HP Officejet K7100 User Manual

							General troubleshooting tips
Ensure the following:
●Power light is on and not blinking. When the printer is first turned on, it takes approximately 45
seconds to warm up.
●Make sure the printer is in the Ready state. If lights are on or blinking, see 
Printer lights
reference on page 104.
●No error messages appear on the computer screen.
●Power cord and other cables are working and firmly connected to the printer. 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 on page 119 for voltage
requirements.
●Media is loaded correctly in the tray and is not jammed in the printer.
●Print cartridges are properly installed in their correct color-coded slots. Press down firmly on
each one to ensure proper contact. Ensure you have removed the tape from each print cartridge.
●Print cartridge cradle latches and all covers are closed. See 
Inserting the print cartridges
on page 20.
●Rear access panel or duplex unit is locked into place.
●All packing tapes and materials are removed from the printer.
●Printer can print a diagnostics page. See 
Printing a diagnostics page on page 83.
●Printer is set as the current or default printer. For Windows, set the printer as the default in the
Printers folder. For Mac OS, set the printer as the default in the Printer Setup Utility. 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.
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							Printing a demo page
Printing a demo page without being connected to a computer verifies whether the printer is set up
correctly.
1.Make sure the printer is turned on.
2.Press and hold the Resume button for a few seconds.
The printer prints a demo page.
NOTE:If the Toolbox is installed, you can print the demo page from the Printer Services tab.
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							Printing a diagnostics page
This page is useful to HP Technical Support if you have a printer problem.
1.Make sure the printer is turned on.
2.Press and hold the Power button, press the Resume button four times, and then release the
Power button.
The printer prints a diagnostic page.
NOTE:You can also print a diagnostics page from the printer driver. Right-click the printer icon.
Select Printing Preferences. On the Services tab, click Print Configuration Page.
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							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 on page 119 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 on page 119 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 on page 80.
If the problem persists, contact HP. See 
Customer support and warranty on page 113.
Printer is not responding (nothing prints)
Check printer setup
See Troubleshooting tips and resources on page 80.
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 on page 119 for voltage
requirements.
Check cable connections
Make sure both ends of the USB or parallel cable 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.
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							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) on page 9, Configuring the printer
(Mac OS) on page 12, 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.
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 cartridge and that the cartridge is
properly installed with the latch closed. See 
Inserting the print cartridges on page 20.
Clean the print cartridge contacts
Complete the print cartridge cleaning procedure. See Cleaning the print cartridges on page 22.
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 
Inserting the print
cartridges on page 20).
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.
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							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 
Inserting the print cartridges on page 20).
2.Clean the electrical contacts on the print cartridge cradle with a dry cotton swab.
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							3.Carefully 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 on page 119.
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 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
on page 39.
A large file is printing
It is normal for a large file to take a long time to print.
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 on page 39.
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							Blank page printed
Check for empty print cartridges
If you are printing text and a blank page prints, the print cartridges might be empty. See Inserting the
print cartridges on page 20.
If the Toolbox is installed, check the ink levels of the print cartridges from the Printer Status 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 Inserting the print
cartridges on page 20).
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 on page 39.
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 on page 35.
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 
Inserting the print cartridges on page 20).
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 on page 83). (For Windows, if the Toolbox is installed, you can find ink-
level information by clicking the Printer Status tab.) If the print cartridge is low on ink, replace it (see
Inserting the print cartridges on page 20).
The print cartridges may need to be cleaned
Perform the auto-clean procedure (see Cleaning the print cartridges on page 22).
Check color print settings
Make sure Print in Grayscale is not selected in the printer driver.
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							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 on page 36.
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 on page 39.
●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
on page 39.
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 on page 35.
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 on page 39.
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.
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.
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							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 on page 19), 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 
Inserting the print cartridges on page 20).
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 on page 83). (For Windows, if the Toolbox is installed, you can find ink-
level information by clicking the Printer Status tab. For Macintosh, open the ink level panel from
HP Inkjet Toolbox.) If the print cartridge is low on ink, replace it (see 
Inserting the print cartridges
on page 20).
The print cartridges may need to be cleaned
Perform the auto-clean procedure (see Cleaning the print cartridges on page 22).
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 on page 27), and try to print again.
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