Deskjet F4480 prints ghosted text and images

[n8turepix]

The printer has been working fine until a recent update in the last three or four months to either the driver or Windows 10 caused print quality to appear ghosted, as if I've got double vision. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers, replaced the print cartridges, cleaned the print cartridges, done the alignment calibration, and applied all relevant updates to the operating system and printer driver.  Nothing has worked.  This appears to be a bug, possibly some 32-bit code or data has found it's way into the  64-bit build for the driver.  You can see by looking at the edges of the image that both text and image quality are affected.

Blurred or ghosted print quality on Deskjet F4480, Windows 10 64-bit.

 

[sandytechy20]

@n8turepix

Welcome to the HP support community.

Print an extended self-test report

• Make sure you have plain white, letter-size paper loaded in the input tray.

• Press and hold the Power button () and the Cancel button () for 10 seconds. The extended self-test report prints.

If that does not print fine, follow the steps mentioned in this HP document to fix the issue:-  Click here

Let me know how it goes.

To thank me for my efforts to help you, please mark my post as an accepted solution so that it benefits several others.

Cheers.

[n8turepix]

I'm unable to get the report to print using the instructions you provided.  I tried having the printer on and off while holding the two buttons down.  Nothing happens except when on, the printer shuts down.

[sandytechy20]

@n8turepix

Try the steps mentioned in this HP document to fix the issue:- Click here

Let me know how it goes.

To thank me for my efforts to help you, please mark my post as an accepted solution so that it benefits several others.

Cheers.

[n8turepix]

This is a driver issue.  I'm nearly certain because when I print the alignment calibration page, the text on the page is crisp. It's not going through Windows. Any printing going through Windows is blurred though.  I'm not at the location of the printer now, but will show a photo of that in a day or two when I can get there.  I do high-end photographic printing using other products, have done it for 20 years, and am well-versed in calibration, print diagnostics, and color profiling.  We have a Mac at the same location and will print the document with the image above using it and let you know what the result is.

[n8turepix]

OK, we printed it on a Mac and it’s not the driver.  The color and black cartridges are out of alignment. I photographed this through a loupe and it’s what’s going on. The text was crisp on the alignment test page, but it’s only using black ink to print text, while computer output uses black and color ink. We have cleaned the cartridges, reseated them, and run the alignment scan. Still the same result. 

[n8turepix]

 

[sandytechy20]

@n8turepix

This seems to be a hardware issue.

I request you to talk to HP support.

They might have multiple options to help you with this.

1. Click on this link - https://support.hp.com/us-en/contact-hp?openCLC=true
2. Select the country.
3. Enter the serial of your device.
4. Select the country from the drop-down.
5. Click on "Show Options".
6. Fill the web-form. A case number and phone number will now populate for you.

I hope that helps.

To thank me for my efforts to help you, please mark my post as an accepted solution so that it benefits several others.

Cheers.

[n8turepix]

We finally got the test page to print. Before pursuing the hardware support, here's what it looks like in case there is something related to a cartridge issue or configuration you can see.  The nozzles look clean to me with only a very few blocked.  I don't know if the firmware version is the latest.  The problem getting the page to print is the buttons must be held down exactly 10 seconds.  We had to use a stopwatch to get the time right.  Thanks.

 

 

[sandytechy20]

@n8turepix

This seems to be a hardware issue.

I request you to talk to HP support.

They might have multiple options to help you with this.

1. Click on this link - https://support.hp.com/us-en/contact-hp?openCLC=true
2. Select the country.
3. Enter the serial of your device.
4. Select the country from the drop-down.
5. Click on "Show Options".
6. Fill the web-form. A case number and phone number will now populate for you.

I hope that helps.

To thank me for my efforts to help you, please mark my post as an accepted solution so that it benefits several others.

Cheers.