7900e print quality terrible

[Unhappy34]

Print quality is uniformly bad.  Horizontal lines of missing text.  Color is faded and not true to originals when copying or printing from laptop.  Installed HP Smart and it's not helping, and all "help" seems to be for Windows users - and I've got Mac Monterey.

All told, I am extremely disappointed in this HP printer and will be looking for a replacement soon - one that doesn't make claims of connectivity and quality that are not deserved, and won't even do the simple printing and copying that my old HP did for years before it crashed.  

[Nal_NR]

Hi @Unhappy34,

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I understand that you are facing issues with print quality.  I'd like to help!

Perform the following tasks in the order given. Use the printer after each task to see if the issue is resolved.

Clean the printhead

The printhead could be clogged, and you might need to clean the printhead several times to restore print quality. Use an automated tool from the printer control panel to clean the printhead.

CAUTION:

Never turn off the printer when ink cartridges are not installed. To avoid issues that require cleaning the printhead or that can damage the ink system, always replace ink cartridges as soon as possible, and always turn off the printer using the Power button.

On the printer control panel, touch the tab at the top.

The Dashboard opens.

Touch Setup.

Touch Printer Maintenance > Clean Cartridges, and then follow the on-screen instructions.

After cleaning completes, a Print Quality Diagnostic Report prints.

Examine the Print Quality Diagnostic Report.

If the print quality is unacceptable, touch Clean Again to continue the next level of cleaning. If necessary, repeat these steps for the third cleaning cycle.

NOTE:

If the printhead is badly clogged, it might require another cleaning cycle. If so, wait 30 minutes before you perform all three levels of cleaning again.

If the print quality is acceptable, touch Done.

Check for ink smears on the back of printouts

If there are smears of ink on the back of your printouts, use an automated tool to resolve the issue.

On the printer control panel, touch the tab at the top.

The Dashboard opens.

Touch Setup.

Touch Printer Maintenance > Clean Smear.

After cleaning completes, the printer ejects a blank sheet of paper.

Make sure you are using the correct paper for your print job

Make sure the paper you are using matches the print job. If it is not, reload the printer with the correct paper type.

Load the paper print side down in the input tray. Many papers have printing and non-printing sides, such as photo paper and envelopes. Usually, the smoother side is the "print side," and sometimes, the non-print side has a logo of the paper manufacturer on it.

Do not use wrinkled or curled paper. Use only clean, wrinkle-free paper.

Use the correct paper type for your project.

For everyday text documents, plain paper with ColorLok technology works well. Paper with ColorLok technology is industry-standard paper that works well with HP ink.

For documents with dense printing, such as high contrast graphics or photos, use HP Advanced Photo Paper for best results.

Some paper might not absorb ink as well as others. If your prints smear easily, make sure you are using a recommended paper.

Store photo paper in its original packaging inside a resealable plastic bag. Store the paper on a flat surface in a cool, dry place. Load 10-20 sheets of photo paper only when you are ready to print, and then put the unused paper back in the packaging.

Try using a different paper. This determines if the problem is related to the paper. Click here for the remaining steps.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accepted 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!

[Nal_NR]

Hi @Unhappy34,

Hope I was able to fix the issue. If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to us. 

Give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution button, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers and did reply to you!