Deskjet F2180 only magenta working.

[cjcj1949]

The printer has been working fine for many years. I upgraded to WIN 10 and it stiil worked. It works ok in black but has a problem in colour mode. I thought it was a low ink problem as only magenta worked. I tried another cartridge that had the same problem, but it was an old cartridge and thought it might have dried out. I then bought a new genuine (HP22) cartridge and the fault cleared. The cartridge allignment sheet printed out and alignment completed. After a few weeks one of the colours failed to print. I cleaned the contacts but it made no difference. I then printed out a self test as detailed in the manual and all three colours print correctly. I have checked that win 10 is up to date and I've reinstalled the latest HP driver. Is there any diagnostic software that will help.

[Sunshyn2005]

Hey @cjcj1949, welcome to the HP Forums! 

I understand you are having some trouble printing in color. I can see from your description that you have done some troubleshooting already and suggest taking a look at the following document to ensure you have completed all of the necessary troubleshooting: HP Deskjet F2100 All-in-One series - Missing, Faded, or Dull Colors.

If the issue persists, I suggest calling us. What you can do, is use the following link to create yourself a case number, then call and it may help speed up the call process:

Step 1. Open link: www.hp.com/contacthp/
Step 2. Enter Product number or select to auto detect
Step 3. Scroll down to "Still need help? Complete the form to select your contact options"
Step 4. Scroll down and click on: HP contact options - click on Get phone number

Case number and phone number appear.

Please let me know whether the issue is resolved and/or the outcome of your call with phone support.

Feel free to post again if there is anything else I can help you with.

[cjcj1949]

Thanks for the reply. I used to work in hardware/software and I know how confusing some faults can be.

The first link you gave you gave did not work and the second worked until I entered the name of my printer. It then said there was a problem at your end and to try again later.

I am interested in fixing the problem, but more out of interest than anything else as I could do with a wifi printer like the envy 5540.

[cjcj1949]

The first link has now worked. It did not give me any new information. I am trying to work out where a fault may be. The HP22 cartridge did work when first installed and then failed later. So a software fault seems unlikely especially as the black cartridge works. The self test shows that all colours work and so it is not a hardware fault unless there is a connector or a faulty solder joint that is nearly ok.

[cjcj1949]

I can't complete step 3 as I can't find "Still need help".

I am in the uk not in the us.

[Sunshyn2005]

Thanks for keeping me apprised of your efforts. Where you able to get to and complete the instructions regrading cleaning the cartridge?

Step three: Clean the area around the cartridge nozzles

NOTE: Follow the procedure below to clean the area around the cartridge's nozzles ONLY if you have streaks or smudges in your printed output and you have already performed all three cleaning levels in the Clean Print Cartridges utility.

NOTE: Do not leave the print cartridges outside the printer for longer than 30 minutes. If a cartridge is left outside of the printer for too long, the ink will dry out and the cartridge will become unusable. Also, be careful not to get any ink on your hands or clothes.

1. Gather cleaning supplies:

   • Clean distilled, filtered, or bottled water. Tap water may contain contaminants which could damage the cartridge.

   • Clean cotton swabs or any soft, lint-free material that will not stick to the cartridges (coffee filters work well).

   • Sheets of paper or paper towel to rest the cartridges on during cleaning.

2. Remove one of the cartridges and place it on a piece of paper with the nozzle plate facing up.

3. Examine the area around the nozzle plate. If you see any debris or ink buildup, clean the cartridge as follows:

    NOTE:

   If you do not see debris or ink buildup on the print cartridge, do not clean it.

   1. Lightly moisten the lint-free cleaning material with clean water.

   2. Use the swab to wipe clean the faces and edges around the nozzle plate. The area to be cleaned is cross-hatched in the picture below. Replace the cleaning material if it gets dirty.

       CAUTION:

      Do not touch either the nozzle place (in the center of the cross-hatched area below), or the copper-colored contacts. Touching these parts can cause clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.

      Figure 2: Cleaning the cartridge 

      1. Clean in the cross-hatched area only

      2. Do NOT touch the nozzle plate

      3. Do NOT touch the copper-colored contacts

4. Repeat the steps above for the other cartridge. Make sure to examine both cartridges, even if the streaks are only one color (streaks in black ink are commonly caused by fibers and debris stuck to the bottom of the tri-color print cartridge). Only clean the cartridge if you see debris or buildup, however. If you do clean the other cartridge, use fresh cleaning material.

5. Either let the cartridge sit for five minutes or use a new swab to dry the cleaned areas before you reinsert the cartridges.

Frankly, based on your description, I suspect the issue has to do with a clogged nozzle, or maybe the electric contacts. 

If the issue persists, and you need a contact number let me know . 

[cjcj1949]

The self test shows that all colours work.

[Sunshyn2005]

Perhaps the issue has to do with the driver. You mentioned previously that you're interested in an Envy printer; "I am interested in fixing the problem, but more out of interest than anything else as I could do with a wifi printer like the envy 5540." 

Let me know if you would like to continue troubleshooting the issue or if you are indeed going to upgrade to a newer model. 

[cjcj1949]

I would like to continue. Mainly I would like to know how the printer can run a local self test correctly and still be able to print in black from the pc but not in colour. I would like more detail than just " a problem with the driver". It also was able to print in colour correctly after changing to a genuine (HP22) cartridge. I know that some HP printers will no longer accept compatible cartdridges, the black cartridge is compatible rather than genuine, but that cartridge does seem to be ok. Perhaps you have a more engineering based diagnostic test or possibly a block diagram that could point to a loose connector or some funcional area that needs to be investigated?

[Sunshyn2005]

Okay, let's go ahead and shift focus to the driver. My suggestion is to first remove the driver from the Devices and Printers, and from the Printer Server Properties and then re-add it. If the issue persists, I recommend trying an alternate driver. 

I suggest using the following steps to delete the printer from device and printers, and the driver from the server properties.

1. In the ‘Devices and Printers’ folder

2. Choose ‘Print server properties’.

• Win XP – With no printer selected, click ‘File’ then ‘Server Properties’.
• Windows Vista – With no printer selected, press ‘Alt’ then click ‘File’ then ‘Server Properties’.
• Windows 7/8, 8.1, and 10 – Select any printer in the ‘Devices and Printers’ folder and click ‘Print Server properties’ above.

3. Click on the ‘Drivers’ tab at the top of ‘Print server properties’ window

4. Choose the printer you want to uninstall and click ‘Remove’

5. Choose 'Remove driver only'

6. The next screen will give a warning, letting you know that deleting the driver package will remove it from the system. Click ‘Yes’ to say that you are sure you want to do this.

If documents are stuck in the print spooler, you may see an error, cancel any documents pending in the print queue, or try restarting the print spooler, then try to remove the driver from ‘Print server properties’ again. If it still won’t remove the package, restarting the computer and the printer should resolve this ‘in use’ error and allow the driver to be removed.

• If the you continue to get an 'in use' message follow the steps in the document here; The Specified Printer Driver is Currently in Use

After the driver is removed, open Start > All Programs > HP folder > Printer folder > HP Setup and Software (or the printer icon).  The Setup and software screen will open and you can click on Connect a new printer.

As mentioned, if the issue persists, try an alternate driver and let me know the outcome. This document was written for Windows 8, but I do believe the steps apply to Windows 10 too: HP Printers - Installing an Alternate USB Print Driver.

I look forward to hearing back from you again.