HP Color LaserJet 5550

How to Identify and Fix Common Problems ?

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If your printouts are grainy, try these solutions: Make sure you loaded the printable side of the paper correctly for your product. Select a higher print quality setting and turn off any high speed settings in your product software. Run a nozzle check to see if any of the print head nozzles are clogged.
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.
The print nozzles, print head, and other internal components could be clogged or dirty, causing blurry text. In other words, you should clean the interior of the printer.
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.

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.
During the printing process, paper, toner, and dust particles can accumulate inside the printer. Over time, this buildup can cause print quality issues such as toner specks, smears, or marks. The printer has a cleaning mode that can correct and prevent print quality problems.
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.
When it isn`t working properly, the quality of your prints can suffer. Signs of a bad transfer roller include streaking, squealing, jamming and odors emanating from the printer. Troubleshoot your transfer rollers to restore your prints to their normal high quality.
Generally, 300 DPI is great for small prints, while 600 DPI is amazing for large prints. If you`re scanning documents or photos to be used on the web or in emails, 300 dpi is more than enough. If you want to print large photos or blow them up to poster size, 600 dpi will give you better results.
The difference between leaving your printer on or turning it off is generally insignificant in terms of energy costs. For healthier print heads and more efficient ink consumption, however, it`s better to leave your printer on.
If you try to print an image larger than the size for which the image has available information, the image will begin to look jagged or blurry. This is known as “pixelization,” because the printer is literally making the pixels of the image larger to account for the lack of picture information.
The resolution of the source image is a critical aspect when it comes to avoiding pixelation. Make sure the resolution is high enough so you have a buffer when increasing the output size of the design. For instance, if you`re designing for the web, a low-res image might be suitable.
The density setting can be adjusted from 1 to 5, with 3 the default. The lower the setting the lower the amount of toner used. There might also be device specific settings which are described in the applicable Product User Guide.
Print density is the measurement of light reflected off of the substrate, or how dark the print appears after each press strike. When looking at the definition of print density it is easy to see how the materials that come in direct contact with the printing surface play a crucial role in print density quality.
DPI: If your printer has an option to select “Maximum DPI,” use this to get the highest resolution print. 300 dpi does the trick. 600 dpi looks great with graphics. 1200 dpi is ready to be sent to the company executives. 1440+ dpi is professional-level photographic print quality.
Cleaning the print head will start the ink cartridge replacement process. If you do not intend to replace an ink cartridge, press the ink button again to return the print head to its home position. The printer starts cleaning the print head and the power light and the ink lights begin flashing.
A printhead can usually be cleaned in one of two ways: through software on your PC or manually by taking out the printhead. Here`s a quick rundown of how you can clean your printer head from the HP experts: Run the “Clean Printhead” function from your computer.
The correct answer is Plotter. Plotter produces the best quality graphics reproduction. Plotter produces the best quality graphics reproduction. The plotter is a computer printer for printing vector graphics.
Resolution is the measurement of how many dots/pixels fit into one inch. The higher resolution, the sharper the image will be. PrintingForLess recommends resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch) for crisp, clear results. Lower resolution images appear fuzzy, jagged and blurry.
As a rule of thumb, to achieve photo quality print, you will need to use an image resolution of 300 pixels per inch. We write this as 300 DPI and means that in each inch of your print there will be 300 pixels.
HP InkJet printers are best for photo printings, graphics-heavy printing, small to mid-size businesses, and home office use.
For cleaning, HP recommends using HP Equipment Cleaning Wipes, but you can use an HP-approved lint-free wipe and deionized or distilled water. Note: If dark spots appear on back side of prints, clean drum screen. Note: If minilab prints more than 2000 prints each day, clean drum screen up to twice daily.
Take a cotton swab and moisten it with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Gently rub the paper feed roller in a circular motion, using the moistened cotton swab to remove any toner buildup. If needed, replace the cotton swab with a fresh one to ensure effective cleaning.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

HP LaserJet 2200D won't print configuration page
ANSWER : Find someone with a HP LaserJet 4100 and you can configure the card to the IP you want:

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HP Color LaserJet 5550

hp deskjet 960c printing problem
ANSWER : RE: HP 960c printer. I have new cartridges and the test page prints out full color. When printing a color document the page prints in black & white. Why not color? The print page is on color not black & white.

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HP Color LaserJet 5550

HP laser jet 3015 "Upgrade Error Call HP Support"
ANSWER : rgtr

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HP Color LaserJet 5550

I just bought an officejet 3830 2 weeks ago. Now it won't print at all! Says inkjet jam. It's not! I've done all the fixes as per hp's website now what?
ANSWER : Take it back and exchange it under warranty.

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HP Color LaserJet 5550

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.

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HP Color LaserJet 5550

HP DeskJet 1220C Prints only Pink & Black
ANSWER : hi everyone. i have an hp ink advantage 5525 all-in-one. changed all cartridges as they were empty and when i tried to print i got blank pages. i gave a print order a couple times to find out what was going on and found out that yellow and magenta inks worked but not cyan and black. removed cartridges, clean and all many times and nothing happened. then i tried this youtu.be/f57jOGj-G5s and the print quality of magenta and yellow improved significantly but still no black or cyan at all. i can’t do the running water thing because the print head is not detachable. any suggestions?

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HP Color LaserJet 5550

HP Deskjet 640c wont print??
ANSWER : yes

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HP Color LaserJet 5550

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.

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HP Color LaserJet 5550