HP DeskJet 1220C
My printer works with my 2016 iMac but I am not sure that it is using the latest or most appropriate driver. How can you tell?
Experienced technical support provide their insights in answering this question :
You’re lucky an old printer like that even works with a new iMac. As for latest driver, they haven’t made one in about 10 years or more.
How to Identify and Fix Common printer Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced technical support :
On the printer control panel, swipe the display to the left, and then touch Setup ( ). Touch Tools. Swipe up on the display, and then touch Print Quality Report. A Print Quality Diagnostic report prints.
Dirty or misaligned print heads
Your printer may be printing fuzzy, blurry, or other faint text because of dirty print heads. All modern printers have a self-cleaning mode, which cleans the print heads, and additional internal equipment used in the printing process.
Faint, streaky or spotty prints are all common signs of a clog but a simple cleaning can usually get your HP ink cartridges working again. Printheads clog due to infrequent cartridge use. If you regularly go a few weeks without printing, your cartridges will eventually dry out and need to be replaced.
Touch Settings or the Gear icon to open the copy job options. Scroll to access and change the following copy settings. Paper Type: Select the type of plain or photo paper for your copies. Quality: Select an available copy quality level.
Print quality – The higher the DPI/PPI, the better the print quality will be. This is because there are more dots or pixels per inch, so each dot or pixel can be printed at a higher resolution. This results in sharper images and smoother gradients. File size – The higher the DPI/PPI, the larger the file size will be.
To resolve most print quality issues, use genuine HP cartridges, and in some cases, you might need to allow the printer to complete the automatic servicing routine. Check the paper and print settings to make sure that they are correct for the print job, and clean the cartridges and printhead.
Another thing you can do to your image to improve its clarity when printed is to apply some Sharpening to the image. Prints need more sharpening than computer monitors, so apply just a little too much. When you apply Sharpen you have to zoom the photo to 100%.
Here are the most common causes of a printer printing faded text or images: Low ink or toner levels. Toner sticking to the fuser roller or problems with the transfer roller. Low ink or toner density settings.
Check the print job settings: From the application you are printing from, click File > Print, and then click Options, Printer Setup, or Preferences, or open the Paper Type/Quality or Media & Quality menu. Make sure the color, paper type, paper size, and quality settings are correct for your print job.
Laser printers, on average, have a faster print speed than inkjet printers, and usually have a higher print quality. The most affordable models are more expensive than even budget inkjet models, but many people who print a lot find their strengths worth that premium.
Print quality: The print quality setting will do just as the name says, impact the overall quality of the print. The “Best” setting will produce the printer`s best print quality at the slowest printing speed. “Fast” will print a draft quality quick print.
On the printer control panel, swipe the display, and then touch the Setup icon ( ). The Setup menu displays. Swipe the display, and then touch Reports. Touch Printer Status Report.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
High quality printing
ANSWER : You’re lucky an old printer like that even works with a new iMac. As for latest driver, they haven’t made one in about 10 years or more.
Read Full Q/A … :
HP DeskJet 1220C
Prints blank pages, won't print from computer
ANSWER : Don’t know why you replaced the fuser, but assuming you had print before, then it must have been something you did during the procedure. Only thing I can suggest is to recheck your work. Just because you reinstalled a connector doesn’t mean that it is seated firmly enough to work. Any flat ribbon connectors that you removed and reinstalled, check to see that the contacts are all flat and not peeled back.
Read Full Q/A … :
HP DeskJet 1220C
Print Quality Issue (Streaks and Ghosting)
ANSWER : Streaks are mostly caused by internal drum wiper blades that clean left over toner off the drum to prepare it for a new image. Ghosting is caused by a leftover image on the drum. The 6 inches that you mention would be the circumference of the part that is causing it. Fusers will never cause either problem.
Read Full Q/A … :
HP DeskJet 1220C
Laserjet 4250 print quality issue (see image)
ANSWER : It looks like a fuser problem. One way to prove it is with the half-stop test. Put a sheet in the drop down manual feed tray. Send a print job and watch the paper. When the end of it is about to enter the printer, open the lid and take out the toner cartridge. Look at the printed image. If it looks OK, then it is a fuser problem. If not, then it is a toner cartridge issue since it hasn’t gone through the fuser.
Read Full Q/A … :
HP DeskJet 1220C
Print file sent but no printing occurs
ANSWER : Been working on these since they first were released. Never seen a problem like yours. If it happens again, try doing an engine test, as it bypasses the formatter board. The engine test is located at the right side of the manual tray opening. Look for a hole in the side wall. Stick something like a paper clip into it to actuate the test button. It will then print a lined test page. If it does that, then it points to the formatter board as the cause of your problem.
Read Full Q/A … :
HP DeskJet 1220C
Print quality
ANSWER : Could be due to dust on the scanner mirrors. You can use a flashlight and look down inside and see if the mirrors are clean. You would have to open the top up to access the scanner. Only use a dry cotton swab to clean the mirrors.
Read Full Q/A … :
HP DeskJet 1220C
when printing front and back, the front will print well but the back will fade
ANSWER : It happens because second side voltage is much higher and the board breaks. Are you getting this issue in auto duplex only, or same error you are getting when you print second side manually?
Read Full Q/A … :
HP DeskJet 1220C
My printer feeds through one piece of paper all the way and then a half piece of paper and stops. I pull out the paper to stop the paper jam and then it prints but sounds rough. After printing, it doesn't feed the paper all the way through.
ANSWER : And the first 2 sheets, the full and half sheet that go through first, are blank.
Read Full Q/A … :
HP DeskJet 1220C