Product

• Print Console
• All MCE versions used with Spectrum proofing devices
• MPE versions 2.2.5 and later used with Spectrum proofing devices
• Media Console: all versions
• All Trendsetter^® output devices using the Spectrum option

Symptoms

Jobs fail.

• If you are working in the Media Console service mode (using the Media Console GUI to harvest data from device slots, capture data in the Media Console database, add new media, or tune existing media), you may receive a pop-up error describing the problem.
• If the problem occurs while Media Console is working in production mode (transparently, with Print Console calling Media Console in the background), you will need to check the Print Console History pane to find out why the job failed.

Cause

Print Console is failing jobs because information in the Media Console database does not match information in the firmware. There are two types of information that may cause the error:

• Serial number of the head: After swapping a head, the Media Console database must be updated with the serial number of the new head, but this step sometimes does not get carried out in the field.
• Media names: Media names stored in the Media Console database do not match the media names set up in the firmware. Jobs fail because Print Console can't find the media name. This problem involves three components:
  • Media Console: The firmware has 16 slots for media information. If a customer uses more than 16 media types, they can use Media Console (which has a much larger database) to store media parameters.
  • media_manager option in the firmware: If a customer is using Media Console, the media_manager option must be enabled in the firmware. When this option is enabled, Print Console automatically reads media parameters from the Media Console database.
  • MSTC utility: MSTC.exe is a utility that converts legacy media names (such as Kodak IR) to new media names (such as Kodak Gold). Unless it is disabled, it always runs as part of begin.inf on a device that has the Spectrum option, even if the media manager option is not enabled in the firmware. If MSTC.exe changes media names, it sets up the mismatch problem.

  Component	More than 16 media types	16 or fewer media types
  Media Console	Needed	Not needed
  media_manager option in firmware	Must be enabled	Doesn’t matter whether it is enabled or disabled
  MSTC.exe	Needed	Causes the problem if it runs when Media Console is installed and the media_manager firmware option is disabled. If media_manager is disabled, Media Console must be uninstalled or MSTC.exe must be commented out of the Print Console begin.inf file.

Solution

If the problem is head serial numbers that are different in the firmware and the Media Console database:

1. Check to see if the head has been swapped recently. If so, confirm that the media database was updated after the swap.
2. If the media database was not updated after the head swap, update it now, following the instructions in this document: Media Console Device Changes.

If the problem is mismatched media names:

1. If media_manager is disabled in the firmware, do one of the following:
   • Uninstall Media Console.
   • Comment out MSTC in the Print Console begin.inf file.
2. Go to the Print Console Media Sizes pane and reselect an appropriate device media.

Technical contact(s)

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