HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 3835 started printing blurry text (in only some places)

[dara1212]

Hi, recently my printer started to print blurry, but in specific settings: text in a table or text on a colored background... I thought it might be a problem with low ink levels, even though that had never happened before. I bought new ink cartridges—no luck. I cleaned the print head—no luck. I adjusted the cartridges—no luck... I'm out of ideas what to do 😞

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @dara1212,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

Thanks for laying out what you’ve already tried, that helps a lot. Here are the advanced steps you can try:

Align the printhead

• Use an automated tool to align the ink cartridges.
• On the printer control panel, open the Setup menu, and then touch Printer Maintenance or Tools.
• Touch Align Printhead, and then follow the prompts on the control panel.
• An alignment page prints.

Check paper type settings 

• If the driver thinks you’re printing on photo paper or glossy stock, it may lay down excess ink, leading to blur. 
• Make sure the paper type matches your actual paper.

Disable fast mode 

• Draft mode reduces precision and can cause uneven text rendering. Switch to “Normal” or “Best” quality in the print dialog.
• Inspect rollers and paper feed, If paper shifts slightly during printing, text alignment suffers. 
• Clean the rollers with a lint‑free cloth and check that paper is loaded snugly.
• Print a simple Word or Notepad file. If blur only appears on complex layouts (tables, colored backgrounds), it’s a rendering/driver issue rather than hardware.

I hope this helps

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

Kuroi_Kenshi