HP M477 color smear and off allignment

[JGilchrist]

The print quality is very unreliable. It seems to print differently each time. It either:

1. Doesn't print 1 or more colors

2. All of the colors are smeared

3. The allignment is off

4. Doesn't print any text, only color

It never prints normally though. I have cleaned the inside of the printer and all of the contacts of the toner. I've even ran a cleaning and diagnostic pages a few times. None of the toners are running low.

I've upgraded the firmware and software too. 

Supplies, Diag, Cleaning pages

[Repairatrooper]

It is entirely possible that your Non-HP cartridges may be causing the bulk of your problems. Any chance you have some OEM cartridges there you can try?

[JGilchrist]

I assumed that would be a response I'd get. Unfortunately since I work at a school district, they will Not purchase any OEM parts. I haven't had luck trying to persuade a campus to purchase oem parts for 3 times the price. So if I were to replace the toners, it would just be with more non-oem parts.

[Repairatrooper]

I understand budgets,  the company I work for also produces remanufactured cartridges. Some cause issues and there are no color match guarantees. I would try a different set of known good toners to see what happens.

[Dovid]

Hi JGilchrist,

RepairaTrooper is correct in that the non-HP cartridges are causing the problem.  Since the Black cartridge is almost new and the colors are at 40%, I am guessing that the machine was printing OK until very recently.  I see some extra Black lines in the images and the Color Plane Registration - what you probably call alignment of the colors - is off.  THere are also NO black patches at the bottom side of the page under the yellow ones.  I strongly suggest just trying a different Black cartridge.  Put it in and you might have to force a color calibration (if it is non-HP).  That should fix most of the problems you are seeing.  By the way, my daughter works in a school system near Denver, CO.  They tested non-HP carts for their cheapness for a year, then went back to HP originals because the total cost of ownership was HIGHER for the non-HP carts due to breakdowns like the ones you are seeing.  Many of the non_HP cartridges don't work right out of the package.  Hope you find a working one in another machine and can switch it for a few prints.  That should convince someone to at least let you put another new Black cartridge in.  Dovid.