How to Troubleshoot an HP Inkjet Printer

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:TroubleshootInkjetPrinter
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How to Troubleshoot an HP Inkjet Printer

Introduction

Although HP has excellent technical support, fixing a printer problem yourself may be less time consuming. Luckily, it is not that tough to troubleshoot your HP inkjet printer. Follow these steps to determine what is wrong with your Hewlett-Packard printer.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Steps

1

Step One

Though it may seem obvious, many people neglect to check that the printer is powered up correctly. Make sure the printer is plugged into a working electrical outlet and that the LED light or LCD screen indicates the printer is on and ready.
2

Step Two

Check the status. This is easy for printers with LCD screens. It should read a??Readya?? or a??On-line." LED lights will usually be green. If the light flashes or the screen displays an error message, check your manual to determine the cause.
3

Step Three

Paper is finicky and can easily get jammed. Check the paper trays to be sure there is enough and that it is feeding correctly. If paper is stuck in the printer, gently try to remove it.
4

Step Four

Check the ink. Print a test page to see if all the cartridges are working correctly. If a certain color is missing or faded, you may need to replace that cartridge.
5

Step Five

Clean and align the print heads. The printer can usually do this automatically. Open up the printera??s software or access the properties through control panel to run these operations.
6

Step Six

Make sure the cables are connected. A plug may have been knocked loose or may not be connected properly. Make sure the USB or parallel cable runs from the printer to the appropriate port on the back of your computer.
7

Step Seven

Reinstall the drivers. If the hardware is fine, you may have a software problem. Remove your old drivers and then reinstall the drivers using the disc that came with your printer. If those dona??t work, try downloading patches or updates from the HP website.

Overall Tips & Warnings

  • Consult the ownera??s manual for model-specific troubleshooting information.
  • Rebooting your computer, purging your print queue or just starting over from scratch can sometimes solve problems.
  • Hewlett-Packard offers technical support by email and phone. Check the manual for the number or visit their website.
  • Always unplug your printer when attempting to clear stubborn paper jams.
  • Printing test pages and cleaning heads uses a lot of ink.

Overall Things You'll Need

  • HP inkjet printer
  • Internet connection
  • Printer manual
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