What about the engine test? To do that, drop down the front tray. Feel around on the left side at the top and you’ll feel a little plastic dongle. If you lift up on that it will initiate an engine test page. That will be a page containing lines of each color.
How to Identify and Fix Common printer Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced technical support :
There are numerous possible causes for a printer that`s randomly producing blanks. The most common ones are empty ink cartridges, improper cartridge installation, and congested nozzles. Driver and software issues can sometimes cause this problem as well.
Check the ink levels on your printer.
Low or empty cartridges can also cause the printer to print blank pages. So, check the ink/toner levels on your printer and replace cartridges if necessary.
Clean the print head, if necessary. Make sure the paper size, orientation, and layout settings in your printer software are correct. Make sure your document does not contain blank pages. If your printer software has a Preview option, you can check for blank pages before you print and remove them, if necessary.
If your PC or the LCD screen on your printer is telling you that your ink cartridges are full but no ink is passing through to the paper, then it`s most likely that you are dealing with a clogged printhead. Blurry documents and images that appear faded are also signs that it`s time to remove the excess ink.
Check the options on the property tabs to make sure that the appropriate color options are selected. If there is a checkmark in the box by Print in Grayscale, click in the box to remove the checkmark, and then click OK. Try printing again.
Make sure that your page settings are set to print all pages and to print every page. Settings that cause some pages not to print are `manual duplexing`, `print every other page`, `print odd pages`, `print on both sides`, or similar settings.
If your printer is spitting out pages full of strange characters, symbols, or strange formatting, your inkjet printer drivers may be outdated, incompatible with your operating system or corrupt. Drivers are important to the proper function of your inkjet printer and it is best to check for updates regularly.
Sometimes you may see your document normally in Print Preview mode, but you get blank printouts or the pages contain data and nothing else. In such cases, you may have enabled the Print only the data from a form option. To uncheck this option, select File > Options > Advanced.
Just above the circuit board on most printer cartridges, you`ll find a small button. You`ve seen these tiny buttons before on cell phones, phone chargers, etc. This is your reset button, and the only way to get in there is either with a paper clip or the tip of a pen (which will leave a tiny ink smudge on the button).
The printer is either low in toner, the density is set too low, or the Economode may be turned on. Remove the toner cartridge and shake it. This will redistribute the toner and often will temporarily solve the problem. However, this usually indicates it is time to install a new cartridge.
Check you have the latest drivers installed for your printer, try uninstalling and reinstalling your printer drivers or try changing the driver settings (adjusting the paper settings has been known to solve the problem). Fully Reconfigure the Printer – If all else fails, you can try entirely reconfiguring your printer.
Open the printer`s web page and Sign in as Administrator. On the General tab select Reset Factory Settings in the menu.
Press the button on the chip-reset tool for several seconds until the LED light on the device goes off. Then, unlock the reset tool from the cartridge. Use the resetter with other cartridges and install them back into the corresponding slots in your printer. Voila!
The sponge end of a blocked printer head can be cleaned with only one liquid other than water. This liquid is isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol isn`t strong enough to melt the sponge but is still strong enough to dissolve the ink inside the blocked printer head.
Reasons why your HP printer has ink but won`t print
This may seem obvious, but it sometimes happens: first make sure your paper tray has paper in it. Misalignment, clogged printheads, faulty data communication or insufficient ink levels can also be sources of the problem.
The printer is either low in toner, the density is set too low, or the Economode may be turned on. Remove the toner cartridge and shake it. This will redistribute the toner and often will temporarily solve the problem. However, this usually indicates it is time to install a new cartridge.
If a fuser unit is not heating the toner powder correctly, ghost images can appear when printing. You can check to see if the fuser unit or drum unit is causing the ghosting by having a look at the ghosted images.