Calibrate color

If you are not satisfied with the appearance of colors, you can calibrate the colors manually to ensure the best print quality.

NOTE: Calibrate the color only when the tri-color and photo ink cartridges are installed together. The photo ink cartridge is available for purchase as an optional accessory. For more information, see HP supplies and accessories.

TIP: If you are using a Windows Mobile device, you can calibrate the color using the Toolbox software for PDAs. For more information, see Toolbox software for PDAs (Microsoft Windows Mobile).

Color calibration balances color tints on printed pages. It is only necessary if:

•Printed colors have visibly shifted toward yellow, cyan or magenta.

•There is a color tinge in the gray shades.

Low ink levels in the ink cartridges might also produce incorrect colors.

•Toolbox (Windows): Open Toolbox. For more information, see Toolbox (Windows). Click the Services tab, and then click Calibrate Color and follow the onscreen instructions.

•HP Utility (Mac OS X): Open HP Utility. For more information, see HP Utility (Mac OS X). Click Calibrate Color and follow the onscreen instructions.

Clean the ink cartridges

If printed characters are incomplete, or if dots or lines are missing from the printouts, you might need to clean the ink cartridges. These are symptoms of clogged ink nozzles, which can result from prolonged exposure to air.

NOTE: Before you clean the ink cartridges, make sure the ink cartridge ink levels are not low. Low ink levels can also cause incomplete characters, missing lines, or dots on the printouts. Check the ink cartridge lights to make sure they are not on.

For more information, see Control panel lights reference. You can also check the status of the ink cartridges from the Printer Status tab in Toolbox (Windows), HP Utility (Mac OS X), or Toolbox software for PDAs. Replace any low ink cartridges. For more information, see Replace the ink cartridges.

This section contains the following topics:

•To clean ink cartridges automatically

To clean ink cartridges automatically

NOTE: Clean the ink cartridges only when print quality is poor. Cleaning uses ink and shortens the life of the ink cartridges. There are three levels of cleaning available. After one level of cleaning, perform the next level of cleaning only if the results are not satisfactory.

Ink cartridge maintenance