HP Officejet 4500 User Manual

							Self-Test Report
Follow these steps to print, and then evaluate a Diagnostic report.
1.Load regular, white, letter-size or A4 paper.
2.On the product control panel, press 
 (Setup), select Print Report, select Self-
Test, and then press OK.
To evaluate the Diagnostic Page:
1.Look at the color bars in the middle of the page. There should be three color bars and
a black bar. All the bars should have sharp edges. They should be solid (not streaked
with white or other colors). They should be uniform in color throughout.
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							Example of Good Bars - all bars are solid, sharp-edged, and uniformly colored - the
printer is operating correctly.
• The black bar is printed by the Black Ink Cartridge
• The colored bars are printed by the Tri-color Ink Cartridge
 
Ragged or irregularly streaked or faded bars
Example of bad black bar - The black bar is ragged at one end.
NOTE:To prevent problems causing ragged bars on the Self-Test Report, try
the following solutions:
• Avoid leaving un-taped ink cartridges outside of the printer for an extended period
of time. For more information about handling ink cartridges, see 
Handle the ink
cartridges.
•
Always turn off the product using the 
 (Power) button, which prevents air from
getting into the cartridges. For more information about turning off the product, see
Turn off the device.
 
Regular white streaks in the bars
Example of bad color bars - the blue bar has regular white streaks.
 
Bar colors are not uniform
Example of Bad Color Bars - The yellow bar is streaked with another color.
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							Black Text
2.Look at the black text printed on the page. The type should be sharp and clear.
Example of good black text - the letters are sharp and clear - the printer is operating correctly
Example of bad black text - the letters are smeared.
Solution 7: Clean the ink cartridges
Clean the ink cartridges if you see the following in the diagnostic report:
•Color bars: Color bars are ragged or irregularly streaked or faded; have regular,
white streaks; or are not a uniform color throughout the bar, clean the ink cartridges.
•Large-font text: Letters are smeared or ragged on one end.
For instructions, see 
Clean the ink cartridges.
NOTE:Do not clean ink cartridges unnecessarily. Unnecessary cleaning wastes ink
and shortens the life of the ink nozzles.
If the issue persists, continue to the next step.
Solution 8: Align the ink cartridges
Align the ink cartridges if you see the following in the diagnostic report:
•Large-font text: Letters are jagged.
•Alignment pattern: Lines are jagged.
For instructions, see 
Align the ink cartridges.
If the issue persists, continue to the next step.
Poor print quality and unexpected printouts 89
 
						

							Solution 9: Replace the problem ink cartridge
If you saw defects on the Print Quality Diagnostic Report or Self-Test Report and cleaning
and alignment did not help, replace the problem ink cartridge. For instructions, see
Replace the ink cartridges.
If the issue persists, continue to the next step.
Solution 10: Service the product
If you have completed all the steps listed above and are still experiencing a problem, the
product might need servicing.
To contact HP support, visit 
www.hp.com/support. If prompted, choose your country/
region, and then click Contact HP for information on calling for technical support.
Clean the ink cartridge contacts
Clean the ink cartridge contacts only if you get repeated messages on the display.
Before cleaning the ink cartridge contacts, remove the ink cartridge and verify that nothing
is covering the ink cartridge contacts, then reinstall the ink cartridge. If you continue to
get messages to check the ink cartridges, clean the ink cartridge contacts.
Make sure you have the following materials available:
• Dry foam rubber swabs, lint-free cloth, or any soft material that will not come apart or
leave fibers.
TIP:Coffee filters are lint-free and work well for cleaning ink cartridges.
• Distilled, filtered, or bottled water (tap water might contain contaminants that can
damage the ink cartridges).
CAUTION:Do not use platen cleaners or alcohol to clean the ink cartridge
contacts. These can damage the ink cartridge or the HP All-in-One.
To clean the ink cartridge contacts
1.Turn on the device and open the ink cartridge door.
The print carriage moves to the far right side of the device.
2.Wait until the print carriage is idle and silent, and then unplug the power cord from
the back of the device.
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.
3.Lightly press down on the ink cartridge to release it, and then pull it toward you, out
of the slot.
4.Inspect the ink cartridge contacts for ink and debris buildup.
5.Dip a clean foam rubber swab or lint-free cloth into distilled water, and squeeze any
excess water from it.
6.Hold the ink cartridge by its sides.
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							7.Clean only the copper-colored contacts. Allow the ink cartridges to dry for
approximately ten minutes.
1Copper-colored contacts
2Ink nozzles (do not clean)
8.Slide the ink cartridge back into the slot. Push the ink cartridge forward until it clicks
into place.
9.Repeat if necessary for the other ink cartridge.
10.Gently close the ink cartridge door and plug the power cord into the back of the device.
Clean the area around the ink nozzles
If the device is used in a dusty environment, a small amount of debris might accumulate
inside the device. This debris can include dust, hair, carpet, or clothing fibers. When
debris gets on the ink cartridges, it can cause ink streaks and smudges on printed pages.
Ink streaking can be corrected by cleaning around the ink nozzles as described here.
NOTE:Clean the area around the ink nozzles only if you continue to see streaks
and smudges on your printed pages after you have already cleaned the ink cartridges
by using the device control panel or the software you installed with the HP All-in-One.
Make sure you have the following materials available:
• Dry foam rubber swabs, lint-free cloth, or any soft material that will not come apart or
leave fibers.
TIP:Coffee filters are lint-free and work well for cleaning ink cartridges.
• Distilled, filtered, or bottled water (tap water might contain contaminants that can
damage the ink cartridges).
CAUTION:Do not touch the copper-colored contacts or ink nozzles. Touching
these parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.
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							To clean the area around the ink nozzles
1.Turn on the device and open the ink cartridge door.
The print carriage moves to the far right side of the device.
2.Wait until the print carriage is idle and silent, and then unplug the power cord from
the back of the device.
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.
3.Lightly press down on the ink cartridge to release it, and then pull it toward you out,
of the slot.
NOTE:Do not remove both ink cartridges at the same time. Remove and clean
each ink cartridge one at a time. Do not leave an ink cartridge outside the device
for more than 30 minutes.
4.Place the ink cartridge on a piece of paper with the ink nozzles facing up.
5.Lightly moisten a clean foam rubber swab with distilled water, and squeeze any
excess water from it.
6.Clean the face and edges around the ink nozzle area with the swab, as shown below.
1Nozzle plate (do not clean)
2Face and edges around the ink nozzle area
CAUTION:Do not clean the nozzle plate.
7.Slide the ink cartridge back into the slot. Push the ink cartridge forward until it clicks
into place.
8.Repeat if necessary for the other ink cartridge.
9.Gently close the ink cartridge door and plug the power cord into the back of the device.
Solve paper-feed problems
Media is not supported for the printer or tray
Use only media that is supported for the device and the tray being used. For more
information, see 
Media specifications.
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							Media is not picked up from a tray
• Make sure media is loaded in the tray. For more information, see 
Load media. Fan
the media before loading.
• Make sure the paper guides are set to the correct markings in the tray for the media
size you are loading. Also make sure the guides are snug, but not tight, against the
stack.
• Make sure media in the tray is not curled. Uncurl paper by bending it in the opposite
direction of the curl.
• When using thin special media, make sure that the tray is completely loaded. If you
are using special media that is only available in small quantities, try placing the special
media on top of other paper of the same size to help fill the tray. (Some media is
picked up more easily if the tray is full.)
• If you are using thick special media (such as brochure paper), load media so that the
tray is between 1/4 and 3/4 full. If necessary, place the media on top of other paper
of the same size so that the stack height is within this range.
Media is not coming out correctly
• Make sure the output tray extension is extended; otherwise, printed pages may fall
off the device.
• Remove excess media from the output tray. There is a limit to the number of sheets
the tray can hold.
Pages are skewing
• Make sure the media loaded in the trays is aligned to the paper guides. If needed,
pull out the trays from the device and reload the media properly, making sure that the
paper guides are properly aligned.
• Load media into the device only when it is not printing.
Multiple pages are being picked up
• Fan the media before loading.
• Make sure the paper guides are set to the correct markings in the tray for the media
size you are loading. Also make sure the guides are snug, but not tight, against the
stack.
• Make sure the tray is not overloaded with paper.
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							• When using thin special media, make sure that the tray is completely loaded. If you
are using special media that is only available in small quantities, try placing the special
media on top of other paper of the same size to help fill the tray. (Some media is
picked up more easily if the tray is full.)
• If you are using thick special media (such as brochure paper), load media so that the
tray is between 1/4 and 3/4 full. If necessary, place the media on top of other paper
of the same size so that the stack height is within this range.
• Use HP media for optimum performance and efficiency.
Solve copy problems
If the following topics do not help, see HP support for information about HP support.
•
No copy came out
•
Copies are blank
•
Documents are missing or faded
•
Size is reduced
•
Copy quality is poor
•
Copy defects are apparent
•
The device prints half a page, then ejects the paper
•
Paper mismatch
No copy came out
•Check the power
Make sure that the power cord is securely connected, and the device turned on.
•Check the status of the device
◦The device might be busy with another job. Check the control-panel display for
information about the status of jobs. Wait for any job that is processing to finish.
◦The device might be jammed. Check for jams. See 
Clear paper jams.
•Check the trays
Make sure that media is loaded. See 
Load media for more information.
Copies are blank
•Check the media
The media might not meet Hewlett-Packard media specifications (for example, the
media is too moist or too rough). See 
Media specifications for more information.
•Check the settings
The contrast setting might be set too light. Use the Copy button on the device control
panel to create darker copies.
•Check the trays
If the product has an automatic document feeder (ADF) and you are copying from the
ADF, make sure that the originals have been loaded correctly. For more information,
see 
Load an original in the automatic document feeder (ADF).
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							Documents are missing or faded
•Check the media
The media might not meet Hewlett-Packard media specifications (for example, the
media is too moist or too rough). See 
Media specifications for more information.
•Check the settings
The quality setting of Fast (which produces draft-quality copies) might be responsible
for the missing or faded documents. Change to the Normal or Best setting.
•Check the original
◦The accuracy of the copy depends on the quality and size of the original. Use the
Copy menu to adjust the brightness of the copy. If the original is too light, the
copy might not be able to compensate, even if you adjust the contrast.
◦Colored backgrounds might cause images in the foreground to blend into the
background, or the background might appear in a different shade.
◦If you are copying a borderless original, load the original on the scanner glass,
not the ADF. For more information, see 
Load an original on the scanner glass.
Size is reduced
• The reduce/enlarge or other copy feature might have been set from the device control
panel to reduce the scanned image. Check the settings for the copy job to make sure
that they are for normal size.
• The HP software settings might be set to reduce the scanned image. Change the
settings, if needed. See the onscreen Help for the HP software for more information.
Copy quality is poor 
•Take steps to improve the copy quality
◦Use quality originals.
◦Load the media correctly. If the media is loaded incorrectly, it might skew, causing
unclear images. See 
Media specifications for more information.
◦Use or make a carrier sheet to protect your originals.
•Check the device
◦The scanner lid might not be closed properly.
◦The scanner glass or lid backing might need cleaning. See 
Maintain the device
for more information.
◦If the product has an automatic document feeder (ADF), ADF might need
cleaning. See 
Maintain the device for more information.
Copy defects are apparent
•Vertical white or faded stripes
The media might not meet Hewlett-Packard media specifications (for example, the
media is too moist or too rough). See 
Media specifications for more information.
•Too light or dark
Try adjusting the contrast and copy-quality settings.
•Unwanted lines
The scanner glass, lid backing, or frame might need cleaning. See 
Maintain the
device for more information.
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							•Black dots or streaks
Ink, glue, correction fluid, or an unwanted substance might be on the scanner glass
or lid backing. Try cleaning the device. See 
Maintain the device for more information.
• Copy is slanted or skewed
If the product has an automatic document feeder (ADF), check the following:
◦Make sure that the ADF input tray is not too full.
◦Make sure that the ADF width adjusters are snug against the sides of the media.
•Unclear text
◦Try adjusting the contrast and copy-quality settings.
◦The default enhancement setting might not be suitable for the job. Check the
setting and change it to enhance text or photographs, if needed. For more
information, see 
Change copy settings.
•Incompletely filled text or graphics
Try adjusting the contrast and copy-quality settings.
•Large, black typefaces look splotchy (not smooth)
The default enhancement setting might not be suitable for the job. Check the setting
and change it to enhance text or photographs, if needed. For more information, see
Change copy settings.
•Horizontal grainy or white bands in light-gray to medium-gray areas
The default enhancement setting might not be suitable for the job. Check the setting
and change it to enhance text or photographs, if needed. For more information, see
Change copy settings.
The device prints half a page, then ejects the paper
Check the ink cartridges
Make sure the correct ink cartridges are installed and the ink cartridges are not low on
ink. For more information, see 
Device management tools and Check the estimated ink
levels.
HP cannot guarantee the quality of non-HP ink cartridges.
Paper mismatch
Check the settings
Verify that the loaded media size and type matches the control panel settings.
Solve scan problems
If the following topics do not help, see HP support for information about HP support.
NOTE:If you are starting the scan from a computer, see the software Help for
troubleshooting information.
•Scanner did nothing
•
Scan takes too long
•
Part of the document did not scan or text is missing
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