HP Envy Printer printing data out of alignment on a pre-printed form

[shelleys]

Dear HP Community,

I have had a recent problem come up as I print billing information on pre-printed insurance claim forms (called CMS-1500 forms) that are used in the medical and psychotherapy worlds. I have always been able to print data on these pre-printed forms with no problem. Recently a batch of claims I printed were rejected because the printing all came out a bit above the lines and boxes on the pre-printed form. Suddenly my printer is doing this--printing clearly but the information that I have inputted on my software program on my MacBook Air (a software program called File-Mate) comes out on the printed form about 1/4 inch above where it should be and the insurance companies rejected all my claims last month because of this. Their scanners will not read any claims that have data just a bit "off" of the proper location on the page. Does anyone know if this is a printer issue or a software issue? I did run some diagnostics on my printer--had the print heads cleaned, checked for jammed paper and had the alignment checked--all good. So I am perplexed. Would welcome any feedback or suggestions. Thank you very much.

Shelley S. from Elk Rapids MI

[Nal_NR]

Hi @shelleys,

Welcome to the HP support community.

I understand that you are facing issues with alignment. I'd like to help!

Follow the steps mentioned below and see how it goes. 

Perform an alignment

• Align the printheads or cartridges in your printer when you replace them, to improve print quality, or to clear an alignment error.
• Load plain white paper in the input tray.
• Open the HP Smart app, and then click the picture of your printer to open the settings and management tools.
• In Print Quality Tools or in Advanced Settings > Tools > Utilities > Print Quality Toolbox, select Align or Align Printheads to start the alignment.

Reset the printer

• Reset the printer to recover from printer errors or failures.
• If your printer has a rechargeable battery, remove it.
• With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the printer.
• Unplug the power cord from the power source.
• Wait 60 seconds.
• Reconnect the power cord to a wall outlet and to the printer.
• NOTE:
• HP recommends plugging the printer directly into a wall outlet.
• Turn on the printer to complete the reset.

Check ink levels and replace low or empty cartridges

• Low ink levels can result in poor print quality or errors. HP recommends having replacement ink on hand when cartridges are low.
• Check ink levels.
• From the printer control panel: Look for an ink drop, a cartridge icon, or an Ink Levels menu.
• From the HP Smart app: Open the HP Smart app. Estimated ink levels display on the Home screen.
• From the printer software: Open the printer software, and then click the Supplies or Ink Levels option.
• Ink Tank, Smart Tank, DeskJet GT printers: Look at the ink tank windows on the printer. Most printers with ink tanks have a minimum fill line.
• If any of the cartridges or tanks are low on ink, or if you see a Low ink message, replace the low cartridge or refill the empty tank.

Clean the printheads or cartridges

• Use a printhead or cartridge cleaning tool in the printer software or on the control panel to resolve errors and improve print quality.
• Use this cleaning tool when you see streaks, smudges, or colored or white lines on printed pages.
• Control panel (printers with touchscreens only): From the Settings, Setup, or Tools menu, look for an option to clean the printheads or cartridges.
• HP Smart app (Windows 10, macOS, Android, iOS): In the app, click your printer, click Print Quality Tools, and then select the option to clean the printheads or cartridges.
• HP Printer Assistant (Windows): Click Maintain Your Printer, and then select the option to clean the printheads or cartridges.
• HP Utility (Mac): Click the option to clean the printheads or cartridges.
• After the cleaning, evaluate the page that prints. You might need to clean the printheads or cartridges more than once.

Once done go to next step 5 from this document here. 

Hope this helps. Keep me posted.

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Yes" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping