• ×
    Information
    Windows update impacting certain printer icons and names. Microsoft is working on a solution.
    Click here to learn more
    Information
    Need Windows 11 help?
    Check documents on compatibility, FAQs, upgrade information and available fixes.
    Windows 11 Support Center.
  • post a message
  • ×
    Information
    Windows update impacting certain printer icons and names. Microsoft is working on a solution.
    Click here to learn more
    Information
    Need Windows 11 help?
    Check documents on compatibility, FAQs, upgrade information and available fixes.
    Windows 11 Support Center.
  • post a message
Guidelines
The HP Community is where owners of HP products, like you, volunteer to help each other find solutions.
Archived This topic has been archived. Information and links in this thread may no longer be available or relevant. If you have a question create a new topic by clicking here and select the appropriate board.
HP Recommended

     I have a HP Photosmart Premium C410a All-In-One printer. (what a mouthful)

Anyway, this issue has been ongoing for some time now. When I print a document, whether it is from MS Word or from the internet, the print quality is very poor and washed out. The print seems to lean towards the red spectrum. Don't know why. This is printing in Draft, Normal, or Best. This happens even if I have just changed the ink cartridges and cleaned the heads, as I do when I change cartridges.  I think I have only used remanifactured units once, the rest have been actual HP cartridges.

 

     What can I do to troubleshoot this issue and try to improve print quality?

If anyone needs more info, please ask.

 

Thank you ahead of time,

Darren

9 REPLIES 9
HP Recommended

I am sorry that you are having that issue with your printer. Here a document that is for print quality issues for your printer. Some of the solutions in the document are ones you have listed already tried but there are some here that you didn’t list such as aligning the printer and checking to see if the cartridges are vented properly. You might have a printhead that has gone bad but that is also mentioned in this document here is that link:   http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c02100786

I am a former employee of HP...
How do I give Kudos?| How do I mark a post as Solved?
HP Recommended

I am continuing to have this issue. I cannot maintain print quality with my printer. No matter what I try to fix the issue, nothing works. I need help with this issue as It is very important that my documents print perfectly. I have tried the fixes in the document listed above but none of them produced a permanent fix.

Please give me more suggestions on how to remedy this problem.

HP Recommended

What did the diagnostic report look like when you printed it? Were any of the color bars ragged or showing streaks of another color? When you ran the clean printhead function did you do at least two cycles if not three? Each cycle of the cleaning process is more intense than the last at trying force ink thru the nozzles.  I would now try a hard reset. No user settings are lost with a hard reset. To do that:

 

1. With the printer plugged directly into a wall outlet, and turned on, unplug the cord from the rear of the printer.
2. Then unplug the cord from the wall socket.
3. Wait at least 30-60 seconds
4. Plug the power cord back into the wall socket first. If the cord has a module in it, make sure that the light on the module is lit up and then plug cord back into the rear of the printer
5. The printer should power back on by itself, but if not use the power button on front panel to turn machine back on.

I am a former employee of HP...
How do I give Kudos?| How do I mark a post as Solved?
HP Recommended

The print quality report was not pretty.

The first row was a solid gray/ no streaks

The blue bar was only a 1/4 accross the page and uneven.

The first pink bar was all the way accross the page but streaked all the way through the bar.

The fourthy row was solid white

The The fifth row was another solid gray bar

The sixth row was a 1/2 pink row with large streaks throughout

The last row was a 1/2 gray bar ragged on one end.

 

I will try the directions above and let you know.

 

 

HP Recommended

When you respond back, also have the warranty date of the printhead included. You can find that by removing the printhead and looking where the contacts are located. There, you should see a date that starts with the year listed first. It will be written like the following example: 2012/03/03. Knowing the printhead date will help me determine the next course of action that is needed.  

I am a former employee of HP...
How do I give Kudos?| How do I mark a post as Solved?
HP Recommended

2011/03/12 L

 

This is the date listed on the printhead.

The above steps did help the print quality "for a little while". However, after printing numerous documents, the quality was poor again. I really don't know what else to do to remedy this situation. I need my printer to work correctly.

 

Thanks

HP Recommended

I wanted to make sure that the printhead was no longer in warranty before proceeding to the next step. If it was in warranty, what I would recommend would void that warranty. But since it is out of warranty and we have tried all other steps first to fix the printhead issue, one can proceed on to soaking the printhead.  Look at the green solution provided in this link here for instructions on soaking the printhead. It will give you a list of the supplies and a step by step walk through. Remember, the length of time for the soak should only be five minutes. I hope this helps. 

I am a former employee of HP...
How do I give Kudos?| How do I mark a post as Solved?
HP Recommended

OK  I'll give it a shot.

HP Recommended

I have followed HPs instructions for cleaning printhead etc but to no avail.  Help please.

Archived This topic has been archived. Information and links in this thread may no longer be available or relevant. If you have a question create a new topic by clicking here and select the appropriate board.
† The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the authors, not of HP. By using this site, you accept the <a href="https://www8.hp.com/us/en/terms-of-use.html" class="udrlinesmall">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="/t5/custom/page/page-id/hp.rulespage" class="udrlinesmall"> Rules of Participation</a>.