Problem with alid

[Ninon31]

I'm having a problem with the alignment of the heads on my printers. I feel like I've really tried everything.

[Samrit26]

Hello,

Before I walk you through the correct recovery path, I need a bit more detail — because on the DeskJet Ink Advantage 3789, failed alignment can come from cartridge issues, paper feed inconsistencies, or a printhead not firing correctly. Each has a different solution, and doing the wrong cleanup steps can actually make the problem worse.

Please confirm the following so I can narrow it down properly:

1. What exactly is happening during alignment?

• Does the alignment page print but the printer says alignment failed?

• Or does the page print with streaks / missing blocks?

• Or does the printer not detect the alignment page when scanned?

2. Which cartridges are installed?

• HP 652 / 652XL genuine

• Instant Ink cartridges

• Third-party / refilled cartridges
  (If they’re not genuine HP, alignment usually fails permanently.)

3. Did the problem start immediately after installing new cartridges, or did it build up slowly?

4. When running a Print Quality Diagnostic, what do you see?

• Missing black lines?

• Missing color segments?

• Colors shifted?

• Entire colors not printing?

5. Paper type

Are you using:

• Standard A4 office paper (recommended)

• Glossy

• Thin recycled paper

• Anything curled or damp
  Paper surface affects the scanner’s ability to read alignment patterns.

Why I’m asking

On this model, alignment failures usually point to one of these:

• Cartridge nozzle failure (very common with 652 series)

• Low ink / dried ink even if the level shows non-empty

• Scanner module misread, often from poor print quality

• Non-HP cartridges not producing alignment patterns correctly

• Skewed paper feed, causing the printed pattern to be off-angle