumables:

The printer takes four colour toner-drum cartridges and a transfer belt.

The cartridges load into the front of the printer. Open the front door of the machine and pull out the print-cartridge drawer. Each cartridge has a handle, pull the cartridge straight up to remove it. New cartridges need the orange plastic shield removing from their base and just drop into the drawer. Never touch the photosensitive drum at the bottom of the cartridge - fingerprints on the surface will cause print defects.

The black cartridge gives 2,200 page life at 5% cover and the colour cartridges just 1,400 pages. The printer ships with introductory cartridges that have limited capacity. HP suggest in their publicity material that these printers can produce black print for much the same price as dedicated mono printers. Given the very small size of the cartridges that might be a bit subjective? Compared with small mono laser printers it could be true.


CB540A - Black Print Cartridge, yield 2200 pages at 5% cover. CP1215, CP1515, CP1518, CM1312MFP - CB540A

CB541A - Cyan Print Cartridge, yield 1400 pages at 5% cover. CP1215, CP1515, CP1518, CM1312MFP - CB541A

CB543A - Magenta Print Cartridge, yield 1400 pages at 5% cover. CP1215, CP1515, CP1518, CM1312MFP - CB543A

CB542A - Yellow Print Cartridge, yield 1400 pages at 5% cover. CP1215, CP1515, CP1518, CM1312MFP - CB542A

The print cartridges use HP ColorSphere toner. Cartridge recyclers had some initial difficulty matching the cartridge yield, Future Graphics were able to market a 5 micron chemically grown toner quickly but were 10% short of HP's material on yield. Conventionally milled toners are likely to give poor print with these machines due to irregular particle size and uneven charge characteristics.

Fuser:

The fuser in a laser printer makes the toner powder adhere to the print media using a combination of heat and pressure. Fusers are designed to have a fairly long life but they do ultimately fail.

Fusers can fail suddenly: a power surge might damage the heating element or a stray object passing through the printer might pierce the heat transfer foil for instance.

Fusers also have a limited life because the heating surface is non-stick but after many thousands of pages the material loses it's properties.

RM1-4431 - Fuser for CLJ_CP1215, CP1518 and CM1312MFP 220-240 Volts - RM1-4431-000CN

RM1-4430 - Fuser for CLJ_CP1215, CP1518 and CM1312MFP 110 Volts - RM1-4430-000CN

Changing the fuser requires removal of the left and right cover, control panel module, rear-side cover, rear-upper cover, rear door and rear lower cover and the top cover. The fuser itself is held by a couple of screws and several wire-harness connectors. People who are not familiar with computer engineering may need a service technician to do the job for them. Instructions are in the service manual.

Notice that the fuser temperature is influenced by controls for paper curl, heavy cover, flap sealing and Less/More fusing. See p45 of the service manual.

Image Transfer Belt

RM1-4436 Intermediate Transfer Belt (ITB) assembly for the CP1215, CP1515, CP1518Ni and CM1312 MFP RM1-4436-000CN

The transfer belt takes the single colour images from the four photoconductor drums in each of the toner cartridges and makes one overall image. When the image is complete the secondary transfer roller moves it onto the print media.

The image transfer belt is gradually worn out with use and needs periodic replacement. Print quality suffers if the transfer belt has exsessive marking. Be careful not to touch the shiny surface of the belt itself as finger marks cause dropouts in the print.

Changing the ITB requires removal of all the cartridges and the cartridge drawer. There are two cartridge drawer retainers which are rotated to allow the entire drawer to be removed.

The right cover, left cover and rear-side cover also need to be removed to allow the wire-harness for the ITB to be disconnected. People who are not familiar with computer engineering may need a service technician to do the job for them. Instructions are in the service manual.

Maintenance Kits:

Maintenance kits comprise a fuser and a paper feed repair kit. HP themselves generally don't seem to provide maintenance kits for the Color Laserjet series. The argument may be that the wear rate on the fuser depends on page cover whilst the pickup and feed rollers are not affected so the fact that the fuser needs replacing does not imply that the feed rollers also need attention.

If you do have both a fuser problem and paper feed problems then buy the fuser and the feed rollers.

Spares:

The spares most likely to be needed are the pickup and feed rollers. The list given here covers all the printers in the series.

RM1-4426 Paper pickup roller D-shaped. Used in the CP1215, CP1515N, CP1518NI, CM1312, CM2320 and CP2025. - RM1-4426-000CN

RM1-4425 Feed/separation roller. Used in the CP1215, CP1515N, CP1518NI and CM1312. RM1-4425-000CN

RM1-4445-Secondary transfer roller for the CP1215, CP1515N and CP1518NI and CM1312 MFP. RM1-4445-000CN

See below for instructions on how to change the rollers.

Trays:

Paper trays are fairly complicated plastic assemblies and often get damaged.

RM1-4439 Tray (cassette) assembly for the CLJ CP1210 series (ie the CP1215) - RM1-4439-000CN

RM1-4440 Tray (cassette) assembly for the CLJ CP1510 series - CP1515N and CP1518NI. - RM1-4440-000CN

RM1-4922 150 sheet multipurpose paper input tray (cassette) for the CLJ CM1312 MFP and CLJ CM1312nfi MFP. RM1-4922-000CN

RM1-4428 Cartridge tray (drawer) assembly for the CP1215, CP1515, CP1518NI and CM1312MFP. RM1-4428-000CN

Paper Handling for Scanner:

The ADF for the scanner on the CM1312 Multi Functional Printer wears out in the same way as other printer rollers. The assembly can be replaced.

CC431-60131 Automatic document feeder (ADF) assembly for the CM1312 MFP and CM1312nfi MFP. (HP say no longer Supplied) - CC431-60131

Electronics

Printer electronics are normally robust and reliable.

RM1-4468 - Control panel assembly. For the Color LaserJet CP1210 series printer. RM1-4468-000CN

RM1-4469 - Control panel assembly - For the Color LaserJet CP1510 series printer CP1515N and CP1518NI. RM1-4469-000CN

RM1-4813 - DC Controller PC board for the CP1210 series CP1215. RM1-4813-050CN

RM1-4811 - DC controller PC board for the CP1515N and CP1518NI RM1-4811-050CN

RM1-5313 DC controller PCA assembly for the CM1312MFP and CM1312nfi MFP. - RM1-5313-050CN

RM1-4816 Low Voltage Power Supply 220-240VAC Operation for the CP1215, CP1515N and CP1518NI printers. RM1-4816-000CN

RM1-5316 Low voltage power supply assembly 220-240VAC Operation for the CM1312MFP and CM1312nfi MFP. RM1-5316-000CN

RM1-4777 Power supply - For the 220-240VAC (+/- 10%) fusing assembly CP1215, CP1515N, CP1518NI, CM1312MFP and CM1312nfi MFP. RM1-4777-000CN

RM1-4689 - High voltage power supply PC board assembly for the CP1215, CP1515N, CP1518NI and CM1312 MFP. RM1-4689-000CN

CB505-60001 - Formatter (Main logic) board - For the Color LaserJet CP1210 series printer - CB505-60001

CB479-60001 - Formatter (Main logic) board - For the Color LaserJet CP1510 series printers CP1515N and CP1518NI CB479-60001

CC397-60001 - Formatter (main logic) board - For base model CM1312MFP only. CC397-60001

RK2-1955 Flexible flat cable connecting the DC controller. Used in the CP1215, CP1515, CP1518NI, CM1312MFP and CM1312nfi MFP. RK2-1955-000CN

RC2-3108 Left side cartridge tray clamp for the CP1215, CP1512N, CP1518NI and CM1312MFP RC2-3108-000CN

RC2-3109 Right side cartridge tray clamp for the CP1215, CP1512N, CP1518NI and CM1312MFP RC2-3109-000CN

CC430-00027 Formatter bracket for the CM1312MFP. For base model only. CC430-00027

CC430-60109 Scanner lid assembly - Top door that covers the scanner glass - For base model CM1312MFP only

CC430-67903 Flatbed scanner assembly for Color LaserJet CM1312 MFP - Includes flatbed scanner frame and glass

Errors & Bugs

HP's Service Manual suggests calibration as the first step in dealing with print quality problems. There are several parameters (mostly voltages) which the printer can adjust to control the quantity of toner transfered at each step of printing. The printer uses density and registration sensors to automatically calibrate for operation. Automatic calibration runs every 48 hours by default. To set a calibration away:

With the printer plugged in and connected via USB or the network. Open the Toolbox software. Click Device Settings and Print Quality In the area for Color Calibration select Calibrate Now. Click Apply and the printer will run its calibration process.

The CP1210 and CP1510 Series User Guides have a substantial section on problem solving. HP tends to restrict service manuals to engineers who have undertaken their training courses.

If the automatic calibration doesn't succeed or the printer reports an error the following information may be helpful.

Printing occurs in the sequence Yellow, Magenta, Cyan and Black onto the Intermediate Transfer Belt. The belt runs towards the front of the printer, round and back to the rear where it is contacted by the secondary transfer roller. The transfer roller strips the image off the belt and onto the page. A cleaning brush then removes surplus toner.

Problems relating to the rollers are usually repetitive. The following list derived from the Service Manual gives the circumference of the rollers and the pitch of repetitive faults.

Error Messages

Look in the status log for more details on these errors.

The suggested first attempt cure for many of these errors is to turn the printer off, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on. If the fault can be cleared the startup process may do it.

The printer also maintains a Status / Event Log and lists the last five events on the status page. The events are similar to some of the errors listed above in greater detail.

Error log code Description

Service:

The service menu provides calibration, default settings and a utility to clean the paper path.On the CP1510 the service menu is accessible from the control panel.On the CP1210 Series it is accessible through the Toolbox.

There is also a Secondary Service Menu intended for engineer use only

It produces

How To Change the Rollers

The procedure to change the rollers is different for the CP1215 and the CP1518 because the former lacks an LCD on the control panel. The printer has to be told to rotate the rollers into the "change" position.

CLJ_CP1210: - With power OFF press and hold the Resume Button. Turn the power on, and release the Resume button after 30 seconds (not more than 40 seconds) . The control panel lights will cycle on and off when the rollers have rotated to position. Turn the power off.

CLJ_CP1510: - Hold left-arrow and cancel to open the Secondary Service Menu. Use the arrow buttons to select pick roller and press OK. Press OK again to confirm that the pick roller is to rotate. Turn the power off.

Remove the 150 sheet input tray.

The service manual recommends placing the printer on it's back, front side up. If the printer is a CM1312 take care that the scanner lid does not fall back suddenly and that nothing on the work-surface scatches the printer. It may also be worth noting that the CP2025 manual recommends NOT placing the printer on its back as toner may contaminate the laser-scanner mirrors and they are not replaceable. Perhaps work with the printer in a raised position using books or suchlike to prop it up.

Pickup roller. Release the two plastic locking tabs by pushing them outwards from the roller.

Separation roller. Release the two cover locking pins and then remove the cover. Now release the roller holder.

How to Change the transfer rollers:

Open the rear door of the printer. The transfer roller is the foam textured long roller on top.

At each end of the roller rotate the retaining clip until it aligns with a slot in it's bracket, it will then slide off the shaft. Note which clip is at which end, one is conductive and must be replaced in the right position.


Options and Accessories:


These printers are at the "budget" end of the market and do not support extra trays or a duplex unit.

CABLE-USB - 215 5 Metre Standard USB Printer Cable - A to B

CABLE-USB - 213 - 3 Metre Standard USB Printer Cable - A to B

Q6259A - Wireless Upgrade Kit

CC378-60101 USB Cable for Photo Card PCA on CLJ CP1518NI. CC378-60101

Copyright G Huskinson & MindMachine Associates Ltd 2012