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Archived This topic has been archived.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.
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Printing an 8½" x 11" page from Tray 2, a blank page follows.  Printing the same document from the manual feed tray or changing paper size to 8½" x 14" from Tray 3 it does not.  I've tried printing from various programs and the problem replicates. 

 

The printer is connected to a Windows 8 64-bit desktop via USB and is using HP Universal Printing PCL 6 (5.6.0) / UPD Version: 5.6.0.14420 / 61.140.4.14430

 

A following page comes whether a single or multiple page document and follows each printed page's content. 

 

I've used the "Factory Defaults" printing shortcut and the "Duplex" shortcut. 

 

In "Factory Defaults" shortcut, printing a 1 page document, the page prints correctly and right on its heels, as if it were connected, the blank sheet follows.

 

In Duplex the first page prints the second page content and doesn't duplex.  The next page is right on the heals of the first and prints the first page content and duplexes a blank page on the back.

 

It would seem to me to be a hardware issue.  How do I fix?

 

Thanks,

 

Ron

 

 

 

6 REPLIES 6
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To test press the green button down until all ready and data lights start to blink. Release and the printer will print configuration pages. Do you get an extra page or does it print correctly. If correctly you do not have a hardware error and would appear to have a driver issue.
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Thanks for the response.  I hit the green button and the demo page came out and on its heels a blank page.  It's been jamming quite frequently lately when the second page comes out.

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That tells me the solenoid that controls the pickup roller of tray 2 is sticking. Problem is getting to it. It is located on the right side near the front bottom of the printer, behind the main gear assembly. What has probably happened is the felt material used to dampen the noise of the L arm of the solenoid hitting the metal frame has worn down and all that is left is the glue that held it. When the solenoid is activated the L arm moves towards the center and when it should spring back when the solenoid is turned off it sticks so the pickup roller continues to turn and puts thru another piece of paper. What you could do which may or may not work is to swap trays 2 and 3 where you change tray 2 to legal paper and tray 3 to letter since it is possible when printing legal size since it is longer it may give more time for the L arm to return and not cause an extra sheet of legal. Change will be necessary using the web browser or toolbox.
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Thanks again for you help. 

 

The paper size swap would probably be a good work around.  I really don't use legal very often, so pulling letter paper from tray 3 would be fine if swapping legal & letter stock from tray 2 to tray 3.  I'm going to have to install the printer as a network printer to access the configuration page as it's on a single desktop as a USB connection. 

 

It seems odd that a part would wear out.  Although designed as a high volume printer, I have had it since 2007 but I don't print much.  The page count on the printer is only 7,435 since new in 2007. 

 

I tried a different batch of paper printing the 3 page Self Test / Configuration.  It did not jam, but it did print each page with a following blank page. 

 

Before I made the initial post, I cleaned the printer and the pickup rollers per the instructions in the User Guide and installed a new toner cartridge.  None of the above changed the following blank page issue. 

 

Anything else I should look at before I go to a work-around or service the printer?

 

 

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More information:

 

I hooked the printer up to a network connection, brought up the embedded Web server and reconfigured the paper selection for Tray 2, now legal, and Tray 3, now letter.  Printing a legal sheet from Tray 2 it picked up a following blank sheet and jammed the printer.  Printing a letter sheet from Tray 3 brings up a following blank sheet but didn't jam. 

 

I installed a printer driver for the printer connected to the Network.  All the cool printer properties choices are gone.  No option to have printer shortcuts and I didn't see even an option to duplex print.  Are those features only available on USB?

 

Hitting the Green button feeds a single letter page from Tray 3. 

 

What should I try, or does the printer need to go in for some kind of hardware service?

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It appears you may have more than one issue. The fact that it prints only one page from tray 3 tells me that part of the printer is working just fine. The issue with tray 2 is not only wear but also age. Since the printer is now 6 years old and depending on the conditions where the printer is located it would appear the dampening material on the solenoid has fallen apart and all that is left is the glue that held it in place. As I said previously, the only way to fix is to access the solenoid, clean up the glue and lay down a fresh felt strip. A lot of work for this model. Now as to driver issues. Have you tried to use the universal pcl5 driver since it has the least amount of overhead and should work just fine. You will have to go into the driver properties and tell the driver that the printer is duplex as the default is simplex. The options is usually under installable options where you will probably need to add the tray 3 and tell the driver what size paper is in each tray. You will also want to use the toolbox or web interface to change each tray to the actual size paper is in each. Sometimes the default at the printer is any size and any type which can cause issues. Hope some of this helps.
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