Printing System Tr oubleshooting The Printing System
The Printing System
Printing systems contain hardware and software components which must
work together properly before printing can take place. The printer driver
provides the interface between the software applications that support
printing, the computer’s hardware, and the printer. The basic printing
system consists of the following:
1. Host computer (PC or Macintosh)
2. Application software (word processing, graphics design, desktop
publishing, etc.)
3. Printer driver (specific to your printer and, in some cases, your
application software)
4. Printer cable
5. Printer (HP DeskJet or DeskWriter)
6. The paper or other media upon which printing will take place
Note
HP ColorSmart printer drivers not only provide the hardware/software
interface, but also allow bi-directional communication between the printer
and the computer. Bi-directional communication allows printing information
to flow from the computer to the printer, and printer status and error
information to flow back from the printer to the computer.
Printing systems in networks may contain a somewhat
different configuration of hardware and software.
Resolving Printing System Problems
Many printer problems and their solutions are reported in error messages
that appear on the computer’s screen. When one of these messages is
received, follow the instructions given. Check the HP DeskJet Status
Monitor (MS Windows users) or the Print Monitor (Macintosh) for
information on the current status of the printer.
If you haven’t received an error message on the computer’s screen but
have noted a problem with your printer, read through the troubleshooting
topics that follow to find one that matches your printer’s symptoms.
Printing System Tr oubleshooting Troubleshooting Hints
Troubleshooting Hints
The table below describes DeskJet and DeskWriter printing system
problems along with their causes and solutions.
Note
To save time diagnosing printing system problems, the
Possible Cause column in the table below is given with the
most likely cause listed first. If the printing system does not
respond correctly after trying the first solution, proceed the
next, etc.
Printing System Problems, Causes and Solutions
Problem Possible Cause Solution
Printer does
not print.
(Power light
on, Form Feed
light off)
Continued on next page
The printer driver is
still preparing data
to send to the
printer.
The interface
connection or the
interface cable has
failed.
Failure of the host
computer.
The problem is
caused by TSR
programs or the
application
software.
Wait a few minutes. Some computers take several
minutes of processing time before sending any data
to the printer.
1. Verify the interface cable is an approved interface
cable. (Must conform to IEEE 1284-B standards)
2. The interface cable may be faulty. Check the
interface cable connections or try another
interface cable.
3. Wrong interface connection. For example, the
printer is connected to the serial port (e.g. COM1)
rather than a parallel interface port.
1. Verify the host is operating correctly by printing to
another printer.
2. The computer-to-printer connection has failed.
Unplug the printer from the host computer and try
printing a self-test. If the self-test prints OK, verify
the host computer and interface cable are
functional by printing to a different printer using
the same printer port and printer cable.
1. Close (or “rem-out”) any screen saver or other
TSR (Terminate Stay Resident) software
programs (such as MacDisk) that are open and
running in the background. Restart your
computer.
2. Your software program is not set up for the
printer. Follow the instructions in your software
program manual for setting up the software to run
with the printer.
Printing System Tr oubleshooting Troubleshooting Hints
Printing System Problems, Causes and Solutions (Cont.)
Problem Possible Cause Solution
Printer does
not print.
(Cont.)
(Power light is
on, the Form
Feed light is
off)
Continued on next page
The wrong printer is
selected
The problem is
caused by the
printer driver.
The printer’s name
does not appear in
the Installed
Printers list in the
Printers dialog box
in the MS Windows
Control Panel.
The problem is
caused by the
application software
or the printer driver.
(MS Windows) Open the Printers dialog box in the
MS Windows Control Panel and verify that the
correct printer is selected. (An on-screen message
may ask you to open Page Setup in your
application.)
(Macintosh) Open the Chooser, select the correct
printer, and close the Chooser. (An on-screen
message may ask you to open Page Setup in your
application.)
It may be necessary to reinstall the printer driver
software using the instructions from the setup card.
1. Close all TSRs (screen savers and other software
that runs in the background).
2. Exit and then restart MS Windows.
3. Verify all TSRs remained closed.
4. Reinstall the printer driver using the instructions
from the setup card.
1. Restart Windows and print the self-test from the
HP Toolbox.
2. Verify the proper printer driver and parallel port
are selected. The printer driver’s name should
appear in the Installed Printers dialog box.
3. Close any screen saver or other TSR (Terminate
Stay Resident) software programs that are open
and running in the background. Restart your
computer.
4. It may be necessary to reinstall the printer driver
software using the instructions from the setup
card.
5. Your software program is not set up for the
printer. Follow the instructions in your software
program manual for setting up the software to run
with the printer.
Printing System Tr oubleshooting Troubleshooting Hints
Printing System Problems, Causes and Solutions (Cont.)
Problem Possible Cause Solution
The printer does
not print.
(All lights are
blinking)
The printout
contains garbled
or strange text
characters (such
as hearts or
smiling faces), or
contains distorted
graphic images.
The paper does
not eject from the
printer.
Continued on next page
The printer-tocomputer
connection failed.
The printer has
failed.
The wrong printer
may be selected.
The printer-tocomputer
connection failed.
The printer did
not receive a
form-feed
command.
1. Switch off the printer, disconnect the printer
cable, switch the printer on.
2. If the Power light comes on and the Form Feed
light remain off, print a sample page.
3. If the sample page prints, the printer is not the
problem.
4. Reconnect the printer cable and re-send the file.
5. If the problem persists, the problem may be with
the printer cable, the cable connections, or the
computer port. (First, try another printer cable.)
1. Switch off the printer, disconnect the printer
cable, switch the printer on.
2. If all lights begin blinking again, the printer is
faulty.
Verify that the proper printer driver is selected. The
printer driver’s name should appear in the installed
printer’s dialog box (MS Windows) or the Chooser
menu (Macintosh).
1. Switch off the printer, disconnect the printer
cable, and switch the printer on.
2. Print a self-test (or demo) page.
3. If the self-test page prints, the printer is not the
problem.
4. Reconnect the printer cable and re-send the file
to the printer.
5. If the printout is still garbled, the problem may be
with the printer cable, the cable connections, or
the computer host. Try another printer cable. Try
a different computer.
If the software does not send automatic form-feed
commands, press the Form Feed key on the printer
to initiate a manual form-feed.
Printing System Tr oubleshooting Troubleshooting Hints
Printing System Problems, Causes and Solutions (Cont.)
Problem Possible Cause Solution
The colors in the
printout do not
match the colors
on the host
computer’s
monitor.
The printout
contains faint or
fuzzy print.
The printer driver
settings may not be
correct for your
monitor.
The printer driver
settings, the pens,
or the selected
media may be
faulty.
Verify that your print cartridges are at room
temperature and have plenty of ink, then try the
following:
1. Verify that Complex Color Printing or Color
Match option is selected in the Options menu of
the Printer Setup menu.
2. Try a different dithering method. See the
“User’s Guide” for your printer for dithering
recommendations.
Verify the print cartridges are at room temperature,
and have plenty of ink. Verify that the print settings
are appropriate for the media selected. Make sure
the correct print settings are selected in the printer
driver. (The printer driver settings should appear in
the Installed Printers dialog box.)
Printing System Troubleshooting Printer Tr oubleshooting Hints
Printer Troubleshooting Hints
Troubleshooting Tools
The following table lists the tools needed for general printer maintenance.
Recommended Troubleshooting Tools and Supplies
Tool Purpose
Tissue Print Cartridge Cleaning Operations.
Lint -free cloth Cleaning the Printer and the Print Cartridge Contacts.
Computer vacuum Loosening and removing paper dust and other particulate matter
from the interior of the printer.
Distilled water Used for all cleaning purposes requiring water.
HP Toolbox (MS Windows Users)
HP Toolbox helps you diagnose and solve common printing problems. To
access HP Toolbox, double-click the Toolbox icon in the HP DeskJet
Utilities program group. Then follow the symptoms and solutions that
apply.
Note
Instead of the HP Toolbox, earlier versions of MS Windows
printer drivers used Dr. DeskJet which performed similar
functions. To access Dr. DeskJet, double-click the Dr. DeskJet
icon in the HP DeskJet Utilities program group. Then follow
the symptoms and solutions that apply.
Printing System Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Flowcharts
Troubleshooting Flowcharts
Troubleshooting Flowcharts - Power-On Section
Power-On Section
Start
Turn on the printer
1. Verify the power module is plugged into a powered AC receptacle.
Power light
turns on?
No
2. Verify the power module is plugged into the printer.
3. Check the power module with another printer.
4. Unplug the interface cable.
Yes
Printer noisy?
No
Carriage Moves
& Power/Ready light
on steady?
Yes
1. Check for carriage obstruction.
2. Check for missing/incorrect print cartridge.
Go to the
Self-Test section of
the Flowchart
Yes
No
No
Yes
Power light
turns on?
No
Still Noisy?
1. Verify the computer is on.
No
2. Disconnect the printer from the computer.
Yes
Yes
See Printer Diagnostic Information/Error Light
Indications.
Yes N o
1. Check for obstructions or loose parts.
2. Determine noise is excessive for product
Control panel
light(s) flashing?
Still flashing?
Yes
Lights Flashing?
Lights On?
Yes
Return for service.
Return for service.
No
Return for service.
Printing System Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Flowcharts
Troubleshooting Flowcharts - Self-Test Section
Self-Test Section
Run the printing
self-test
Does the
self-test match the
example in Printer
Diagnostic
Information?
No
Control panel
lights flashing?
Yes
See Printer Diagnostic Information/Error
Light Indications
Yes
Printer noisy?
No
Go to the Macintosh or
PC Connect Sections
of the Flowchart
Yes
Yes
No
Is the printout
complete?
Yes
Is the print
quality good?
1. Check for obstructions or loose parts
2. Determine noise is excessive for product
No
No
No
Still Noisy?
Yes
Return for service
See Print Quality Problems
Return for service
Printing System Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Flowcharts
Troubleshooting Flowcharts - PC Connect Section
PC Connect Section
From t he Self- Test
Section
Can standard
ASCII text be printed
(dir, edit)?
Yes
Print from
an MS Windows
Application?
Yes
At this point, the
printer should be
operating norm ally.
Howeve r, if it is n o t,
return it for service
along with a complete
description of t he
problem.
No
No
1. Reconnect t he int er f ace cable.
2. Try anot her int er f ace cable.
3. Verify t he pr int er and com put er ar e pr oper ly conf igur ed.
4. Try t he pr int er with anot her com put er .
Yes
Yes
Print ASCII text?
1. Check that t he dr iver v ers ion is correc t .
2. Check the conf igur at ion in the M S Windows contr ol panel.
Print from MS
Windows?
No
No
Return printer for service and
document t he er r or and it s
symptom s . See “W ar r ant y and
Support I nf or m at ion” for mor e
Return for service
information.
Printing System Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Flowcharts
Troubleshooting Flowcharts - Macintosh Connect Section
Macintosh Connect Section
From t he Self- Test
Section
1. Verify t he c or r ect pr int er is selected in t he Chooser ( AppleTalk or
Prints from a
Macintosh
Computer?
Yes
Serial).
2. If AppleTalk, ver ify t hat AppleTalk is active in the Chooser.
No
3. If c onnect ed ser ially, ver ify t hat AppleTalk is inactive in the Chooser.
4. Verify t he c or r ect por t is select ed in the Chooser .
5. Reconnect t he int er f ace cable.
6. Try anot her int er f ace cable.
7. Try t he pr int er with anot her com put er
At this point, the printer
should be operating
nor mally. Howe v er, if it is
not, return the printer for
service and document t he
error and its s ym pt om s.
See “Warr ant y and
Support I nf or m at ion.
Yes
Print ok ?
No
Return for Service
Printing System Troubleshooting Macintosh Tr oubleshooting
Macintosh Troubleshooting
Note HP periodically provides updates of the printer software. These
updates may include enhancements that improve printer
performance.
Problems and Solutions
Problem Solution
Printer won’t print Open the Chooser and verify that the correct printer is selected.
Printer icon does not appear
on the left side of the
Chooser.
The printer name does not
appear on the right side of
the Chooser or the HP
DeskWriter family printer is
not listed.
Power light is On, the
Resume light is Off.
Make sure that the printer is turned on.
Make sure that the printer driver icon is in the Extensions
Folder.
Make sure the printer is turned on.
Open the Chooser and make sure AppleTalk is active.
Check that the correct printer is in the Chooser, then close all
applications and restart. If this doesn’t work it may be necessary
to reinstall the printer driver software.
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