Photo paper feed problems 9020

[TheDanno]

My Officejet Pro 9020 is not feeding photo paper properly.  Plain paper in the main tray works fine.  8.5x11 photo paper in tray 2 seems to work fine, but 5x7 and 4x6 in tray 2 only print partials of the photo as shown in the pictures below.  It is as if the printer doesn't feed the paper all the way to the edge of the paper before starting to print and as it feeds eventually hits the paper.  The excess ink I guess is on rollers and ends up on the back of the photo paper.

The printer used to work fine, but it is not that old so does it need cleaning, is a sensor blocked?  Since I mostly want to print 4x6 and 5x7 prints this is very annoying.  I've tried filling it up with a full stack of paper and with only a few pieces and it seems to work better with a full stack of paper.  The weight of the paper does not seem to matter too much, I've tried heavier weight 5x7 paper and it might have more trouble than thinner paper.  It is weird, but it seems to do better with letter size photo paper and 4x6.  Unfortunately, the printer refuses to use photo paper in the main tray.

I've looked for maintenance instructions but other than some independent YouTube videos showing how to clean the rollers I have not found anything that fixes the paper feed issues.  Is there a sensor that might be dirty that I should clean?  Because it seems that the printer is printing before the paper is in the proper position.

Any ideas other than filling a landfill with what I have a buying a new printer?  These things should last longer than a couple of years.  I don't put it through heavy use.

[Kumar0307]

@TheDanno, Welcome to the HP Support Community!

I understand the printer is not printing on photo papers. Are you using HP photo papers? Let us try these steps to resolve this issue:

Reset the printer

1. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.
2. Wait at least 60 seconds.
3. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.
4. Turn ON the printer, if it does not automatically turn on.
5. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

Note: HP recommends connecting the printer directly to a wall outlet rather than a surge protector or a power strip.

Update the printer firmware

Click here to download and install the latest printer firmware from your computer.

Click here to know different methods of updating printer firmware.

Make sure the photo papers are properly loaded in the tray. Refer to - Loading Paper, Envelopes, Cards

Once the media is loaded and you close the tray, you will get a message on the printer screen to select the right paper type and size.

Check the settings on the app you are using to print on the computer. For more info on printing photos, refer to page 49 of the User Guide

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

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!

Have a great day! 

[TheDanno]

Hi Kumar,

Thanks for the reply.  Here are some answers and comments.

Oddly enough, the 8.5x11 photo paper that did not have a feed issue is Kodak paper, but the 5x7 and 4x6 that I do have problems with is HP photo paper.  The paper weights all appear to be similar.

Resetting the printer had no effect and the printer reports that the firmware is up to date.

I guess what I am really looking for is some maintenance information on cleaning the feed rollers or paper pickup mechanism that may be causing it to improperly feed or maybe there is a sensor that needs to be cleaned that detects that the paper is in the proper position for printing.  Since it is apparently not feeding the paper all the way into the printer before printing, perhaps there is a sensor issue and it is not detecting the edge of the paper properly.  I can't believe that it just starts printing even though the paper is not yet loaded properly.  It does not occur 100% of the time, but I end up wasting a lot of paper and ink and I'm troubled that it is spraying ink onto the printer mechanism instead of on the paper.

Regards,

Dan

[Kumar0307 · Accepted solution]

@TheDanno

Yes, you can clean the paper pick rollers. Refer to step 4 in this document to know how to do it. If the issue persists after performing these steps, I'm afraid this could be a hardware issue. Please reach out to the HP Technical Support team in your region regarding the service/replacement options for your printer. 

You may create a case on the website to obtain a case number if required. Kindly watch this video to know how.

Keep me posted for any other assistance.