Print Quality VERY Poor

[JayEZee59]

I have an HP OfficeJet Pro 8020 series. Have ALWAYS used HP ink.  Got the “Printhead Problem error” and the AI bot told me to turn off & unplug printer to reset the error. That worked but NOW after about 5-10 pages, the print quality gets very bad - like NO black ink. I have to clean the print head and do a Level 2 clean to get the black ink to show up again. What’s the deal?!?  Very frustrating!  

[Meghana_10]

Hello @JayEZee59, Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding the HP Officejet Pro 8020 Series. 

We appreciate the opportunity to assist you and are glad we could help work toward a resolution. We hope our support has been valuable.

Clean the printhead

• On the printer control panel, open Setup.
• Touch Printer Maintenance or Tools.
• Touch Clean Printhead, then Continue.
• When the Test Page prints, check it.
• If quality is still poor, touch Clean Again. You can repeat up to the third cleaning cycle.

1. Check ink cartridges
   • Replace any non-HP or refilled cartridges with genuine HP cartridges.
   • Check ink levels on the printer control panel or in the HP Smart app.
   • If any cartridge is very low or empty, replace it.
   • Open the cartridge access area and wait for the carriage to stop.
   • Remove each cartridge and check the vent on top.
   • If needed, use a pin or paper clip to clear debris from the vent.
   • Reinsert the cartridge into the correct color slot until it snaps into place.
2. Check paper and print settings
   • Use clean, wrinkle-free paper.
   • For text, use plain paper with ColorLok.
   • For photos, use HP Advanced Photo Paper.
   • Load the paper with the correct print side down in the front tray.
   • From your app, open File > Print > Preferences and confirm the correct paper type, size, color, and quality settings.
3. Print a Print Quality Diagnostic Page
   • Make sure paper is loaded.
   • From the home screen, swipe down to open the Dashboard.
   • Touch Setup > Reports > Print Quality Report.
   • Review the report for missing colors, streaks, or broken lines.
4. Align the printhead
   • On the printer control panel, open Setup.
   • Touch Printer Maintenance or Tools.
   • Touch Align Printhead and follow the prompts.
5. If ink is smearing on the back of pages
   • Open Setup > Printer Maintenance or Tools.
   • Touch Clean Page Smears or Clean Smear

Take care and have an amazing day!