HP 2500 L Service Manual

							EN 6 Troubleshooting189
Random image repetition
If an image that appears at the top of the page (in solid black) repeats farther down the page (in 
a gray field), the toner might not have been completely erased from the last print job. The 
repeated image might be lighter or darker than the field in which it appears.

Clean the printer. Open the HP Color LaserJet 2500 Series Toolbox to use the cleaning 
page. See “To use a cleaning page ” on page 53 for details.

In your program, change the tone (darkness) of the field in which the repeated image 
appears.

In your program, rotate the whole page 180 degrees to print the lighter image first.

Change the order in which the images are printed. For example, have the lighter image at the 
top of the page, and the darker image farther down the page.

If the defect occurs later in a print job, turn the printer off for 10 minutes, and then turn the 
printer on to restart the print job.

Replace the imaging drum.

Replace the fuser.

If the problem is not resolved, see  “If the problem is not resolved ” on page 190. 
						

							190Troubleshooting C9706-90926
If the problem is not resolved 
If the problem is not resolved, try these steps:
1Perform a cleaning and calibration. See  “Calibrating the printer ” on page 54.
2 Print the Configuration page and Supplies Status page again.
If the pages print correctly, then the problem is in the program, the computer, or the printer 
driver.
 If the pages do not print correctly, then the problem is in the printer hardware. The 
problem might be the fuser or the imaging drum. 
3 Change the Type setting in the printer driver, or change the print mode in the embedded Web 
server. If this step does not help, proceed to the next step.
4 If the problem persists, check the paper type and quality. (See the user guide for information 
about print-media specifications.) Use a different paper, such as high-quality paper intended 
for laser printers. Coated, photo, and glossy papers are not supported.
5 Print to a different printer. 
If the page prints correctly, then the problem might be in the printer driver for the HP Color 
LaserJet 2500 printer. Uninstall the printer driver and reinstall it.
 If the page does not print correctly, the problem is in the program or the computer. See the 
documentation for the program or the computer. 
						

							EN 6 Troubleshooting191
Solving image-quality problems (color print jobs) 
This section describes issues that can occur when you print in color.
Important step
Whenever you are experiencing color-related issues, calibrate the printer before trying any other 
steps. See “Calibrating the printer”  on page 54.
Print-quality troubleshooting page
The print-quality troubleshooting page is available through the HP Color LaserJet 2500 Series 
Toolbox. The print-quality troubleshooting page is also available directly from the software CD-
ROM for instances in which the printer is not connected to a Windows environment or the 
HP Color LaserJet 2500 Series Toolbox is otherwise unavailable.

See page 222 for information about how to view the HP Color LaserJet 2500 Series Toolbox. 
The print-quality troubleshooting page is located on the Documentation tab.
After the page prints, follow the instructions for reading the page and correcting print-quality 
problems.

To print the print-quality troubleshooting page from the software CD-ROM, copy the file 
pq_diag.prn, which is located in the \prnfiles directory, to the printer. For example, the 
following command prints the print-quality troubleshooting page from MS-DOS ®:
copy d:\prnfiles\pq_diag.prn lpt1
Three pages should print. The first page is the print-quality troubleshooting page, which is 
comprised of horizontal stripes in four colors plus grey. The second and third pages contain 
instructions for reading the print-quality troubleshooting page and correcting print-quality 
problems. 
						

							192Troubleshooting C9706-90926
Only black prints
Only black is printing when the document should be printing in color.

Color mode is not selected in your program or printer driver. Select color mode instead of 
grayscale mode.

If you are printing on transparencies, all transparencies print in grayscale.

The correct printer driver is not selected in the program. Select the correct printer driver.

The printer is not properly configured. Check the printer configuration by printing a 
Configuration page. If no color appears on the Configuration page, replace the imaging 
drum.
Missing or incorrect color

You have changed the color settings manually. Return the color setting to Automatic.
Windows: On the  Color tab of the printer driver, click  Automatic.
 Mac OS: In the  Print dialog box, select the  HP ColorSmart or HP Color Quality  pop-up 
menu and then select the  Manual option.

Your print media does not meet the specifications for this printer. For example, you are using 
coated, glossy, or photo paper. Use a different paper, such as a high-quality paper intended 
for laser printers. See the user guide for information about print-media specifications.

You are operating the printer in excessively humid or dry conditions. Verify that the printer 
environment is within humidity specifications.

A print cartridge might be low on toner. Check the printer control panel, print a Supplies 
Status page, or view the embedded Web server to see supplies status. (If you are using a 
non-HP cartridge, none of these sources will provide information about a low or empty print 
cartridge.) If a cartridge is low on toner, replace the print cartridge. 

Clean the sensors and perform a calibration. See  “Cleaning the engine”  on page 53.
Only black prints Missing or incorrect 
colorColor prints 
inconsistentlyColors do not match
Color pages have 
inconsistent finish 
						

							EN 6 Troubleshooting193
Color prints inconsistently
A color is printing inconsistently after you load a new print cartridge.

Another print cartridge might be low on toner. Check the supplies status lights or embedded 
Web server to see if a print cartridge is low and replace it if necessary. If you are using a 
non-HP print cartridge, it might be low or empty but you will receive no indication. 

Print cartridges might be improperly installed. Remove the print cartridge for the color that is 
printing inconsistently and reinstall it.

Your print media does not meet the specifications for this printer. For example, you are using 
coated, glossy, or photo paper. Use a different paper, such as a high-quality paper intended 
for laser printers. See the user guide for information about print-media specifications.
Colors do not match
The colors on the printed page do not match the colors as they appear on the screen.

Your print media does not meet the specifications for this printer. For example, you are using 
coated, glossy, or photo paper. Use a different paper, such as a high-quality paper intended 
for laser printers. See the user guide for information about print-media specifications.

The colors on your computer monitor differ from the printer output. Try selecting Screen 
Match on the Color tab of the printer driver.

Print the Configuration and Supplies Status pages to make sure that they print correctly. If 
not, the problem is with the printer.

Try printing from a different program or from one of the other printer drivers. For example, if 
you are using the PCL 6 printer driver, try the PCL 5c or PS printer driver.

Extremely light colors or extremely dark colors on screen are not printing. Your program 
might interpret extremely light colors as white or extremely dark colors as black. If so, avoid 
using extremely light or extremely dark colors.

Clean the sensors and perform a calibration. See  “Calibrating the printer ” on page 54.
Color pages have inconsistent finish

Use a smooth paper or print media, such as a high-quality paper made for laser printers. 
Generally, the smoother the paper, the better the results, although coated, photo, and glossy 
papers are not supported. See the user guide for information about print-media 
specifications. 
						

							194Troubleshooting C9706-90926
Resolving problems that generated messages 
This section helps resolve problems that generated messages on the computer.
Messages for both Windows and Macintosh
This section lists some common errors that only provide a simple message but no information for 
resolving the error. Errors that you see in Printer Status and Alerts, the HP Color LaserJet 2500 
Series Toolbox, or the embedded Web server provide their own instructions for resolving the 
error. For other errors generated by your operating system, see the documentation for the 
operating system or computer.
Messages for Windows only 
Symptom Possible CauseSolution
Limit Check Error  The print job is too complex.
Reduce the complexity of the page. For example, try using 
fewer fonts.

Use one of the other printer drivers.

Send the print job in smaller pieces or with a fewer number of 
pages.

Install more memory.
PostScript error The printer is out of memory.
Message Solution
“Error Writing 
to.400x
” in Windows 
95, 98, or Me
Make sure that there is paper in the tray.

Make sure the cables are connected correctly, the printer is on, and the Ready light is on.

Make sure that the printer is not connected using both a USB and a parallel cable. If it is, disconnect 
both cables and reinstall one cable.

Print a Configuration page from the HP Color LaserJet 2500 Series Toolbox to make sure that the 
computer can communicate with the printer.

On the Start  menu, point to  Settings and click  Printers. Right-click the HP Color LaserJet 2500 
printer driver and select  Properties. Click Details  and then click  Port Settings. Clear the Check Port 
State before Printing  check box and click OK. Click  Spool Settings , select Print Directly to Printer , 
and click  OK.

Try again to print.
“General Protection 
Fau lt ”
“Exception OE ”
“Spool32 ”
“Illegal Operation ”

Restart the computer and try again.

Clear the contents of the computer Temp folder, which is generally located in C:\Windows (95, 98, and 
Me) or C:\Winnt (NT 4.0, 2000, and XP).
Other Windows 
messages See Microsoft Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT 4.0, Me, or XP documentation that came with the operating 
system or computer for information. 
						

							EN 6 Troubleshooting195
Resolving problems that did not generate messages
Troubleshooting checklist 
If the printer is not responding correctly, complete the steps in the following checklist, in order. If 
the printer does not pass a step, follow the corresponding troubleshooting suggestions. If a step 
resolves the problem, you can stop without performing the remaining steps on the checklist.
1Make sure the printer Ready light is on. If no lights are on, complete the following steps:
 aCheck the power cable connections.
 b Make sure that the power switch is on.
 c Check the power source by plugging the printer directly into the wall or into a different 
outlet.
 d If none of these measures restores power, replace the high-voltage power supply.
 e If replacing the high-voltage power supply does not restore power, replace the dc 
controller.
2 Check the cabling.
 aCheck the cable connection between the printer and the computer or network port. Make 
sure that the connection is secure.
 b Make sure that the cable itself is not faulty by using a different cable, if possible. 
 c Make sure that you do not have both a USB and a parallel cable installed. If you do, the 
USB automatically disables itself. Disconnect both cables and then reinstall the one you 
want to use.
 d Check the network connection. See  “Checking the network ” on page 196.
3 Press ( G
O) and  (CANCELJOB) simultaneously to print a Configuration page and a 
Supplies Status page. An HP Jetdirect page also prints, if a print server card is installed. 

If the Configuration and Supplies Status pages do not print, check the following items:
 a Check that there is paper in at least one of the printer input trays.
 b If the page jams in the printer, see  “Clearing jams ” on page 164.
 c Make sure that the print media you are using meets specifications. See the user guide 
for information about print-media specifications.
 d Try again to print the Configuration and Supplies Status pages.

If the Configuration and Supplies Status pages print, check the following items:
 aIf the pages print correctly, then the printer hardware is working. The problem is in the 
computer you are using, the printer driver, or the program.
 b If the pages do not print correctly, calibrate the printer. See  “Calibrating the printer ” on 
page 54.
 c Make sure that the print media you are using meets specifications. See the user guide 
for information about print-media specifications.
 d Print the pages again. If the pages still do not print correctly, the problem is in the printer 
hardware.
4 At the computer, check the print queue or print spooler (Print Monitor or Print Center Queue 
for Mac OSs) to see if the printer is paused or set to print offline. Clear the print spooler and 
bring the printer online as needed. 
						

							196Troubleshooting C9706-90926
5
Verify that you have installed the HP Color LaserJet 2500 series printer driver. Check the 
program to make sure that you are using an HP Color LaserJet 2500 series printer driver.
6 Use the printer-driver properties to check the assigned port.
7 Print a page from the HP Color LaserJet 2500 Series Toolbox (Windows 98 and later only). 
 aIf the page prints, then the problem is with the printer driver. Try using one of the other 
printer drivers. Or, uninstall the printer driver (see the user guide) and reinstall it (see the 
getting started guide). 
 b If the page does not print, then the problem is with the computer or the program.
8 Print a short document by using a different program that has worked in the past. If this 
solution works, then the problem is with the program you are using. If this solution does not 
work (the document does not print) complete these steps:
 aTry printing the job from another computer that has the printer software installed.
 b If you connected the printer to the network, connect the printer directly to a computer by 
using a parallel or USB cable. Redirect the printer to the proper port, or reinstall the 
software and select the new connection type you are using.
9 If the problem is still not resolved, see  “Solving general printing problems ” on page 197.
Checking the network 
It is recommended that you use the HP Color LaserJet 2500 printer CD-ROM to install and set 
up the printer on a network. Follow these steps to see if the problem is caused by the network.

When the Configuration page printed, an HP Jetdirect configuration page should have 
printed if an HP Jetdirect print server card is installed. (If these pages do not print in your 
language, see “ Troubleshooting tools ” on page 210.) Verify that all network settings are 
properly configured.

See the HP Jetdirect Print Server Administrator ’s Guide, which can be installed from the 
View Documentation  or User Documentation  sections on the HP Color LaserJet 2500 
printer CD-ROM.

Contact the network administrator for assistance. 
						

							EN 6 Troubleshooting197
Solving general printing problems
In addition to the problems listed in this section, see  “Solving common Macintosh problems ” on 
page 202 if you are using a Macintosh computer, and see  “Solving PostScript (PS) errors ” on 
page 201 if you are using several printer languages.
Table 27. Solving general printing problems Symptom Possible Cause Solution
The print job is 
extremely slow. The job might be very complex (for 
example, if it contains graphics).
Wait for the job to print.

Reduce the complexity of the page or try adjusting the print-
quality settings. If this problem occurs frequently, add memory 
to the printer.
The maximum speed is 16 ppm in 
black and 4 ppm in color and cannot 
be exceeded even when more 
memory is added. Wait for the print job to finish.
Printing speeds might be 
automatically reduced when printing 
special-sized media. Wait for the print job to finish.
In the printer driver, the Type or Size 
is set incorrectly for the media in the 
printer.

If you are printing on heavy paper, the Type or Size should be 
set to a heavy paper setting. The printer prints more slowly to 
provide better quality. Wait for the job to print.

If you are not printing on heavy paper, set Type or Size in the 
printer driver to plain paper.

In the default settings for this printer, click the  Paper tab and 
make sure that Type is set to plain paper. You can override this 
setting from the printer driver when you print on heavy paper.
An issue might exist with the driver.

If you are printing using a PCL driver, print using the PS driver, 
or vice versa.
The printer pulls 
paper or print media 
from the wrong tray. The Source (tray) selection might be 
incorrect.

For Windows, make sure that the Source is selected from the 
Print
 dialog box (which is part of the program) if possible or in 
the printer driver. If you select the Source in the printer driver 
and then select a different Source in the  Print dialog box, the 
Source setting in the printer driver changes to match the 
Source setting in the  Print dialog box.

For Macintosh, set the Source in the  Print dialog box.

Remove any media from other trays to make the printer select 
from the tray you want, and then press  (G
O).
The  Ty p e  or Size  setting does not 
match the size of paper or print media 
loaded in the tray. Using the embedded Web server, change the 
Ty p e or Size setting 
for the tray to match the size of print media that is loaded.
Media is loaded in tray 1. Remove any media from tray 1. The printer pulls from tray 1 if you 
did not specify a tray that had a compatible size or type loaded and 
tray 1 is unconfigured. 
						

							198Troubleshooting C9706-90926
Printer does not pull 
paper from optional 
tray 2 or optional 
tray 3.The rear paper length guide (optional 
tray 2) or the rear paper stop (optional 
tray 3) is set incorrectly.
To set the rear guides properly, see 
“Loading optional tray 2” on 
page 39 or  “Loading optional tray 3 ” on page 40.
The tray is not recognized in the 
printer software. Configure the printer software to recognize the tray.
If the printer does not pull paper from 
either tray, the problem might be the 
paper.

Try a different type or brand of paper.

Make sure that you are using a high-quality paper made for 
laser printers. Coated, photo, and glossy papers are not 
supported. See the user guide for information about print-
media specifications or to order media.
The separation pad and the pick-up 
rollers might be worn out. Replace the separation pad and pick-up rollers. See table  
“Life 
expectancies of consumables” on page 46 for ordering information.
The printer does not 
recognize a DIMM 
that is installed. The DIMM is not recognized in the 
printer software.
Configure the printer software to recognize the DIMM. See the user 
guide for information.
The printer does not 
respond when the 
Print  command is 
selected in the 
software. The printer experienced an error. Check the control panel lights on the printer to determine if an error 
exists. 
If no control panel lights are on, the 
printer is not receiving power. 1. Check the power cable connection between the printer and the 
power source. 
2. Check that the power switch is on.
3. Check that the power source (outlet or surge protector) is 
receiving power.
4. If the problem persists, replace the high-voltage power supply.
5. If, after replacing the high-voltage power supply, the problem 
persists, replace the dc controller.
The printer might be in Manual Feed 
mode (the Attention light is blinking 
and Go is light on). Add media to tray 1 if it is empty. If paper is already in the tray, 
press (
G
O).
The wrong printer was selected in the 
software.

In the  Print or Printer Setup  dialog box, make sure that the 
HP Color LaserJet 2500 printer is selected as the printer.
A jam might be present.  Clear any jams. See “Clearing jams” on page 164. 
The printer is on a network and is not 
receiving a signal.

Disconnect the printer from the network and attach it directly to 
a computer using a parallel or USB cable. 

Clear any stopped jobs from the print queue.

Print a job that you know works. 

Reinstall the printing software. 
The interface cable between the 
computer (or network) and the printer 
is not connected properly. Disconnect and reconnect the interface cable.
The interface cable is defective.

If possible, connect the interface cable to another computer (or 
network port) and print a job that you know works. 

Try using a different cable.
If the printer is connected to a 
computer, the software for the printer 
is not configured for the printer port.

Check the printer selection menu in the software to make sure 
it is using the correct port. If the computer has more than one 
port, make sure that the printer is associated with the correct 
one.

Remove all shared or third-party devices.
Table 27. Solving general printing problems
Symptom Possible Cause Solution