Error messages on HP Photosmart 2575 All in One Printer

[rsteve5]

I keep getting error messages on my HP Photosmart 2575 All in One printer, of either "carriage blocked" or "out of paper", when niether is the case. I have tried the solution center suggestions of inspecting the interior of the printer, cleaning carriage tracks, cleaning cartridge contacts and resetting the printer. I am using Windows Vista home version OS and Windows says all my drivers are up to date. None the less, I uninstalled and then re-installed the printer software (on-line version) to no avail. I keep getting the same error messages, however the error went from " carriage blocked" to "out of paper". 

Is this condition cost effectively repairable or does it indicate printer replacement?

Very frustrated,

-Bill

[CaptainTJ]

Hi,

Have you tried resetting the product?  If not, try the steps listed in this document and see if it helps.

Out of Paper

[rsteve5]

Yes! As I stated in my post, I have tried re-setting the product (printer), several times in fact!

-Bill

[CaptainTJ]

Hi Bill,

Guilty as charged... sorry about the resetting procedures.  I missed the part where you had stated that... my bad!

One other thing to try if you haven't tried this.  This can provide for a false "Carriage block".  If you remember when you originally set up the printer and you had to install the face plate... sometimes this works its way up.

The best steps to describe how to do this is in the attached document.  It is step number 6... the very first bulleted item indicates to "Press firmly on the control panel face plate"

Carriage Jam error

Let me know if this helps or if I need to dig a little further.

[rsteve5]

Hey Captain!

I need to ask you to keep diggin'!

So far, what you have suggested are solution suggestions found in the product manual or found in "on-line trouble-shooting for this printer. I believe I have tried them all, including checking the face-plate!

Other oddities that are occurring with the printer are:

1.) Unit will not "shut down" completely when the power button is pushed or pushed & held down. The unit display indicates it is "shutting down", but never does. Just displays "shutting down" continuously. The unit's power cord has to be disconnected to shut it off.

2.) The unit's display indicates "?"  for ink levels in the two ink cartridges and also states the cartridges are "used". I purchased new cartridges yesterday, a risky investment in hopes of maybe this might help solve some  issues. I lost the bet! Even with new ink cartridges I still get the same display for their ink levels and error messages, "carriage blocked" & "out of paper" continue to be displayed.

Is there a technician that is familiar with the design, engineering and functioning of this particular printer series available? I really want to try and solve the issues I'm having before having to invest in another printer. Another HP printer at this point doesn't appear to be a wise choice!

-Bill

[mtbaughs]

If you are plugged in through a surge protector, try plugging the printer directly into a wall outlet. Minor power fluctuations can sometimes cause these issues. Other than that, the solution documents for your product for carriage jam and out of paper messaging should resolve the issue, if not, being an older printer it may need to be replaced. 

[Lorem_ipsum]

I see you have already reset the unit. There are a couple different kinds of resets. I would just like to verify if you have done the NVM reset. If not, I would recommend removing both cartridges and then performing the steps below and then reinserting the cartridges when it prompts you.

1. If the product is turned off, press the On button ( ) to turn it on.
2. Unplug the power cord from the back of the product.
3. Press and hold OK and the Cancel button ( ) while plugging the power cord into the product.
4. Continue pressing and holding the buttons until the product turns off.
5. Press the On button ( ). OOB NVM Reset displays on the control panel.

[rsteve5]

I do appreciate the HP support team responding to my concerns/problems with my printer! However, the team is just reiterating what the product manual and on-line trouble-shooting guides state. Believe me, when I state I have tried all of these suggestions several times and invested $40.00 in new cartridges, with no success!

I was hoping a HP tech familiar with the repair of this particular printer might be available with fresh ideas.

Still frustrated and hesitant about purchasing another HP product.

-Bill

[amit_ray]

Hi Bill: I came across your issue a few months afterwards as I was looking to see if there is finally any solution to these problems. I have suffered from the same set of problems and HP could not provide any solutions. Yes, all they have done is keep repeating the set of instructions in the manual, which, as is clear, are of no use. From the instructions themsevles, you can see that the HP team has no clue what to do, so they ask us to reboot, restart, unplug, plug back etc. etc. It is clear that the HP Photosmart printer suffers from quality issues. We as customers are stuck with them. I am not so sure that I will buy another HP printer. In the meantime, I have to keep trying to reboot printer over and over again, keep restarting jobs, probably try some vodoo dances, pray to the Almighty etc. etc. to see if and when we can get the next job printed!

[northbird]

Hi Bill,

I came across your post when I seached for a solution of the same problem. Although it is some time ago when you had this kind of trouble with that printer, this helped me to solve the problem:

- I unplugged the mains power plug.

- opend the top cover and greased the guiding rod for the cartridges with lithium grease. Closed the lid.

- plugged the mains power plug into a wall socket clear away from all other cables under my desk.

- Started the printer as usual - and it worked fine.

I do not kknow which one of the measures did the trick, grease or cable.

Regards - Wolf