HP Color LaserJet 2550L User Manual

							Cleaning the printer
During the printing process, paper, toner and dust particles can accumulate inside the
printer. Over time, this buildup can cause print-quality problems such as toner specks or
smearing. This printer has a cleaning mode that can correct and prevent these types of
problems.
To clean the engine
NoteThe following procedure must be performed from the HP Toolbox. To clean the engine when
the computer is running an operating system that does not support HP Toolbox, see the late-
breaking Readme on the root of the CD-ROM, or visit http://www.hp.com/support/clj2550.
1. Make sure that the printer is turned on and in the Ready state.
2. Open the HP Toolbox.
3. On the Troubleshooting tab, click Maintenance, click Cleaning Page and then click
Print. A page with a pattern prints from the printer.
4. At the printer, remove any print media that might be in tray 1.
5. Remove the page that printed and load it face-down into tray 1.
6. At the computer, press Clean.
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							Calibrating the printer
The printer automatically calibrates at various times. You can adjust the calibration settings
by using the HP Toolbox.
Environmental differences, aging print cartridges, aging toner, and an aging imaging drum
might cause fluctuations in image density. The printer accounts for this with image
stabilization control. The printer automatically calibrates at various times to maintain the
highest level of print quality. You can also request a calibration by using the HP Toolbox.
The printer does not interrupt a print job to calibrate. It waits until the job is complete before
calibrating or cleaning. While the printer is calibrating, it pauses printing for the time that is
required to complete the calibration.
To calibrate the printer at the printer
Press  (GO) and  (ROTATE CAROUSEL) simultaneously to start a calibration.
To calibrate the printer from the HP Toolbox
NoteThis procedure applies to Windows operating systems only. Macintosh users should
calibrate the printer manually using the procedure above.
1. Open the HP Toolbox in one of these ways:
●On the desktop, double-click the HP Toolbox icon.
●On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to HP color LaserJet 2550, and click
HP Toolbox.
2. On the Troubleshooting tab, click Diagnostic Tools (on the left side of the screen).
3. Click Color Calibration.
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							7
Problem solving
This troubleshooting information is organized to help you resolve printing problems. Choose
the general topic or type of problem from the following list.
●
Resolving problems that did not generate messages
●
Checking the network
●
Solving general printing problems
●
Solving PostScript (PS) errors
●
Solving common Macintosh problems
●
Resolving problems that generated messages
●
Resolving the control panel messages
●
Clearing jams
●
Solving print-media problems
●
Solving print-quality problems
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							Resolving problems that did not generate messages
If the printer is not responding properly, 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 rest of the
steps on the checklist.
Troubleshooting checklist
1. Make sure the printer Ready light is on. If no lights are on, complete these steps:
a. Check the power cable connections.
b. Check 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, contact HP Customer Care. (See 
HP
customer care or the support flyer that came in the printer box.)
2. Check the cabling.
a. Check 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. Check the network connection. See 
Checking the network.
3. Ensure that the print media you are using meets specifications. See 
Print-media
specifications.
4.
Press 
 (GO) and  (CANCEL JOB) simultaneously to print a Configuration page and a
Supplies Status page. If the printer is network-enabled, an HP Jetdirect page also prints.
a. If the pages do not print, check that at least one tray contains print media.
b. If the page jams in the printer, go to 
Clearing jams.
5. If the Configuration and Supplies Status pages print, check the following items.
a. If the pages print correctly, then the printer hardware is working. The problem is with
the computer you are using, with the printer driver, or with the program.
b. If the pages do not print correctly, calibrate the printer. See 
Calibrating the printer.
Print the pages again. If the pages still do not print correctly, the problem is with the
printer hardware. Contact HP Customer Care. (See 
HP customer care or the support
flyer that came in the printer box.)
6. 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.
7. Verify that you have installed the HP color LaserJet 2550 series printer driver. Check the
program to make sure that you are using an HP color LaserJet 2550 series printer driver.
8. Print a page from the HP Toolbox.
a. If it prints, then the problem is with the printer driver. For Windows, try using the
other printer driver. Or, for Windows or Macintosh, uninstall the printer driver (see
Uninstalling the printing software) 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.
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							9. Print a short document from 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:
a. Try 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
with a parallel or USB cable. Redirect the printer to the proper port, or reinstall the
software, choosing the new connection type you are using.
10. If the problem is still not resolved, see 
Solving general printing problems.
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							Checking the network
It is recommended that you use the HP color LaserJet 2550 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 you printed the Configuration page, an HP Jetdirect configuration page should
have printed if the printer is network-enabled. (If these pages do not print in your
language, see 
Special pages.) Verify that all network settings are properly configured.
For more information about the HP Jetdirect page, see the HP Jetdirect Administrators
Guide, which can be installed from the View Documentation or User Documentation
sections on the HP color LaserJet 2550 CD-ROM.
●See the HP Jetdirect Administrators Guide, which can be installed from the View
Documentation or User Documentation sections on the HP color LaserJet 2550 CD-
ROM.
●Contact your network administrator for assistance.
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							Solving general printing problems
In addition to the problems listed in this section, see Solving common Macintosh problems if
you are using a Macintosh computer, and see 
Solving PostScript (PS) errors if you are using
the PS driver.
The print job is extremely slow.
Cause
Solution
The job might be very complex (if it contains graphics, for
example).●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 printer speed is 19 ppm in black for A4-size
paper, 20 ppm in black for letter-size paper, and 4 ppm in
color (for A4 or letter). This speed cannot be exceeded even
when more memory is added.Wait for the print job to finish.
Printing speeds might be automatically reduced when
printing on special-sized media.Wait for the print job to finish.
In the printer driver, the Type or Size is set for card stock or
other special media.●If you are printing on special media, the Type or Size
should be set to match the media. The printer prints
more slowly for some media types to provide better
quality. Wait for the job to print.
●If you are not printing on special media, set Type or
Size in the printer driver to plain paper.
●In the default settings for this printer, click the Paper tab
and ensure that Type is set to plain paper. You can
override this setting from the printer driver when you
print on special media.
An issue might exist with the driver.If you were printing by using the PCL driver, print by using
the PS driver, or vice versa.
The printer might be hot.If the printer has been printing for a long time and is hot, it
automatically slows its printing speed to prevent print-quality
defects. To restore the printer to full speed, stop printing and
wait for the printer to cool.
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							The printer pulls paper or print media from the wrong tray.
Cause
Solution
The Source (tray) selection might be incorrect.●For Windows, ensure that the Source is selected from
the Print dialog box (which is part of the program) if
possible or from 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 print media from other trays to make the
printer select from the tray that you want.
The Type or Size setting does not match the size of paper
or print media that is loaded in the tray.Using the HP Toolbox, change the Type 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.
Printer does not pull paper from optional tray 2 or optional tray 3.
Cause
Solution
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
or 
Loading optional tray 3.
The tray is not recognized in the printer driver.Set the printer driver to recognize the tray as follows:
Windows: Click Start, point to Settings, and click Printers.
Right-click the printer name, and click Properties. Click the
Configure tab or the Device Settings tab. Select the
correct tray as an installed option.
Mac OS X: (OS 9.x setup might vary): Open Print Center
and click the HP color LaserJet print queue. Click Printers,
and then click Show Info. Click Installable Options, and
select correct tray. Click Apply Changes.
If the printer does not pull paper from either tray, the paper
might be the problem.●Try a different type or brand of paper.
●Ensure that you are using a high-quality paper made for
laser printers. Coated and photo papers are not
supported. See 
Print-media specifications. To order,
see 
Accessories and ordering information.
The printer does not recognize the tray.Turn the printer off then on.
The separation pad and the pickup rollers might be worn.Replace the separation pad and pickup rollers. Contact HP
Customer Care to order parts. See 
HP customer care or see
the support flyer that shipped in the printer box.
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							The printer does not recognize a DIMM that is installed.
Cause
Solution
The DIMM is not recognized in the printer driver.Set the printer driver to recognize the DIMM. See Enabling
memory.
The DIMM is not properly installed.Remove the DIMM, and reinstall it.
The printer does not respond when the Print command is selected in the software.
Cause
Solution
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.●Check the power cable connection between the printer
and the power source.
●Check that the power switch is on.
●Check that the power source (outlet or surge protector)
is receiving power.
●If none of the above measures works, contact HP
Customer Care. See 
HP customer care or see the
support flyer that shipped in the printer box.
The printer might be in Manual Feed mode (Attention light
blinking and Go light on).Add paper to tray 1 if it is empty. If paper is already in the
tray, press 
 (GO).
The wrong printer was selected in the software.In the Print or Printer Setup dialog box, make sure that the
HP color LaserJet 2550 printer is selected.
A jam might exist.Clear any jams. See Clearing jams.
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 by 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 that 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.
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							Pages print, but not all of the colors print, or the pages are completely blank.
Cause
Solution
If one color is completely missing, the sealing tape might not
have been removed completely from the print cartridge.Remove the print cartridge for the missing color and make
sure all the sealing tape has been removed completely.
If pages print completely blank, the file might have blank
pages.Check the file to see if it contains blank pages. Delete those
pages if they are unnecessary.
If you are using non-HP print cartridges, one or more print
cartridges is low or empty. The control panel lights do not
indicate low or empty status for non-HP print cartridges.Replace one or more of the print cartridges.
The Font DIMM check box might be selected but the font
DIMM is not physically installed in the printer. (This issue
only applies to printers that are using an Asian-language
font DIMM.)In the settings for this printer, click to clear the Font DIMM
check box on the Configure tab if no font DIMM is installed
in the printer. Select the Font DIMM check box only if the
font DIMM is physically installed in the printer. If you think
that the font DIMM is installed, make sure that it is installed
correctly.
The media curls when exiting the top output bin.
Cause
Solution
The media needs to print to the straight-through paper path.Open the rear output door to print to the straight-through
paper path. Remove each sheet as it exits the printer.
The stack was slightly curled when it was placed in the tray.Turn the stack over in the tray.
The print media does not meet specifications.See Print-media specifications.
If you are printing on light media, the Type setting might not
be correct.Select Light in the Type is field in the printer driver.
The printer prints, but the text is wrong, garbled, or incomplete.
Cause
Solution
The interface cable is loose or defective.Disconnect the printer cable and reconnect it. Try a print job
that you know works. If possible, attach the cable and printer
to another computer and try a print job that you know works.
Finally, try a new cable.
The printer is on a network or sharing device and is not
receiving a clear signal.Disconnect the printer from the network and attach it directly
to a computer by using a parallel or USB cable. Print a job
that you know works.
The wrong driver was selected in the software.In the Print or Printer Setup dialog box, make sure that the
HP color LaserJet 2550 printer is selected.
The printer driver is malfunctioning.Print a page from the HP Toolbox. If the page prints, then
the problem is with the printer driver. Uninstall and reinstall
the printer driver.
The program is malfunctioning.Try printing a job from another program.
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