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- HP Community
- Printers
- LaserJet Printing
- Device settings doesn't have the density slide bar

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03-26-2019 09:39 AM
The printer sat for quite some time but when last used print was normal darkness. Fast forward to getting a computer that has windows 10 it wouldn't install from CD but managed to do it another way and had to use the HP Print and Scan doctor to get it to work right. I got it to print but it is so faded I can barely see anything, wether test page or a document. Following instructions found on the HP site I looked in device settings and there is no sign of the slider bar for print density that should be there. Even if there was, it shouldn't be necessary, according to the last time I printed something with it. This printer hasn't even been used enough to run out all the starter toner cartridges. The black is new though so it isn't a problem with old toner. Any help would be appriciated.
03-26-2019 11:22 AM
Try isolating the problem down to a physical printing issue or a software issue on the new OS.
Print off a configuration report or demo page directly from the control panel of the printer. If the test page is bad then its a physical printing issue. If the test page looks fine then its a software issue with your new OS and installation.
Let us know what happens from there.
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03-27-2019 06:08 AM
Then you know the problem is somewhere on the printer. You can safely ignore any settings on your PC.
First best step when troubleshooting printer issues is to swap cartridges. After that try the Half-way test to see if the problem is in the laser printing area or the fuser area.
Halfway test:
https://www.printertechs.com/printer-troubleshooting/halfway-test
Experts are not HP Employees. Experts are advanced users, administrators, technicians, engineers or business partners who volunteer their time to answer community questions.
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03-27-2019 01:16 PM - edited 03-27-2019 01:25 PM
I don't have a cartridge to swap out but the black is unused minus a couple of pages and printed darkly before, just has been sitting in the printer unused. Since it's a color printer there are 4 cartrides and neither black nor color prints correctly. I had a terrible time doing this half test, not the same printer as in the example but, stopped it half way through the best I could and took it out through the back. It is still very light. Thanks for your time.
PS: maybe I should mention that because toner is so expensive and I had an inkjet for less important printing this printer hasn't even used all the color cartridges that it came with. As I said, it has sat unused for most of the years since it was manufactured, covered with plastic to keep dust out.
03-27-2019 01:32 PM
The only other idea you could try is resetting the printer to the defaults.
There should be an option from the control panel to compelte this task. Look through the options on the control panel menu and follow the instructions from there. Check the User Guide if you need the specific steps for finding the reset area. Its usually under the Service menu somewhere.
If the printer is restored to the defaults, prints poorly on the control panel reports and prints poorly after the halfway test before the fuser then all signs point to it being a laser or toner cartridge issue. Perhaps the way that you stored the printer has some how damaged the components or the cartridges. The toner may have lost its charge which makes it difficult for the printer to attract the particles to the paper as it passes by. You can try shaking up the cartridges a little but if that charge is gone then you are out of luck.
The last option is to contact a local hp repair tech and ask for a quote.
Experts are not HP Employees. Experts are advanced users, administrators, technicians, engineers or business partners who volunteer their time to answer community questions.
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