HP Envy 5546 will not print colour - except for Test Page

[Montagu]

Hi

I have a HP Envy 5546 printer, connected to the wireless network. It has recently decided not to print colour from the computer, (e.g. word, Excel, Outllok, etc). A test page, or a calibration page, does print colour successfully.

Scan to print also prints colour.

We have replaced both ink cartridges, but it prints the test page OK, so it isn't an ink issue.

There is nowhere within the printer properties pages which would allow us to turn off or on printing in clour or grayscale (which seems to be quite an annoying ommission to me anyway!)

We have completely uninstalled the printer from the PC, including deleting drivers from within Print Management, and uninstalling all HP software from Programs & Features. We have also reinstalled using the latest HP software downloaded from their website.

That does allow colour printing for a aday or two, then it fails again.

Just in case it was an update that was upsetting things we have again totally removed the printer and drivers, then reinstalled using the original CD, but chosen not to have HP Updates. It still prints OK for a day or two, then fails.

We only have one PC so we can't say whether, or not, it will work with a different PC. But, it works when first installed and it has worked for the past 18 months, so why won't it do so long term?

The PC is running Windows 10 64-Bit with all updates installed.

Help!

[Jeet_singh]

Hi @Montagu,

Thanks for taking an interest in the HP Support Forums! This is a great location to get resolutions and interact with experts from the community. I understand that you are facing issues while printing from the Envy printer. Don't worry as I have a few suggestions which should help you resolve this issue.

Try to perform a power drain on the printer and make sure that the printer is connected directly to the wall outlet and not to the surge protector.

• Remove the cartridges from the printer.
• With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer and also unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
• Remove USB cable, if present.
• Wait for 2-3 minutes, press and hold the power button on your printer for about 30 seconds to remove any additional charge.
• Now plug back the power cable straight to a wall outlet without any surge protector or an extension cord (This is important) and then plug back the power cord to the printer.
• Turn on the printer and wait till warm-up period finishes and the printer is idle.

As the copy works fine, then the issue is with the print drivers or with the application / document that you are trying to print. Try to perform a clean install and check:

• First, unplug the USB cable from the printer if present.
• Go to Control Panel – Programs and feature – Select all the HP LaserJet printer entries and uninstall them.
• Now go to Control Panel – Devices and Printer – Select all the printer entries and remove the device.
• Press the "windows key" + "r" to get the "Run" window open - Type "printui.exe /s" (There is a space between .exe & /) and press enter.
• Under print server properties, go to drivers - remove any entry there as well.
• Again, go to the Run window, type – “c:/programdata” – Go to Hewlett Packard folder, remove any printer related folders & files.
• Restart your computer.
• Now, click http://hp.care/2vXuS9r to download and install the software.
• Connect the USB cable only when prompted and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

Please respond to this post with the results of the troubleshooting for 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,

[Montagu]

Thanks Jeet. I have already tried most of these fixes, although I didn't delete the folders within ProgramData.

I will be able to do all this again on Friday this week and I shall post results here. It does tend to fail after a couple of days of working OK, suggesting a background update to the printer is killing the colour printing.

[Dvortex]

Hello, @Montagu

Thanks for the update!

I see that you were interacting with @Jeet_singh. I'd like to help!

Please try the steps and let us know if it is working fine. 

If the issue persists, then try to install the printer using the Windows built-in drivers. 

First, open Windows Device Installation Settings and confirm that your computer is set to automatically download driver software.
 

• Search Windows for Change Device Installation, and then click the Change device installation settings Control Panel setting in the list of results.
• Device Installation Settings window displays.
• Select the Yes option, and then click Save Changes.

Now, follow the steps listed under step 3 here: http://hp.care/2oSqtTW

Let me know if that helps!

Cheers 🙂
 

Please click "Accepted as Solution" on the post that solves your issue to help others find the solution. To show appreciation for my help, please click the "Thumbs Up Icon" below!

[Montagu · Accepted solution]

Interestingly, no matter what we tried, or how often we tried it, the printer would work properly for a day or two, then fail again and revert to black and white print only.

My best guess was that a rogue update from HP was causing the issue. I can only imagine that not installing the HP Updates for the printer has no effect whatsoever on updates HP deems to be critical, which will be installed regardless of the customer's wishes. This would confirm my long held impression of HP as a sneaky little company, that does not have the best interests of the customer anywhere on the horizon.

Now, without any further intervention on my part, colour printing has returned. This makes me think that HP have fixed their original rogue patch and patched the patch.

It is beyond time for major organisations to understand that they will gain more trust, and so more customers and more sales, with an honest and up-front approach to customer services. We all make mistakes, the best companies admit to them and help you to overcome them.