C5280 "refer to printer documentation

[Brandreth]

"Refer printer documentation" is certainly an idiotic instruction to have coded in there. I tried all the techniques I could find, and none worked. This did: I took a cotton bud, (unused), moistened it with tapwater, and wiped over all the contacts on the catridges as well as inside the cartridge ports. I got a lot of ink deposited on the cotton bud (but it was still useable in my ears when dry). The printer then obliged with an alignment test page but then asked me to "insert a memory card". This instruction disappeared when I deleted all printjobs from the queue (in Control panel>printers) and now I'm printing again.

[KatyIrish]

I also have intermittently had the above error - in some instances changing cartridges worked temporarily - a very expensive partial solution - but this eventually also stops working.

I've tried every "solution" , home fix, remedy etc. on the web - but the bottom line seems to be that this is a problem with the printer and nothing will fix it permanently - the only solution is a new printer!

This was posted and indicated as an official "solution" in another part of the website, and I phoned up HP to clarify whether this was valid.... after 25 minutes on a premium rate call, where they tried to get me to pay for technical support rather than confirm that there posting was correct.... I eventually found a sensible person who checked with the technical guys who confirmed that the only way to "fix" this is get a new printer.

I have asked them to put this as a formal / valid / clear solution on the website so that other people do not end up paying for unnecessary and ultimately futile support for a problem which can't be corrected.

I hope that they honour this and do so. Meantime - if you get your printer working again with one of the posed solutions - well done, but be aware that this is temporary and it will fail again... if you're like me, it will fail when you need it most.

Best of luck - Katy

[Brandreth]

I'm convinced it's electrical contact problems - so many users getting temporary results by jiggling their cartridges or replacing them with new (clean contacts) ones, then getting problems again when the ink overspray smears itself around again. The ink's water-miscible so a cotton bud with some spit should do it. In case there's grease about a solvent is worth a try - rubbing alcohol, acetone, carbon tetrachloride, nail varnish remover, but keep it off the plastic bits. Treat yourself to a fresh bud - ear wax can break the contact just like old ink. Wipe it over the gold contacts on the cartridges and the ones inside the printer's cartridge ports, then dab with a dry cotton bud. Good contact is so critical - I marvel that usb's and things work as well as they do.  

[polo-polo]

i had my printer off and i took off the ink cartridge and it star showing the ink amount and the ( refer to printer documentation) stop showing you try it be careful... but it work:smileyhappy:

[bonniedg]

I did all the steps you said, it did semi fullreset ...then asked for country, language etc and at the end it asked for cartrdges to install and then msg came original HP cartridge has been depleted and then...went back to square one ...refer to printer documentation....:( tell me what to do? please...

[karen_rn]

I had the same error message yesterday on my HP5250C. I tried all the suggestions mentioned below: changed by black cartridge because it was almost empty, cleaned cartridge contacts with alcohol on both the printer and the cartridge.I did a semi-full reset by using the red-eye-print photos that I read here and after the printer restarted only the black cartridge was recognized.  I guessed  that there was a problem with the color cartridge like someone else wrote.  I recleaned the contacts but no luck, so I bought a new color cartridge even though it was still about a third left and it did the trick. Stinks that I had to throw away a cartridge that wasn't expired and not empty but at least I can print again.  So if you get this error, try changing both ink cartridges even if they're not empty.

[RanchWife]

Thank you so much for sharing your solution to the 'refer to printer documentation ' message. It worked! I really appreciate your help tinuwaniro!

[StylishSnoopy]

OMG, you are a life saver.. Thank you so much.;]

[hawkleader]

THANK YOU!

  I thought your advice was kind of wackey and wouldn't work....BUT IT DID WORK!

  Thank you

[NeuroPax]

Hi Tinuwangiro

I started the procedure to semi full reset my printer.

After entering the combo (red eye - print photo - red eye) I got the following message:

uiaux

NExxFN0713AR

Have you any idea, what went wrong?

Thanx so much