5101 print quality

[JG1952]

My new HP Smart Tank 5101 printer has bad image quality out of the box.  Printheads may need to be aligned.  The HP smart app does not seem to have a printer alignment feature under Tools.

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @JG1952,

Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding your printer!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

Try these steps:

Print a Print Quality Diagnostic Page

1. Load plain white paper into the input tray.
2. On the Home screen of the printer display, touch the Menu icon.
3. Scroll down to touch Tools.
4. Select Print Quality Diagnostics page and touch to print the page.
5. Review the printed diagnostic page for any print quality issues shown in the color blocks and alignment patterns.

Align the Printheads Using the Printer Control Panel

1. Load plain white paper into the input tray.
2. On the Home screen of the printer display, touch the Menu icon.
3. Scroll down to touch Tools.
4. Touch Troubleshooting, then touch Print Quality.
5. Select the option to Align Printheads and follow the on-screen instructions.

Clean the Printheads

1. On the Home screen of the printer display, touch the Menu icon.
2. Scroll down to touch Tools.
3. Touch Troubleshooting, then touch Print Quality.
4. Select the option to Clean Printheads and follow the on-screen instructions.
5. If necessary, repeat the cleaning process. Allow at least 30 minutes between cleaning cycles.

Tips for Improving Print Quality

• Use Original HP Printheads: Ensure you are using original HP printheads as they are designed and tested to deliver high-quality prints.
• Check the Paper Quality: Use plain HP paper with ColorLok technology for documents. For photos, use HP Advanced Photo Paper.
• Check Ink Levels: Make sure the ink tanks are adequately filled. Printing with low ink levels can result in poor print quality.
• Avoid Tilting the Printer: This can prevent ink leakage and other issues.

I hope this helps.

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Best regards,