HP 2540 Printer Streaking

[Beckybailey0703]

I recently tried printing a document and the color turned out perfect, but I was out of black ink. I purchased a replacement for the black and tried printing my document again, this time everything was ending up with horizontal streaks and the color wasn't as crisp. I am not sure what has happened when changing the black ink, but I have tried everything to fix this issue.

So far I have tried running the cleaning for the ink cartridges in the HP menu(multiple times), printed the alignment(multiple times), unplugged the printer from the outlet and waited to reconnect for at least a min, cleaned the cartridges by hand around the contacts(not touching the areas that shouldn't be),and plugged the printer in through USB instead of over the network

Any help would be appreciated

[sandytechy20]

@Beckybailey0703

Welcome to the HP Forums. I would be happy to help you with your HP Deskjet 2540 printer. I understand that you are getting horizontal streaks after replacing the black ink cartridge and you have already done some preliminary troubleshooting. 

Don't worry though as I have a few steps to determine the issue and find a solution as well,

Check the paper.

Print a Print Quality Diagnostic page.

1. Load clean, white U.S. Letter or A4 paper in the input tray, if necessary.

2. Touch and hold the Power button (), and then press the Cancel button ().

3. Let go of the Cancel button and then the Power button. The test page prints.

4. Check if you are getting horizontal streaks.

Clean the ink cartridges again.

1. Search Windows for your printer model name, and then click the printer name in the list of results.

   The printer software opens.

2. Click Print & Scan, and then click Maintain Your Printer.

   HP Toolbox opens.

3. Click the Device Services tab.

4. Click Clean Ink Cartridges, and then follow the on-screen instructions to clean the ink cartridges.

5. When the printer finishes cleaning the ink cartridges, click Print to print a test page.

Check the print settings.

Check the print settings for your print job in Windows.

1. In the program you are trying to print from, click File, and then click Print.

   The Print window opens.

2. Open the Properties dialog box.

   Depending on the software program, the button might be Properties, Options, Printer Setup, Printer, or Preferences.

3. Depending on your print job, you might consider modifying the following settings:

   • Paper Type: If you are printing on photo paper, select the type of photo paper you are attempting to print on.

   • Print Quality: If you are dissatisfied with the quality of your printouts, increase the print quality. To print more quickly, decrease the print quality. These options typically include Best, Normal, and Draft modes.

   • Paper Size: If you are printing on a different size of paper than you normally print on, select the correct paper size.

   • Black and White: If you want to print in black and white only, select the grayscale option.

4. After selecting the print settings, click OK to apply the settings, and then click Print.

Click here and refer the document to perform the above steps.

Let me know if that helps.

Cheers.

[Beckybailey0703 · Accepted solution]

I actual found out that the black cartridge was faulty. After replacing it with another new one everything worked properly again. Thanks for the quick response though!