HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301-3304 3388 Printer Series Poor Print Quality

[Montana1212]

This printer has always printer very faded coloring.  I have done all of the suggestions always posted on these forums and nothing helps.  It has brand new HP cartridges and still not work.  I have tried every suggestion.  

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Montana1212 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thank you for the detailed information. I understand that your HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301fdw has consistently produced faded color output, and you've already replaced the cartridges with new genuine HP supplies and worked through the commonly suggested troubleshooting steps.

Since the issue has been present from the beginning and basic print quality procedures have not improved the output, we should focus on a few printer-specific settings that can directly affect color density and toner application:

Print an Internal Quality Report directly from the printer control panel.

• If the internal report is also faded, the issue is within the printer's print system or settings rather than macOS or the application being used.

Verify the Paper Type setting.

• On the printer control panel, confirm that the paper type matches the media being used (Plain Paper, HP Color Laser, Brochure, etc.).
• An incorrect media type can reduce toner density and color saturation.

Check the Color Density Settings.

• From the printer's Embedded Web Server (EWS), review the print quality and color calibration settings.
• Ensure toner density has not been reduced from its default value.

Run Full Color Calibration.

• Access the printer's maintenance menu and perform a color calibration.
• Allow the calibration to complete fully before testing again.

Compare the Internal Report with a Copy.

• Place a color document on the scanner glass and make a color copy.
• If copies are also faded, this helps isolate the issue to the printer engine rather than the print driver.

Ensure the printer firmware is current.

• Firmware updates can improve print quality performance and color management.
• HP support document: Update the firmware on an HP printer | HP® Support
•  

To help narrow this down further, please let us know whether the printer's internal reports and copied documents are also faded, or if the issue only occurs when printing from the Mac running macOS Tahoe. This detail will help identify whether we are looking at a printer-side or print-driver-related condition.

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye