8620 Randomly Prints a Page with Just One Letter

[Esteban001]

Occasionally my OfficeJet Pro decides on its own to spit out a page with nothing but one upper case "G" (without the quotes) printed in the top left corner of the page.  It will do that while I'm using the computer but not printing anything or I will return home and discover it printed a page without anybody home using either the computer or the printer.

Sometimes after it spits out this page I'll find the printer screen white with the notice to shut the printer off and turn it back on again and the on/off button is flashing.  If I push the on/off button the printer reboots and everything is fine...  until the next time it decides to randomly spit out a page.  It's always just one letter and always an upper case "G" and always in the upper left corner of the page.

Ghosts??  🙂

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Esteban001

Welcome to the HP Forums 🙂 

I would like to take a moment and thank you for using this forum, it is a great place to find answers. 

As I understand the HP Officejet 8620 prints a page with just one letter,

Don't worry as I'll be glad to help, however, to provide an accurate resolution, I need a few more details: 

Did you attempt to reset the printer?

Are you using genuine HP ink cartridges?

While you respond to that, here's what you need to do:

Step 1: Reset the printer

To reset the printer, disconnect the printer from the power source, and then reconnect it.

1. Turn the printer on, if it is not already on.

2. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you continue.

3. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.

4. Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.

5. Wait at least 60 seconds.

6. Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet.

      NOTE:

   HP recommends connecting the printer power cord directly to the wall outlet.

7. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.

8. Turn on the printer, if it does not automatically turn on.

   The printer might go through a warm-up period. The printer lights might flash, and the carriage might move.

9. Wait until the warm-up period finishes and your printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

If resetting the printer did not resolve the issue, continue to the next step.

Step 2: Use genuine HP ink cartridges

For the best print quality, use genuine HP ink cartridges.

HP recommends that you use genuine HP ink or toner supplies. HP cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of non-HP or refilled cartridges. If you do not use genuine HP cartridges, the steps in this document might not resolve the issue. To check the authenticity of your cartridges, go to hp.com/go/anticounterfeit.

Visit HP SureSupply to check ink or toner cartridge compatibility or purchase replacement cartridges and other supplies.

1. Go to HP SureSupply.

2. If necessary, select your country/region.

   Figure : Country/region selector

   

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to order new supplies or check cartridge compatibility with your printer.

You can also purchase genuine HP cartridges and supplies from other retailers.

   NOTE:

Rough handling at the store or during installation can cause print quality problems with newly installed ink cartridges. If you see print problems with newly installed ink cartridges, wait for a few hours for the automatic servicing routine to complete, and then try to print again.

If using genuine HP ink cartridges did not resolve the issue, continue to the next step.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE STEPS AND INSTRUCTIONS.

(By the end of this article all the issues should be resolved)

Keep me posted,

If the information I've provided was helpful, 

give us some reinforcement by clicking the solution and kudos buttons, 

that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Good Luck.

[Esteban001]

Thank you Riddle_Decipher.

To answer your questions:

1. Yes, I did attempt to reset the printer, multiple times.  I did not, however, reset it so as to discharge any remaing charge in a capacitor (which is what your recommended procedure would do).  I can certainly try that.

2. Yes, I'm using genuine HP ink cartridges.  I'm in the instant ink program so all cartridges come directly from HP.  (And that probably means the one page it spits out on its own probably counts against my allotted pages under the instant ink program.)

I'll try again to reset the printer, following your listed procedure.  I won't know for some time whether that's fixed the problem or not because it's a sporadic problem that sometimes pops up more than once a day and sometimes goes for weeks without appearing.

Thank you, again, for your response.  It is greatly appreciated!

~Steve

[Esteban001]

Well... I can now report that the attempted fix did not work.

I reset the printer following the directions --

With the printer on, idle and silent, I pulled the power cord out of the back of the printer, then pulled the other end out of the power outlet.  Waited for a couple of minutes for any capcitors to discharge, plugged everything back in and the printer powered back up.

Today it suddenly and unexpectedly printed a single sheet of paper; again with nothing but an upper case "G" in the upper left corner of the sheet.

I followed the link for "more steps and instructions which took me to a support article on fixing poor print quality.  That was a bit puzzling because the print quality of my printer is just fine.  Since I have no complaints about the quality of the printing I did not run quality diagnostics or print test patterns.  I did check to see if a firmware update was needed and it was not.  Firmware is up to date.  Ink supplies are all listed as "good".

As soon as the computer tried to access the printer after printing the sheet the window on the printer turned white with the heading "Printer Error" and the message "Please turn Printer off, then on."  The power button, the blue Wi Fi light and the home, help and return lights were all blinking.  When I touched the power button the printer rebooted, went through its normal start-up routine and everything appears to be back to normal.  That's exactly the same routine it's gone through every time in the past.  If it follows the same pattern it has in the past it will be fine for an indeterminate period of time after which it will again print a single sheet with an upper case "G" for no apparent reason.

This is not a print quality issue.  Any more ideas or help will be greatly appreciated.

[Jeet_singh]

Hi @Esteban001,

It looks like you were interacting with @Riddle_Decipher, but he is out for the day & I'll be glad to help you out, 
I'm the Jeet_Singh & I'm at your service. 

Let's try to reset Printing system on Mac and check if that helps: 

• Click the Apple menu icon, and then click “System Preferences”.
• Click “Printers and Scanner” / “Print and Scan” or “Print and Fax”.
• Right-click the blank space in the Printers list, and then click “Reset printing system”.
• Click “Reset” in the confirmation window.
• Enter an administrator username and password, and then click “OK”.
• Wait until the printing system is reset and no devices show in the Printers list

• Restart your computer and then go back to System preferences – Printers and scanners.
• Click the “Add button” (+).
• Find, and then select the name of your printer from the printer list, and then click “Add” to add your printer.
• Click “Print Using...” or “Use”, and then select Secure AirPrint or AirPrint. Alternatively, you may select the name of your printer if available in that list.

Please let me know if this resolves the issue, or if you require further assistance!

Eagerly waiting for your response!

I hope you have a good day ahead,

And Feel free to ask your queries as this forum has some of the best people in the world available and ready to help.

Regards,

[Esteban001]

Hi Jeet_Singh,

Thank you so much for your response.  I followed your directions and reset the pringing system on the Mac.

Now I'll have to wait to see if that fixed the problem or whether it prints a page of its own accord again.  Since its sporadic I'll wait for a while but will come back here to let you know if this did the trick.

Thank you so much for your help.

~Steve

[Esteban001]

I can now report that nothing has changed.  I was on the computer but not printing anything when the printer came to life and printed a page with nothing but an upper case "G" in the upper left corner.  A while later the printer screen turned white with the title "Printer Error" and instructions to turn the printer off then back on.

~Steve

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Esteban001

Thank you for responding,

It's great to have you back 😉

I Understand you've done all relevant steps and yet the issue persists, this would mean that we need to approach the last resort and reset the printer using the Semi-full reset process, And to help you out, I'm sending out a Private message with the information you need

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Forums profile 

Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link: https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/notes/privatenotespage 

Please reply back on the public post as this Private message box is not monitored.

(The reason we are utilizing the private message is because the instructions are critical)

Keep me posted,

If the information I've provided was helpful, 

Give us some reinforcement by clicking the solution and kudos buttons, 

that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Good Luck.

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Esteban001

Thank you for responding,

It's great to have you back 😉

I recommend you restart the printer and the process of reset from scratch,

You do not have to focus on where its taking you as, its a secret menu and appears when you continuously tap on those key combinations.

Please retry them and I must let you know, if these steps do not work, considering this was the last resort you will need to Contact HP to have the device either repaired or replaced:

HP Support can be reached by clicking on the following link:  

* Open link:  www.hp.com/contacthp/

* Enter Product number or select to auto detect

* Scroll down to "Still need help? Complete the form to select your contact options"

* Scroll down and click on HP contact options - click on Get a Case & phone number.

They will be happy to assist you immediately. 

If the unit is under warranty repair services under the manufacturer's warranty will be free of charge.

If you would like to thank me for my efforts to help you, 

feel free to give me a virtual high-five by clicking the 'Thumbs Up' icon below, 

Followed by clicking on the "Accept as solution".

Have a great day!

[drpbailey]

I have exactly the same issue with my HP Office Jet Pro 8728, new this year and using Instant Ink original cartridges only.  I have already done all the same re-set operations you advised in this thread with no improvement.  I also note that after printing the random G page my printer goes offline.

I'd love to get a fix.  It wastes a lot of my time getting it working again and I cannot rely on it when I need it most.