Unknown Printer

How to Identify and Fix Common Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced technical support :

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.
Printers may produce poor quality printing if they are exposed to too much heat. Don`t place your printers in a high-temperature area or near other devices that produce excess heat. In addition, keep them away from windows, where heat and humidity can be high.
You need to ensure your HP printer has enough paper, ink, or toner, and it is not stuck on paper jam. Also, check the status of your printer cartridge and try replacing it with a new one if it is not good enough. In some cases, your HP printer stops printing after you replace its parts.
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.
Protect the laser printer from sources of excessive heat.

Thermal stress can reduce the quality of documents and images printed on a laser printer. Ensure the printer is not set up next to computer towers, CRT monitors and other devices that may radiate heat and affect the print quality.

If your printouts are blurry or smeared, try these solutions: Make sure your paper is not damp, curled, old, or loaded incorrectly in your product. Use a support sheet with special paper, or load special paper one sheet at a time. Make sure your paper meets the specifications for your product.
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.

Paper Jams

This is a common laser printer problem. Primary causes include grime, dust, worn rollers, or incorrect paper weight. The most basic way to prevent paper jams is simply through regular cleaning of your printer. Also, replace parts as needed.

Ghost prints happen when the drum or fuser unit within your printer become faulty. Because a fault with this element won`t heat the particles of the toner to a high enough temperature, the marks being made on the paper are much lighter in colour and appear more faded than typical documents.
If you notice that your print quality is uneven, too light, too dark, or there are vertical or horizontal lines in the print (banding), try these solutions: Run a nozzle check to see if any of the print head nozzles are clogged. Then clean the print head, if necessary. Align the print head.
“Normal” or “Standard” quality is the default print quality option. This is the best choice for most print jobs. “Best” or “High” quality produces the highest quality print and uses the most ink. Choose this for photos or presentation-grade prints.
Laser printers can still print decent quality color photos but can`t match the depth and vibrant colors inkjet printers produce. Inkjet printers start at around 1200 dot per inch (dpi) and max out around 5000dpi, whereas most laser printers max out at 1200dpi.
If your printouts are blurry or smeared, try these solutions: Make sure your paper is not damp, curled, old, or loaded incorrectly in your product. Use a support sheet with special paper, or load special paper one sheet at a time. Make sure your paper meets the specifications for your product.
The drum cartridge may be defective. If you have a spare cartridge, replace and try to copy and print again. For details, refer to Replace the Drum Cartridge or follow the installation instructions that are included with the new cartridge. If the problem persists, contact Support.
Creases and folds in the paper are normally due to one of the following conditions: The paper is not correctly loaded in the paper tray. You are printing on a special type of paper or other media. The paper has absorbed too much moisture from the surrounding air.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

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.

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HP Color Laserjet 3800 problem when printing color
ANSWER : Do a cold reset

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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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My 2550n Color LaserJet does not want to print in color
ANSWER : That model had issues with the carousel solenoid sticking. That might explain why it works after you let it sit for 10 minutes. The solenoid gets hotter with use which causes the deteriorated foam on it to become sticky and hold down the release plate instead of letting it go. This allows the carousel to spin when it is supposed to stop for each color. The solenoid is located on the right side of the printer. If you open the lid, it is just behind the opening at the top right. You need to remove the top of the printer and scrape off the goo on top of the solenoid body. I put a piece of thin sticky backed felt to replace it. Other people use electrical tape.

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HP Laserjet 1320tn printing grey instead of black
ANSWER : Try this test. Put a page into the manual feeder and do that same test. When the end of the page is just about to enter the printer, open the lid. Take out the toner cartridge and pull back the shutter. Look at the image and see if it is black. The explanation is that there is high voltage going to both the toner cartridge and the charge transfer roller below it. If the image on the drum is black, then the fault is at the transfer roller not getting enough high voltage. The transfer roller pulls the image off of the drum and down onto the paper. It would not be a laser scanner problem as any issue with it would not result in an overall gray image, but combination of gray and black. It will probably turn out to be a bad HV power supply, which will need replacement. I’ve never seen this particular problem on this model.

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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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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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Print quality
ANSWER : Does it only do it in black, or all the colors? Try an engine test. It should print horizontal lines in all the colors. If you open the front tray and feel around the top, you’ll feel a plastic arm. Lift up on it and it will generate the engine test page.

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Unknown Printer