HP Officejet Pro 8000 Enterprise User Manual

							
Check the type of media loaded in the printer
• Make sure the tray supports the type of  media you have loaded. For more
information, see 
Media specifications.
• Make sure you have selected the tray in the print driver that contains the media that you want to use.
Check the printer location and length of USB cable
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. You can also try to use
a different USB cable to see if the USB cable has failed.
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 in the printer driver, power cycle the
printer, and then print the document.
Check the cable connections
If the printer and computer are connected with a USB 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
the printer off, 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.
Ink is smearing
Check the print settings
• When you print documents that use a lot of ink, allow more time to dry before handling the printouts. This is especially true for transparencies. In the printer
driver, select the  Best print quality, and also increase the ink drying time and
reduce the ink saturation, using the ink volume under the advanced features
(Windows) or ink features (Mac OS X). However, note that decreasing ink
saturation might give printouts a "washed-out" quality.
• Color documents that have rich, blended colors can wrinkle or smear when printed using the  Best print quality. Try using another print mode, such as  Normal, to
reduce ink, or use HP Premium Paper designed for printing vivid color documents.
For more information, see 
Print.
Solve print quality problems 37
 
						

							
Check the media type
• Some types of media do not accept ink well. For these types of media, ink driesmore slowly and smearing may occur. For more information, see 
Media
specifications.
• Make sure that the media in the tray matches the media type selected in the printer driver.
Ink is not filling the text or  graphics completely
Check the media type
Some media types are not suitable for use with the printer. For more information, see
Media specifications.
Check the printheads
Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any
problem areas, and perform the recommended actions. For more information, see
Printhead maintenance.
Output is faded or dull colored
Check the print mode
The Draft  or Fast  mode in the printer driver allows you to print at a faster rate, which is
good for printing drafts. To get better results, select  Normal or Best . For more
information, see 
Print.
Check the paper type setting
When printing on transparencies or other special media, select the corresponding
media type in the print driver. For more information, see 
Print on specia l and custom-
size paper.
Colors are printing as black and white
Check the print settings
Make sure Print in Grayscale  is not selected in the printer driver. Open the HP
software included with the printer, click the  Advanced tab, and then select  Off from the
Print in Grayscale  drop-down menu.
Wrong colors are printing
Check the print settings
Make sure Print in Grayscale  is not selected in the printer driver. Open the HP
software included with the printer, click the  Advanced tab, and then select  Off from the
Print in Grayscale  drop-down menu.
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Check the printheads
Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any
problem areas, and perform the recommended actions. For more information, see
Printhead maintenance.
Check the print cartridges.
HP cannot guarantee the quality of refilled, remanufactured, or non-HP ink cartridges.
Printout shows bleeding colors
Check the ink cartridges
Make sure you are using genuine HP ink. HP cannot guarantee the quality of refilled,
remanufactured, or non-HP ink cartridges. For ordering information, see 
Supplies.
Check the printheads
Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any
problem areas, and perform the recommended actions. For more information, see
Printhead maintenance.
Colors do not line up correctly
Check the printheads
Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any
problem areas, and perform the recommended actions. For more information, see
Printhead maintenance.
Check the graphics placement
Use the zoom or print preview feature of your software to check for gaps in the
placement of graphics on the page.
Text or graphics are streaked 
Check the printheads
Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any
problem areas, and perform the recommended actions. For more information, see
Printhead maintenance.
Something on the page is missing or incorrect
Check the printheads
Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any
problem areas, and perform the recommended actions. For more information, see
Printhead maintenance.
Solve print quality problems 39
 
						

							
Check the margin settings
Make sure the margin settings for the document do not exceed the printable area of the
printer.
Check the color print settings
Make sure Print in Grayscale  is not selected in the print driver.
Printhead maintenance
If printed characters are incomplete, or printouts are streaked, the ink nozzles might be
clogged and you might need to clean the printheads.
When the quality of printouts deteriorates, follow these steps:
1.Check the health of the printheads. For more information, see 
To check printhead
health.
2. Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any
problem areas, and perform the recommended actions. For more information, see
Printhead maintenance.
3. Clean the printheads. For more information, see 
To clean the printheads.
4. Replace the printheads if the problems persist after cleaning.
This section covers the following printhead maintenance tasks:
•
To check printhead health
•
To print the print quality diagnostic page
•
To align the printheads
•
To calibrate the linefeed
•
To clean the printheads
•
To clean the printhead contacts manually
•
To replace the printheads
To check printhead health
Use one of the following means to check the printhead health. If any printhead has
a Replace status, then perform one or more of the maintenance functions, or clean or
replace the printhead.
• Configuration Page:  Print the configuration page on a clean sheet of white paper,
and check the printhead health section. For more information, see 
Understand the
Configuration Page.
• Embedded Web server:  Open the embedded Web server. For more information,
see
To open the embedded Web server. Click the  Tools tab, and then click  Ink
Gauge  in the left pane.
• HP Software (Windows):  Open the HP software that was included with the printer.
Click the  Information  tab, and then click  Printhead Health.
• HP Utility (Mac OS X):  Click Printhead Health  from the Information and Support
panel.
To print the print quality diagnostic page
Use the print quality diagnostic page to diagn ose issues affecting the print quality. This
helps you decide whether to run any maintenance tools to improve the print quality of
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your printouts. You can also view the ink level information, and the printhead health
status on the page.
NOTE: Before printing the print quality diagnostic page, make sure you load
paper. For more information, see 
Load media.
Ink level warnings and indicators provide estimates for planning purposes only.
When you receive a low-ink warning message, consider having a replacement
cartridge available to avoid  possible printing delays. You do not need to replace
cartridges until prompted to do so.
• Control panel:  Press the OK button, select  Information and then press the  OK
button. Press right arrow 
 to select  Print Quality Page  and then press the  OK
button.
• Embedded Web server:  Click the Tools tab, click  Print Quality Toolbox  in the
left pane, select  Print Quality Report .
• HP Software (Windows):  Open the HP software that was included with the printer.
Click the  Device Services  tab, and then click  Print the Print Quality Diagnostic
Page  and follow the onscreen instructions.
• HP Utility (Mac OS X):  Click Print Quality Diagnostics  from the Information and
Support  panel.
1
2
3
4
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1Printer Information:  Shows printer information (such as the printer model number, serial
number, and firmware version number), the number of pages printed from the trays and
duplexer, the ink level information, and the printhead health status.
NOTE: Ink level warnings and indicators provide estimates for planning purposes only.
When you receive a low-ink warning message, consider having a replacement cartridge
available to avoid possible printing delays. You do not need to replace cartridges until
prompted to do so.
2 Test Pattern 1:  If the lines are not straight and connected, align the printheads. For more
information, see 
To align the printheads.
3 Test Pattern 2:  If there are thin white lines across any of the colored blocks, clean the
printheads. For more information, see 
To clean the printheads.
NOTE: If there are thin white lines across all the color blocks and thin white lines across
the gray blocks in Test Pattern 3, do NOT clean the printhead. Calibrate the linefeed
instead. For more information, see 
To calibrate the linefeed.
4 Test Pattern 3:  If there are dark lines or white gaps where the arrows are pointing,
calibrate the linefeed. For more information, see 
To calibrate the linefeed.
To align the printheads
Whenever you replace a printhead, the printer automatically aligns the printheads to
ensure the best print quality. However, if the lines in Test Pattern 1 on the Print Quality
Diagnostic page are not straight and connected, you can start the alignment process
manually. For more information, see 
Understand the Configuration Page.
NOTE: Before aligning the printheads, make sure you load plain paper. For more
information, see 
Load media.
• Control panel:  Press the OK button, press the right arrow  to select
Maintenance  and then press the  OK button. Press  OK again when  Print Quality
appears. Press right arrow 
 to select  Print Alignment  and then press the  OK
button.
• Embedded Web server:  Click the Tools tab, click  Print Quality Toolbox  in the
left pane, and click  Align Printer.
• HP Software (Windows):  Open the HP software that was included with the printer.
Click Printer Actions , click Maintenance Tasks , and then click Align Printheads .
• HP Utility (Mac OS X):  Click Align from the  Information and Support  panel.
To calibrate the linefeed
If Test Pattern 3 on the Print Quality Diagnostic page shows white gaps or dark lines,
you need to calibrate the linefeed. For more information, see 
Understand the
Configuration Page.
• Control panel:  Press the OK button, press the right arrow 
 to select
Maintenance  and then press the  OK button. Press  OK again when  Print Quality
appears. Press right arrow 
 to select  Calibrate Linefeed  and then press the  OK
button.
• Embedded Web server:  Click the Tools tab, click  Print Quality Toolbox  in the
left pane, and click  Calibrate Linefeed .
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•HP Software (Windows):  Open the HP software that was included with the printer.
Click the  Device Services  tab, and then click  Linefeed Calibration  and follow the
onscreen instructions.
• HP Utility (Mac OS X):  Click Calibrate Linefeed  from the Information and
Support  panel.
To clean the printheads
To determine whether the printheads need to be cleaned, print a Print Quality
Diagnostic page. For more information, see 
Understand the Configuration Page.
NOTE: Cleaning uses ink, so clean the printheads only when necessary.
The cleaning process takes a few minutes. Some noise might be generated in the
process.
Before cleaning the printheads, make sure you load paper. For more information,
see
Load media.
• Control panel:  Press the OK button, press the right arrow  to select
Maintenance  and then press the  OK button. Press  OK again when  Print Quality
appears. Press right arrow 
 to select  Clean Printhead  and then press the  OK
button.
• Embedded Web server:  Click the Tools tab, click  Printer Quality Toolbox  in the
left pane, and click  Clean Printhead.
• HP Utility (Mac OS X):  Click Clean  from the  Information and Support  panel.
To clean the printhead contacts manually
After the printheads are installed, you might  get a control-panel message telling you
the printer cannot print. If you receive this message, you might need to clean the
electrical contacts on the printheads and in the printer. Make sure there is paper in the
printer before you start. See 
Load media for more information.
CAUTION: Electrical contacts contain sensitive el ectronic components that can be
damaged easily.
1. Open the top cover.
2. If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, press and hold the  OK
button until the carriage moves to the left. Wait for the carriage to stop moving, and
then unplug the power cord from the printer.
Solve print quality problems 43
 
						

							
3.Lift the printhead latch.
4.Lift the handle of the printhead and use it to pull the printhead out of its slot.
5.Obtain clean, dry, soft and lint-free cleaning  material. Suitable materials include
paper coffee filters and eyeglass lens cleaning paper.
CAUTION: Do not use water.
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6.Wipe the electrical contacts on the printhead but do not touch the nozzles.
NOTE: The electrical contacts are small copper-color squares, grouped on
one face of the printhead.
The nozzles are on a different face of th e printhead. Ink is visible on the
nozzles.
CAUTION: Touching the nozzles can cause permanent nozzle damage.
CAUTION: Ink can permanently mark clothing.
7.After cleaning, place the printhead on a sheet of paper or paper towel. Make sure
the nozzles are facing up and are not in contact with the paper.
8. Clean the electrical contacts in the printhead slot inside the printer with a clean,
dry, soft and lint-free cloth.
9.Plug in the power cord and turn on the printer. The control panel should indicate
that the printhead is missing.
10. Insert the printhead into its color-coded slot (the label on the printhead must match
the label on the printhead latch). Press down firmly on the printhead to ensure
proper contact.
11. Where necessary, repeat the steps for the remaining printheads.
Solve print quality problems 45
 
						

							
12.Pull the printhead latch all the way forward, and then press down to ensure that the
latch is engaged correctly. You might have to apply some pressure to engage the
latch.
13. Close the top cover.
14. If the control-panel message remains, repeat the cleaning procedure for the
printhead that corresponds to the message.
15. If the control-panel message remains, replace the printhead which corresponds to
the message.
16. Wait while the printer initializes the printheads and prints the alignment pages. If
the printer does not print the pages, start the alignment process manually. For
more information, see 
To align the printheads.
To replace the printheads
NOTE: To find out which printheads work  with your printer, see Supplies.
Replace the printheads only when the printhead health indicates that the printheads
need replacement. For more information, see 
To check printhead health.
Use these instructions to replace a printhead.
1. Open the top cover.
2. If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, press and hold the  OK
button until the carriage moves to the left. Wait for the carriage to stop moving.
3. Lift the printhead latch.
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46 Solve a problem