HP 6500 A Manual

							
Preventing the problem that causes ragged bars on the Print Quality Diagnostic
report:
• Avoid leaving opened ink cartridges outside of the printer for an extended period oftime.
• Wait until a new cartridge is ready to be installed before removing an old ink cartridge.
If you do not see any defects on the print quality report, then the printing system is working
correctly. There is no reason to replace supplies or have the product serviced, because
they are functioning properly. If you still have a print quality problem, here are some other
things you can check:
• Check the paper.
• Check the print settings.
• Make sure your image has sufficient resolution.
• If the problem seems confined to a band near the edge of your printout, use the software you installed with the product or another software application to rotate the
image 180 degrees. The problem might not appear on the other end of the print.
Regular white streaks in the bars
If any of the color bars show regular white streaks, follow these steps:
1. If line 36 on the Print Quality Diagnostic report reads  PHA TTOE = 0, align the printer.
For more information, see 
Align the printer .
2. If line 36 is not 0, or aligning does not help, clean the printhead. For more information,
see 
Clean the printhead .
3. Print another Print Quality Diagnostic report.  If the streaking is still there, but seems
better, try another cleaning. If the streaking gets worse, contact HP - the printhead
may need to be repalced.
Bar colors are not uniform
Print and evaluate a print quality report 157 
						

							
If the color of any of the bars is not uniform, follow these steps:
1.If the printer was recently transported at a high altitude, try a printhead cleaning.
2. If the printer was not recently transported,  try printing another Print Quality Diagnostic
report. This will use less ink than a printhead cleaning, but if it is not effective, try a
cleaning.
3. Retry the Print Quality Diagnostic report. If the colors seem to be improving, continue
cleaning. If the colors get worse, contact HP - the printhead may need to be replaced.
Large Black Font Text
Look at the large-font text above the color blocks.  I ABCDEFG abcdefg The type should
be sharp and clear. If the type is jagged, try aligning the printer. If there are streaks or
smears of ink, clean the printhead.
Example of good Large-Font Type - the letters are sharp and clear - the printer is operating
correctly.
Example of bad Large-Font Type - the letters are jagged - align the printer.
Example of bad Large-Font Type - the letter s are smeared - clean the printhead and check
if the paper is curled. To avoid curl, store all paper flat in a resealable bag.
Example of bad Large-Font Type - the letters are ragged on one end - clean the printer.
If this defect occurs right after a new cartridge is installed, the printers automatic servicing
routines may solve the problem in a day or so, using less ink than a printhead cleaning.
Alignment Patters
If the color bars and large font text look OK, and the ink cartridges are not empty, look at
the alignment pattern directly above the color bars.
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Example of a good alignment pattern. The lines are straight.
Examples of a bad alignment pattern. The lines are jagged - align the printer. If that does
not work, contact HP.
If the Print Quality Diagnostic report indicates that the printer is working correctly, try the
following:
• Check the paper
• Check the print settings
• Make sure your image file has sufficient resolution
• If the problem seems confined to a band near the edge of a print, use the software you installed with the device or another software application to rotate the image 180
degrees. The problem may not appear on the other end of the print.
If the Print Quality Diagnostic report indicates that the printer is not working correctly, try
the following:
• Use genuine HP ink cartridges - HP cannot guarantee the quality of non-HP ink.
• Clean the printhead.
• Align the device.
• If none of these solutions work, contact HP.
Clean the device
This section provides instructions for keeping the device in top working condition. Perform
these maintenance procedures as necessary.
Dust or dirt on the scanner glass, scanner lid backing, or scanner frame can slow down
performance, degrade the quality of scans, and affect the accuracy of special features.
This section contains the following topics:
•
Clean the scanner glass
•
Clean the exterior
•
Clean the automatic document feeder
Clean the scanner glass
To clean the scanner glass
1. Turn off the device.
2. Lift the scanner lid.
Clean the device 159 
						

							
3.Clean the glass by using a soft, lint-free cloth that has been sprayed with a mild glass
cleaner. Dry the glass with a dry, soft, lint-free cloth.
CAUTION: Use only glass cleaner to clean the scanner glass. Avoid cleaners
that contain abrasives, acetone, benzene, and carbon tetrachloride, all of which
can damage the scanner glass. Avoid is opropyl alcohol because it can leave
streaks on the glass.
CAUTION: Do not spray the glass cleaner directly on the glass. If too much glass
cleaner is applied, the cleaner could leak under the glass and damage the
scanner.
4. Close the scanner lid, and turn on the device.
Clean the exterior
NOTE: Before cleaning the device, turn off the power and unplug the power cord
from the electrical socket.
Use a soft, damp, lint-free cloth to wipe dust, smudges, and stains off of the case. The
exterior of the device does not require cleaning. Keep fluids away from the interior of the
device, as well as from the device control panel.
Clean the automatic document feeder
If the automatic docume nt feeder picks up multiple pages or if it does not pick up plain
paper, you can clean the rollers and separator pad. Lift the automatic document feeder
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160 Maintain and troubleshoot 
						

							
cover to access the pick assembly inside the automatic document feeder, clean the rollers
or separator pad, and then close the cover.
To clean the rollers or separator pad
1. Remove all originals from the document feeder tray.
2. Lift the automatic document feeder cover (1).
This provides easy access to the rollers (2) and separator pad (3), as shown below.
1Automatic document feeder cover
2Rollers
3Separator pad
3.Lightly dampen a clean lint-free cloth with distilled water, then squeeze any excess
liquid from the cloth.
4. Use the damp cloth to wipe any residue off the rollers or separator pad.
NOTE: If the residue does not come off using distilled water, try using isopropyl
(rubbing) alcohol.
5. Close the cover of the automatic document feeder.
Clean the device 161 
						

							
To clean the glass strip inside the automatic document feeder
1.Turn off the HP all-in-one, and unplug the power cord.
NOTE: Depending how long the HP all-in-one is unplugged, the date and time
might be erased. You might need to reset the date and time later, when you plug
the power cord back in.
2. Raise the lid, as if you were loading an original on the glass.
3.Lift the cover of the automatic document feeder.
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4.Lift the automatic document feeder mechanism.
There is a glass strip under the automatic document feeder.
5.Clean the glass strip with a soft cloth or sponge slightly moistened with a nonabrasive
glass cleaner.
CAUTION: Do not use abrasives, acetone, benzene, or carbon tetrachloride on
the glass, since they can damage it. Do not place or spray liquid directly on the
glass. The liquid might seep under the glass and damage the device.
6. Lower the automatic document feeder mechanism, and then close the cover of the
automatic document feeder.
7. Close the lid.
8. Plug in the power cord, and then turn on the HP all-in-one.
General troubleshooting tips and resources
Try these when you begin troubleshooting a printing problem.
• For a paper jam, see 
Clear jams .
• For paper-feed problems, such as the paper skew and paper pick, see 
Solve paper-
feed problems .
• Power light is on and not blinking. When the device is turned on for the first time, it takes approximately 12 minutes to initialize.
General troubleshooting tips and resources 163 
						

							
• Power cord and other cables are working, and are firmly connected to the device.Make sure the device is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC)
power outlet, and is turned on. For voltage requirements, see 
Electrical
specifications .
• Media is loaded correctly in the input tray and is not jammed in the device.
• All packing tapes and materials are removed.
• The device is set as the current or default printer. For Windows, set it as the default in the Printers folder. For Mac OS X, set it  as the default in the Printer Setup Utility
(Mac OS X (v10.4), for Mac OS X (v10.5) open  System Preferences, select Print &
Fax , and then select the device from the  Default Printer drop-down list.) See your
computers documentation for more information.
• 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.
Troubleshooting topics
•
Solve printing problems
•
Print troubleshooting
•
Print quality troubleshooting
•
Solve paper-feed problems
•
Solve copy problems
•
Solve scan problems
•
Solve fax problems
•
Solve network problems
•
Solve wireless problems (some models only)
•
Solve photo (memory card) problems
•
Troubleshoot installation issues
Solve printing problems
This section contains the following topics:
•
The device shuts down unexpectedly
•
Error message appears on control-panel display
•
Device takes a long time to print
•
Blank or partial page printed
•
Something on the page is missing or incorrect
•
Placement of the text or graphics is wrong
The device shuts down unexpectedly
Check the power and power connections
Make sure the device is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC) power
outlet. For voltage requirements, see 
Electrical specifications .
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164 Maintain and troubleshoot 
						

							
Error message appears on control-panel display
A non-recoverable error has occurred
Disconnect all cables (such as power cord and USB cable), wait about 20 seconds, and
reconnect the cables. If the problem persists, visit the HP Web site (
www.hp.com/
support) for the latest troubleshooting information, or product fixes and updates.
NOTE: For more information a bout error messages, see Errors.
Device takes a long time to print
Check the system configuration and resources
Make sure the computer m eets the minimum system requir ements for the device. For
more information, see 
System requirements .
Check the device software settings
Print speed is slower when  Best or Maximum dpi  is selected as the print quality. To
increase the print speed, select different print settings in the device driver. For more
information, see 
Change print settings .
Low ink levels
Check the estimated ink leve ls in the ink cartridges.
NOTE:Ink level alerts and indicators provi de estimates for planning purposes only.
When you receive a low-ink alert, consider having a replacement cartridge available
to avoid possible printing delays. You do not need to replace the ink cartridges until
print quality becomes unacceptable.
The ink cartridges might have in sufficient ink. Insufficient ink may cause the printhead to
overheat. When the printhead overheats, the printer slows down to allow it to cool.
Blank or partial page printed
Check the ink levels
The ink cartridges may be running low on ink.
Clean the printhead
Complete the printhead cleaning procedure. For more information, see 
Clean the
printhead .
NOTE:Turn off the HP all-in-one by pressing the  Power button located on the
product. Wait until the  Power light turns off before unplugging the power cord or
turning off a power strip. If you improperly turn off the HP all-in-one, the print carriage
might not return to the correct position causing problems with the ink cartridges and
print quality issues.
Solve printing problems 165 
						

							
Check the media settings
• Make sure you select the correct print quality settings in the printer driver for the medialoaded in the trays.
• Make sure the page settings in the printer driver match the page size of media loaded in the tray.
More than one page is being picked
For more information on paper-feed problems, see 
Solve paper-feed problems .
There is a blank page in the file
Check the file to make sure there is no blank page.
Something on the page is missing or incorrect
Check the ink cartridges
Make sure the correct ink cartridges are installed and the ink cartridges are not low on
ink. For more in formation, see 
Manage the device  and Check the estimated ink levels .
NOTE:Turn off the HP all-in-one by pressing the  Power button located on the
product. Wait until the  Power light turns off before unplugging the power cord or
turning off a power strip. If you improperly turn off the HP all-in-one, the print carriage
might not return to the correct position causing problems with the ink cartridges and
print quality issues.
Check the margin settings
Make sure the margin settings for the document do not exceed the printable area of the
device. For more information, see 
Set minimum margins .
Check the color print settings
Make sure  Print in Grayscale  is not selected in the print driver.
Check the device 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 device 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 tray is not overloaded. For more information, see 
Load
media .
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