M255dw prints are too faint (all colours)

[MissEliz]

Hi,

This is the second M255dw printer that I have owned (I’ve had it for just over 18 months) and it has developed exactly the same issue that the original printer developed. I’ve always only used official HP toners.

I replaced the black toner (which was low) with a HP high capacity one, and now ALL colours display way too faintly. I put the old black toner back, and that did not fix the issue.

I’ve tried upgrading the printer to the latest firmware, and also resetting to factory defaults… nothing  seems to fix the issue…

except…

I found that there is a print density option in the printer web interface.

For each toner you can set contrast, highlights, midtones, and shadows. These all default to zero. Possible values are from -5 to +5.

I’ve found if I set them all to +5 (except contrast which I left at zero) then  I’m back close to how the printer used to print before I changed the toner (I’m comparing a print of the demo page that I made when I bought the printer, to how it prints that demo page now).

I can’t believe this is the right solution to the problem though… I  also suspect I might be using a lot more toner than previously now.

To me, this feels like a software issue.

Has anyone had a problem like this? Thanks in advance for any help

Liz

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @MissEliz,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

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

1. Inspect and Reinstall Toner Cartridges:

• Remove the black toner cartridge and gently rock it back and forth to distribute the toner evenly.
• Check for any visible damage or leaks.
• Reinstall the cartridge securely.

2. Perform a Cleaning Page:

• Access the printer's maintenance menu and select the option to print a cleaning page. This process can help remove any toner residue affecting print quality.

3. Update Printer Firmware:

• Link: https://support.hp.com/ie-en/document/ish_1776648-1643972-16

4. Perform Color Calibration:

• Navigate to the printer's settings menu and initiate a color calibration. This process adjusts the printer to produce accurate colors and can resolve faint printing issues.

5. Reset Print Density Settings:

• After performing the above steps, reset the print density settings to their default values to see if the print quality improves without the need for manual adjustments.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

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!

VikramTheGreat

HP Support 

[MissEliz]

Hi Vikram

Thanks for your help.

 I had tried all your suggestions before,   but I’ve gone through and tried them all again.

Unfortunately the problem remains and I’ve had to put the print density options up to maximum again to get acceptable print quality.

it’s weird for several reasons:

1) I only replaced the black toner but it affects all colours
2) putting the black toner back to the old one didn’t fix the issue.

3) I had the same model printer previously, and this faint colour problem happened when I changed the black toner on that one too.

It feels like a software issue, but if so, you would think that ‘restore defaults’ (Resets all customer accessible settings back to the factory defaults.) might fix it, but it does not.

Thanks for your help,

Liz

[MissEliz]

I don't know if this will help, but it will give you an idea of the difference in print outs now (using the default zero densities).

The original image is a scan of the demo page that I printed when I first got the printer 18 months ago. The other image is how it prints today (with the default density values).

Note that the oranges from the original image look more yellow in the new image, so it appears he lightening of the print out is affecting the colours slightly differently.

Obviously this is not exactly what the printouts look like, due to the limitations of my scanner.

[YoDisPrinterSux]

Yo, this is the way to fix this printer all of a sudden printing way to dim.  2 days, 400 dollars in toner.  It's still kinda crummy.  However, you need to use a Windows machine to set this as well. Not a mobile phone (the options won't appear), nor a Mac. This thread appears on a google search hopefully my endorsement here will help others.  The cut and copy the tech put above is NOT the way to fix this.  Miss Eliz found the hidden settings.  

[YoDisPrinterSux]

Holy crud I just realized you posted this 11 hours prior to me finding it !

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @MissEliz,

Thank you for letting  me know I will surely try to find and get all the help,

Please let me know if have you tried the steps shared earlier in the post.

let me know so I can try to find more help

Keep me posted

VikramTheGreat

HP Support

[MissEliz]

Hi @VikramTheGreat 

As I said above, I tried ALL your suggestions (again) and it made no difference.

When the density values are the default zeroes, the images are way too faint, as above.

Thanks

Liz

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @MissEliz,

Thank you for letting me know, Please help us with the Printer serial number or the product number on a private message for further assistance.
 

Here is the link to find the product number: - Click here

https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/ish_2039298-1862169-16
 

To access your private messages, simply click the private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Support Community profile, next to your profile and send a private message to me with the serial number because we value your privacy.
 

VikramTheGreat

HP Support

[MissEliz]

Hi Vikram,

Your "private message icon" link doesn’t work…. Seems that as a new user I don’t have permission to do that.

I can tell you the product number though:

7KW64A (HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw)

just to remind you, this exact same issue happened when I replaced the black toner on my previous printer (same model) 18 months ago.

In both cases, I replaced the original black toner with a high-yield one HP 206X if this is relevant.

Everything here points to this being a firmware issue

Thanks

Liz