Laser Printer Calibration Problem

[Jolly_Giant]

I would like to repair my old color HP printer if possible. I just bought a Brother and immediately noticed that the color is not as brilliant, nor the print as crisp. I had wanted to replace the HP because the unit no longer calibrates well. As I understand it, the toner cartridges are not aligning properly, and the Calibration function is no longer able to correct the misalignment. So the colors don't go quite where they should. The diagnostics page print out confirms this.

So, what do I need to fix the problem? The printer has printed about 10,000 pages over eight years.

I thank you in advance for your help.

[Repairatrooper · Accepted solution]

First thing to try is to perform a factory reset and then perform 3 full calibrations. Are you using OEM cartridges with a reasonable amount of toner in them? There is also a sensor at the front of the transfer belt that actually measures the calibration and if they get dirty can have problems reading the calibration marks that the printer lays down.

[Jolly_Giant]

Thank you!

That made a big difference. The diagnostic page looks good, as does the demo page.

[HSLI]

I have an HP LaserJet Pro 200 color MFP M276nw that has suddenly started printing misaligned.  I am currently running my 3rd calibration as per your advice and I removed the toner cartridge tray to expose the transfer belt, but the sensors were not obvious.  Where are they located and what would you recommend to clean them with?  The calibration definitely seems better vertically, but is still misaligned horizontally. Also, I find it odd, but it seems as though the printer is misaligning only printed (sent from the computer) items and not copied items.