HP Office Jet Pro 6968 printer skipping lines of text after printer jam

[quiltsick]

I had a paper jam. Thanks to You Tube I was able to clear it. But now the printer is skipping lines of text. I aligned the cartridges. Printed out an alignment test. The printer then asked to scan the alignment paper. I keep getting an error that the paper is crooked, try again. It wasn't crooked.  I tried dusting the cartridge area & dampening the print head that I saw on a video. Still skipping lines of text or half lines. Can anyone help please?

[A_Gayathri · Accepted solution]

Hi @quiltsick,

Welcome to The HP Support Community.  

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

I understand you are facing an issue with your HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 may have experienced some damage or misalignment during the paper jam. If it's still skipping lines after performing an alignment and cleaning, here are some additional steps to help resolve the issue:
 

1. Check and Clean the Printhead Thoroughly

• Sometimes, cleaning the printhead more thoroughly than a simple damp wipe can improve printing quality. On your printer, you can perform a deep printhead cleaning through the printer software.
• Steps for deep cleaning (from macOS 12 Monterey):
  1. Open HP Smart on your Mac.
  2. Select Printer Settings.
  3. Go to Tools or Printer Maintenance.
  4. Select Clean Printhead.
  5. Run this process at least twice to see if the print quality improves.

2. Update Printer Firmware  Update the firmware on an HP printer

• Ensure that the printer's firmware is up-to-date, as a firmware update can sometimes resolve post-jam printing issues.
• To update:
  1. Open HP Smart on your Mac.
  2. Click on Printer Settings.
  3. Look for Printer Updates or Check for Updates and follow the prompts if an update is available.

3. Manually Align the Printer Using the Control Panel

• If scanning the alignment page fails due to a "crooked" error, try aligning the printer manually.
  1. On the printer’s control panel, go to Settings > Printer Maintenance.
  2. Choose Align Printer.
  3. If it still asks for a scan and you continue getting the crooked error, try printing another alignment page and ensure it’s placed exactly as shown in the instructions on the scanner glass.

4. Reinstall or Reset Printer Drivers

• If the issue persists, there may be a problem with the print drivers on macOS Monterey. Reinstalling or resetting the drivers might help.
  1. Go to System Preferences > Printers & Scanners.
  2. Select the HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 and click the minus (-) sign to remove it.
  3. Restart your Mac, and then add the printer again by clicking the plus (+) sign.

5. Check for Obstructions in the Printer Path

• After a jam, small fragments of paper can sometimes remain in the paper path, causing print issues. Carefully inspect the entire paper path, including the rear access area, and ensure it’s completely clear.

6. Reset the Printer

• Resetting the printer can sometimes clear lingering issues.
  1. Turn off the printer and unplug it from the power source.
  2. Wait for 60 seconds, then plug it back in and turn it on.

7. Check Ink Levels

• If your ink levels are low or the ink cartridges are not properly seated after the jam, this could also result in missing or incomplete lines.
  1. Open the printer door and reseat the ink cartridges.
  2. Check the ink levels using HP Smart or the printer control panel.

If none of these steps work, it might be necessary to replace the printhead
 

Refer to this document: HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 All-in-One Printer User manual 

HP OfficeJet 6900, 8010, 8020, 8030 printers - No black ink, wrong colors, other print quality issue...
 

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. 

[A_Gayathri]

Hi @quiltsick,

Welcome to The HP Support Community.  

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

I understand you are facing an issue with your HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 may have experienced some damage or misalignment during the paper jam. If it's still skipping lines after performing an alignment and cleaning, here are some additional steps to help resolve the issue:
 

1. Check and Clean the Printhead Thoroughly

• Sometimes, cleaning the printhead more thoroughly than a simple damp wipe can improve printing quality. On your printer, you can perform a deep printhead cleaning through the printer software.
• Steps for deep cleaning (from macOS 12 Monterey):
  1. Open HP Smart on your Mac.
  2. Select Printer Settings.
  3. Go to Tools or Printer Maintenance.
  4. Select Clean Printhead.
  5. Run this process at least twice to see if the print quality improves.

2. Update Printer Firmware  Update the firmware on an HP printer

• Ensure that the printer's firmware is up-to-date, as a firmware update can sometimes resolve post-jam printing issues.
• To update:
  1. Open HP Smart on your Mac.
  2. Click on Printer Settings.
  3. Look for Printer Updates or Check for Updates and follow the prompts if an update is available.

3. Manually Align the Printer Using the Control Panel

• If scanning the alignment page fails due to a "crooked" error, try aligning the printer manually.
  1. On the printer’s control panel, go to Settings > Printer Maintenance.
  2. Choose Align Printer.
  3. If it still asks for a scan and you continue getting the crooked error, try printing another alignment page and ensure it’s placed exactly as shown in the instructions on the scanner glass.

4. Reinstall or Reset Printer Drivers

• If the issue persists, there may be a problem with the print drivers on macOS Monterey. Reinstalling or resetting the drivers might help.
  1. Go to System Preferences > Printers & Scanners.
  2. Select the HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 and click the minus (-) sign to remove it.
  3. Restart your Mac, and then add the printer again by clicking the plus (+) sign.

5. Check for Obstructions in the Printer Path

• After a jam, small fragments of paper can sometimes remain in the paper path, causing print issues. Carefully inspect the entire paper path, including the rear access area, and ensure it’s completely clear.

6. Reset the Printer

• Resetting the printer can sometimes clear lingering issues.
  1. Turn off the printer and unplug it from the power source.
  2. Wait for 60 seconds, then plug it back in and turn it on.

7. Check Ink Levels

• If your ink levels are low or the ink cartridges are not properly seated after the jam, this could also result in missing or incomplete lines.
  1. Open the printer door and reseat the ink cartridges.
  2. Check the ink levels using HP Smart or the printer control panel.

If none of these steps work, it might be necessary to replace the printhead
 

Refer to this document: HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 All-in-One Printer User manual 

HP OfficeJet 6900, 8010, 8020, 8030 printers - No black ink, wrong colors, other print quality issue...
 

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. 

[quiltsick]

Thank you Gaya1239!!  I will save your post. I had cleaned the print head  at least 3-4x's but it did not work. But I just tried it again & it is printing correctly now! Printer is up to date also. I also had already cleaned all the paper bits out of the area. I had reset the printer also when I was troubleshooting.  As of today one of the keys on the keyboard is not working. I took it off & cleaned the area well & the key but it refuses to work. Need to fix that! 🙂

Thanks again!!

[A_Gayathri]

Hi @quiltsick,

Thank you for your response, I appreciate your efforts. As the issue persists, I am sorry to hear that I'm sending out a private message to assist you with the next course of action. 

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link.

I hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.

Please click “Accept as 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!