HP Deskjet 9800 User Manual

							Printing a diagnostics page
This page is useful to HP Technical Support if you have a printer problem.
1Make sure the printer is turned on.
2 Press and hold the  P
OWER button, press the RESUME button four times, and then release the
P
OWER button.
The printer prints a diagnostic page.
NOTE You can also print a diagnostics page using  the printer driver. Right-click the printer
icon. Select  Printing Preferences . In the Services  tab, click  Configuration Page .
Printing a diagnostics page  91
 
						

							Resolving printing problems
Printer shuts down unexpectedly
Check power and power connections
Make sure the printer is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC) power outlet. See
Printer specifications and Declaration of Conformity for voltage requirements.
Check printer vents
The printer vents are located on the sides of the  printer. If the vents are covered and the printer
overheats, the printer automatically turns off. Make sure the  vents are not covered and the printer is
in a cool, dry location. See 
Printer specifications and Declaration of Conformity  for the required
operating environment for the printer.
All printer lights are blinking
A non-recoverable error has occurred.
Reset the printer. See To reset the printer .
If the problem persists, contact HP. See 
Customer support and warranty .
Printer is not responding (nothing prints)
Check printer setup
See Troubleshooting tips and resources .
Check the print cartridge initialization
When print cartridges are installed or replaced, the printer automatically prints an alignment page to
align the print cartridges. This process takes about  seven minutes. Until this process is complete,
only the automatic alignment page can be printed.
Check the printer software installation
Make sure the printer is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC) power outlet and is
turned on. See 
Printer specifications and Declaration of Conformity  for voltage requirements.
Check cable connections
Make sure both ends of the cable (USB, parallel, or network) are secure.
If the printer is connected  to a network, check the following:
■ Make sure you are not using a phone cord to connect the printer.
■ The network hub, switch, or router is on and working properly.
92 6  Troubleshooting 
 
						

							Check printer setup for network environment
Ensure the correct printer driver and printer driver port are being used. For more information about
network connections, see 
Configuring the printer (Windows), Configuring the printer (Mac OS), or the
documentation provided by your network vendors.
Check any personal firewall software installed on the computer
The personal software firewall is a security program that protects a computer from intrusion.
However, the firewall might block communication between the  computer and the printer. If there is a
problem communicating with the printer, try temporarily  disabling the firewall. If the problem persists,
the firewall is not the source of the communication problem. Re-enable the firewall.
If disabling the firewall allows you to communicate with the printer, you might want to assign the
printer a static IP address and re-enable the firewall. See 
Connecting to a network .
Printer does not accept a print cartridge
Print cartridge does not fit the printer
Verify that the print cartridge is in the correct  print cartridge cradle. The symbol on the print cartridge
and the print cartridge latch should match.
Printer does not recognize the print cartridge
Verify that the nozzle protective tape has been removed from the cartrid\
ge and that the cartridge is
properly installed with the latch closed. See 
Installing or replacing the print cartridges .
Clean the print cartridge contacts
Complete the print cartridge cleaning procedure. See Cleaning the print cartridges.
Remove the print cartridge and ensure the print cartridge  latch is closed. Turn off the printer without
the print cartridge installed. Restart the printer and reinsert the print cartridge (see 
Installing or
replacing the print cartridges ).
After removing the print cartridge, turn  the printer off, and then turn on the printer without the print
cartridge installed. After the printer has restarted, reinsert the print cartridge.
Resolving printing problems  93
 
						

							The printer is rejecting the pen
Poor contact between the print cartridges and print cartridge cradles may cause the pen to be
rejected. When this occurs, try cleaning the electrical  contacts on the print cartridges and print
cartridge cradles:
1 Remove the print cartridge from the printer (see 
Installing or replacing the print cartridges ).
2Clean the electrical contacts on the print cartridge cradle with a dry cotton swab.
94 6  Troubleshooting 
 
						

							3Carefully clean the electrical contacts on the print cartridge with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth.
CAUTION To prevent damage to the electrical contacts, you should wipe the contacts
only once. Do not wipe the ink nozzles on the print cartridge.
4 Reinstall the print cartridge.
Printer takes a long time to print
Check the system configuration
Make sure the computer meets the minimum  system requirements for the printer. See Printer
specifications and Declaration of Conformity.
Verify the number of software programs running on the computer
Too many programs may be running at the same time. Close all unused software programs.
Check the port setting
The port setting configuration in your system might not be set to ECP.
See the documentation that came with the computer for information on how to change the port
setting, or contact the computer manufacturer.
Check the printer software settings
The printer prints more slowly when Best or Maximum  dpi is selected as the print quality. To increase
the print speed, select  different print settings in  the printer driver. See 
Changing print settings.
A large file is printing
It is normal for a large file to take a long time to print.
Resolving printing problems  95
 
						

							The printer may be in Ink-backup Printing Mode
The printer enters Ink-backup Printing Mode  when one of the print cartridges is removed. Replace
the missing print cartridge with a new one. See 
Changing print settings .
Blank page printed
Check for empty print cartridges
If you are printing black text and a blank page  prints, the black print cartridge might be empty. See
Installing or replacing the print cartridges.
If the Toolbox is installed, check the ink  levels of the print cartridges from the Estimated Ink Level
tab.
You may be printing in  Ink-backup Printing Mode . The printer enters Ink-backup Printing Mode
when one of the print cartridges is empty or  removed. Replace the missing print cartridge with a new
one.
The protective tape on the print cartridge nozzle has not been removed.
Verify the clear protective tape is removed from the print cartridge nozzle (see Installing or replacing
the print cartridges ).
Check media settings
■Make sure you select the correct print quality settings  in the printer driver for the media loaded in
the tray. For example, Maximum dpi is only available  for photo paper and cannot be used with
other media types.
■ Make sure the page settings in the printer driver matches the width of media loaded in the tray.
See 
Changing print settings .
Check the parallel port on your computer
Make sure the page settings in the printer driver matches the width of media loaded in the tray. See
Changing print settings.
Something on the page is missing or incorrect
Check margin settings
Make sure the margin settings for the document do  not exceed the printable area of the printer. See
Setting minimum margins.
The printer may be in Ink-backup Printing Mode
The printer enters  Ink-backup Printing Mode  when one of the print cartridges is removed. Replace
the missing print cartridge with a new one (see 
Installing or replacing the print cartridges ).
Verify the ink levels of the print cartridges
One of the print cartridges may be low on ink.  To view the ink levels, print a diagnostics page (see
Printing a diagnostics page). (For Windows, if the Toolbox is installed, you can find ink-level
96 6  Troubleshooting 
 
						

							information by clicking the Estimated Ink Level tab.) If the print cartridge is low on ink, replace it
(see 
Installing or replacing the print cartridges ).
The print cartridges may need to be cleaned
Perform the auto-clean procedure (see Cleaning the print cartridges).
Check color print settings
Make sure  Print in Grayscale  is not selected in the printer driver.
Check the print location and length of USB cable
High electromagnetic fields (such as those generated by USB cables) can sometimes slightly distort
printouts. Move the printer 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. See 
Loading media in the input tray .
Check the media size
■ Content on a page might be cut off if the document  size is larger than the media that you are
using.
■ Make sure the media size selected in the printer  driver matches the size of media loaded in the
tray. See 
Changing print settings .
■ If you are using a computer running Windows, select  Emulate LaserJet Margins in the printer
driver to scale the document to fit  the media size currently selected. See 
Changing print settings.
Check margin settings
If the text or graphics are cut off at the edges  of the page, make sure the margin settings for the
document do not exceed the printable area of your printer. See 
Setting minimum margins .
Check the page-orientation setting
Make sure the media size and page orientation selected  in the application match the settings in the
printer driver. See 
Changing print settings .
Check the printer location and length of USB cable
High electromagnetic fields (such as those generated by USB cables) can sometimes slightly distort
printouts. Move the printer 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.
Resolving printing problems  97
 
						

							If the above solutions do not work, the problem may be caused by the inability of the application to
interpret print settings properly. See the release notes for known software conflicts; or refer to the
applications documentation, or contact the software manufacturer for specific help.
986  Troubleshooting 
 
						

							Poor print quality and unexpected printouts
This section provides solutions to print quality problems.
●
Poor quality printouts
●
Meaningless characters print
●
Ink is smearing
●
Ink is not filling the text or graphics completely
●
The print settings may need to be changed
●
Output is faded or dull colored
●
Colors are printed as black and white
●
Wrong colors are printing
●
Printout shows bleeding colors
●
Colors do not line up properly
●
Lines or dots are missing from text or graphics
Poor quality printouts
Check the print cartridges
Replace any clogged print cartridges (see Using the print cartridges ), and try to print again.
The printer may be in Ink-backup Printing Mode
The printer enters  Ink-backup Printing Mode  when one of the print cartridges is empty or removed.
Replace the missing print cartridge with a new one (see 
Installing or replacing the print cartridges ).
Verify the ink levels of the print cartridges
One of the print cartridges may be low on ink.  To view the ink levels, print a diagnostics page (see
Printing a diagnostics page). (For Windows, if the Toolbox is installed, you can find ink-level
information by clicking the  Estimated Ink Level tab. For Macintosh, open the ink level panel from
HP Inkjet Toolbox.) If the print cartridge is  low on ink, replace it (see 
Installing or replacing the print
cartridges).
The print cartridges may need to be cleaned
Perform the auto-clean procedure (see Cleaning the print cartridges).
Check the paper quality
The paper might be too moist or too rough. Make sure the media used meets HP specifications (see
Selecting print media), and try to print again.
Poor print quality and unexpected printouts  99
 
						

							Check the type of media loaded in the printer
■Make sure the tray supports the type of media you have loaded. See Understanding
specifications for supported media .
■ Make sure you have selected the tray in the printer driver that contains the media you want to
use. See 
Changing print settings .
Check rollers in the printer
The rollers in the printer might be dirty, causing  lines or smudges to appear on your printout. Turn off
the printer, disconnect the power cord, clean the rollers  in the printer with isopropyl alcohol on a lint-
free cloth, and try to print again.
Check the printer location and  length of USB cable
High electromagnetic fields (such as those generated by USB cables) can sometimes slightly distort
printouts. Move the printer 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.
Meaningless characters print
If an interruption occurs to a job that is printing,  the printer might not recognize the rest of the job.
Cancel the print job and wait for the printer to return  to the ready state. If the printer does not return
to the ready state, cancel all jobs, and wait again.  When the printer is ready, resend the job. If
prompted by the computer to retry the job, click  Cancel.
Check the cable connections
If the printer and computer are connected with a USB  or parallel cable, the problem may be due to a
poor cable connection.
Make sure the cable connections at both ends are  secure. If the problem persists, turn off the printer,
disconnect the cable from the printer, turn on the  printer without connecting the cable, and delete any
remaining jobs from the print spooler. When the Power light is on and not flashing, reconnect the
cable.
Check the document file
The document file may be damaged. If you can  print other documents from the same application, try
printing a backup copy of your document, if available.
100 6  Troubleshooting