HP Officejet Pro K550 User Guide

HP Officejet Pro K550 Series

User Guide

HP Officejet Pro K550 Series

User Guide

Copyright Information

© 2005 Copyright Hewlett-Packard
Development Company, L.P.

Edition 1, 10/2005

Reproduction, adaptation or translation
without prior written permission is
prohibited, except as allowed under the
copyright laws.

The information contained herein is subject
to change without notice.

The only warranties for HP products and
services are set forth in the express
warranty statements accompanying such
products and services. Nothing herein
should be construed as constituting an
additional warranty. HP shall not be liable
for technical or editorial errors or omissions
contained herein.

Trademark Credits

Microsoft

®

, Windows®, and Windows NT

®

are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.

Windows Connect NowTM is a registered
trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

®

and NetWare® are registered

Novell
trademarks of Novell Corporation.

®

Pentium

is a registered trademark of Intel

Corporation.

®

and Acrobat® are registered

Adobe
trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporate.

SecureEasySetupTM is a registered
trademark of HP, BroadCom and LinkSys.

Safety Information

Always follow basic safety precautions
when using this product to reduce risk of
injury from fire or electric shock.

1. Read and understand all instructions in
the documentation that comes with the
printer.

2. Use only a grounded electrical outlet
when connecting this product to a power
source. If you do not know whether the
outlet is grounded, check with a qualified
electrician.

3. Observe all warnings and instructions
marked on the product.

4. Unplug this product from wall outlets
before cleaning.

5. Do not install or use this product near
water, or when you are wet.

6. Install the product securely on a stable
surface.

7. Install the product in a protected location
where no one can step on or trip over the
line cord, and the line cord cannot be
damaged.

8. If the product does not operate normally,
see

Maintaining and troubleshooting.

9. There are no user-serviceable parts
inside. Refer servicing to qualified service
personnel.

Table of contents

1 Getting started

Finding other resources for the product .................................................................................................2

Accessibility.............................................................................................................................................4

Understanding the printer parts...............................................................................................................5

Front view................................................................................................................................5

Control panel...........................................................................................................................6

Back view................................................................................................................................7

2 Installing the accessories

Installing the duplex unit........................................................................................................................10

Installing tray 2.......................................................................................................................................11

3 Using the printer

Selecting print media.............................................................................................................................14

Loading media.......................................................................................................................................19

Configuring trays....................................................................................................................................21

Changing print settings..........................................................................................................................22

Canceling a print job..............................................................................................................................23

Printing on both sides (duplexing).........................................................................................................24

Printing on special and custom-sized media.........................................................................................26

Tips for selecting and using print media...............................................................................14

Understanding specifications for supported media..............................................................15

Understanding supported sizes...........................................................................15

Understanding supported media types and weights............................................17

Setting minimum margins.....................................................................................................17

To change settings from an application for current jobs (Windows)....................................22

To change default settings for all future jobs (Windows)......................................................22

To change settings (Mac OS)...............................................................................................22

Guidelines for printing on both sides of a page....................................................................24

To perform duplexing (Windows)..........................................................................................24

To perform automatic duplexing (Mac OS)...........................................................................25

To print on special or custom-sized media (Windows).........................................................26

To print on special or custom-sized media (Mac OS)..........................................................26

4 Maintaining and troubleshooting

Replacing the ink cartridges..................................................................................................................30

Maintaining the printheads....................................................................................................................31

To check printhead health....................................................................................................31

To print the print quality diagnostic page..............................................................................31

ENWW iii

To align the printheads.........................................................................................................33

To calibrate the linefeed.......................................................................................................33

To clean the printheads........................................................................................................33

To clean the printhead contacts manually............................................................................34

To replace the printheads.....................................................................................................36

Calibrating the color...............................................................................................................................37

Troubleshooting tips and resources......................................................................................................38

General troubleshooting tips..................................................................................................................39

Resolving printing problems..................................................................................................................40

Printer shuts down unexpectedly..........................................................................................40

All printer lights are on..........................................................................................................40

Printer is not responding (nothing prints)..............................................................................40

Printer does not accept printhead.........................................................................................41

Printer takes a long time to print...........................................................................................41

Blank page printed................................................................................................................42

Something on the page is missing or incorrect.....................................................................42

Placement of the text or graphics is wrong...........................................................................42

Poor print quality and unexpected printouts..........................................................................................44

Poor quality printouts............................................................................................................44

Meaningless characters print................................................................................................44

Ink is smearing......................................................................................................................45

Ink is not filling the text or graphics completely....................................................................45

Output is faded or dull colored..............................................................................................45

Colors are printing as black and white..................................................................................46

Wrong colors are printing......................................................................................................46

Printout shows bleeding colors.............................................................................................46

Colors do not line up properly...............................................................................................46

Lines or dots are missing from text or graphics....................................................................46

Resolving paper-feed problems............................................................................................................47

Tray cannot be inserted .......................................................................................................47

Another paper-feed problem is occurring.............................................................................47

Resolving printer management problems..............................................................................................49

Embedded Web server cannot be opened...........................................................................49

Troubleshooting installation issues.......................................................................................................50

Problems printing an alignment page...................................................................................50

Problems installing software.................................................................................................50

Problems connecting to a network........................................................................................50

Problems connecting to a wired network..............................................................................51

Problems setting up or using wireless communication.........................................................51

Clearing jams.........................................................................................................................................54

To clear a jam.......................................................................................................................54

To avoid jams........................................................................................................................56

5 Printer lights reference

Interpreting control panel lights.............................................................................................................58

Interpreting network connector lights....................................................................................................62

6 Configuring and managing the printer

Managing the printer..............................................................................................................................66

Overview of printer management tasks ...............................................................................66

iv ENWW

Monitor the printer................................................................................................67

Administer the printer...........................................................................................67

Configure network settings...................................................................................68

Overview of printer management tools.................................................................................69

Embedded Web server........................................................................................69

To open the embedded Web server....................................................69

Embedded Web server pages.............................................................69

Toolbox (Windows)..............................................................................................70

To open the Toolbox...........................................................................70

Toolbox tabs .......................................................................................70

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS)..................................................................................71

To open the HP Printer Utility..............................................................71

HP Printer Utility panels......................................................................72

Network Printer Setup Utility (Mac OS)................................................................72

HP Web Jetadmin software.................................................................................72

HP Instant Support...............................................................................................73

Security and privacy............................................................................73

To gain access to HP Instant Support.................................................74

myPrintMileage....................................................................................................74

Understanding the configuration page .................................................................................................75

Configuring the printer (Windows).........................................................................................................79

Direct connection..................................................................................................................79

To install the software before connecting the printer (recommended)................79

To connect the printer before installing the software...........................................80

To share the printer on a locally shared network.................................................80

Network Connection..............................................................................................................81

To install a network printer...................................................................................81

To install the printing software on client computers.............................................82

To install the printer driver using Add Printer.......................................................82

Configuring the printer (Mac OS)..........................................................................................................83

To install the software for network or direct connection (Mac OS X (10.2, 10.3, 10.4))......83

To share the printer on a locally shared network (Mac OS X (10.2, 10.3, 10.4)).................83

Setting up the printer for wireless communication (HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn)..................................85

Understanding 802.11 wireless network settings.................................................................85

To set up the printer on an ad hoc network (Mac OS).........................................................87

To set up the printer for wireless communication (Windows)...............................................87

To set up wireless communication using SecureEasySetup (SES).....................................88

To set up wireless communication for multiple printers (Windows only)..............................89

To turn off wireless communication......................................................................................89

Guidelines for reducing interference on a wireless network.................................................90

Guidelines for ensuring wireless network security...............................................................90

Uninstalling the printer software............................................................................................................92

To uninstall the printer software (Windows) ........................................................................92

To uninstall the printer software (Mac OS)...........................................................................92

Appendix A HP supplies and accessories

Ordering printing supplies online...........................................................................................................96

Accessories...........................................................................................................................................97

Supplies.................................................................................................................................................98

ENWW v

Appendix B Support and warranty

Obtaining electronic support................................................................................................................100

Obtaining HP telephone support.........................................................................................................101

Before you call....................................................................................................................101

Telephone support numbers...............................................................................................101

Hewlett-Packard limited warranty statement.......................................................................................105

Extent of limited warranty...................................................................................................105

Limitations of warranty........................................................................................................106

Limitations of liability...........................................................................................................106

Local law.............................................................................................................................106

HP Inkjet Supplies - Warranty Quick Reference.................................................................................108

Is your product covered under warranty?...........................................................................108

HP Inkjet Supplies Expiration.............................................................................................108

How do you return a product?............................................................................................108

Appendix C Printer specifications

Appendix D Regulatory information

FCC statement.....................................................................................................................................116

Shielded cables...................................................................................................................116

Exposure to radio frequency radiation................................................................................116

Other regulatory information................................................................................................................117

Regulatory information for wireless products......................................................................................118

Notice to users in Canada/Note à l'attention des utilisateurs Canadien............................118

Notice to users in Brail/Notificação de Normas de Uso de Dispositivos Sem Fio do

Brasil...................................................................................................................................118

Notice to users in Italy........................................................................................................118

Notice to users in France....................................................................................................118

Notice to users in the European Union...............................................................................119

Declaration of conformity.....................................................................................................................120

Environmental sustainability program.................................................................................................122

Reduction and elimination..................................................................................................122

Power consumption............................................................................................................122

Material safety data sheets.................................................................................................122

Recycling............................................................................................................................123

Product packaging.............................................................................................123

Plastics...............................................................................................................123

Disposal of waste equipment by users in private households in the

European Union ................................................................................................123

HP products and supplies..................................................................................123

Index....................................................................................................................................................................125

vi ENWW

1 Getting started

Thank you for buying the printer. This guide provides details about how to use the printer and to
resolve printer and printing problems.

This section contains the following information:

Finding other resources for the product

●

Accessibility

●

Understanding the printer parts

●

ENWW 1

Finding other resources for the product

You can obtain product information and further troubleshooting resources that are not included in this
guide from the following resources:

Resource Description Location

Setup poster

Getting started guide

Readme file and release notes

Embedded Web server (network
connection)

Toolbox (Microsoft® Windows®)

Provides illustrated setup information. A printed version of the document is

provided with the printer. Also, an
electronic version is available as an

®

Adobe

Acrobat® Portable Document
Format (PDF) document on the Starter
CD.

Provides instructions for setting up the
printer and information about the
warranty and safety issues.

Provide late-breaking information and
troubleshooting tips.

Allows you to view status information,
change settings, and manage the
printer from any computer on the
network.

See Embedded Web server.

Provides information about printhead
health and access to printer
maintenance services.

See

Toolbox (Windows).

Included as a printed guide in the box
with the printer.

Included on the Starter CD.

Available through any standard Web
browser.

The Toolbox is normally installed with
the printer software, if you choose an
installation option that includes it.

Printer-driver onscreen Help (Windows)

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS) The HP Printer Utility contains tools to

HP Instant Support Helps you quickly identify, diagnose,

Control panel Provides status, error, and warning

Provides an explanation of the features
in the printer driver.

configure print settings, calibrate the
printer, clean the printheads, print the
configuration page of the printer, order
supplies online, and find support
information from the website. You can
also configure settings for wireless
printing.

See

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS).

and resolve printing problems.

See HP Instant Support.

information about printer operations.

Available from the printer driver.

The HP Printer Utility is normally
installed with the printer software.

Available through any standard Web
browser or through the Toolbox
(Windows).

See Printer lights reference.

2 Chapter 1 Getting started ENWW

Resource Description Location

Logs and reports Provides information about events that

have occurred.

Configuration page Shows printer information (such as the

product name, model number, serial
number, and firmware version
number), the accessories that are
installed (such as the duplex unit), and
the number of pages printed from the
trays and accessories, as well as the
ink level information, and the printhead
health status. If the printer is connected
to a network, an additional network
configuration page is available.

Print quality diagnostic page Diagnoses issues affecting the print

quality of the printer, and helps you
decide whether to run any
maintenance tools to improve the print
quality of your printouts.

HP websites Provide the latest printer software, and

product and support information.

HP telephone support Lists information to contact HP. During

the warranty period, this support is
often free of charge.

See Monitor the printer.

See Understanding the configuration

page.

See To print the print quality diagnostic

page.

www.hp.com/support/officejetprok550

www.hp.com

See Obtaining HP telephone support.

ENWW Finding other resources for the product 3

Accessibility

Your HP printer provides a number of features that make it accessible for people with disabilities.

Visual

The printer software is accessible for users with visual impairments or low vision through the use of
your operating system's accessibility options and features. It also supports most assistive technology
such as screen readers, Braille readers, and voice-to-text applications. For users who are color blind,
colored buttons and tabs used in the software and on the HP printer have simple text or icon labels
that convey the appropriate action.

Mobility

For users with mobility impairments, the printer software functions can be executed through
keyboard commands. The software also supports Windows accessibility options such as StickyKeys,
ToggleKeys, FilterKeys, and MouseKeys. The printer doors, buttons, paper trays, and paper guides
can be operated by users with limited strength and reach.

Support

For more details about the accessibility of this product and HP's commitment to product accessibility,
visit HP's Web site at

www.hp.com/accessibility.

For accessibility information for Macintosh operating systems, visit the Apple web site at

www.apple.com/disability.

4 Chapter 1 Getting started ENWW

Understanding the printer parts

Front view

1 Control panel

2 Output tray

3 Paper guides

4 Tray 1

5 Tray 2 (HP Officejet Pro K550dtn/K550dtwn)

6 Ink cartridge cover

7 Ink cartridges

8 Printheads

9 Printhead latch

10 Top cover

ENWW Understanding the printer parts 5

Control panel

For more information about interpreting control-panel lights, see Printer lights reference.

1 Power button and light

2 Configuration Page button

HP Officejet Pro K550dtn

HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn

3 Cancel button

4 Resume button and light

5 Printhead lights

6 Ink cartridge lights

6 Chapter 1 Getting started ENWW

Back view

1 USB host connector (connects to USB devices such as flash drives) (HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn)

2 Network connector (HP Officejet Pro K550dtn/K550dtwn)

3 USB connector

4 Power input

5 Rear access panel (HP Officejet Pro K550)

6 Optional automatic two-sided printing accessory (duplex unit) (HP Officejet Pro K550dtn/K550dtwn)

ENWW Understanding the printer parts 7

8 Chapter 1 Getting started ENWW

2

Installing the accessories

This section contains the following information:

Installing the duplex unit

●

Installing tray 2

●

ENWW 9

Installing the duplex unit

You can print on both sides of a sheet of paper automatically when the optional automatic two-sided
printing accessory (duplex unit) is installed on the printer. The duplex unit comes with the HP
Officejet Pro K550dtn and HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn printers. For information on using the duplex
unit, see

To install a duplex unit

1. Push the buttons on the rear access panel and remove the panel from the printer.

2. Slide the duplex unit into the printer until the unit locks into place. Do not press the buttons on

Printing on both sides (duplexing). See also Accessories for ordering information.

either side of the duplex unit when installing the unit; use them only for removing the unit from
the printer.

10 Chapter 2 Installing the accessories ENWW

Installing tray 2

Tray 2 can hold up to 350 sheets of plain paper. It comes with the HP Officejet Pro K550dtn and HP
Officejet Pro K550dtwn printers, and is an optional accessory for the HP Officejet Pro K550 printer.

Accessories for ordering information.

See

To install tray 2

1. Unpack the tray, remove the packing tapes and materials, and move the tray to the prepared

location. The surface must be sturdy, level, and located in a well-ventilated area. Allow space
around the printer, including 50 mm (2 inches) for ventilation.

2. Turn off the printer, and disconnect the power cord.

3. Set the printer on top of the tray.

CAUTION Be careful to keep your fingers and hands clear of the bottom of the printer.

4. Connect the power cord and turn on the printer.

ENWW Installing tray 2 11

12 Chapter 2 Installing the accessories ENWW

3 Using the printer

This section provides information on media usage for the printer, changing print settings, and
performing basic printing tasks.

Selecting print media

●

Loading media

●

Configuring trays

●

Changing print settings

●

Canceling a print job

●

Printing on both sides (duplexing)

●

Printing on special and custom-sized media

●

ENWW 13

Selecting print media

The printer is designed to work well with most types of office paper. It is best to test a variety of print
media types before buying large quantities. Use HP media for optimum print quality. Visit HP website

www.hp.com for details on HP media.

at

Tips for selecting and using print media

For the best results, observe the following guidelines.

Always use media that conforms to the printer specifications. See

●

for supported media.

Load only one type of media at a time into a tray.

●

For tray 1 and tray 2, load media print-side down and aligned against the right and back edges of

●

the tray. See

Tray 2 is designed to hold only plain paper.

●

Do not overload the trays. See

●

●

To prevent jams, poor print quality, and other printer problems, avoid the following media:

● Multipart forms

Media that is damaged, curled, or wrinkled

●

Media with cutouts or perforations

●

Media that is heavily textured, embossed, or does not accept ink well

●

Media that is too lightweight or stretches easily

●

Cards and envelopes

Avoid envelopes that have a very slick finish, self-stick adhesives, clasps, or windows. Also avoid

●

cards and envelopes with thick, irregular, or curled edges, or areas that are wrinkled, torn, or
otherwise damaged.

Loading media.

Understanding specifications for supported media.

Understanding specifications

Use tightly constructed envelopes, and make sure the folds are sharply creased.

●

Load envelopes into the printer with the flaps facing up.

●

Photo paper

Use the Best mode to print photographs. Note that in this mode, printing takes longer and more

●

memory is required from your computer.

Remove each sheet as it prints and set it aside to dry. Allowing wet media to stack up may cause

●

smearing.

14 Chapter 3 Using the printer ENWW

Transparencies

Insert transparencies with the rough side down and the adhesive strip pointing towards the back

●

of the printer.

Use the Best mode to print transparencies. This mode provides longer drying time and ensures

●

that the ink dries completely before the next page is delivered to the output tray. Allowing wet
media to stack up may cause smearing.

Custom-sized media

Use only custom-sized media supported by the printer.

●

If your application supports custom-sized media, set the media size in the application before

●

printing the document. If not, set the size in the printer driver. You might need to reformat
existing documents to print them correctly on custom-sized media.

Understanding specifications for supported media

NOTE Tray 2 comes with the HP Officejet Pro K550dtn and HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn

printers.

Understanding supported sizes

Media size Tray 1 Tray 2

Standard paper sizes

U.S. Letter* (216 by 279 mm; 8.5 by 11 inches)

8.5 by 13 inches (216 by 330 mm; 8.5 by 13 inches)

U.S. Legal* (216 by 356 mm; 8.5 by 14 inches)

A4* (210 by 297 mm; 8.3 by 11.7 inches)

U.S. Executive* (184 by 267 mm; 7.25 by 10.5 inches)

U.S. Statement* (140 by 216 mm; 5.5 by 8.5 inches)

B5* (182 by 257 mm; 7.17 by 10.12 inches)

A5* (148 by 210 mm; 5.8 by 8.3 inches)

Envelopes

Duplex unit

U.S. #10 Envelope (105 by 241 mm; 4.12 by 9.5 inches)

Monarch Envelope (98 by 191 mm; 3.88 by 7.5 inches)

HP Greeting Card Envelope (111 by 152 mm; 4.38 by 6 inches)

ENWW Selecting print media 15

Media size Tray 1 Tray 2

A2 Envelope (111 by 146 mm; 4.37 by 5.75 inches)

DL Envelope (110 by 220 mm; 4.3 by 8.7 inches)

C5 Envelope (162 by 229 mm; 6.4 by 9 inches)

C6 Envelope (114 by 162 mm; 4.5 by 6.4 inches)

Japanese Envelope Chou #3 (120 x 235 mm; 4.7 by 9.3 inches)

Japanese Envelope Chou #4 (90 x 205 mm; 3.5 by 8.1 inches)

Cards

Duplex unit

Index card* (3 by 5 inches; 76.2 by 127 mm)

Index card* (4 by 6 inches; 102 by 152 mm)

Index card* (5 by 8 inches; 127 by 203 mm)

A6 card* (4.13 by 5.83 inches; 105 by 148.5 mm)

Hagaki* (100 by 148 mm; 3.9 by 5.8 inches)

Ofuku Hagaki* (148 by 200 mm; 5.8 by 7.9 inches)

Photo media

Photo media* (3 by 5 inches; 76.2 by 127 mm)

Photo media* (4 by 6 inches; 102 by 152 mm)

Photo media with tear-off tab* (4 by 6 inches; 102 by 152 mm)

Photo media with tear-off tab* (4 by 8 inches; 102 by 203 mm)

Other media

Custom-sized media* between 3 to 8.5 inches wide and 5 to 14
inches long (76.2 to 216 mm wide and 127 to 356 mm long)*

* These media sizes support manual duplex. See Printing on both sides (duplexing).

16 Chapter 3 Using the printer ENWW

Understanding supported media types and weights

Tray Type Weight Capacity

Tray 1 Paper

Transparencies Up to 70 sheets

Photo paper

Labels Up to 100 sheets

Envelopes

Cards

Tray 2 Plain paper only

60 to 105 g/m

2

(16 to 28 lb bond)

2

280 g/m

(75 lb bond)

75 to 90 g/m

2

(20 to 24 lb bond envelope)

Up to 200 g/m

2

(110 lb index)

60 to 105 g/m

2

Up to 250 sheets of plain paper

(25 mm or 1 inch stacked)

(17 mm or 0.67 inch stacked)

Up to 100 sheets

(17 mm or 0.67 inch stacked)

(17 mm or 0.67 inch stacked)

Up to 30 sheets

(17 mm or 0.67 inch stacked)

Up to 80 cards

Up to 350 sheets of plain paper

(35 mm or 1.38 inch stacked)

N.A.

Duplex unit Paper

(16 to 28 lb bond)

60 to 105 g/m

2

(16 to 28 lb bond)

Output tray All supported

media

Up to 150 sheets of plain paper (text

printing)

Setting minimum margins

The document margins must match (or exceed) these margin settings in portrait orientation.

ENWW Selecting print media 17

Media (1) Left margin (2) Right margin (3) Top margin (4) Bottom

margin*

U.S. Letter, U.S. Legal, A4, U.S.
Executive, U.S. Statement, 8.5 x 13
inch, B5, A5, cards, custom-sized
media, photo media

Envelopes 16.5 mm (0.65

3.3 mm (0.13 inch) 3.3 mm (0.13 inch) 3.3 mm (0.13 inch) 3.3 mm (0.13 inch)

inch)

16.5 mm (0.65
inch)

3.3 mm (0.13 inch) 3.3 mm (0.13 inch)

* To achieve this margin setting on a computer running Windows, click the Effects tab in the printer
driver, and select Minimize Margins.

NOTE When you are using the duplex unit, the minimum top and bottom margins must

match or exceed 12 mm (0.47 inch).

18 Chapter 3 Using the printer ENWW

Loading media

This section provides instructions for loading media into the printer.

To load tray 1 or tray 2

1. Pull the tray out of the printer by grasping under the front of the tray.

2. For paper longer than 11 inches (279 mm), lift the front cover of the tray (see shaded tray part)

and lower the front of the tray.

3. Insert the paper print-side down along the right of the tray. Make sure the stack of paper aligns

with the right and back edges of the tray, and does not exceed the line marking in the tray.

NOTE Tray 2 can be loaded only with plain paper.

4. Slide the paper guides in the tray to adjust them for the size that you have loaded.

ENWW Loading media 19

5. Gently reinsert the tray into the printer.

CAUTION If you have loaded legal-size or longer media, keep the front of the tray

lowered. Damage to the media or printer might result if you raise the front of the tray with
this longer media loaded.

6. Pull out the extension on the output tray.

20 Chapter 3 Using the printer ENWW

Configuring trays

By default, the printer draws media from tray 1. If tray 1 is empty, the printer draws media from tray 2
(if it is installed and loaded with media). You can change this default behavior using the following
features.

Tray Lock: Use this feature to protect special media such as letterhead or preprinted media from

●

accidental use. If the printer runs out of paper while printing a document, it will not use paper
from a locked tray to complete the print job.

Default Tray: Use this feature to determine the first tray from which the printer draws media.

●

NOTE To use the tray lock and default tray settings, you must select the automatic tray

selection option in the printer software. If the printer is on a network and you set a default tray,
the setting will affect all users of the printer.

Tray 2 is designed to hold only plain paper.

To configure the trays

1. Make sure the printer is turned on.

2. Perform one of the following:

a. Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab and click Paper Handling in the left panel.

b. Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if
the Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Paper Handling.

c. Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab and click Paper Handling.

d. HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Trays Configuration from the Printer Settings panel.

3. Change the desired tray settings, and click OK or Apply.

The following table lists possible ways you can use the tray settings to meet your printing needs.

I want to... Follow these steps

Load both trays with the same media, and have the printer
pick media from one tray if the other one is empty.

Have both special media (such as transparencies or
letterhead) and plain paper loaded in the trays.

Load media in both trays but have the printer pick media
from a specific tray first.

1. Load media in tray 1 and tray 2. See Loading media.

2. Make sure tray lock is disabled.

1. Load special media in tray 1 and plain paper in tray 2.

2. Make sure tray lock is set to tray 1.

1. Load media in tray 1 and tray 2.

2. Make sure default tray is set to the desired tray.

ENWW Configuring trays 21

Changing print settings

You can change print settings (such as paper size or type) from an application or the printer driver.
Changes made from an application take precedence over changes made from the printer driver.
However, after the application is closed, the settings return to the defaults configured in the printer
driver.

NOTE To set print settings for all print jobs, make the changes in the printer driver.

For more information about the features of the Windows printer driver, see the online help of
the printer driver. For more information about printing from a specific application, see the
documentation of that application.

To change settings from an application for current jobs (Windows)

1. Open the document that you want to print.

2. On the File menu, click Print, and then click Setup, Properties, or Preferences. (Specific

options may vary depending on the application you are using.)

3. Change any desired settings, and click OK, Print, or a similar command.

To change default settings for all future jobs (Windows)

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers or Printers and Faxes.

2. Right-click the printer icon, and then click Properties, Document Defaults, or Printing

Preferences.

3. Change any desired settings and click OK.

To change settings (Mac OS)

1. On the File menu, click Page Setup.

2. Change any desired settings (such as paper size) and click OK.

3. On the File menu, click Print to open the printer driver.

4. Change any desired settings (such as media type), and click OK or Print.

22 Chapter 3 Using the printer ENWW

Canceling a print job

You can cancel a print job using one of the following ways.

▲

Control panel: Press
processing. It does not affect jobs waiting to be processed.

Windows: Double-click the printer icon that appears in the lower right corner of the computer

▲

screen. Select the print job, and then press the Delete key on the keyboard.

Mac OS: Double-click the printer in the Printer Setup Utility (Mac OS X, 10.3, 10.4) or Print

▲

Center (Mac OS X, 10.2). Select the print job, and then click Delete.

(Cancel button). This will clear the job that the printer is currently

ENWW Canceling a print job 23

Printing on both sides (duplexing)

You can print on both sides of a sheet of media, either automatically by using the optional automatic
two-sided printing accessory (duplex unit), or manually by turning the media over and feeding it into
the printer again.

Guidelines for printing on both sides of a page

Always use media that conforms to the printer specifications. See

●

for supported media.

Specify duplex options in your application or in the printer driver.

●

Do not print on both sides of transparencies, envelopes, photo paper, glossy media, or paper

●

lighter than 16 lb bond (60 g/m
these media types.

● Several kinds of media require a specific orientation when you print on both sides of a page,

such as letterhead, preprinted paper, and paper with watermarks and prepunched holes. When
you print from a computer running Windows, the printer prints the first side of the media first.
When you print from a computer using the Mac OS, the printer prints the second side first. Load
the media with the front side facing down.

For auto-duplexing, when printing finishes on one side of the media, the printer holds the media

●

and pauses while the ink dries. Once the ink dries, the media is pulled back into the printer and
the second side is printed. When printing is complete, the media is dropped onto the output tray.
Do not grab it before printing is complete.

You can print on both sides of supported custom-sized media by using the printer's manual

●

duplex capabilities. For a list of supported custom-sized media, see

for supported media.

2

) or heavier than 28 lb bond (105 g/m2). Jams might occur with

Understanding specifications

Understanding specifications

To perform duplexing (Windows)

1. Load the appropriate media. See Guidelines for printing on both sides of a page and Loading

media.

2. For auto-duplexing, make sure the duplex unit is properly installed. See

3. With a document open, click Print on the File menu, and then click Setup, Properties, or

Preferences.

4. Click the Finishing tab.

5. Select the Print on Both Sides check box. For auto-duplexing, ensure that Use Auto-Duplex

Unit is selected.

NOTE If Use Auto-Duplex Unit is not available, click the Effects tab, and ensure that

Minimize Margins is cleared.

6. To automatically resize each page to match the document's onscreen layout, ensure Preserve

Layout is selected. Clearing this option may result in unwanted page breaks.

24 Chapter 3 Using the printer ENWW

Installing the duplex unit.

7. Select or clear the Flip Pages Up check box depending on which way you want the binding. See

the graphics in the printer driver for examples.

8. Choose a booklet layout from the Booklet Layout drop-down list, if desired.

9. Change any other desired settings and click OK.

10.Print your document.

11.For manual duplexing, after one side of the stack of paper is printed, follow the onscreen

instructions to reload the printed paper into the tray to complete printing.

To perform automatic duplexing (Mac OS)

1. Load the appropriate media. See Guidelines for printing on both sides of a page and Loading

media.

2. On the File menu, click Print.

3. Open the Two-Sided Printing panel.

4. Select the option to print on both sides.

5. Select the desired binding orientation by clicking the appropriate icon.

6. Change any other desired settings, and click OK or Print.

ENWW Printing on both sides (duplexing) 25

Printing on special and custom-sized media

To print on special or custom-sized media (Windows)

1. Load the appropriate media. See Loading media.

2. With a document open, click Print on the File menu, and then click Setup, Properties, or

Preferences.

3. Click the Paper/Quality tab.

4. Select the media size from the Size is drop-down list.

To set a custom media size, complete the following steps.

a. Click the Custom button.

b. Type a name for the new custom size.

c. In the Width and Height boxes, type the dimensions and click Save.

d. Click OK twice to close the properties or preferences dialog box of the printer. Then, open

the dialog box again.

e. Select the new custom size.

5. Select the media type by doing the following:

a. Click More in the Type is drop-down list.

b. Click the desired media type and click OK.

6. Select the media source from the Source is drop-down list.

7. Change any other desired settings and click OK.

8. Print your document.

To print on special or custom-sized media (Mac OS)

1. Load the appropriate media. See Loading media.

2. On the File menu, click Page Setup.

3. Select the media size.

4. To set a custom media size, complete the following steps.

a. Click Custom Paper Size in the Settings pull-down menu.

b. Click New and type a name for the size in the Paper Size Name box.

26 Chapter 3 Using the printer ENWW

c. In the Width and Height boxes, type the dimensions and set the margins, if desired.

d. Click Done or OK, and then click Save.

5. On the File menu, click Page Setup and select the new custom size.

6. Click OK.

7. On the File menu, click Print.

8. Open the Paper Type/Quality panel.

9. Click the Paper tab and select the media type.

10.Change any other desired settings, and click OK or Print.

ENWW Printing on special and custom-sized media 27

28 Chapter 3 Using the printer ENWW

4 Maintaining and troubleshooting

This section contains the following information for maintaining the printer and for troubleshooting
printer or printing problems.

Replacing the ink cartridges

●

Maintaining the printheads

●

Calibrating the color

●

Troubleshooting tips and resources

●

General troubleshooting tips

●

Resolving printing problems

●

Poor print quality and unexpected printouts

●

Resolving paper-feed problems

●

Resolving printer management problems

●

Troubleshooting installation issues

●

Clearing jams

●

ENWW 29

Replacing the ink cartridges

You can check the estimated ink levels from the Toolbox (Windows), the HP Printer Utility (Mac OS),
or the embedded Web server. For information about using these tools, see

management tools. You can also print the configuration page to view this information (see
Understanding the configuration page).

NOTE After removing a cartridge from its package, install it right away. Do not remove a

cartridge from the printer for long periods of time.

Overview of printer

To find out which ink cartridges work with your printer, see

To replace the ink cartridges

1. Gently pull open the ink cartridge cover.

2. Remove the ink cartridge that requires replacement by grasping it between your thumb and

forefinger and pulling it firmly toward you.

Supplies.

3. Remove the new ink cartridge from its package.

4. Align the cartridge with its color-coded slot and insert the cartridge into the slot. Press down

firmly on the cartridge to ensure proper contact.

5. Close the ink cartridge cover.

30 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Maintaining the printheads

If printed characters are incomplete, or dots or lines are missing from printouts, this may be caused
by clogged ink nozzles and you might need to clean the printheads.

When the quality of printouts deteriorates, complete the relevant steps based on the following
sequence:

1. Check the health of the printheads (see

2. Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see

3. If the color tints on printed pages have shifted visibly towards yellow, magenta, or blue, calibrate

the color (see

4. Manually clean the printhead contacts. See

5. Replace the printheads, if the problems persist after cleaning. See

CAUTION HP is not responsible for damage to the printer that results from modifying the

printheads.

Calibrating the color).

To check printhead health).

To print the print quality diagnostic page).

To clean the printhead contacts manually.

To replace the printheads.

To check printhead health

Use one of the following means to check the printhead health. If the status of any printhead is not
good or fair, then perform one or more of the maintenance functions, or clean or replace the printhead.

● Configuration page: Print the configuration page on a clean sheet of white paper, and check

the printhead health section. See

Understanding the configuration page.

Embedded Web server: Open the embedded Web server (see

●

server). Click the Information tab and click Ink Supplies in the left pane.

Toolbox (Windows): Open the Toolbox (see

●

and click Printhead Health.

To open the Toolbox). Click the Information tab

To open the embedded Web

To print the print quality diagnostic page

Use the print quality diagnostic page to diagnose issues affecting the print quality of the printer. This
will help you decide whether to run any maintenance tools to improve the print quality of your
printouts. You can also view the ink level information, and the printhead health status on the page.

●

Control panel: Press and hold
(Resume button) 4 times, and release (Power button).

Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select

●

PQ (print quality) diagnostic page from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and
click Apply.

Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

●

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the

ENWW Maintaining the printheads 31

(Power button), press (Cancel button) once, press

Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Print PQ (print quality)

diagnostic page and follow the onscreen instructions.

Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Print PQ (print quality)

●

diagnostic page and follow the onscreen instructions.

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Print PQ Diagnostic Page from the Information and

●

Support panel.

1 Printer Information: Shows printer information (such as the product model number, serial number, and firmware

version number), the number of pages printed from the trays and duplex unit, the ink level information, and the
printhead health status.

2 Test Pattern 1: If the lines are not straight and connected, align the printheads. See

3 Test Pattern 2: If there are thin white lines across any of the colored blocks, clean the printheads. See

printheads.

4 Test Pattern 3: If there are dark lines or white gaps where the arrows are pointing, calibrate the linefeed. See

calibrate the linefeed.

To align the printheads.

To clean the

To

32 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

To align the printheads

Whenever you replace a printhead, the printer automatically aligns the printheads to ensure the best
print quality. However, if the appearance of your printed pages indicates that the printheads are
misaligned, you can start the alignment process manually.

●

Control panel: Press and hold
release

Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select

●

Align printheads from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply.

Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

●

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the
Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Align Printheads and follow
the onscreen instructions.

● Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Align Printheads and follow

the onscreen instructions.

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Align from the Information and Support panel.

●

(Power button).

(Power button), press (Resume button) 2 times, and

To calibrate the linefeed

●

Control panel: Press and hold
release

Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select

●

Calibrate Linefeed from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply.

Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

●

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the
Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Calibrate Linefeed and
follow the onscreen instructions.

(Power button).

(Power button), press (Resume button) 3 times, and

Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Calibrate Linefeed and

●

follow the onscreen instructions.

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Calibrate Linefeed from the Information and Support panel.

●

To clean the printheads

NOTE Cleaning uses ink, so clean the printheads only when necessary.

The cleaning process takes up to 3.5 minutes. Some noise might be generated in the process.

●

Control panel: Press and hold
release

● Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select

Clean printheads from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply.

Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

●

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the

ENWW Maintaining the printheads 33

(Power button).

(Power button), press (Resume button) 6 times, and

Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Clean Printheads and follow
the onscreen instructions.

Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Clean Printheads and

●

follow the onscreen instructions.

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Clean from the Information and Support panel.

●

To clean the printhead contacts manually

After printheads are installed, if one or both printhead lights on the control panel begin to blink and
the printer will not print, you might need to clean the electrical contacts on the printheads and in the
printer.

CAUTION Clean the electrical contacts only after you have attempted to clean the

printheads. See
components that can be damaged easily.

1. Open the top cover.

To clean the printheads. Electrical contacts contain sensitive electronic

2.

If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, press and hold
seconds. Wait for the carriage to stop moving, then, unplug the power cord from the printer.

3. Lift the printhead latch.

4. Lift the handle of the printhead (which corresponds to the blinking printhead light) and use it to

pull the printhead out of its slot.

5. Obtain clean, dry, soft and lint-free cleaning material. Suitable materials include paper coffee

filters and eyeglass lens cleaning paper.

CAUTION Do not use water.

(Resume button) for 3

34 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

6. Wipe the electrical contacts on the printhead but do not touch the nozzles.

NOTE The electrical contacts are small copper-color squares, grouped on one face of

the printhead.

The nozzles are on a different face of the printhead. Ink will be visible on the nozzles.

CAUTION Touching the nozzles can cause permanent nozzle damage. Also, ink can

permanently mark clothing.

7. After cleaning, place the printhead on a sheet of paper or paper towel. Make sure the nozzles

are facing up and are not in contact with the paper.

8. Clean the electrical contacts in the printhead slot inside the printer with a clean, dry, soft and lint-

free cloth.

9. Plug in the power cord and turn on the printer. The control panel should indicate that the

printhead is missing.

10.Insert the printhead into its color-coded slot (the label on the printhead must match the label on

the printhead latch). Press down firmly on the printhead to ensure proper contact.

11.Pull the printhead latch all the way forward, and then press down to ensure that the latch is

properly engaged. You might have to apply some pressure to engage the latch.

12.Where necessary, repeat the above steps for the remaining printhead.

13.Close the top cover.

ENWW Maintaining the printheads 35

14.If one or both the printhead lights still blink, repeat the cleaning procedure described above for

the printhead which corresponds to the blinking printhead light.

15.If one or both the printhead lights still blink, replace the printhead which corresponds to the

blinking printhead light.

16.Wait while the printer initializes the printheads and prints the alignment pages. If the printer does

not print the pages, start the alignment process manually (see

To align the printheads).

To replace the printheads

NOTE To find out which printheads work with your printer, see Supplies.

1. Open the top cover.

2.

If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, press and hold
seconds. Wait for the carriage to stop moving.

3. Lift the printhead latch.

4. Lift the handle of a printhead and use it to pull the printhead out of its slot.

(Resume button) for 3

5. Remove the new printhead from its package, and then remove its orange protective caps.

6. Insert the printhead into its color-coded slot (the label on the printhead must match the label on

the printhead latch). Press down firmly on the printhead to ensure proper contact.

7. Pull the printhead latch all the way forward, and then press down to ensure that the latch is

properly engaged. You might have to apply some pressure to engage the latch.

8. Close the top cover.

9. Wait while the printer initializes the printheads and prints the alignment pages. If the printer does

not print the pages, start the alignment process manually (see

36 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

To align the printheads).

Calibrating the color

Whenever you replace a printhead, the printer automatically calibrates the colors to ensure the best
print quality. If you are not satisfied with the appearance of the colors, you can start the color
calibration process manually.

●

Control panel: Press and hold

(Power button).

Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select

●

the option to calibrate color from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply.

Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

●

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the
Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Calibrate Color and follow
the onscreen instructions.

Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Calibrate Color and follow

●

the onscreen instructions.

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Calibrate Color from the Information and Support panel.

●

(Power button), press (Cancel button) 2 times, and release

ENWW Calibrating the color 37

Troubleshooting tips and resources

Use the following tips and resources to resolve printing problems.

For paper jam, see

●

For paper-feed problems, such as the paper skew and paper pick, see

●

problems.

Some printer problems can be resolved by resetting the printer.

To reset the printer's network settings (HP Officejet Pro K550dtn/K550dtwn)

1.

Press and hold
release

Power light is on.

2.

Press
network settings have been reset. By default, the network name (SSID) is "hpsetup" and the
communication mode is "ad hoc".

/ (Configuration Page button). The Power light blinks for a few seconds. Wait till the

/ (Configuration Page button) to print the configuration page and verify that the

Clearing jams.

Resolving paper-feed

/ (Configuration Page button), press (Resume button) 3 times, and

38 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

General troubleshooting tips

Ensure the following:

Power light is on and not blinking. When the printer is turned on for the first time, it takes

●

approximately 8 minutes to initialize the printer after the printheads are installed.

● Make sure the printer is in the ready state. If lights are on or blinking, see

No error messages appear on the computer screen.

●

Power cord and other cables are working, and are firmly connected to the printer. Make sure the

●

printer is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC) power outlet, and is turned on.

Electrical specifications for voltage requirements.

See

● Media is loaded correctly in the tray and is not jammed in the printer.

Printheads and ink cartridges are properly installed in their correct color-coded slots. Press down

●

firmly on each one to ensure proper contact. Ensure you have removed the orange protective
caps from each printhead.

Printhead latch and all covers are closed.

●

● Rear access panel (HP Officejet Pro K550) or duplex unit (HP Officejet Pro K550dtn/K550dtwn)

is locked into place.

All packing tapes and materials are removed from the printer.

●

Printer can print a configuration page. See

●

The printer is set as the current or default printer. For Windows, set the printer as the default in

●

the Printers folder. For Mac OS, set the printer as the default in the Chooser or the Print Center.
See your computer's documentation for more information.

Understanding the configuration page.

Printer lights reference.

Pause Printing is not selected if you are using a computer running Windows.

●

You are not running too many programs when you are performing a task. Close programs that

●

you are not using or restart the computer before attempting the task again.

ENWW General troubleshooting tips 39

Resolving printing problems

Printer shuts down unexpectedly

Check the power and power connections

Make sure the printer is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC) power outlet.

▲

Electrical specifications for voltage requirements.

See

Check the printer vents

The printer vents are located on the sides of the printer. If the vents are covered and the printer

▲

overheats, the printer automatically turns off. Make sure the vents are not covered and the
printer is in a cool, dry location. See
environment for the printer.

All printer lights are on

A non-recoverable error has occurred

Disconnect all cables (such as power cord, network cable, and USB cable), wait about 20

▲

seconds, and reconnect the cables. If the problem persists, visit HP website (

support/officejetprok550) for the latest troubleshooting information, or product fixes and updates.

Environmental specifications for the required operating

www.hp.com/

Printer is not responding (nothing prints)

If the printer supports wireless communication, see also Problems setting up or using wireless

communication.

Check the printer setup

General troubleshooting tips.

See

▲

Check the printhead initialization

▲ When printheads are installed or replaced, the printer automatically prints a few alignment pages

to align the printheads. This process takes about 8 minutes. Until this process is complete, only
the automatic alignment pages can be printed.

Check the printer software installation

If the printer is turned off when printing, an alert message should appear on your computer

▲

screen; otherwise, the printer software might not be installed correctly. To resolve this, uninstall
the software completely, and then reinstall the printer software. See

software.

Uninstalling the printer

40 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Check the cable connections

Make sure both ends of the network cable are secure.

●

If the printer is connected to a network, check the following:

●

Check the Link light on the back of the printer. See

●

Make sure you are not using a phone cord to connect the printer.

●

The network hub, switch, or router is turned on and working properly.

●

Check the printer setup for network environment

Ensure the correct printer driver and printer driver port are being used. For more information

▲

about network connections, see

OS), or the documentation provided by your network vendors.

Check any personal firewall software installed on the computer

The personal software firewall is a security program that protects a computer from intrusion.

▲

However, the firewall might block communication between the computer and the printer. If there
is a problem communicating with the printer, try temporarily disabling the firewall. If the problem
persists, the firewall is not the source of the communication problem. Re-enable the firewall.

If disabling the firewall allows you to communicate with the printer, you might want to assign the
printer a static IP address and re-enable the firewall. See

Configuring the printer (Windows), Configuring the printer (Mac

Interpreting network connector lights.

Configure network settings.

Printer does not accept printhead

Check the printhead latch

Make sure the printhead latch is properly closed.

▲

Check the printhead

● Make sure the printhead is inserted into its correct color-coded slot. See

Remove the printhead, and check to make sure the orange protective caps have been removed

●

from the printhead.

Clean the printhead

Complete the printhead cleaning procedure. See

▲

Turn off the printer after removing the printhead

After removing the printhead, turn off the printer, wait about 20 seconds, and turn it on again

▲

without the printhead installed. After the printer has restarted, reinsert the printhead.

Maintaining the printheads.

To replace the printheads.

Printer takes a long time to print

Check the system configuration

Make sure the computer meets the minimum system requirements for the printer. See

▲

requirements.

System

ENWW Resolving printing problems 41

Check the printer software settings

The printer prints slower when Best or Maximum dpi is selected as the print quality. To increase

▲

the print speed, select different print settings in the printer driver. See

Check for radio interference

If the printer is connected using wireless communication and is printing slowly, then the radio

▲

signal might be weak. See

Guidelines for reducing interference on a wireless network.

Changing print settings.

Blank page printed

Check for empty ink cartridges

Check the printer lights to see which cartridge is low (see

▲

Toolbox (Windows), HP Printer Utility (Mac OS), and the configuration page (see

the configuration page) provide information about ink levels. If you are printing black text and a

blank page prints, the black cartridge might be empty. See

Check the media settings

● Make sure you select the correct print quality settings in the printer driver for the media loaded in

the trays.

Make sure the page settings in the printer driver match the page size of media loaded in the tray.

●

Interpreting control panel lights). The

Understanding

Replacing the ink cartridges.

Something on the page is missing or incorrect

Check the printheads

Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

▲

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see

Check the margin settings

Make sure the margin settings for the document do not exceed the printable area of the printer.

▲

Setting minimum margins.

See

Check the color print settings

To print the print quality diagnostic page).

Make sure Print in Grayscale is not selected in the printer driver.

▲

Check the printer location and length of USB cable

High electromagnetic fields (such as those generated by USB cables) can sometimes cause

▲

slight distortions to printouts. Move the printer away from the source of the electromagnetic
fields. Also, it is recommended that you use a USB cable that is less than 3 meters (9.8 feet)
long to minimize the effects of these electromagnetic fields.

Placement of the text or graphics is wrong

Check how the media is loaded

Make sure the media width and length guides fit snugly against the edges of the stack of media,

▲

and make sure the trays are not overloaded. See

42 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Loading media.

Check the media size

Content on a page might be cut off if the document size is larger than the media that you are

●

using.

● Make sure the media size selected in the printer driver match the size of media loaded in the tray.

If you are using a computer running Windows, select Emulate LaserJet Margins in the printer

●

driver to scale the document to fit the media size currently selected. See

Changing print settings.

Check the margin settings

If the text or graphics are cut off at the edges of the page, make sure the margin settings for the

▲

document do not exceed the printable area of your printer. See

Setting minimum margins.

Check the page-orientation setting

Make sure the media size and page orientation selected in the application match the settings in

▲

the printer driver. See

Changing print settings.

Check the printer location and length of USB cable

High electromagnetic fields (such as those generated by USB cables) can sometimes cause

▲

slight distortions to printouts. Move the printer away from the source of the electromagnetic
fields. Also, it is recommended that you use a USB cable that is less than 3 meters (9.8 feet)
long to minimize the effects of these electromagnetic fields.

If the above solutions do not work, the problem may be caused by the inability of the application to
interpret print settings properly. See the release notes for known software conflicts; or refer to the
application's documentation, or contact the software manufacturer for specific help.

ENWW Resolving printing problems 43

Poor print quality and unexpected printouts

Poor quality printouts

Check the printheads and ink cartridges

Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

●

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see

To print the print quality diagnostic page).

Replace any ink cartridges that are low on ink, and try to print again. See

●

cartridges.

Check the paper quality

The paper might be too moist or too rough. Make sure the media used meets HP specifications,

▲

and try to print again. See

Check the type of media loaded in the printer

Make sure the tray supports the type of media you have loaded. See

●

specifications for supported media.

Make sure you have selected the tray in the printer driver that contains the media that you want

●

to use.

Check the printer location and length of USB cable

High electromagnetic fields (such as those generated by USB cables) can sometimes cause

▲

slight distortions to printouts. Move the printer away from the source of the electromagnetic
fields. Also, it is recommended that you use a USB cable that is less than 3 meters (9.8 feet)
long to minimize the effects of these electromagnetic fields.

Selecting print media.

Replacing the ink

Understanding

Meaningless characters print

If an interruption occurs to a job that is printing, the printer might not recognize the rest of the job.

Cancel the print job and wait for the printer to return to the ready state. If the printer does not return
to the ready state, cancel all jobs and wait again. When the printer is ready, resend the job. If
prompted by the computer to retry the job, click Cancel.

Check the cable connections

If the printer and computer are connected with a USB cable, the problem may be due to a poor

▲

cable connection.

Make sure the cable connections at both ends are secure. If the problem persists, turn off the
printer, disconnect the cable from the printer, turn on the printer without connecting the cable,
and delete any remaining jobs from the print spooler. When the Power light is on and not
flashing, reconnect the cable.

Check the document file

The document file may be damaged. If you can print other documents from the same application,

▲

try printing a backup copy of your document, if available.

44 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Ink is smearing

Check the print settings

When you print documents that use much ink, allow more time to dry before handling the

●

printouts. This is especially true for transparencies. In the printer driver, select the Best print
quality, and also increase the ink drying time and reduce the ink saturation using the ink volume
under the advanced features (Windows) or ink features (Mac OS). However, note that
decreasing ink saturation might give printouts a "washed-out" quality.

● Color documents that have rich, blended colors can wrinkle or smear when printed using the

Best print quality. Try using the other print mode such as Normal to reduce ink, or use HP
Premium Paper designed for printing vivid color documents. See

Check the media type

Some types of media do not accept ink well, ink will dry more slowly and smearing may occur.

▲

Selecting print media.

See

Check the margin settings

● Increase the margins in your document. Refer to the documentation included with your software

application.

If you are using a computer running Windows, make sure Minimize Margins is not selected in

●

the printer driver.

Changing print settings.

Ink is not filling the text or graphics completely

Check the ink cartridges

Ink cartridges might have run out of ink. Replace any empty cartridge. Or try removing and

▲

reinstalling the cartridges; make sure they snap firmly into place. See

Check the media type

Some media types are not suitable for use with the printer. See

▲

Replacing the ink cartridges.

Selecting print media.

Output is faded or dull colored

Check the print mode

The draft or fast mode in the printer driver allows you to print at a faster rate, which is good for

▲

printing drafts. To get better results, select Normal or Best. See

Check the paper type setting

▲ When printing on transparencies or other special media, select the corresponding media type in

the printer driver. See

Check the ink cartridges

If lines in the text or image are broken or do not print properly, one or more of the ink cartridges

▲

may have run out of ink or are defective. Replace these cartridges with new ones. See

the ink cartridges.

To print on special or custom-sized media (Windows).

Changing print settings.

Replacing

ENWW Poor print quality and unexpected printouts 45

Colors are printing as black and white

Check the print settings

Make sure Print in Grayscale is not selected in the printer driver.

▲

Wrong colors are printing

Check the print settings

Make sure Print in Grayscale is not selected in the printer driver.

▲

Check the printheads

Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

▲

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see

To print the print quality diagnostic page).

Printout shows bleeding colors

Check the print settings

Some media type settings (such as for transparencies and photo papers) and print quality

▲

settings (such as Best) require more ink than others. Choose different print settings in the printer
driver, make sure you select the correct media type. See

Changing print settings.

Check the ink cartridges

Make sure ink cartridges have not been tampered with. Refilling processes and the use of

▲

incompatible inks can disrupt the intricate printing system, and result in reduced print quality and
damage to the printer or printhead. HP does not guarantee or support refilled ink cartridges. For
ordering information, see

Check the printheads

Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

▲

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see

HP supplies and accessories.

To print the print quality diagnostic page).

Colors do not line up properly

Check the printheads

Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

▲

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see

Check the graphics placement

Use the zoom or print preview feature of your software to check for gaps in the placement of

▲

graphics on the page.

To print the print quality diagnostic page).

Lines or dots are missing from text or graphics

Check the printheads

Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

▲

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see

46 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

To print the print quality diagnostic page).

Resolving paper-feed problems

For information on resolving jams, see Clearing jams.

Tray cannot be inserted

Reinsert the tray. Make sure it is aligned with the printer opening.

●

Check for paper jam. See

●

Clearing jams.

Another paper-feed problem is occurring

Media is not supported for the printer or tray

Use only media that is supported for the printer and the tray being used. See

▲

specifications for supported media.

Media is not picked up from a tray

Make sure media is loaded in the tray. See Loading media. Fan the media before loading.

●

Make sure the paper guides are set to the correct markings in the tray for the media size you are

●

loading. Also make sure the guides are snug, but not tight, against the stack.

Make sure media in the tray is not curled. Uncurl paper by bending it in the opposite direction of

●

the curl.

Make sure the tray is inserted properly.

●

Media is not coming out correctly

Make sure the output tray extension is extended; otherwise, printed pages may fall off the printer.

●

Understanding

Remove excess media from the output tray. There is a limit to the number of sheets the tray can

●

hold.

If the rear access panel or duplex unit is not installed properly during a print job, media may exit

●

through the rear of the printer. Reinstall the rear access panel or duplex unit, or close the cover
of the duplex unit.

ENWW Resolving paper-feed problems 47

Pages are skewing

Make sure the media loaded in the trays is aligned to the paper guides. If needed, pull out the

●

trays from the printer, reload the media properly, making sure that the paper guides are properly
aligned.

When reinserting a tray into the printer, do so gently. Forceful insertion with a full stack of paper

●

may cause sheets to slide up within the printer, causing the printer to jam or pick multiple sheets
at one time.

Make sure the rear access panel or duplex unit is properly installed.

●

Multiple pages are being picked up

Fan the media before loading.

●

Make sure the paper guides are set to the correct markings in the tray for the media size you are

●

loading. Also make sure the guides are snug, but not tight, against the stack.

Make sure the tray is not overloaded with paper.

●

When reinserting a tray into the printer, do so gently. Forceful insertion with a full stack of paper

●

may cause sheets to slide up within the printer, causing the printer to jam or pick multiple sheets
at one time.

Use HP media for optimum performance and efficiency.

●

48 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Resolving printer management problems

This section provide solutions to common problems that involve managing the printer.

Embedded Web server cannot be opened

Check your network setup

Make sure you are not using a phone cord or a cross cable to connect the printer to the network.

●

Configuring the printer (Windows) or Configuring the printer (Mac OS).

See

Make sure the network cable is securely connected to the printer.

●

Make sure the network hub, switch, or router is turned on and working properly.

●

Check the computer

Make sure the computer that you are using is connected to the network.

▲

Check your Web browser

Make sure the Web browser meets the minimum system requirements. See

▲

Check the printer IP address

Print the configuration pages of the printer, and locate the printer's IP address on the second

●

page. See

Ping the printer using the IP address from an MS-DOS prompt.

●

For example, if the IP address is 123.123.123.123, type the following at the MS-DOS prompt:

C:\Ping 123.123.123.123

If a reply appears, the IP address is correct. If a time-out response appears, the IP address is
incorrect.

Understanding the configuration page.

System requirements.

ENWW Resolving printer management problems 49

Troubleshooting installation issues

Problems printing an alignment page

When printheads are installed or replaced, the printer automatically prints a few alignment pages to
align the printheads. This process takes about 8 minutes, and the alignment pages may be discarded
after they are printed. If the printer does not print the pages, try to start the alignment process
manually (see

Problems installing software

NOTE Visit HP website (www.hp.com/support/officejetprok550) for the latest troubleshooting

information, or product fixes and updates.

Verify the computer requirements

To align the printheads).

Make sure the computer meets the system requirements. See

▲

Verify installation preliminaries

Before installing software on a Windows computer, ensure all other programs are closed.

●

If the computer does not recognize the path to the CD drive that you type, ensure you are

●

specifying the correct drive letter.

● If the computer cannot recognize the Starter CD in the CD drive, inspect the CD for damage. The

printer driver can be downloaded from

Reinstall the printer software

If you are using Windows and the computer cannot detect the printer, run the uninstallation utility

▲

(Util\Scrubber\Uninstall.exe on the Starter CD) to perform a clean uninstallation of the printer
software. Restart your computer and reinstall the software. See

www.hp.com/support/officejetprok550.

System requirements.

Uninstalling the printer software.

Problems connecting to a network

NOTE After correcting any of the following, run the installation program again.

General network troubleshooting

If you are unable to install the printer software on the computer, verify that:

All cable connections to the computer and the printer are secure.

●

● The network is operational and the network hub is turned on.

All applications, including virus protection programs and personal firewalls, are temporarily

●

closed or disabled.

Make sure the printer is installed on the same subnet as the computers that will be using the

●

printer.

50 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

If the installation program cannot discover the printer, print the configuration page of the printer,

●

and enter the IP address listed on the configuration page during the software installation. See

Understanding the configuration page.

Ping the printer using the IP address from an MS-DOS prompt.

●

For example, if the IP address is 123.123.123.123, type the following at the MS-DOS prompt:

C:\Ping 123.123.123.123

If a reply appears, the IP address is correct. If a time-out response appears, the IP address is
incorrect.

If you are using a computer running Windows, make sure that the network ports created in the

●

printer driver match the printer IP address:

1. Print the configuration page. See

2. On the Windows desktop, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers or Printers and

Faxes.

3. Right-click the printer icon, click Properties, and then click the Ports tab.

4. On the Ports tabbed page, select the TCP/IP port for the printer and click Configure Port.

Compare the IP address listed in the dialog box and make sure it matches the IP address listed
on the configuration page. If the IP addresses are different, change the IP address in the dialog
box to match the address on the configuration page.

Alternatively, create a new HP standard TCP/IP port (using the IP address listed on the
configuration page) by doing the following:

a. On the Ports tabbed page, click Add Port.

b. Select Standard TCP/IP Port and click New Port.

c. Follow the onscreen instructions to create a new TCP/IP port using the printer's IP address.

5. Click OK twice to save the settings and close the dialog boxes.

Understanding the configuration page.

Problems connecting to a wired network

If the Link light on the network connector does not turn on, make sure that all of the conditions

●

listed in

Though it is not recommended that you assign the printer with a static IP address, you might

●

resolve some installation problems (such as a conflict with a personal firewall) by assigning the
printer with a static IP address. For more information, see

General troubleshooting tips are met.

Configure network settings.

Problems setting up or using wireless communication

If the printer is unable to communicate with the network after completing the wireless setup and
software installation, perform one or more of the following tasks:

ENWW Troubleshooting installation issues 51

Check the wireless network settings

Make sure the computer's wireless card is set to the correct wireless profile. A wireless profile is

●

a set of network settings unique to a given network. A single wireless card might have several
wireless profiles (for example, one for a home network and one for an office network). Open the
configuration utility for the network card installed on your computer, and ensure that the profile
selected is the profile for the printer's network.

● Make sure the printer's network settings match those of your network. Do one of the following to

find the settings for your network:

Infrastructure communication mode: Open the wireless access point's (WAP)

●

configuration utility.

Ad hoc communication mode: Open the configuration utility for the network card installed

●

in your computer.

Compare the network's settings to those that appear on the printer's network configuration page

●

Understanding the configuration page), and note any differences. Possible problems include

(see
the following:

The WAP filters hardware addresses (MAC addresses). See

●

a wireless access point (WAP).

One of these settings in the printer might be incorrect: communication mode (infrastructure

●

or ad hoc), network name (SSID), channel (Ad hoc networks only), authentication type,
encryption. See

Print a document. If the document still does not print, then reset the printer's network settings

●

(see the instructions under

Setting up the printer for wireless communication (HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn)).

(see

If the wireless network settings are correct, the computer might be associated to another wireless
network. Ensure that the computer is associated to the same wireless network as that of the printer.
Users can ensure this by checking the wireless settings on their respective computers. In addition,
ensure that the computers have access to the wireless network.

If the wireless network settings are incorrect, follow these steps to correct the printer's network
settings:

1. Connect the printer to your network with a network cable or to the computer using the cross

cable included with the printer.

2. Open the printer's embedded Web server. See

Understanding 802.11 wireless network settings.

Troubleshooting tips and resources) and reinstall the printer software

Embedded Web server.

To add hardware addresses to

3. Click the Networking tab, and then click Wireless (802.11) in the left pane.

4. Use the Wireless Setup wizard on the Wireless Setup tab to change the printer's settings to

match the settings of the network.

5. Close the embedded Web server, and then disconnect the cable from the printer.

52 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

6. Uninstall the printer software completely, and then reinstall the software. See Uninstalling the
printer software.

Check the signal strength

Check the signal strength indicated on the network configuration page of the printer (see

▲

Understanding the configuration page). If the value is '0', the wireless devices (such as the

computer, the hub, or the wireless router) might be too far away, or the wireless signal might be
blocked.

If possible, bring the devices closer, or move the devices to avoid any obstructions or partitions.
See also

Guidelines for reducing interference on a wireless network.

Check the printer lights

If the Configuration Page light keeps blinking, the device might be faulty.

●

If the Configuration Page light does not light up, check the network status and connection type

●

information on the network configuration page of the printer. If the information shows 'Offline' and
'Wired', the printer is connected to the wired network.

Disconnect the network cable and configure the printer for wireless communication.

NOTE The printer operates in either a wired or a wireless mode at any given point of

time; it will not print in both modes simultaneously.

ENWW Troubleshooting installation issues 53

Clearing jams

To clear a jam

1. Remove all media from the output tray.

2. Check the rear access panel or the duplex unit.

a. Push the button on either side of the rear access panel or the duplex unit, and remove the

panel or unit.

b. Locate any jammed media inside the printer, grasp it with both hands and pull it towards you.

c. If the jam is not there, push the latch on the top of the duplex unit and lower its cover. If the

jam is inside, carefully remove it. Close the cover.

d. Reinsert the rear access panel or the duplex unit into the printer.

3. If you cannot locate the jam, lift the output tray and check for a jam in tray 1. If media is jammed

in the tray, do the following:

a. Pull out tray 1.

54 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

b. Pull the paper towards you.

c. Reinsert the tray and lower the output tray.

4. If you have not found the jam and have tray 2 installed, pull out the tray and remove the jammed

media, if possible. If not, do the following:

a. Ensure the printer is turned off and disconnect the power cord.

b. Lift the printer off tray 2.

c. Remove the jammed media from the bottom of the printer or from tray 2.

d. Reposition the printer on top of tray 2.

5. Open the top cover. If there is paper remaining inside the printer, ensure the carriage has moved

to the right of the printer, free any paper scraps or wrinkled media, and pull the media towards
you through the top of the printer.

WARNING! Do not reach into the printer when the printer is on and the carriage is stuck.

When you open the top cover, the carriage should return to its position on the right side of
the printer. If it does not move to the right, turn off the printer before you remove any jam.

6. After clearing the jam, close all covers, turn on the printer (if you turned it off) and resend the

print job.

If you encounter frequent jams, perform paper feed test to ensure that the paper path of the trays or
duplex unit is clear. This process will print 20 blank pages.

To perform paper feed test

Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select

●

the option to test paper feed from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply.

Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

●

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the
Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Test Paper Feed and follow
the onscreen instructions.

Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Test Paper Feed and follow

●

the onscreen instructions.

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Test Paper Feed from the Information and Support panel.

●

ENWW Clearing jams 55

To avoid jams

Make sure that nothing is blocking the paper path.

●

Do not overload the trays. See

●

Load paper properly. See

●

When reinserting a tray into the printer, do so gently. Forceful insertion with a full stack of paper

●

may cause sheets to slide up within the printer, causing the printer to jam or pick multiple sheets
at one time.

Do not use media that is curled or crumpled.

●

Always use media that conforms with specifications. See

●

Make sure the output tray is not overly full when you send a job to print.

●

Make sure media is aligned against the right side of a tray.

●

Make sure the media length and width guides are adjusted snugly against the media, but do not

●

crinkle or bend it.

Understanding specifications for supported media.

Loading media.

Selecting print media.

56 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

5

Printer lights reference

The printer lights indicate printer status and are useful for diagnosing printing problems. This section
contains information about the printer lights, what they indicate, and what action to take if necessary.

Interpreting control panel lights

●

Interpreting network connector lights

●

ENWW 57

Interpreting control panel lights

1 Power button and light

2 Configuration Page button

HP Officejet Pro K550dtn

HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn

3 Cancel button

4 Resume button and light

5 Printhead lights

6 Ink cartridge lights

For more information, visit HP website (www.hp.com/support/officejetprok550) for the latest
troubleshooting information, or product fixes and updates.

Light description /Light pattern Explanation and recommended action

All lights are off.

The Power light is on.

The printer is off.

Connect the power cable.

●

●

Press

The printer is ready.

No action is required.

▲

(Power button).

58 Chapter 5 Printer lights reference ENWW

Light description /Light pattern Explanation and recommended action

The Power light blinks.

The Power light and the Resume light blink.

The Power light is on and the Resume light blinks.

The printer is turning on or off, or is processing a print job.

No action is required.

▲

The printer is pausing for the ink to dry.

Wait for the ink to dry.

▲

Print media is jammed in the printer.

Remove all media from the output tray. Locate and

▲

clear the jam. See Clearing jams.

The printer carriage has stalled.

● Open the top cover and remove any obstructions

(such as jammed media).

●

Press

If the error persists, turn the printer off, and then on

●

again.

The printer is out of paper.

(Resume button) to continue printing.

The Power light and the Resume light are on.

▲

Load paper and press

The printer is in manual duplex mode. It is waiting for the
ink to dry so that the pages can be flipped over and
reloaded.

Reload the stack of media into the printer, and press

▲

(Resume button).

A cover is not closed completely.

▲ Make sure all covers are completely closed.

The rear access panel or duplex unit is missing, or is not
inserted completely.

Make sure the rear access panel (HP Officejet Pro

▲

K550) or the duplex unit (HP Officejet Pro K550dtn/
K550dtwn) is inserted completely at the back of the
printer.

(Resume button).

ENWW Interpreting control panel lights 59

Light description /Light pattern Explanation and recommended action

The Power light and the Resume light blink, and one or
more of the ink cartridge lights are on.

The Power light is on, and one or more of the printhead
lights blink.

The Power light, and one or more of the printhead lights
blink.

One or more of the ink cartridges have expired.

CAUTION Printer services or repairs required

as a result of using expired ink cartridges will not
be covered under warranty.

Replace the ink cartridge indicated.

●

If you choose to use the expired ink cartridge, press

●

and hold
button) three times. All lights except the Power light
go off. Damage that results to the printer from using
this cartridge is not covered under the warranty.

One or more of the printheads are missing.

Install the printhead indicated, and then try to print.

●

If the error persists, replace the printhead indicated.

●

One or more of the printheads are faulty or need attention.

Ensure the printhead indicated is properly installed,

●

and then try to print. Remove and reinsert the
printhead if necessary.

(Power button), and press (Resume

The Power light is on, and one or more of the ink cartridge
lights blink.

The Power light, and one or more of the ink cartridge
lights blink.

If the error persists, replace the printhead indicated.

●

One or more of the ink cartridges are missing.

Install the ink cartridge indicated, and then try to print.

●

If the error persists, replace the ink cartridge indicated.

●

One or more of the ink cartridges are out of ink and must
be replaced before you can continue printing.

Replace the ink cartridge indicated.

▲

One or more of the ink cartridges are faulty or need
attention.

Ensure the ink cartridge indicated is properly

●

installed, and then try to print.

If the error persists, replace the ink cartridge indicated.

●

60 Chapter 5 Printer lights reference ENWW

Light description /Light pattern Explanation and recommended action

The Power light is on, and one or more of the ink cartridge
lights are on.

The Power light blinks, and one or more of the ink
cartridge lights are on.

The Configuration Page light blinks.

(HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn)

One or more of the ink cartridges are low on ink and will
need to be replaced soon.

Get ready new ink cartridges and replace the existing

▲

cartridges when they become empty.

One of the following processes is taking place:

● The printer is initializing for wireless communication.

If you are using SecureEasySetup (SES) to set up the

●

printer, the printer might be trying to connect to the
wireless network.

●

If you are using Windows Connect Now

TM

the printer, the printer is receiving wireless
information from the USB flash drive.

to set up

The Configuration Page light is on.

(HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn)

All lights are on.

Each of the above processes takes less than 2 minutes.

No action is required.

▲

The printer is in wireless communication mode.

No action is required.

▲

A non-recoverable error has occurred. See All printer

lights are on.

ENWW Interpreting control panel lights 61

Interpreting network connector lights

1 Activity light

2 Network connector

3 Link light

NOTE The printer's wireless communication is turned off when the printer is connected using

a network cable.

Light description/Light pattern Explanation and recommended action

Link light is on. Activity light is off.

Link light is on. Activity light blinks.

The printer is connected to the network but is not
receiving or transmitting data over the network. The
printer is turned on and idle.

No action is required.

▲

The printer is receiving or transmitting data over the
network.

No action is required.

▲

62 Chapter 5 Printer lights reference ENWW

Light description/Light pattern Explanation and recommended action

Link light is off. Activity light is off. The printer is turned off or is not connected to the network.

If the printer is turned off, turn on the printer. If the

▲

printer is turned on and a network cable is connected,

Problems connecting to a network.

see

ENWW Interpreting network connector lights 63

64 Chapter 5 Printer lights reference ENWW

6 Configuring and managing the printer

This section contains the following information:

Managing the printer

●

Understanding the configuration page

●

Configuring the printer (Windows)

●

Configuring the printer (Mac OS)

●

Setting up the printer for wireless communication (HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn)

●

●

Uninstalling the printer software

ENWW 65

Managing the printer

Overview of printer management tasks

The following table lists common printer tools that can be used to manage the printer. Specific
procedures might include other methods. For information about accessing and using the tools, see

Overview of printer management tools.

NOTE Mac OS users can use the control panel, the embedded Web server, and the HP

Printer Utility. Windows users can use the control panel, the embedded Web server, the
printer driver, the Toolbox, the HP Web Jetadmin, and myPrintMileage.

For more information about the HP Web Jetadmin software, open the HP Web Jetadmin
software and see its documentation. For more information about myPrintMileage, visit the
myPrintMileage website.

If you want to... ...use these tools.*

Control

panel
parts

Monitor the printer

Status of supplies

▲

Usage of supplies and

▲

media

Operation and status

▲

Administer the printer

Printer maintenance

▲

▲

Printer security

PowerSave mode time

▲

▲ Tray settings

Embedded
Web server

Toolbox
(Windows)

HP Printer
Utility (Mac
OS)

HP Web
Jetadmin
software

myPrintMileage

Alerts and notifications

▲

Configure network settings

Configure network

▲

settings

66 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

Monitor the printer

This section provides instructions for monitoring the printer.

Use this tool... ...to obtain the following information.

Control panel Obtain information about the status of jobs that are being

Embedded Web server

Toolbox (Windows)

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS)

processed, the operating status of the printer, and the status
of ink cartridges and printheads.

Printer lights reference for more information.

See

Printer status information: Click the Information tab,

●

and then click an option available on the left pane.

Ink cartridge and printhead status: Click the

●

Information tab and click Ink Supplies in the left pane.

● Accumulated ink and media usage: Click the

Information tab and click Usage in the left pane.

Ink cartridge information: Click the Printer Status

●

tab to view the ink-level information, and then click the
Cartridge Information button to view information about
replacement ink cartridges and expirations dates.

Printer errors: Click the Printer Status tab, click

●

Preferences, and then select one or more check boxes
to enable viewing of printer errors or warnings.

Ink cartridge information: Open the Information and

▲

Support panel and click Supplies Status.

Administer the printer

This section provides information about administering the printer and modifying settings.

Use this tool... ...to do the following.

Control panel

Embedded Web server

ENWW Managing the printer 67

Reset the administrator password and network settings:

▲

Press and hold

(Resume button) three times, and release /
(Configuration Page button). See the details under

Troubleshooting tips and resources.

Modify the administrator password: Click the Settings tab

●

and click Security in the left pane.

Change tray settings: Click the Settings tab and click Paper

●

Handling in the left pane.

Perform printer maintenance tasks: Click the Settings tab

●

and click Printer Services in the left pane.

/ (Configuration Page button), press

Use this tool... ...to do the following.

Toolbox (Windows)

Printer driver (Windows) Perform printer maintenance tasks:

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS)

Change tray settings: Click the Printer Services tab and click

●

Paper Handling.

Perform printer maintenance tasks: Click the Printer

●

Services tab and click the button for the task that you wish to
perform.

Set up alerts and notifications: Click the Printer Status tab

●

and click Preferences.

1. On the Windows desktop, click Start, point to Settings, and

then click Printers or Printers and Faxes.

2. Right-click the printer icon, and then click Properties,

Document Defaults, or Printing Preferences.

3. Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button
(this option is available only if the Toolbox is installed), and
then click the Printer Services tab. Click the button for the task
that you wish to perform.

Change tray settings: Click Trays Configuration from the

●

Printer Settings panel.

Perform printer maintenance tasks: Open the Information

●

and Support panel and click the option for the task that you
wish to perform.

Configure network settings

This section provides information about configuring the printer's network settings.

For a list of current settings, print a configuration page. See

Use this tool... ...to do the following.

Embedded Web server

Configure network settings: Click the Networking tab.

●

Set a static IP address: Click the Networking tab, select

●

Manual IP from the IP Address Configuration drop-down list,
enter the static IP address in the Manual IP Address box,
enter the Manual Subnet Mask and Manual Default
Gateway, if needed, and click Apply.

Understanding the configuration page.

NOTE It is not recommended that you assign a static

IP address to the printer. However, a static IP address
might resolve certain setup and printing problems,
such as a conflict with a personal firewall.

68 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

Overview of printer management tools

Embedded Web server

When the printer is connected to a network, you can use the printer's embedded Web server to view
status information, change settings, and manage the printer at your computer.

NOTE For a list of system requirements for the embedded Web server, see Printer

specifications. Some settings might be restricted by the requirement for a password. You can

open and use the embedded Web server without being connected to the Internet. However,
some features will not be available.

To open the embedded Web server

You can open the embedded Web server through the following ways:

NOTE To open the embedded Web server from the printer driver (Windows), the Toolbox

(Windows), or the HP Printer Utility (Mac OS), the printer must be on a network and must
have an IP address.

Web browser: In a supported Web browser on your computer, type the IP address that has

●

been assigned to the printer.

For example, if the IP address is 123.123.123.123, type the following address into the Web
browser: http://123.123.123.123

The IP address for the printer is listed on the configuration page. See

Understanding the

configuration page.

After opening the embedded Web server, you can bookmark it so that you can return to it quickly
in the future.

Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab and click the button to open the embedded

●

Web server.

Toolbox (Windows): Click the Information tab and click the button to open the embedded Web

●

server.

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click EWS from the Information and Support panel.

●

Embedded Web server pages

The embedded Web server contains pages that you can use to view product information and change
printer settings. The pages also contain links to other e-services.

Pages Contents

Information

Settings Shows the settings that have been configured for the printer, and

Shows status information about the printer, its ink supplies and
usage, and a log of printer events (such as errors).

gives you the ability to change these settings.

ENWW Managing the printer 69

Pages Contents

Networking Shows network status and the network settings that have been

configured for the printer. These pages only appear if the printer is
connected to a network. See Configure network settings for more
information.

Other links Connect you to other resources, including e-services, such as HP

Instant Support, myPrintMileage, and online ordering of supplies.
See HP Instant Support and myPrintMileage.

You can also add or customize a link to the website of your choice.
The link will appear on the left pane throughout the embedded Web
server pages.

Toolbox (Windows)

The Toolbox provides status and maintenance information about the printer. It also provides links to
this guide for help in performing basic printing tasks and solving problems.

NOTE The Toolbox can be installed from the Starter CD by selecting the full installation

option, if the computer meets the system requirements.

To monitor a printer on a shared port (for example, \\portname\printername) from a client
machine, the Toolbox must be running on the server machine as well as on the client machine.

To open the Toolbox

From the Start menu at your computer, point to Programs, point to the printer name, and then

▲

click the Toolbox icon.

Toolbox tabs

The Toolbox contains the following tabs.

Tabs Contents

Selected printer: Displays a list of installed printers that are

Printer Status

●

supported by the Toolbox.

Ink Level Information: Shows estimated ink level for each

●

cartridge.

Order Supplies: Provides access to a website where you can

●

order printing supplies for the printer online.

Cartridge Information: Shows order numbers and expiration

●

dates of the installed ink cartridges.

Preferences: Allows you to set your preferences, such as

●

specifying whether to display error messages, and whether to
sound an audio alert when a printer or printing error occurs.

70 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

Tabs Contents

Printer Information: Provides a link to myPrintMileage, and

Information

Printer Services

●

shows the printer hardware and printhead health information.

Help Information: Provides links to HP Instant Support, HP

●

Customer Support, and online printer registration, as well as to
this guide for help in performing basic printing tasks and
troubleshooting. See

Print PQ (print quality) diagnostic page: Allows you to

●

diagnose issues affecting the print quality of the printer. See

print the print quality diagnostic page.

Test Paper Feed: Allows you to check the paper pick

●

mechanism of a paper source. See the instructions under

Clearing jams.

Print Configuration Page: Allows you to print the

●

configuration page of the printer. This page contains
information about the printer and the supplies. See

Understanding the configuration page.

Align Printheads: Guides you through aligning the printheads.

●

See

Clean Printheads: Guides you through cleaning the

●

printheads. See To clean the printheads.

HP Instant Support.

To

To align the printheads.

Calibrate Linefeed: Allows you to perform linefeed calibration.

●

See To calibrate the linefeed.

Calibrate Color: Allows you to perform color calibration to

●

correct problems with color tints. See

● Paper Handling: Allows you to set the tray lock and select a

default tray (if tray 2 is installed). See Configuring trays.

Calibrating the color.

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS)

The HP Printer Utility contains tools to configure print settings, calibrate the printer, clean the
printheads, print the configuration page of the printer, order supplies online, and find website support
information.

To open the HP Printer Utility

1. From the Finder, select Computer from the Go menu.

2. Select Library, and then select Printers.

3. Select hp, select Utilities, and then select HP Printer Selector.

4. Select the printer and click Launch Utility.

ENWW Managing the printer 71

HP Printer Utility panels

Information and Support panel

Supplies Status: Shows the information about currently installed printheads and ink cartridges.

●

Device Information: Displays information about the printer model and serial number. Also

●

allows you to print the configuration page of the printer. This page contains information about the
printer and the supplies. See

Print PQ Diagnostic Page: Allows you to diagnose issues affecting the print quality of the

●

printer. See

Test Paper Feed: Allows you to check the paper pick mechanism of a paper source. See the

●

instructions under

To print the print quality diagnostic page.

Clearing jams.

Understanding the configuration page.

Clean: Guides you through cleaning the printheads. See

●

Align: Guides you through aligning the printheads. See

●

Calibrate Color: Allows you to perform color calibration to correct problems with color tints. See

●

Calibrating the color.

Calibrate Linefeed: Allows you to perform linefeed calibration. See

●

HP Support: Gain access to HP website where you can find support for the printer, register the

●

printer, and find information about returning and recycling used printing supplies.

Printer Settings panel

Trays Configuration: Set the default media type and size for a tray, and set the tray priority.

●

Configuring trays.

See

● Network Settings: Configure IP settings for network connectivity.

To clean the printheads.

To align the printheads.

To calibrate the linefeed.

Network Printer Setup Utility (Mac OS)

The tool allows you to configure network settings for the printer. You can configure wireless settings
such as network location name and wireless mode, and wired settings such as TCP/IP address,
router, and subnet mask.

To open the Network Printer Setup Utility

1. From the Finder, select Computer from the Go menu.

2. Select Library, and then select Printers.

3. Select hp, select Utilities, and then select Network Printer Setup Utility.

4. Follow the onscreen instructions to configure network settings for the printer.

HP Web Jetadmin software

The HP Web Jetadmin software is a Web-based management solution for remotely installing,
configuring (both individually or in batch mode), monitoring status (including levels for supplies),

72 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

conducting remote diagnostics, and troubleshooting a wide variety of HP and non-HP network
peripherals.

After the software has been installed, you can gain access to it from anywhere within your intranet by
using a standard Web browser. To get more information or to download the software, go to

www.hp.com/go/webjetadmin.

HP Instant Support

HP Instant Support is a suite of Web-based troubleshooting tools. It helps you quickly identify,
diagnose, and resolve printing problems.

HP Instant Support provides the following information about your device:

Easy access to troubleshooting tips: Provides tips that are customized for your device.

●

Resolution of specific device errors: Provides immediate access to information that can help

●

you resolve error messages specific to your device. To see a description of the problem, as well
as recommendations for solving or preventing the problem, click the link within the message. To
see a list of past device errors, click Alerts on the left side of the HP Instant Support page.

Notification of device driver updates: Alerts you when there is an update for the printer driver.

●

A message appears on the HP Instant Support homepage; click the link within the message to
go directly to the download section of the HP website.

Obtaining support services: Provides a list of the support services that are available for your

●

device.

Managing ink and media usage (myPrintMileage): Helps you manage and forecast printer

●

supplies usage.

Self diagnostic testing for your device: Runs a diagnostic test of your device. Select Printer

●

on the Self Help menu on the Instant Support page to start diagnosing the devices. HP Instant
Support checks the computer, and a list of configured devices appears. When you select the
device that you want to diagnose, HP Instant Support can help you with tasks, such as making
sure that you have the latest device driver available and gaining access to reports about the
device status and detailed device-diagnostic information. If any errors are detected during this
process, you are given the option to perform updates to the device drivers, or to perform detailed
diagnostic tests on the device.

HP expert help online (Active Chat): Provides personalized help from an HP support expert

●

over the Web at any time. Simply submit a question or a description of your problem. Your recent
device history, system configuration, and any actions that you have attempted are automatically
forwarded to HP (upon your approval) so that you will not need to describe the problem again.
An HP support expert will respond online to solve your problem through a real-time Web chat.

Knowledge database Use the HP knowledge database to quickly find answers to your questions.

●

Security and privacy

When you use HP Instant Support, detailed device information, such as the serial number, error
conditions, and status, is sent to HP. HP respects your privacy and manages this information
according to the guidelines that are outlined in the HP Online Privacy Statement (

country/us/eng/privacy.htm).

www.hp.com/

ENWW Managing the printer 73

NOTE To view all the data that is sent to HP, select Source (for Internet Explorer and

Opera) or Page Source (for Netscape and Mozilla Firefox) from the View menu in your Web
browser.

To gain access to HP Instant Support

▲ Toolbox (Windows): Click the Information tab and click HP Instant Support.

Embedded Web server: In a Web browser, type the IP address assigned to the device. (The

▲

address is listed on the configuration page. See
In the Other Links section of the Information or Settings tab, click HP Instant Support.

NOTE Do not bookmark the Web pages that are used to open HP Instant Support. If you

bookmark the site and connect to it by using the bookmark, the pages will not contain the
current information.

Understanding the configuration page.)

myPrintMileage

myPrintMileage is a service that HP provides to help you keep track of your device usage to help you
forecast device usage and plan the purchase of supplies.

To use myPrintMileage, you must have the following:

Toolbox (Windows) installed

●

Internet connection

●

Device connected

●

On the myPrintMileage website, you can see the following item:

Print analysis, such as the amount of ink you have used, whether you use more black or color

▲

ink, and the estimated number of pages you can print with the remaining amount of ink.

To gain access to myPrintMileage

Embedded Web server: Click myPrintMileage in the Other Links section.

●

Toolbox (Windows): Click the Information tab, and then click myPrintMileage and follow the

●

onscreen instructions.

Windows taskbar: Right-click the Toolbox icon in the Windows taskbar, click myPrintMileage,

●

and then select View my print usage.

NOTE Do not bookmark the Web pages that are used to open myPrintMileage. If you

bookmark the site and connect to it by using the bookmark, the pages will not contain the
current information.

74 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

Understanding the configuration page

Use the configuration page to view current printer information, ink cartridge status, and printhead
health status; to help troubleshoot printer problems; and to verify installation of optional accessories,
such as the duplex unit. The configuration page also contains a log of recent events. If the printer is
connected to a network, an additional network configuration page prints; this page shows the
network settings for the printer.

If you need to call HP, it is often useful to print the configuration page before calling.

1. Printer Information: Shows printer information (such as the product name, model number,

serial number, and firmware version number), the accessories that are installed (such as the
duplex unit), and the number of pages printed from the trays and accessories.

2. Ink Cartridge Status: Shows the estimated ink levels (represented in graphical form as gauges),

the part numbers and expiration dates of the ink cartridges.

3. Printhead Status: Shows the status of the printhead health, and the part numbers, first-

installation dates, and end-of-warranty dates of the printheads, as well as the accumulated ink
usage. The status options for the printhead are: good, fair, and replace. If the status is 'fair', then
the print quality must be monitored, but the printhead does not need to replaced. If the status is
'replace', then the printhead should be replaced as the printer will not function until it is.

4.

Event Log: Shows a log of recent events that have occurred.

ENWW Understanding the configuration page 75

Network Configuration Page

1. General Information: Shows information about the current status and connection type of the

network, and other information, such as the URL of the embedded Web server and the hardware
address of the printer.

Network Status: This setting can be 'Ready' or 'Offline'. When the setting is 'Offline', it

●

implies either that the IP is being assigned or negotiated by the DNS server, or that the
AutoIP or the network is not available.

Active Connection Type: Shows the current status of the connection type of the printer and

●

the network. Shows 'Wired' if the printer is connected to a wired network, and 'Wireless' if the
printer is connected to a wireless network.

2. TCP/IP: Shows information on how the printer is configured, such as the hostname, IP address,

subnet mask, default gateway, server, and service name. Also contains a Config By field, which
shows 'AutoIP' if the printer is connected to a peer-to-peer network, and 'DHCP' if the printer is
assigned an IP address or is configured by a DHCP server.

3. 802.3 Wired/802.11 Wireless: For a wired network, the section name is displayed as '802.3

Wired'; whereas for a wireless network, it is '802.11 Wireless'.

802.3 Wired:

●

iLink Configuration: The possible values are '10T/100T HalfDplx/FullDplx', '10T

▲

HalfDplx', '100T FullDplx', and '100T HalfDplx'.

76 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

802.11 Wireless:

●

Status: If the value is 'Associated', the printer is able to communicate with the wireless

●

device (PC or wireless access point (WAP)). If the value is 'Disassociated', make sure
that the correct wireless settings, such as the network name (SSID), encryption type/
keys match in both the devices. Also, ensure that the wireless access parts are up and
running.

Radio HW Status: If the value is 'Initialized', the printer is ready for use. However, if the

●

wireless capability is disabled from the control panel or the embedded Web server, re­enable it by pressing and holding

Configuration Page light turns on; or re-enable it through the embedded Web server.

Communication Mode: The possible values are 'ad hoc' and 'infrastructure'. See

●

Understanding 802.11 wireless network settings for details.

Network Name (SSID): By default, the printer looks for the wireless network name or

●

Service Set Identifier (SSID) named "hpsetup". Your network may have a different SSID.

Signal Strength (1-5): If the value is '0', the wireless devices (such as the computer, the

●

hub, or the wireless router) might be too far away, or the wireless signal might be blocked.

If possible, bring the devices closer, or move the devices to avoid any obstructions or
partitions. See also

Authentication Type: The possible values are 'Open', 'OpenThenShared', 'Shared', and

●

'WPA-PSK' (Wi-Fi

wireless network settings for details.

(Configuration Page button) for 5 seconds till the

Guidelines for reducing interference on a wireless network.

®

Protected Access Pre-Shared Key). See Understanding 802.11

Encryption Type: The possible values are 'None', 'WEP' (Wired Equivalent Privacy),

●

'TKIP' (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol), 'AES' (Advanced Encryption Standard), and
'Automatic' (AES or TKIP). See

Understanding 802.11 wireless network settings for

details.

The value should be the same as the settings of the wireless device. For example, if the
wireless settings are made for a WEP encryption type, the value displayed on the page
should be WEP.

Channel Range: The range can have a value such as 'Locale: 3:0:0:1'.

●

For an ad hoc network, the value should be the same as the settings of the wireless
device.

The first digit stands for Locale Number

Locale 0: Channels 1-11:

high-power 802.11b

●

low-power 802.11g

●

Locale 1: Channels 1-13:

low-power 802.11b

●

low-power 802.11g

●

ENWW Understanding the configuration page 77

Locale 2: Channels 1-14:

low-power 802.11b

●

● low-power 802.11g

NOTE 802.11g is not allowed on channel 14.

The second digit stands for Ad-Hoc Compatibility
Mode

The third digit stands for Infrastructure Rate
Restriction

The fourth digit stands for Ad-Hoc Rate Restriction 0: 802.11b or 802.11g

0: Ad-Hoc connection status nominal

1: Ad-Hoc always appears connected

0: 802.11b or 802.11g

1: 802.11b only

1: 802.11b only

4. Miscellaneous: Shows information, such as the total, unicast, broadcast packets transmitted

and received, and the administrator details.

Admin Password: Shows 'Not Set' when no password is set in the Settings/Networking

▲

tab of the embedded Web server; otherwise, shows 'Set'.

To print the configuration page

●

Control panel: HP Officejet Pro K550: Press and hold
button) once, and release

(Power button).

(Power button), press (Cancel

HP Officejet Pro K550dtn/K550dtwn: Press

/ (Configuration Page button).

● Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab and click Print Configuration Page.

Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab and click Print Configuration Page.

●

HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Device Information from the Information and Support

●

panel, and then click Print Configuration Page.

78 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

Configuring the printer (Windows)

You can connect the printer directly to a computer, or you can share the printer among other users
on a network.

NOTE Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 must be installed on the computer system to run the

installation program.

Also, you must have administrator privileges to install a printer driver on Windows 2000,
Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003.

Direct connection

You can connect the printer directly to your computer using a USB cable.

NOTE If you install the printer software and connect a printer to a computer running

Windows, you can connect additional printers to the same computer with USB cables without
reinstalling the printer software.

When setting up the printer, HP recommends that you connect the printer after you install the
software because the installation program is designed to provide you with the easiest setup
experience. However, if you have connected the cable first, see

installing the software.

To connect the printer before

To install the software before connecting the printer (recommended)

NOTE If your computer meets the system requirements, it is recommended that you install

the Toolbox by selecting the full installation option. The Toolbox provides status and
maintenance information about the printer. It also provides access to documentation and
online help tools for solving printer problems. Without the Toolbox, you will not see printer
error messages on your computer screen, and will not have access to the myPrintMileage
website. See

1. Close any applications that are running.

2. Insert the Starter CD into the CD drive. The CD menu starts automatically. If the CD menu does

not start automatically, browse to the CD drive of the computer and double-click Setup.exe.

3. On the CD menu, click Install and follow the onscreen instructions.

4. When prompted, turn on the printer and connect it to the computer using a USB cable. The

Found New Hardware wizard appears on the computer screen, and the printer icon is created in

the Printers folder.

NOTE You may connect the USB cable at a later time when you need to use the printer.

You can also share the printer with other computers using a simple form of networking known
as locally shared networking. See

Toolbox (Windows) for more information.

To share the printer on a locally shared network.

ENWW Configuring the printer (Windows) 79

To connect the printer before installing the software

If you connected the printer to the computer before installing the printer software, the Found New
Hardware wizard appeared on the computer screen.

NOTE If you have turned on the printer, do not turn it off or unplug the cable from the printer

while the installation program is running. If you do so, the installation program will not finish.

1. In the Found New Hardware dialog box that provides the option for selecting a method to locate

the printer driver, select the advanced option and click Next.

NOTE Do not allow the Found New Hardware wizard to perform an automatic search

for the printer driver.

2. Select the check box for specifying the driver location, and ensure that the other check boxes are

clear.

3. Insert the Starter CD into the CD drive. If the CD menu appears, close it.

4. Browse to locate the root directory on the Starter CD (for example, D) and click OK.

5. Click Next and follow the onscreen instructions.

6. Click Finish to close the Found New Hardware wizard. The wizard automatically starts the

installation program (this might take a short while). For Windows 98 and Windows Me, you must
complete the installation program if you wish to install a non-English printer driver.

7. Complete the installation process.

NOTE You can also share the printer with other computers using a simple form of

networking known as locally shared networking. See

network.

To share the printer on a locally shared

To share the printer on a locally shared network

In a locally shared network, the printer is connected directly to the USB connector of a selected
computer (known as the server) and is shared by other computers (clients).

NOTE When sharing a directly connected printer, use the computer with the newest

operating system as the server. For example, if you have a computer running Windows 2000
and another computer running an older version of Windows, use the computer running
Windows 2000 as the server.

Use this configuration only in small groups or when usage is low. The computer that is
connected to the printer is slowed down when many users print to the printer.

1. On the Windows desktop of the server computer, click Start, point to Settings, and then click

Printers or Printers and Faxes.

2. Right-click the printer icon, click Properties, and then click the Sharing tab.

80 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

3. Click the option to share the printer, and give the printer a share name.

4. To share the printer with client computers that use other versions of Windows, click Additional

Drivers to install their drivers as a convenience to them. You must have the Starter CD in your

CD drive.

Network Connection

If the printer has network capability, the printer can be shared in a network environment by
connecting it directly to the network. This type of connection offers the ability to manage the printer
using the embedded Web server from any computer on the network.

NOTE Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 must be installed on the computer system to run the

installation program.

Choose the installation option for the type of network you have:

Client/server network: If your network has a computer acting as a dedicated print server, install

●

the printer software on the server (see
software on the client computers (see

Peer-to-peer network: If you have a peer-to-peer network (a network without a dedicated print

●

server), install the software on the computers that will be using the printer. See

network printer.

To install a network printer), and then install the printer

To install the printing software on client computers).

To install a

In addition, you can connect to a network printer on both types of networks using the Add Printer
wizard in Windows. See

To install the printer driver using Add Printer.

To install a network printer

Use the following steps to install the printer software in the following networking scenarios:

Your network has a computer acting as a dedicated print server

●

● You have a peer-to-peer network (a network without a dedicated print server)

1. Remove the protective cover from the printer's network port and connect the printer to the

network.

2. Close any applications that are running on the computer system that is acting as the print server.

3. Insert the Starter CD into the CD drive. The CD menu starts automatically. If the CD menu does

not start automatically, browse to the CD drive of the computer and double-click Setup.exe.

4. On the CD menu, click Install and follow the onscreen instructions.

5. On the Connection Type screen, select the option to connect through network and click Next.

6. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.

NOTE To share the printer with Windows client computers, see To install the printing

software on client computers and To share the printer on a locally shared network.

ENWW Configuring the printer (Windows) 81

To install the printing software on client computers

After printer drivers are installed on the computer that is acting as the print server, the printing
functionality can be shared. Individual Windows users who want to use the network printer must
install the software on their computers (clients).

A client computer can connect to the printer in the following ways:

In the Printers folder, double-click the Add Printer icon and follow the instructions for a network

●

installation. See

On the network, browse to the printer and drag it to your Printers folder.

●

Add the printer and install the software from the INF file on your network.

●

On the Starter CD, the INF files are stored in folders that use the following format: <CD drive>:
\Drivers\<operating system>\<language>

For example, if your CD drive letter is D, then D:\Drivers\Win2k_XP\English would contain the
English INF file for Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003.

To install the printer driver using Add Printer.

To install the printer driver using Add Printer

1. On the Windows desktop, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers or Printers and

Faxes. Or click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Printers or Printers and Faxes.

2. Double-click Add Printer, and then click Next.

3. Select Network Printer or Network Printer Server.

4. Click Next.

5. Do one of the following:

Type in the network path or queue name of the shared printer and click Next. Click Have

▲

Disk when prompted to select the printer model.

Click Next and locate the printer in the list of shared printers.

▲

6. Click Next and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.

82 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

Configuring the printer (Mac OS)

You can use the printer with a single Macintosh computer using a USB cable, or you can share the
printer among other users on a network.

To install the software for network or direct connection (Mac OS X (10.2, 10.3, 10.4))

1. Connect the printer to your computer with a USB cable.

2. Insert the Starter CD into the CD drive. Double-click the CD icon on the desktop, and then

double-click the setup icon. Also, you can locate the Installer folder on the Starter CD.

3. Click Install Driver and follow the onscreen instructions.

4. If necessary, share the printer with other Macintosh computer users.

Direct connection: Share the printer with the other Macintosh computer users. See

●

share the printer on a locally shared network (Mac OS X (10.2, 10.3, 10.4)).

Network connection: Individual Macintosh computer users who want to use the network

●

printer must install the printer software on their computers.

To

To share the printer on a locally shared network (Mac OS X (10.2,

10.3, 10.4))

When you connect the printer directly, you can share it with other computers using a simple form of
networking known as locally shared networking. Use this configuration only in small groups or when
usage is low. The computer that is connected to the printer is slowed down when many users print to
the printer.

Basic requirements for sharing in a Macintosh environment include the following items:

The Macintosh computers must be communicating on the network using TCP/IP, and they must

●

have IP addresses. (AppleTalk is not supported.)

The printer that is being shared must be connected to a built-in USB port on the host Macintosh

●

computer.

The client Macintosh computers must be PowerMac or PowerPC computers.

●

Both the host Macintosh computer and the client Macintosh computers that are using the shared

●

printer must have printer-sharing software installed, and the printer driver or PPD for the printer
that is installed. (You can run the installation program to install the printer sharing software and
associated Help files.)

For more information about USB printer sharing, see the support information on the Apple website

www.apple.com) or the Mac Help on the computer.

(

ENWW Configuring the printer (Mac OS) 83

To share the printer among computers running Mac OS

1. Turn on printer sharing on the Macintosh computer (the host) that is connected to the printer:

Open System Preferences, click Sharing, click Services, and then select the Printer Sharing
check box.

2. To print from the other Macintosh computers (the clients) on the network, preselect the printer in

Sharing. Then, choose the neighborhood where the printer is shared and select the printer.

84 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

Setting up the printer for wireless communication (HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn)

You may set up the printer for wireless communication using one of the following ways:

Using a cross cable or network cable

●

To set up the printer on an ad hoc network (Mac OS) or To set up the printer for wireless

See

communication (Windows).

Using SecureEasySetup (SES)

●

To set up wireless communication using SecureEasySetup (SES).

See

Using Windows Connect Now

●

To set up wireless communication for multiple printers (Windows only).

See

NOTE If you encounter problems, see Problems setting up or using wireless communication.

To use the printer with any wireless connection, you must run the installation program at least
once from the Starter CD and create a wireless connection.

Make sure the printer is not connected to the network using a network cable.

The sending device must have built-in 802.11 capabilities or an 802.11 wireless card installed.

It is recommended that the printer and the computers that use the printer be on the same
subnet.

Before installing the printer software, you may wish to find out the settings of your network. Obtain
the information from your system administrators, or complete the following tasks:

Obtain your network's network name (SSID) and communication mode (infrastructure or ad hoc)

●

from the configuration utility for the network's wireless access point (WAP) or the computer's
network card.

Find out the type of encryption your network uses, such as Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).

●

Find out the security password or encryption key of the wireless device.

●

Understanding 802.11 wireless network settings

Network name (SSID)

By default, the printer looks for the wireless network name or Service Set Identifier (SSID) named
"hpsetup". Your network may have a different SSID.

Communication mode

There are two communication mode options:

Ad hoc: On an ad hoc network, the printer is set to ad hoc communication mode, and

●

communicates directly with other wireless devices without the use of a wireless access point
(WAP).

ENWW Setting up the printer for wireless communication (HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn) 85

All devices on the ad hoc network must:

Be 802.11 compatible

●

Have ad hoc as the communication mode

●

Have the same network name (SSID)

●

Be on the same subnet and same channel

●

Have the same 802.11 security settings

●

Infrastructure (recommended): On an infrastructure network, the printer is set to infrastructure

●

communication mode, and communicates with other devices on the network, whether the
devices are wired or wireless, through a WAP. WAPs commonly act as routers or gateways on
small networks.

Security settings

NOTE For the available settings for the printer, see the network configuration page under

Understanding the configuration page.

For more information on wireless security, visit

www.weca.net/opensection/pdf/whitepaper_wi-fi_security4-29-03.pdf.

Network authentication: The printer's factory default setting is 'Open', which does not require

●

security for authorization or encryption. The other possible values are 'OpenThenShared',

®

'Shared', and 'WPA-PSK' (Wi-Fi

WPA increases the level of over-the-air data protection and access control on existing and

▲

Protected Access Pre-Shared Key).

future Wi-Fi networks. It addresses all known weaknesses of WEP, the original native
security mechanism in the 802.11 standard.

WPA2 is the second generation of WPA security; providing enterprise and consumer Wi-Fi

▲

users with a high level of assurance that only authorized users can access their wireless
networks.

Data encryption:

●

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) provides security by encrypting data sent over radio waves

●

from one wireless device to another wireless device. Devices on a WEP-enabled network
use WEP keys to encode data. If your network uses WEP, you must know the WEP key(s) it
uses.

WPA uses the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) for encryption and employs 802.1X

●

authentication with one of the standard Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) types
available today.

WPA2 provides a new, encryption scheme, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). AES

●

is defined in counter cipher-block chaining mode (CCM) and supports the Independent Basic
Service Set (IBSS) to enable security between client workstations operating in ad hoc mode.

86 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

To set up the printer on an ad hoc network (Mac OS)

1. Set up the printer hardware (see the setup poster and the getting started guide).

2. Ensure an AirPort card is installed on the computer.

3. Close any applications that are running on your computer system.

4. Open the AirPort Setup Assistant from the Utilities folder. Refer to the AirPort documentation

for details on setting up on wireless networks.

5. Click the Airport icon on the menu bar and select "hpsetup" under Computer to Computer

Networks.

6. Insert the Starter CD into the CD drive. The CD menu runs automatically. If the CD menu does

not start automatically, double-click the setup icon on the Starter CD.

7. On the CD menu, click Install Driver and follow the onscreen instructions.

8. On the Connection Type screen, select the wireless network option and click Done.

9. Follow the onscreen instructions in the Network Printer Setup Utility, which starts running

automatically, to install the printer driver.

To set up the printer for wireless communication (Windows)

1. Set up the printer hardware (see the setup poster and the getting started guide).

2. Remove the protective cover from the printer's network port.

3. Do one of the following:

Temporarily connect the printer to the computer with the cross cable (included with the

●

printer).

Temporarily connect the printer to the network with a network cable.

●

4. Close any applications that are running on your computer system.

ENWW Setting up the printer for wireless communication (HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn) 87

5. Insert the Starter CD into the CD drive. The CD menu runs automatically. If the CD menu does

not start automatically, double-click the setup icon on the Starter CD.

6. On the CD menu, click Install and follow the onscreen instructions.

7. On the Connection Type screen, select the option to connect through network and click Next.

8. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation, and when prompted, disconnect the

cable.

To set up wireless communication using SecureEasySetup (SES)

NOTE If your wireless router is SES capable, see the following instructions to set up using

SES.

1. Set up the printer hardware (see the setup poster and the getting started guide).

2. Press the SES button on the wireless router.

3.

Within 2 minutes, press and hold
(Resume button) once, and release (Configuration Page button). The Configuration Page light

blinks.

4.

Wait about 2 minutes, and press
configuration page and verify that the SES settings match the router's wireless settings.

NOTE If the connection fails, you might need to reset the printer's network settings (see

the instructions under

Problems setting up or using wireless communication.

(Configuration Page button) on the printer, press

(Configuration Page button) to print the printer's

Troubleshooting tips and resources) and repeat the steps. See also

88 Chapter 6 Configuring and managing the printer ENWW

5. Close any applications that are running on your computer system.

6. Insert the Starter CD into the CD drive. The CD menu runs automatically. If the CD menu does

not start automatically, double-click the setup icon on the Starter CD.

7. On the CD menu, click Install and follow the onscreen instructions to install the printer software.

To set up wireless communication for multiple printers (Windows only)

The printer supports the Windows Connect NowTM technology, which allows you to conveniently set
up multiple printers for wireless connection. Using the Wireless Configuration Utility provided, export
the computer's wireless settings to a USB flash drive, and then configure the printers with these
settings by inserting the flash drive into the USB port of each printer.

1. Remove the protective cover from the printer's USB host connector.

2. Insert the Starter CD into the CD drive. The CD menu runs automatically. If the CD menu does

not start automatically, double-click the setup icon on the Starter CD.

3. On the CD menu, click Utilities, and then click Wireless Configuration Utility.

4. Follow the onscreen instructions and connect the USB flash drive to the computer's USB port

when prompted. The wireless network configuration settings are saved to the flash drive.

5. Follow the onscreen instructions and connect the USB flash drive to each printer that you want to

add to the network.

To turn off wireless communication

▲

Press and hold
Configuration Page light goes off.

(Configuration Page button) on the printer for about 5 seconds. The

ENWW Setting up the printer for wireless communication (HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn) 89

Guidelines for reducing interference on a wireless network

The following tips will help reduce the chances for interference in a wireless network:

Keep the wireless devices away from large metal objects, such as filing cabinets, and other

●

electromagnetic devices, such as microwaves and cordless telephones, as these objects can
disrupt radio signals.

Keep the wireless devices away from large masonry structures and other building structures as

●

these objects can absorb radio waves and lower signal strength.

For an infrastructure network, position the WAP in a central location in line of sight with the

●

wireless devices on the network.

Keep all wireless devices on the network within range of one another.

●

Guidelines for ensuring wireless network security

To add hardware addresses to a wireless access point (WAP)

MAC filtering is a security feature in which a wireless access point (WAP) is configured with a list of
MAC addresses (also called "hardware addresses") of devices that are allowed to gain access to the
network through the WAP.

If the WAP does not have the hardware address of a device attempting to access the network, the
WAP denies the device access to the network.

If the WAP filters MAC addresses, then the printer's MAC address must be added to the WAP's list of
accepted MAC addresses.

1. Print the network configuration page. See

2. Open the WAP's configuration utility, and add the printer's hardware address to the list of

accepted MAC addresses.

Understanding the configuration page.

Other guidelines

To keep the wireless network secure, follow these guidelines:

Use a password with at least 20 random characters. You can use up to 63 characters in a WPA

●

password.

Avoid any common words or phrases, easy sequences of characters (such as all 1's), and

●

personally-identifiable information for passwords. Always use random strings composed of
uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and if allowed, special characters such as
punctuation.

Change the password periodically.

●

● Change the default password provided by the manufacturer for administrator access to the

access point or wireless router. Some routers let you change the administrator name as well.

Place the access point or router in the center of a room and not near a window.

●

Turn off administrative access over wireless if possible. If you do this, you need to connect to the

●

router with a wired Ethernet connection when you want to make configuration changes.

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Turn off remote administrative access over the Internet on your router, if possible. You can use

●

Remote Desktop to make an encrypted connection to a computer running behind your router and
make configuration changes from the local computer you are accessing over the Internet.

To avoid accidentally connecting to another party's wireless network, turn off the setting to

●

automatically connect to non-preferred networks. This is disabled by default in Windows XP.

ENWW Setting up the printer for wireless communication (HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn) 91

Uninstalling the printer software

To uninstall the printer software (Windows)

If you are using Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, you must have administrator
privileges to uninstall the printer software.

1. If the computer is connected directly to the computer using a USB cable, disconnect the printer.

2. Close any applications that are running.

3. From the Start menu, open the Control Panel.

4. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.

5. Select the printer software that you want to remove.

6. Click the button for adding or removing software.

7. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the removal of the software.

NOTE If the uninstallation process fails, restart the computer and complete the steps

above to uninstall the software. If the software installation was not successful, complete
the following steps to run the uninstallation utility.

8. On the computer, restart Windows.

9. Insert the Starter CD into the CD drive. The CD menu runs automatically. If the CD menu does

not start automatically, double-click the setup icon on the Starter CD.

10.On the CD menu, click Utilities, and then click Uninstaller. Or locate the uninstallation utility (Util

\Scrubber\Uninstall.exe) on the Starter CD and run the utility.

11.Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the removal of the software.

To uninstall the printer software (Mac OS)

1. If the computer is connected directly to the computer using a USB cable, disconnect the printer.

2. Restart the computer.

NOTE If you do not restart the computer before you uninstall the software, some files

are not removed from your computer when you run the Uninstall option.

3. Insert the Starter CD into the CD drive.

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