HP OfficeJet Pro K8600dn User Manual

							When the quality of printouts deteriorates, complete the relevant steps based on the
following sequence:
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 
To print the print quality diagnostic page.
3.Clean the printheads. For more information, see 
To clean the printheads.
4.Replace the printheads if the problems persist after cleaning. For more
information, see 
To replace the printheads.
CAUTION:HP is not responsible for damage to the device that results from
modifying the printheads.
This section covers the following printhead maintenance tasks:
•
To check printhead health
•
To print the print quality diagnostic page
•
To calibrate the linefeed
•
To clean the printheads
•
To align 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 the status of any
printhead is not good or fair, then perform one or more of the maintenance functions,
or clean or replace the printhead.
•Self-Test Diagnostic Page: Print the self-test diagnostic page on a clean sheet of
white paper, and check the printhead health section. For more information, see
Understand the self-test diagnostic page.
•Embedded Web server: Open the embedded Web server. For more information,
see 
Embedded Web server. Click the Information tab, and then click Ink
Supplies in the left pane.
•Toolbox (Windows): Open the Toolbox. For more information, see 
To open the
Toolbox. Click the Information tab, and then click Printhead Health.
To print the print quality diagnostic page
Use the print quality diagnostic page to diagnose issues affecting the print quality. This
will help you decide whether to run any maintenance services to improve the print
quality of your printouts. You can also view the ink level information, and the printhead
health status on the page.
•
Control panel: Press and hold 
 (Power button), press  (Cancel button) seven
times, press 
 (Resume button) two times, and release  (Power button).
•Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Device Services in the left
pane, select Print PQ (print quality) diagnostic page from the drop-down list in
the Print Quality section, and then click Run Diagnostic.
Maintain the printheads47
 
						

							•Toolbox (Windows): Click the Services tab, and then click Print PQ (print
quality) diagnostic page and follow the onscreen instructions.
•HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Print Quality Diagnostics from the
Information and Support panel.
1Printer Information: Shows device information (such as the product 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.
2Test Pattern 1: If the lines are not straight and connected, align the printheads. For more
information, see To align the printheads.
3Test 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.
4Test 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 calibrate the linefeed
If your printout is showing bandings (dark or light lines across colored block) or
staggered lines, calibrate the printers linefeed.
•
Control panel: Press and hold 
 (Power button), press  (Cancel button) 14
times, press 
 (Resume button) six times, and release  (Power button).
•Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Device Services in the left
pane, select Calibrate Linefeed from the drop-down list in the Print Quality
section, and then click Run Diagnostic.
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48 Maintain and troubleshoot
 
						

							•Toolbox (Windows): Click the Services tab, and then click Calibrate Linefeed
and follow the onscreen instructions.
•HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Calibrate Linefeed from the Information and
Support panel.
To clean the printheads
If printed characters are incomplete, or dots or lines are missing from printouts, ink
nozzles might be clogged and you might need to clean the printheads.
NOTE:Cleaning uses ink, so clean the printheads only when necessary.
The cleaning process takes up to 3.5 minutes. Some noise might be generated in
the process.
•
Control panel: Press and hold  (Power button), press  (Cancel button) two
times, press 
 (Resume button) one time, and release  (Power button).
•Embedded Web server: Click the Device Settings tab, click Device Services in
the left pane, select Clean Printheads from the drop-down list in the Print Quality
section, and then click Run Diagnostic.
•Toolbox (Windows): Click the Services tab, and then click Clean Printheads
and follow the onscreen instructions.
•HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Clean from the Information and Support panel.
To align the printheads
Whenever you replace a printhead, the device automatically aligns the printheads to
ensure the best print quality. However, if the appearance of your printed pages
indicates that the printheads are misaligned, you can start the alignment process
manually.
•
Control panel: Press and hold 
 (Power button), press  (Resume button)
three times, and release 
 (Power button).
•Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Device Services in the left
pane, select Align Printer from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section,
and then click Run Diagnostic.
•Toolbox (Windows): Click the Services tab, and then click Align Printheads and
follow the onscreen instructions.
•HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Align from the Information and Support panel.
To clean the printhead contacts manually
After the printheads are installed, one or more of the printhead lights might be blinking.
If the printhead lights are blinking, you might need to clean the electrical contacts on
the printheads and in the device.
CAUTION:Clean the electrical contacts only after you have attempted to clean
the printheads. Electrical contacts contain sensitive electronic components that can
be damaged easily. For more information, see 
To clean the printheads.
Maintain the printheads49
 
						

							1.Open the cover.
2.
If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, press and hold the 
(Resume button) until the carriage moves to the left. Wait for the carriage to stop
moving, and then unplug the power cord from the printer.
3.Lift the printhead latch.
4.Lift the handle of the printhead you want to replace and and 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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50 Maintain and troubleshoot
 
						

							6.Wipe the electrical contacts on the printhead but do not touch the nozzles.
CAUTION:The electrical contacts are small copper-color squares, grouped
on one face of the printhead.
The nozzles are on a different face of the printhead. Ink will be visible on the
nozzles.
Touching the nozzles can cause permanent nozzle damage. Also, 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 device with a clean,
dry, soft and lint-free cloth.
9.Plug in the power cord and turn on the device. 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.Pull the printhead latch all the way forward, and then press down to ensure that
the latch is properly engaged. You might have to apply some pressure to engage
the latch.
12.Where necessary, repeat the above steps for the remaining printhead.
13.Close the cover.
14.If the printhead light is still blinking, repeat the cleaning procedure described above
for the printhead which corresponds to the blinking printhead light.
Maintain the printheads51
 
						

							15.If the printhead light continues to blink, replace the printhead which corresponds to
the blinking printhead light.
16.Wait while the device initializes the printheads and prints the alignment pages. If
the device 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.
1.Open the cover.
2.
If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, press and hold the 
(Resume button) until the carriage moves to the left. Wait for the carriage to stop
moving, and then unplug the power cord from the printer.
3.Lift the printhead latch.
4.Lift the handle of a printhead and use it to pull the printhead out of its slot.
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52 Maintain and troubleshoot
 
						

							5.Before installing a printhead, shake the printhead up and down at least six times
while the printhead is still in its packaging.
6.Remove the new printhead from its package, and then remove its orange
protective caps.
CAUTION:Do not shake printheads after the caps are removed.
7.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.
8.Pull the printhead latch all the way forward, and then press down to ensure that
the latch is properly engaged. You might have to apply some pressure to engage
the latch.
9.Close the cover.
10.Wait while the device initializes the printheads and prints the alignment pages. If
the device does not print the pages, start the alignment process manually. For
more information, see 
To align the printheads.
Maintain the printheads53
 
						

							Store printing supplies
This section covers the following topics:
•
Store ink cartridges
•
Store printheads
Store ink cartridges
Ink cartridges can be left in the device for extended periods of time. If you remove the
ink cartridges, place them in an airtight container, such as a resealable plastic bag.
Store printheads
Printheads can be left in the device for extended periods of time. If you remove the
printheads, place them in an airtight container, such as a resealable plastic bag.
Troubleshooting tips and resources
Use the following tips and resources to resolve printing problems.
• For a paper jam, see 
Clear jams.
• For paper-feed problems, such as the paper skew and paper pick, see 
Solve
paper-feed problems.
• Verify that:
◦Power light is on and not blinking. When the device is turned on for the first
time, it takes approximately 10 minutes to initialize it after the printheads are
installed.
◦The device is in the ready state. If lights are on or blinking, see 
Control-panel
lights reference.
◦No error messages appear on the computer screen.
◦Power cord and other cables are working, and are firmly connected to the
device. Make sure the device is connected firmly to a functioning alternating
current (AC) power outlet, and is turned on. For voltage requirements, see
Electrical specifications.
◦Media is loaded correctly in the tray and is not jammed in the device.
◦Printheads and ink 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 orange protective caps from each printhead.
◦Printhead latch and all covers are closed.
◦The rear access panel or optional duplexer is locked into place.
◦All packing tapes and materials are removed.
◦The device can print a self-test diagnostic page. For more information, see
Understand the self-test diagnostic page.
◦The device is set as the current or default printer. For Windows, set it as the
default in the Printers folder. For the Mac OS, set it as the default in the Printer
Setup Utility. See your computers documentation for more information.
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54 Maintain and troubleshoot
 
						

							◦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.
NOTE:Some problems can be resolved by resetting the device.
Solve printing problems
This section contains the following topics:
•
The device shuts down unexpectedly
•
All device lights are on or flashing
•
The device is not responding (nothing prints)
•
Device does not accept printhead
•
Device takes a long time to print
•
Blank or partial page printed
•
Something on the page is missing or incorrect
•
Placement of the text or graphics is wrong
•
Device prints half a page, then ejects the paper
The device shuts down unexpectedly
Check the power and power connections
Make sure the device is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC)
power outlet. For voltage requirements, see 
Electrical specifications.
All device lights are on or flashing
A non-recoverable error has occurred
Disconnect all cables (such as power cord, network cable, and USB cable), wait about
20 seconds, and reconnect the cables. If the problem persists, visit the HP Web site
(
www.hp.com/support) for the latest troubleshooting information, or product fixes and
updates.
The device is not responding (nothing prints)
Check the print queue
A print job might be stuck in the print queue. To fix, open the print queue, cancel the
printing of all documents in the queue, and then reboot the computer. After the
computer reboots, try printing again. See your operating system help for information
on opening the print queue and canceling print jobs.
Check the device setup
For more information, see 
Troubleshooting tips and resources.
Solve printing problems55
 
						

							Check the printhead initialization
When printheads are installed or replaced, the device automatically prints a few
alignment pages to align the printheads. This process takes about 10 minutes. Until
this process is complete, only the automatic alignment pages can be printed.
Check the device software installation
If the device is turned off when printing, an alert message should appear on your
computer screen; otherwise, the device software might not be installed correctly. To
resolve this, uninstall the software completely, and then reinstall the device software.
For more information, see 
Uninstall and reinstall the software.
Check the cable connections
• Make sure both ends of the network/USB cable are secure.
• If the device is connected to a network, check the following:
◦Check the Link light on the back of the device.
◦Make sure you are not using a phone cord to connect the device.
◦The network hub, switch, or router is turned on and working properly.
Check the device setup for a network environment
Ensure the correct device driver and printer driver port are being used. For more
information about network connections, see 
Configure the device (Windows),
Configure the device (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 device. If there is a problem communicating with the device, 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 device, you might want to
assign a static IP address to the device and re-enable the firewall.
Device does not accept printhead
Check the printhead latch
Make sure the printhead latch is properly closed.
Check the printhead
Make sure the printhead is inserted into its correct color-coded slot. For more
information, see 
To replace the printheads.
Clean the printhead
Complete the printhead cleaning procedure. For more information, see 
Maintain the
printheads.
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56 Maintain and troubleshoot