how do i turn off alignment?

[buzbuz]

Unfortunately the user manual for the Photosmart C4280 isn't considering the option of turning off the automatic alignment when you change cartriages, the HP assistance is akward for products off warranty and doesn't have a quick assistance like for other products so it's difficult to ask questions, I didn't find an email address or online help, none of the suggested options is working, so I will change printer. My OS is windows vista service pack2, the printer is Photosmart C4280, the software is up todate for the age of the printer. Thank you

[bmwjim]

Worked great many thanks!  Didn't have the money to purchase a color cart just get rid of this crap message so the scanner would work!!!

[pkms]

I have an Officejet 4500 G510n-z  that has decided to arbitrarily ask to align the cartridge even though I have not done anything.  This has happend on three separate occassions.  Imagine how much ink this uses if it is happening for all printers HP sells.

Is there a fix?

Thank you!

[rt1111]

solution: Take said piece of garbage, open window (2nd floor preferred) and throw outside. Alt.

place behind wheels of your car and put it in reverse. Probl;em solved.

[The_Mark]

The "print an alignment page" feature is such an obvious consumer-unfriendly trick to boost HP's ink sales just a little bit. Do they really need to realign the printer every 30 to 50 pages? Not so likely if the printer meets modern design standards. But if you impose this on your customers you can boost ink sales a few percentage points without getting any new customers. What a genius idea from the bean counters! I'm betting that deep within the HP corporate archives is a memo proposing this for purely financial reasons with a performance justification that the naive will buy, and I'm betting that the bean counting MBA who proposed it got a promotion.

Problem is, it only works if you don't lose customers, and I am one of many who will never, every buy an HP product again. It's not just that this feature is annoying and wastes a little of my money and a LOT of my time, even on those occasions when I don't have time to spare. It's that it reflects an attitude toward customers (they they are best viewed as victims or marks, rather than as valued partners) that does not map to the attitude held by companies I respect and choose to do business with.

HP used to be a great company. It is now a dying company, its lunch being eaten by companies that don't view those who buy their products as victims to be fleeced.

[The_Mark]

Seriously? Can you really believe that mandating printing a fresh alignment page every 30 to 50 pages is technically required? I think HP can make more reliable printers than that. This is such an obvious con to squeeze a few extra pennies in ink purchases from those unwary enough to buy HP, at the cost of wasting HP customers' money and more importantly their time. 

It's not really helping HP, of course, because customers will flee companies that treat them like victims to be fleeced. HP stock is less than half of what it was at the start of 2010, and less then a quarter of what it was in 2000 (even not adjusting for inflation). The reason is that cheap tricks like this are killing what was once a great company. You can't despise your customers without the feeling eventually being returned.

[jesmith43]

I'll add my voice to the chorus. A not-so subtle scheme to sell more cartridges and paper.  If someone were to do the worldwide math, the numbers would be astounding.     I have a 3052A that gives the allignment prompt before and after each print job.

Have also heard a story that some HP cartridges have a chip that disables them after the "sell-by" date.

Maybe the next CEO can take a break from watching the company circle the drain and ponder these issues .

[grandpha]

I am too very annoyed by this feature. Last night there was a really bad storm and the power went off a few times and this morning there were a bunch of  papers printed  with the alingnment. Every time the the power went down and than up there was a new alingnment paper.Such a  waste of money.I will never buy a HP printer again.

[winspirit]

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Re: how do i turn off alignment? " I'll add my voice to the chorus. A not-so subtle scheme to sell more cartridges and paper. If someone were to do the worldwide math, the numbers would be astounding. I have a 3052A that gives the allignment prompt before and after each print job. Have also heard a story that some HP cartridges have a chip that disables them after the "sell-by" date. Maybe the next CEO can take a break from watching the company circle the drain and ponder these issues ."

 Let me also add something: years ago it was easy to get to the inside of those HP ink cartridges (too much time on my hands, I guess). The first one was empty inside. The second one I opened, which was a newer cartridge, had a clear balloon which took up pretty much the whole space inside the cartridge. It may have been that one was heavier then the other and I was curious as to why. 

How much ink do you get in those HP cartridges now? I'd venture to guess only a few drops.  So, no, I don't want to print that ink wasting alignment page.

[wiseman32210]

Why would HP put in an option to Disable the Alignment notice? The reason is because of Profit. They would loose money on Toner, Ink and Paper. If you think about it everytime you turn your printer off and on it has to align. If you put in a new Cartrige you have to align it. I don't believe printing up a document really needs to be so exact that a person has to align the printer because it may be out of alignment. It's anoying feature that has little to no effect on the outcome of printing a document. Besides it would make too much sense to be able to disable a anoying feature like the Alignment message.