HP Officejet 5740 - Printer Not Printing Dark Enough

[ryanheintz]

I am attempting to print a scanned image from my PC running Win 10 64 bit and my girlfriend is attempting to print the same file from her Mac running OS 10 Yosemite.  We are trying to print in black and white but the image is coming through very light colored on my HP Officejet 5740.  When she prints from her work printer or her old printer it would come through much darker.

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this type of behavior from their printer before, and if they have how they were able to resolve it.  Does the printer need cleaning or is there a setting that I can't find?

Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Thank you!

[A4Apollo · Accepted solution]

Hey there! @ryanheintz, Thank you for visiting the HP Forums! A great place where you can find solutions for your issues, with help from the community!

I understand when you print from your printer the print output is not dark enough.

Don't worry I'll try to help you out.

Did you make any changes to your printer?

Does the issue persist when you make a copy from your printer?

Have you tried printing using a different application?

Have you tried printing using a different ink cartridge?

As you mentioned when you print from your printer the print output is not dark enough.

Try the steps recommended below.

The only option to darken the text is to change the print quality to its highest setting.

In the software program, you are trying to print from, click File, and then click Print. The Print dialog box will open.
Select your product from the Name drop-down menu, and then click Properties. The Properties dialog box will then open.
Click the Paper/Quality tab.
 Under Quality Settings, you will be able to increase the print quality.

If the copy works fine try uninstalling and reinstalling the printer drivers from root level and install the full feature printer software.

In Windows, search for and open Programs and Features.

Select your HP printer.

Select Uninstall.

In Windows, search for and open Devices and Printers.

In the Devices and Printers window look for your HP Printer. If you see it listed, right-click on it and choose "Delete" or "Remove Device.”

Open up the run command with the "Windows Key + R" key combo.

Type printui.exe /s and click OK.

Click on Drivers tab.

Look for HP Printer driver. If you see it click on it and click remove at the bottom.

Select OK.

Select Apply and OK on the Print Server Properties windows.

Close Devices and Printers.

Update the full feature printer software using this link.

If you have issues copying try the steps recommended in the article listed below.

Refer this article to further troubleshoot print quality issues.

If the solution provided worked for you, please mark accepted solution for this post.

Let me know if this helps!

Have a pleasant day ahead! 🙂

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

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[ryanheintz]

Thank you Mr Robot for the detailed instructions on possible solutions.  I had ordered a replacement ink cartridge at the same time as I posted this and it seemed to fix the issue.  Thankfully it wasn't anything more involved than that but this is great information to have in case the issue arrises again in the future.  My printer said the cartridge had plenty of ink left in it so I'm not sure why it wasn't printing effectively...but glad the issue isn't persisting.

Thank you again for the thorough explanation of the options to resolve.

Thanks, Ryan

[A4Apollo]

Hi! @ryanheintz, You're welcome and thanks for your prompt response.

I am happy to hear that your issue got resolved.

If you have any queries in future related to any HP products, you can always reach out to us.

We will try our best to help you out.

Take care,

Have a great day! 🙂