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HP Recommended
OfficeJet 4650
macOS 10.14 Mojave

Trying to align my OfficeJet 4650 printer. It prints the alignment page, but every time I try to scan the alignment page, the printer gives me an error message that it couldn’t detect an alignment page. I’ve done this many times in the past successfully, but now the printer fails at this simple task. Any ideas on how I can fix this? 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
HP Recommended

I finally got the alignment working again by installing a brand new color ink cartridge. So it seems to be printing & scanning okay now. I wish you would have told me about installing a new color ink cartridge earlier! 🙂

View solution in original post

15 REPLIES 15
HP Recommended

@scotty3211

 

A warm welcome to HP Support Community!

Do you notice any print quality issues like faded prints, missing colors or ink smears on the Alignment page?

Could you also check if you can copy a document.

Senan6806


I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

Thanks for your response! The Alignment page looks perfectly fine to me (as far as I can tell). The photocopy feature of the printer still works perfectly fine... I can copy a document just fine.

 

My Mac keeps popping up this dialog box every few days, which is why I am trying to align:

Screen Shot 2019-04-13 at 10.26.01 PM.png

HP Recommended

Thanks for your response! The Alignment page looks perfectly fine to me (as far as I can tell). The photocopy feature of the printer still works perfectly fine... I can copy a document just fine.

 

My Mac keeps popping up this dialog box every few days, which is why I am trying to align:

Screen Shot 2019-04-13 at 10.26.01 PM.png

HP Recommended

@scotty3211

 

You are welcome! Performing an automated cleaning and then re-aligning the printer may resolve the issue. Here is how to do it:

1.) On the printer control panel, swipe the display to the left, and then touch Setup.

2.) Touch Tools.

3.) Swipe up on the display, and then touch Clean Page Smears.

4.) On the printer control panel, swipe the display to the left, then touch Setup.

5.) Touch Tools, then touch Clean Cartridges. Click Yes when prompted to perform the next level of cleaning.

6.) On the printer control panel, swipe the display to the left, and then touch Setup. Touch Tools.

7.) Swipe up on the display, then touch Align Printer.

8.) Wait for the alignment page to fully eject from the printer.

9.) Lift the scanner lid.

10.) Place the alignment page with the print side down on the scanner glass. Position it according to the engraved guides around the glass.

Image: Placing the alignment page on the scanner glass

11.) Close the scanner lid, then touch OK. The printer aligns the ink cartridges.

Let me know how it goes!

 

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!
Have a great day!

 

Senan6806


I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

Thanks for the steps that you wanted me to try.

 

It looks like things start failing around step #5.

 

No matter how many times I tell the printer to clean my ink cartridges — and take it to the "next level of cleaning" — the print quality diagnostic page doesn't print out properly.

 

I have a high amount of both color & black ink in my printer, but check out what the print quality diagnostic page looks like below. 

 

The color is not printing properly. Maybe this is why the alignment scan page isn't scanning properly either?

 

Please see photo below of my print quality diagnostic page. This is AFTER performing the "next level cleaning" multiple times.

 

hp_printer.jpg

HP Recommended

@scotty3211

 

I think you are right, the print quality test report does not have color, that could be the reason the alignment is failing. Ink clogging is one of the main reason that can cause the color cartridge not able to produce color ink. Manually cleaning the area around the ink nozzles on the color cartridge might clear any ink clogging. Instructions on how to manually clean the area around the ink nozzles can be found on step 6 on this document. 

Keep me posted!

Senan6806


I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

My original issue remains unresolved, but things are even worse now.

 

Whenever I place a document onto the flatbed glass (in order to scan the document), the HP printer scans the document SKEWED. The HP printer does not scan the document straight. The scan comes out totally skewed, instead of straight.

 

I went to Setup > Tools > Align Printer, and printed an alignment page. The alignment page printed in black & white, but when I went to scan the document, the scanner wouldn't recognize the alignment page.

 

So now, I am unable to scan any documents because none of the scans come out straight. (I am using the flatbed scanner.) 

 

And I am unable to align the printer.

 

Please help, thank you.

HP Recommended

@scotty3211

 

Aligning the printer may not resolve a skewed scanning. Normally the software that you use to scan will have an option to straighten the scans. Which application are you using to scan. Eg: HP Easy Scan, HP Smart APP?

 

Senan6806


I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

I finally got the alignment working again by installing a brand new color ink cartridge. So it seems to be printing & scanning okay now. I wish you would have told me about installing a new color ink cartridge earlier! 🙂

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