Laserjet M454dw - Prints come out with blotchy/blocky shadows; images boxed

[Andeusal]

Hello all,
We have a LaserJet M454dw purchased in 2020; fairly new.
I don't know if the printer updated in the background or such, but my prints these days have random shadows and colored boxes around every image.
The same prints look perfectly fine when sent to our Inkjet printer, so the files are not the issue.

Things I have tried:

• Replacing Toner
• Calibrating Color (both from the web service and the physical printer)
• Cleaning the Fuser (both from the web service and the physical printer)
• Cleaning the Belt (button on the maintenance menu)
• Reinstalling Drivers
  • Full_Webpack-48.5.4620-CLJM453-M454_UWWL_Full_Webpack.exe  (48.5.4620)
  • Basic_Webpack_x64-48.5.4620-CLJM453-M454_UWWL_Basicx64_Webpack.exe (48.5.4620)
  • V3_DriveronlyWebpack-48.5.4620-CLJM453-M454_V3_DriveronlyWebpack.exe   (48.5.4620)
  • V4_DriveronlyWebpack-48.5.4620-CLJM453-M454_V4_DriveronlyWebpack.exe   (48.5.4620)
  • upd-pcl6-x64-7.0.1.24923.exe (7.0.1.24923)
  • upd-ps-x64-7.0.1.24923.exe (7.0.1.24923)
• Checking for Printer Updates/Firmware  (both from the web service and the physical printer)
  
• Using an alternate PDF handler instead of Adobe Acrobat (Microsoft Edge, Bluebeam Revue)

I found a forum for Adobe that discussed basically the same issue, and they blamed a faulty or bad driver, hence the multiple driver tests as listed above. Despite all these installs and uninstalls, the quality remains the same...

Any help on this would be appreciated.
I would hate to have to replace this HP laser printer with a different brand with better drivers.

Pictures illustrating the issue are linked below:
[content removed]

[ShlomiL]

Hi,

From the printer screen tap Setup, then Reports and select Supplies Status Report.

Does the internal report also show same behavior? That denies any driver problem as strictly handled by the printer hardware.

Do you see any specific color box? As Cyan, Magenta, Yellow?

Do you use genuine HP ink cartridges or replacement cartridges ?

Shlomi

[Andeusal]

Hello ShlomiL,

The internal report prints perfectly fine without shadows or boxes around images or text.

As for the color of "bounding boxes" and blocky shadows, it seems to depend on the document background color.
On word documents where it's mostly black and white, the shadows are grey/black.
On documents with color, they seem to vary. 
Images/logos get random colored bounding boxes, and text/lines get unusual blocky shadows
I have photos I took of what they look like, but it seems like external links aren't allowed here.
If only you could see them somehow- it's easier to show than to explain....

We use genuine toner in our firm.

[DJonsen-TFR]

Hello Andeusal,

Recently our Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw started printing bitmaps very poorly; it sounds like it could be the same or similar problem that you're seeing.  This is part of a scanned page that I printed on this printer.  It used to print documents like this beautifully, so one couldn't tell the difference from the on-screen PDF.  Now, it puts all the gray blocky stuff in all around any part of the image that isn't white.   Is this anything like your problem?

[Andeusal]

Hello DJ,

Yes, that is exactly the issue!
I had pictures on my original post like that, but I guess the link got omitted because it was hosted on imgur?
I have uploaded my pictures to Google Drive for us to compare to your symptoms, but it appears to be the same issue!
Thanks in advance!

[ShlomiL]

Hi @Andeusal , @DJonsen-TFR,

Could you please clarify what firmware version is currently installed on your printer?

From the Setup menu select Service, then select Firmware Datecode and clarify the exact version.

Also, from your PC right-click the Start button and select Run, type control printers and press OK. 
Right-click the printer icon and select Printer Properties and open the Advanced tab, what exact option is selected within the Driver drop-down menu? Please be sure to clarify its current setting only and do not change any value to see if that may help getting some better understanding of what is going on.

Regards,

Shlomi

[DJonsen-TFR]

Hi ShlomiL,

As mentioned earlier, I have a Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw. Firmware Version: CLRWTRXXXN002.2149A.00

I am using a Mac running MacOS Big Sur 11.6.1. After first reading your message, I realized that I was using the Apple-provided CUPS driver for this printer, which had worked perfectly until this issue popped up. So I installed the HP driver and utility, which give me the following

Device Name: HP_Color_LaserJet_Pro_M478f-9f
Driver Version: 19.3601

but the problem still persists exactly as it did with the CUPS driver. I also have reports from other users on our network printing from Windows PCs who have the same problem with this printer.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

[Andeusal]

Hi ShlomiL,
Sorry for the delay, was bogged down with work.

The firmware we currently have on our M454dw is SHMNTOXXXN002.2149A.00

The driver selected is currently HP Color LaserJet Pro M453-4 PCL-6 (V4)

Please let me know if you have any advice or require further info.

[MatthewF2]

I am also having this issue with same model of printer. Have done all the troubleshooting steps. Still no luck. On B&W they are the grey boxes. On the Demo page there are perfect outlines around the images that are a shade of green, around the main image on the page it is a rainbow box effect.

 

 

 

 

[Andeusal]

You too, huh?
I wish there was some way to remedy this, but HP seems silent on the issue.
I'm frustrated to the point where I want to switch printer brands...