Blurry and Discolored Ink Issues

[Jessicasarah21]

• I have an HP Deskjet that worked well up until 6 months ago, when I noticed the words on an all text page were printing slightly blurry. This happened whether I printed it in black or colored ink.  I ran a bunch of diagnostic tests which did not help and disregarded the issue as I use the printer infrequently. Fast forward to now,  I tried to print a page that has both images and text in a variety of colors and it was blurred, had lines running through the images, and the colors were different on paper vs the screen. I changed the color ink cartridge thinking that may be the issue and yet the same thing continued to happen.

[Nal_NR]

Hi @Jessicasarah21,

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I'd like to help!

Perform the following tasks in the order given. Use the printer after each task to see if the issue is resolved.

Check for issues with the ink cartridges

Very low ink levels, using non-HP cartridges, and rough handling can cause print quality issues.

Replace any non-HP or refilled cartridges with genuine HP cartridges. HP supplies are available from the HP Store and local retailers.

HP cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of non-HP or refilled cartridges. Go to HP Anti Counterfeiting and Fraud Program for more information.

Check the ink levels and replace any low or empty cartridges.

NOTE:

The printer features a 'backup mode' that enables printing with one cartridge. Remove the low or empty cartridge to continue printing if a replacement is not available. Depending on the cartridge removed, blacks will not be as dark and color prints will be in grayscale.

Rough handling of cartridges during transport or installation can cause print quality problems. Wait a few hours for the automatic servicing routine to complete, and then try to print again.

If you have a defective HP cartridge, it might be under warranty. Go to About Original HP Cartridges for page yield and HP limited warranty information.

Run a Print Quality Diagnostic report

Use a Print Quality Diagnostic report to check if the ink cartridges need to be cleaned or if there is an alignment issue.

Load plain white paper in the tray.

Print the report from the HP Smart app or the full-feature printer software.

Windows: Search Windows for your printer name to open HP Printer Assistant. Click Maintain Your Printer, select the Device Services tab, and then click Print Quality Diagnostics Page to print the report.

Mac: From the Applications > HP folder, select HP Utility. Click Print Quality Diagnostics, and then click Print to print the report.

Android, iOS: Go to 123.hp.com to install the HP Smart app on your device. After you add the printer, click the picture of your printer. The report is located under Printer Reports or in Advanced Settings > Tools > Utilities > Print Quality Toolbox.

Check for issues indicated on the report, and then follow the instructions provided to resolve the issue.

Click here for the remaining steps. 

Update the firmware

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Jessicasarah21]

Hello, unfortunately this did not solve my issue. After doing all of this now the pages are printing completely blank with no text/images at all. 

[Nal_NR]

Hi @Jessicasarah21,

We are sorry that the issue is not resolved when the above troubleshooting steps were performed.

This might require one on one interaction to fix the issue

I've sent you a private message with further instructions. In order to access your private messages, click the private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Support Community profile, next to your profile Name or simply click on this link.

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution button, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!