Deskjet D1455 no longer prints *FLASHES POWER LIGHT*

[Simon_Says]

I've had my Deskjet for more than 5 years, no problems.  2 weeks ago it suddenly stopped printing, all it does is the little light on the power button flashes non-stop until the printer is turned off.  I've tried powering it down and turning it back on, multiple times with no result.  I've tried unplugging the printer completely and leaving it unplugged for hours, but still it won't print.  There is no paper jam I see of and the ink cratridges are both relatively new.  Can anybody help me save my printer and my sanity?!

More Detail:

- Will not even feed paper, sits there flashing with no result.

- When turned on the regular shifting and movement it makes at startup is the same it made before it quit on me.

- The printer is plugged up to my laptop when I attempt to send a document to be printed.

[pcwizard]

Hi Simon_Says,

What happens if you remove the cartridges, and then power cycle the printer without putting them back in?

Check out the following document

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00859305

[Simon_Says]

I tried everything listed on that page and nothing.  I'm going to assume that I must have broke it when I was attempting to clear a paperjam a while back (if I remember right I attempted to clear the jam from the front of the printer, instead of the back as you are meant to).

Checked to see if it is still under warranty...it isn't.  Guess I'm gonna start looking for a cheap replacement on craigslist.  Any other things I could do to try and fix my printer for under $20? 

[pcwizard]

Hi Simon_Says,

Check out the link below for out of warranty printers.

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c02652026

[Simon_Says · Accepted solution]

Here's the cost effective solution I came up with, hope it helps someone out in the future.

Conclusion to my printer problem: I must have wrecked the paper feeding mechanism when I improperly removed a paper jam from my HP Deskjet.  As I learned through the link provided by pcwizard (above) you are supposed to clear paper jams from the rear of the printer, never by tugging at the jam from the front - which I did.

Ultimate solution to the problem: I went on craigslist and in 1 minute found an hp printer that scans and does a lot more than my broken one was ever able to do, only selling for $15.  I asked the seller if I could come by their place and see the printer in action (to verify it works).  The result was I walked away with a 5 year old printer that was in great condition and used the same exact ink cartridges that my broken printer did!

Note if you are considering to buy a used printer: Make sure it's compatible with the cheaper ink cartridges out there on the market, many of the printers up on c-list were super fancy and super cheap, but after a bit of online research I found that's because the cost of a cartridge was in the $40's! Also urdge the seller to allow you to see the printer actually print something, the first printer I considered the seller refused to do so a provided a plausabile but unlikely story.

• Additionally, don't be surprised if the CD (if provided) going along with your used printer has drivers that don't support your new compuer Operating System.  I thought I made a poor purchase when I couldn't print, but after a quick search of the printer model here on hp's website I found the appropriate drivers for Windows 7 and downloaded them.  All works great now!

Morale of the story: Don't think clearing a paper jam is an easy thing, instead search online to be safe you do it properly before you break your printer.  Also, the world isn't over if your printer clonked out and most likely you can easily find a cheap replacement in your area!

Thanks for the link pcwizard, and I hope this helps anybody who may ever run across a similar issue.

[satmaster]

Ok here is whats going on ,. When you jam the paper the lights start flashing. If the sensor band is dirty it wont reset until you clean it.

All you have is ink on it. It would print like this until it starts flashing then it just stops until you clean it. Strange but thats the way the software works.

The band runs accross the printer and has slots in it like screen wire carefully clean off the ink so the sensor can see through it. Mine broke and had to order a plastic version from china.

Once its clean it will reset and stop flashing.

Dont throw away the printer you cant get them like this anymore all the new ones have chips in the ink and this one feeds much better than the newer ones. If you dont want the printer I will take it.