HP Deskjet F4500 printing "text shadow", black and color offset vertically by 2mm (misalignment)

[marks8]

My printer prints black and color misaligned vertically by about 2 mm. Text appears to have a shadow. It is especially noticeable when printing a table or a calendar. Vertical lines are crisp black; for horizontal lines, I see two lines: a black line and above it a faint gray line.

What I tried:

* Settings → Devices Services →  Clean Pen (multiple times)

* Settings → Devices Services →  Align Printer (multiple times)

* Settings → Devices Services →  Print Quality Report (multiple times)

* I tried two different, original HP black ink cartridges, problems happens exactly the same for both

* Printed with the black cartridge removed (only tri-color in the printer)  → crisp printout, no problems

* Opened the front latch (the one you need to open to replace the cartridges) and cleaned the semi-transparent plastic strip that runs horizontally through the printer (that the printer supposedly uses to align the printout)

I attached an example of the printout. 

Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

Model Name: HP Deskjet Series

Model Number: F4500

Product Number: CB755B

Color: HP 300 (50%)

Black: HP 300XL (100%)

Tested on macOS 10.14 and macOS 10.15. Used to work fine two cartridges ago. Started after replacing the black cartridge (but again, I tried yet another one).

[The_Fossette]

@marks8

I reviewed your post and I understand that you are facing issues with the print quality.

Don’t worry, I assure you I will try my best to get this sorted.

Are you facing the same issue when you make a copy?

Meanwhile, I recommend you follow the steps in the below article and check if it helps.

https://support.hp.com/in-en/product/hp-deskjet-f4500-all-in-one-printer-series/3944755/document/c01...

Let me know how it goes and you have a great day!

P.S: Welcome to the HP Support Community 😊

If you wish to show appreciation for my efforts, mark my post as Accept as Solution. Your feedback counts!

Cheers!

Stay Home – Stay Safe

[marks8]

Thanks for looking into this.

Yes, the problem also shows when making a copy using the "Color Copy" button. The problem does not show when making a black & white copy.

It appears as if the text/content is first printed using a light gray from the color cartridge, then a second time with the black cartridge. The color and black ink are misaligned.

I tried all suggestions from the link you provided.

I'm attaching a photo of the original and the two copies that I made. 

I'm also attaching the top section of the print quality report. Notice how the black lines are misaligned.

If you need anything else, if I can check/try anything else, please let me know.

Thanks!

[The_Fossette]

@marks8

Thank you for the information.

I recommend you contact support as it looks like a hardware issue.

Here is how you can get in touch with support.

1)Click on this link – www.hp.com/contacthp/

2)Select the product type.

3)Enter the serial number of your device or select let HP detect your product option.

4)Select the country from the drop-down.

5)You should see the HP phone support number or Chat option listed.

Cheers!