HP Color LaserJet 2840 User Manual
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Identifying and correcting print defects Use the checklist and print-quality issues charts in this section to solve print-quality problems. Print-quality checklist General print-quality problems can be solved by using the following checklist: 1. Make sure that the paper or print media that you are using meets specifications. See Media specifications. Generally, smoother paper provides better results. 2. If you are using a special print media such as labels, transparencies, glossy, or letterhead, ensure that you have printed by type. See Selecting a type or size. 3. Print a Configuration page and Supplies Status page at the device. See Information pages. ●Check the Supplies Status page to see if any supplies are low or empty. No information is provided for non-HP print cartridges. ●If the pages do not print correctly, the problem is with the hardware. Contact HP Customer Care. See Service and support or the flyer that came in the device box. 4. Print a Demo page from the HP Toolbox. If the page prints, the problem is with the printer driver. Try printing from the other printer driver. For example, if you are using the PCL 6 printer driver, print from the PS printer driver. ●Use the Add Printer Wizard in the Printers (or Printers and Faxes in Windows XP) dialog box to install the PS driver. 5. Try printing from a different program. If the page prints correctly, the problem is with the program from which you were printing. 6. Restart the computer and the device and try printing again. If the problem is not resolved, choose one of these options: ●If the problem is affecting all printed pages, see General print quality issues. ●If the problem is affecting only pages printed in color, see Solving issues with color documents. General print quality issues The following examples depict letter-size paper that has passed through the device short edge first. These examples illustrate problems that would affect all of the pages that you print, whether you print in color or in black only. The topics that follow list the typical cause and solution for each of these examples. ENWWPrint problems235
ProblemCauseSolution Print is light or faded.The media might not meet HP specifications.Use media that meets HP specifications. See Media specifications. One or more print cartridges might be low. If you are using non-HP print cartridges, no messages appear on the device control panel or in the HP Toolbox.Replace any low print cartridges. See Changing a print cartridge. If none of the print cartridges or the imaging drum is low or empty, remove the print cartridges one at a time and inspect the toner roller in each to see if the roller is damaged. If so, replace the print cartridge. The imaging drum might be low.Print the Supplies Status page to check the remaining life. See Supplies Status page. Replace the imaging drum if it is low. See Changing the imaging drum. If the light printing is on the left side of the page, the carousel might be dislocated.Contact your local HP Call Center or HP Authorized Dealer for service. Toner specks appear.The media might not meet HP specifications.Use media that meets HP specifications. See Media specifications. The paper path might need cleaning.Clean the paper path. See Clean the paper path, or see the HP Toolbox online Help. 236Chapter 14 Troubleshooting ENWW
ProblemCauseSolution Dropouts appear.A single sheet of print media might be defective.Try reprinting the job. The moisture content of the paper is uneven or the paper has moist spots on its surface.Try different paper, such as high-quality paper that is intended for color laser printers. See Media specifications. The paper lot is flawed. The manufacturing processes can cause some areas to reject toner.Try different paper, such as high-quality paper that is intended for color laser printers. See Media specifications. The imaging drum might be defective.Replace the imaging drum. See Changing the imaging drum. If the error persists, contact HP Customer Care. See Service and support or the support flyer that came in the device box. Vertical streaks or bands appear on the page.One or more print cartridges might be low or defective. If you are using non-HP print cartridges, no messages appear on the device control panel or in the HP Toolbox.Replace any low print cartridges. See Changing a print cartridge. The imaging drum might be low.Replace the imaging drum. See Changing the imaging drum. The amount of background toner shading becomes unacceptable.The media might not meet HP specifications.Use a different paper with a lighter basis weight. See Media specifications. Very dry (low humidity) conditions can increase the amount of background shading.Check the device environment. One or more print cartridges might be low. If you are using non-HP print cartridges, no messages appear on the device control panel or in the HP Toolbox.Replace any low print cartridges. See Changing a print cartridge. The imaging drum might be low.Replace the imaging drum. See Changing the imaging drum. ENWWPrint problems237
ProblemCauseSolution Toner smears appear on the media.The media might not meet HP specifications.Use media that meets HP specifications. See Media specifications. If toner smears appear on the leading edge of the paper, the media guides are dirty, or debris has accumulated in the print path.Clean the media guides and the paper path. See Cleaning the paper path. The imaging drum might be low.Replace the imaging drum. See Changing the imaging drum. Media might be jammed in the imaging drum.Complete the following steps to clear the jam: 1. Remove the imaging drum from the device. See Changing the imaging drum. 2. Rotate the black dial (jam clearance door lock), located on the top, left- hand side of the imaging drum, counterclockwise. 3. Lift upward to open the black jam clearance door near the green handle on the top of the imaging drum. 4. Remove the media from inside the imaging drum. Note Do not touch the white sleeve in the imaging drum when removing the media, as fingerprints will cause print- quality issues. If necessary, use a lint-free cloth to gently wipe any fingerprints off the white sleeve. 5. Close the jam clearance door, and then rotate the locking mechanism clockwise. 6. Reinstall the imaging drum in the device. 238Chapter 14 Troubleshooting ENWW
ProblemCauseSolution The toner smears easily when touched.The device is not set to print on the type of media on which you want to print.In the printer driver, select the Paper tab and set Type is to match the type of media on which you are printing. Print speed might be slower if you are using heavy paper. The media might not meet HP specifications.Use media that meets HP specifications. See Media specifications. The paper path might need cleaning.Clean the device. See Cleaning the device. Marks repeatedly appear at even intervals on the printed side of the page.The device is not set to print on the type of media on which you want to print.In the printer driver, select the Paper tab and set Type is to match the type of paper on which you are printing. Print speed might be slower if you are using heavy paper. Internal parts might have toner on them.The problem typically corrects itself after a few more pages. The paper path might need cleaning.Clean the device. See Cleaning the device. The imaging drum might be low.Replace the imaging drum. See Changing the imaging drum. The fuser might be damaged.Contact HP Customer Care. See Service and support or the support flyer that came in the device box. Marks repeatedly appear at even intervals on the unprinted side of the page.Internal parts might have toner on them.The problem typically corrects itself after a few more pages. The paper path might need cleaning.Clean the device. See Cleaning the device. The imaging drum might be low.Replace the imaging drum. See Changing the imaging drum. The fuser might be damaged.Contact HP Customer Care. See Service and support or the support flyer that came in the device box. ENWWPrint problems239
ProblemCauseSolution The printed page contains misformed characters.The media might not meet HP specifications.Use a different paper, such as high-quality paper that is intended for color laser printers. See Media specifications. If characters are incorrectly formed so that they produce a wavy effect, the laser scanner might need service.Verify that the problem also occurs on the Configuration page. If so, contact HP Customer Care. See Service and support or the support flyer that came in the device box. The printed page is curled or wavy.The device is not set to print on the type of media on which you want to print.In the printer driver, select the Paper tab and set Type is to match the type of paper on which you are printing. Print speed might be slower if you are using heavy paper. The paper path is curling the media.Open the rear output door to print to the straight-through paper path. The media might not meet HP specifications.Use a different paper, such as high-quality paper that is intended for color laser printers. See Media specifications. Both high temperature and humidity can cause paper curl.Check the device environment. Text or graphics are skewed on the printed page.The media might be loaded incorrectly.Make sure that the paper or other print media is loaded correctly and that the media guides are not too tight or too loose against the stack. See Loading trays. The media might not meet HP specifications.Use a different paper, such as high-quality paper that is intended for color laser printers. See Media specifications. 240Chapter 14 Troubleshooting ENWW
ProblemCauseSolution The printed page contains wrinkles or creases.The media might be loaded incorrectly.Turn over the stack of paper in the input tray, or try rotating the paper 180° in the input tray. Verify that the media is loaded correctly and that the media guides are not too tight or too loose against the stack. See Loading trays. The media might not meet HP specifications.Use a different paper, such as high-quality paper that is intended for color laser printers. See Media specifications. The paper path is curling the media.Open the rear output door to print to the straight-through paper path. Toner appears around the printed characters.The media might be loaded incorrectly.Turn over the stack of paper in the tray. If large amounts of toner have scattered around the characters, the paper might have high resistivity.Use a different paper, such as high-quality paper that is intended for color laser printers. See Media specifications. An image that appears at the top of the page (in solid black) repeats farther down the page (in a gray field).Software settings might affect image printing.In your software program, change the tone (darkness) of the field in which the repeated image appears. In your software program, rotate the whole page 180° to print the lighter image first. The order of images printed might affect printing.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. A power surge might have affected the device.If the defect occurs later in a print job, turn the device off for 10 minutes, and then turn on the device to restart the print job. Solving issues with color documents This section describes issues that can occur when you print in color. ENWWPrint problems241
ProblemCauseSolution 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. The correct printer driver might not be selected in the program.Select the correct printer driver. The device might not be correctly configured.Print a Configuration page. If no color appears on the Configuration page, contact HP Customer Care. See Service and support or the support flyer that came in the device box. One or more colors are not printing, or are inaccurate.Sealing tape might be on the print cartridges.Verify that the sealing tape has been completely removed from the print cartridges. The media might not meet HP specifications.Use a different paper, such as high-quality paper that is intended for color laser printers. See Media specifications. The device might be operating in excessively humid conditions.Verify that the device environment is within humidity specifications. One or more print cartridges might be low. If you are using non-HP print cartridges, no messages appear on the device control panel or in the HP Toolbox.Replace any low print cartridges. See Changing a print cartridge. A color is printing inconsistently after you load a new print cartridge.Another print cartridge might be low. If you are using a non- HP print cartridge, it might be low or empty but you will receive no indication.Check the control-panel display or HP Toolbox to see if a print cartridge is low, and replace it if necessary. Print cartridges might be incorrectly installed.Remove the print cartridge for the color that is printing inconsistently and reinstall it. 242Chapter 14 Troubleshooting ENWW
ProblemCauseSolution The colors on the printed page do not match the colors as they appear on the screen.The colors on your computer monitor might differ from the device output.Select Screen Match in the Color tab of the printer driver. The printer driver might affect color printing.Try printing from a different program or one of the other printer drivers. For example, if you are using the PCL 6 printer driver, try the PS printer driver. If extremely light colors or extremely dark colors on screen are not printing, your software program might interpret extremely light colors as white or extremely dark colors as black.If possible, avoid using extremely light or extremely dark colors. The media might not meet HP specifications.Use a different paper, such as high-quality paper that is intended for color laser printers. See Media specifications. The finish on the printed color page is inconsistent.The media might be too rough.Use a smooth paper or print media, such as a high-quality paper that is made for color laser printers. Generally, smoother media produces better the results. See Media specifications. Media-handling problems Use the information in this section when the device experiences media-handling problems. Print-media guidelines ●For best results, make sure that the paper is of good quality, and free of cuts, nicks, tears, spots, loose particles, dust, wrinkles, voids, staples, and curled or bent edges. ●For best-quality color printing, use a smooth type of paper. Generally, smoother media produces better results. For more information, see Media specifications. ●If you are unsure what type of paper you are loading (such as bond or recycled), check the label on the package of paper. ●Do not use media that is designed for Inkjet printers only. Use media that is designed for color LaserJet printers. ●Do not use letterhead paper that is printed with low-temperature inks, such as those used in some types of thermography. ENWWPrint problems243
●Do not use raised or embossed letterhead. ●The device uses heat and pressure to fuse toner to the paper. Make sure that any colored paper or preprinted forms use inks that are compatible with this fusing temperature (210°C or 410°F for 0.2 second). CAUTION Failure to follow these guidelines could cause jams or damage to the device. Solving print-media problems The following problems with paper cause print quality deviations, jamming, or even damage to the device. ProblemCauseSolution Poor print quality or toner adhesionThe paper is too moist, too rough, too heavy or too smooth, or it is embossed or from a faulty paper lot.Try another kind of paper, between 100 and 250 Sheffield, 4 to 6% moisture content. Dropouts, jamming, or curlThe paper has been stored incorrectly.Store paper flat in its moisture- proof wrapping. The paper has variability from one side to the other.Turn the paper over. Excessive curlThe paper is too moist, has the wrong grain direction, or is of short-grain constructionOpen the rear output bin, or use long-grain paper. The paper varies from side-to- side.Turn the paper over. Jamming, damage to deviceThe paper has cutouts or perforations.Use paper that is free of cutouts or perforations. Problems with feedingThe paper has ragged edges.Use high-quality paper that is made for color laser printers. The paper varies from side-to- side.Turn the paper over. The paper is too moist, too rough, too heavy or too smooth, has the wrong grain direction, or is of short-grain construction or it is embossed or from a faulty paper lot.Try another kind of paper, between 100 and 250 Sheffield, 4 to 6% moisture content. Open the rear output bin, or use long-grain paper. Print is skewed (crooked).The media guides might be incorrectly adjusted.Remove all media from the input tray, straighten the stack, and then load the media in the input tray again. Adjust the media guides to the width and length of the media that you are using and try printing again. 244Chapter 14 Troubleshooting ENWW