Can't find setting to adjust contrast, saturation and brightness

[PinguThePenguin]

The print result is too dark when printing photos on glossy photopaper.
I am using Amaprint photopaper from Amazon.
HP recommends ColorLok® papers for best printing results, but I can’t find it for sale anywhere on the web.
Anyway, I was hoping to get a good result with any photopaper.
On my previous cheap Canon inkjet printer Amaprint photopaper was OK. The Canon driver had settings I could change for all color print jobs: brighter, lower contrast and less color saturation.
But on this printer, with a significantly higher price, I can’t find these settings.

Now I have to adjust the color settings in the software I am printing from every time I want to print a new picture.
It’s quite tedious compared to what I’m used to.
When I start HP printer assistant software, click on “Tools” and then “Advanced settings”, I get error message: “Unable to communicate with the USB device”.

The same happens if I click on “Maintain your Printer” under “Print & Scan”

Printing and scanning works, and was working with USB connection even before I configured WiFi printing.
So the USB connection is working when printing and scanning but not when I try to access some admin functions.

Is there anyone who knows if there is a setting for all color print jobs on this printer?

I want to save and keep settings for brightness, contrast and saturation on all my color print jobs on my printer.
If these settings is located in "Advanced settings" I can't find a way to acces them, see screenshot below.
It’s a HP Smart tank 7305 Wireless All-in -One, model: 28B75-00012.

Screenshot from Control Panel showing installed drivers:

EDIT:
I have replaced the old USB-cable from 2011 with this one (it didn't resolve the issue):

[Jerry_57]

Hi @PinguThePenguin,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

I understand you are unable to connect the HP Smart Tank 7300 printer to the USB connector.

We request that you use your printer with Wifi or WIFI Direct, and if the printer is connecting or not.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Jerry_57

HP Support

[PinguThePenguin]

Thank you Jerry!
I'v been trying all day to get this right. i found a newer driver at HP spport site:
https://support.hp.com/gb-en/drivers/hp-smart-tank-7300-series/model/2100178911?sku=28B75A 
So i went ahead and uninstalled all HP print software and got several errors like this one:

So i did a restore from a backup prior to the purchase of this printer, and started over with installation of drivers.
Now I can access the menus “Advanced settings" and “Maintain your Printer” (which opens the same window btw). But there are no settings there for brigthness, contrast or saturation. This is how it looks like:

I have also tried to connect to Wifi and WiFi direct before and after installing the new software without success.
At least I don't have any USB connection problems with the new driver.
But this printer is not great for photo printing.
The scanner is OK, it's fast and images looks almost authentic. But the photo printing is not what I expected. I really miss those global settings for brigthness, contrast or saturation I'm used to.

I'm disappointed...

[Jerry_57]

Hi @PinguThePenguin,

Welcome back to the HP Support Community.

What the Images Show
 

1. Uninstall Error
   
   • The first image shows an error during uninstall:
     “Error -2081883393: Failed to uninstall device with serial number: 681150E748A08C003.”
   • This means remnants of the old HP Smart Tank software are still on your system, which can cause conflicts.
      
2. Advanced Settings Window
   
   
   • The second image shows the HP Smart Tank Toolbox under Advanced Settings, but only options for Auto-Off and Alerts, no brightness, contrast, or saturation controls.
   • This is expected because HP Smart Tank printers do not include built-in photo enhancement settings in their driver software. Those options were common in older HP PhotoSmart series, but not in Smart Tank models.

Why Photo Printing Looks Disappointing

Smart Tank printers are optimized for document printing and low-cost ink, not high-end photo printing. They lack:
 

• Dedicated photo driver settings (brightness, contrast, saturation).
• Advanced ICC color profiles for photo output.

How to Fix Your Issues
 

1. Clean Uninstall
 

• Use HP App or HP Uninstall Utility to remove all HP components: 👉 HP App – For HP Printers, Laptops, and Tech Accessories | HP® Official Site

2. Reinstall the Latest Full Driver
 

• Download from your link or here: 👉 HP Smart Tank 7300 series | HP® Support

3. For Photo Printing Quality
 

• HP Smart Tank printers rely on application-level adjustments (e.g., in Photoshop, GIMP, or Windows Photo Print settings).
• Use HP Photo Paper and set Print Quality to Best in the print dialog.
• Enable Color Management in your photo software for better results.
  
  
  Regards
  Jerry_57
  HP Support

[PinguThePenguin]

Tip to the community:
I should have posted a question about this here in this forum before purchasing this printer!

You always receive the best assistance possible here, like from you Jerry!

What I did was googling for reviews about this printer model and found a review stating this printer was good for photo printing (or color printing, I don't remember exactly...). The review also stated it doesn't perform so well with the scanning. But as it turns out it’s the exact opposite!

Scanning is OK but photo printing doesn't meet my expectations.

But now at least I know why.

My actions summary:
I restored Windows to the state it was before purchasing this printer.
Which means there shouldn't have been anything left from the first failing driver installation when I installed the latest drivers:

"HPEasyStart_17_3_14.exe" from:

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/drivers/swdetails/hp-smart-tank-7300-series/2100178736/swItemId/mp-3092... 

and "Full_Webpack-63.6.6364-SJ0001_Full_Webpack.exe" from:

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/drivers/swdetails/hp-smart-tank-7300-series/2100178736/swItemId/cs-3087... 

I'm using Macrium Reflect paid version for backup and restore of Windows 11.

Remaining problem:
The remaining problem is the WiFi connection can't be established. The GUI asks me to choose printer model first, which I do, and then it wants me to set if the printer has a touch display or no display. This printer has a non-touch display and some real old fashioned buttons. So I don't know which option to choose. Any way none of them works. At some point the GUI demands the printers IP-adress (which I don't have).

As long as the USB connection is working I'm fine but it would have been nice with WiFi also.

Possible solution?

Now I'm wondering if I can send the printer back and demand replacement with other model because WiFi doesn't work and because as far as I can remember, there was no info on the seller product page that this kind of printer won’t deliver the same level of printout quality as inkjet printers with cartridges. The product page for this particular printer is now gone but the same seller has a product page for a similar model:

"HP - Smart Tank 7006 All-in-One Inkjet Multifunction Printer"

and on that product page it's written things like: "first class printouts" and "vibrant color printing".

No info like “this printer will be more cost effective than inkjet printers with cartridges, but on the other hand it will not deliver photo print quality quite as good. For the best photo printing we recommend models X or XX or XXX”.

I don’t think a consumer can be expected to know that tank printers will perfom less than cartridge printers. I read quite a lot about technical stuff but I have never came across such info before. In my opinion it's something the seller should inform about on the product page. 

Kindly,

[Jerry_57 · Accepted solution]

Hi @PinguThePenguin,

✨ Thank you for sharing your experience so openly — I can almost feel the frustration of expecting vibrant photo prints and instead watching them come out a little muted. That contrast between the smooth scanning and the disappointing color output must have been disheartening, especially after carefully restoring your system and installing the latest drivers.
 

🖨️ Regarding the WiFi setup: the wording in the installation wizard can indeed feel confusing. Since your printer has a non‑touch display with physical buttons, the correct option should be “no display.” If the software still insists on an IP address, you can usually find it by printing a network configuration page directly from the printer’s control panel (often by holding down the “Information” or “Wireless” button until a sheet prints). That page will list the IP address, which you can then enter into the setup wizard.
 

🌈 On the print quality side, you’re right — tank printers are designed with economy and high‑volume printing in mind. Still, they don’t always deliver the same glossy, saturated photo finish as cartridge‑based models. Understandably, you expected “first-class printouts” based on the product page wording. Your point about clearer communication from sellers is very valid: consumers shouldn’t have to dig through technical reviews to discover such trade‑offs.
 

📦 As for replacement, if WiFi connectivity remains unresolved and the print quality doesn’t meet your expectations, you’re well within reason to contact the seller. 

Regards
Jerry_57
HP Support