Poor print quality
First try these general steps when you see poor print quality.
Check the printheads and ink cartridges
zReplace any clogged or worn printheads or low or empty ink cartridges (See “Maintaining ink cartridges and printheads”.) Then try to print again.
Check the paper quality
zThe paper might be too moist or too rough. Make sure that the media you are using meets HP specifications. (See “Selecting print media”.) Then try to print again.
Check the rollers that are inside of the printer
zThe rollers inside of the printer might be dirty, causing lines or smudges to appear on your printout. Turn off the printer, unplug the power cord, and clean the rollers inside of the printer with isopropyl alcohol on a
See the next sections for more specific problems:
zMeaningless characters print
zInk is smearing
zInk is not filling the text or graphics completely
zOutput is faded or dull colored
zColors are printing as black and white
zWrong colors are printing
zPrintout shows bleeding colors
zColors do not line up properly
zLines or dots are missing from text or graphics
Meaningless characters print
Check the cable connection
zA common cause for meaningless characters is a poor cable connection between the printer and computer. Make sure that the cable connection at both ends is good and that the cable is securely fastened.
zIf you are using a parallel cable or USB cable and the problem persists after you have checked the connection, turn off the printer and disconnect the cable from the printer. Turn the printer back on without the connection in place. When the Power light is on and not flashing, reconnect the cable.
Check the document file
zOccasionally, a document file is damaged. If you can print other documents from the same application, try to print using a backup copy of your document, if available.
Check the symbol set
zIf you are using DOS, use the DJCP to set the appropriate symbol set for the language of your document.
Cancel the job
zAfter an interruption has occurred to a job that is printing, the printer might not recognize the rest of the job. Cancel the current job and wait for the printer to return to the Ready state. If the printer does not return to the Ready state, cancel all job processes and wait again. When the printer returns to the Ready state, resend the job. If prompted at the computer to retry the job, click Cancel.
ENWW |