Horizontal Lines When printing

[AntW]

Hi Guys,

Recently I've been getting horizontal lines whilst printing.

It is particularly noticable on Cyan or Yellow areas of print. I've tried troubleshooting, have installed and followed HP Print and Scan doctor, which included realligning the print heads and cleaning them but the problem persists.

The printer is nearly 4 years old and is in moderate use daily. I use a lot of the Cyan ink because some logos I regularly print on my letterhead are blue.

I use genuine, unrefilled HP cartridges.

Is this just a case of a printer that needs a service? Is that even a thing? Is it past it's best or is there something obvious I could be missing?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as my next step is to start hitting it with a hammer. I've tried turning it on and off.

Cheers

[Flower_Bud]

Hi @AntW,

Welcome to HP Forums,

This is a great place to get support, find answers and tips,

Thank you for posting your query, I'll be more than glad to help you out 🙂

As I understand, you're getting horizontal lines while printing.

Don't worry as I'll be glad to help, however, to provide an accurate resolution, I need a few more details:

Does this happen while making a copy? 

When was the last time it worked fine? 

Let's try these steps from the link: 

Step 1: Reset the printer

To reset the printer, disconnect the printer from the power source, and then reconnect it.

1. Turn the printer on, if it is not already on.

2. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you continue.

3. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.

4. Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.

5. Wait at least 60 seconds.

6. Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet.

      NOTE:

   HP recommends connecting the printer power cord directly to the wall outlet.

7. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.

8. Turn on the printer, if it does not automatically turn on.

   The printer might go through a warm-up period. The printer lights might flash, and the carriage might move.

9. Wait until the warm-up period finishes and your printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

If resetting the printer did not resolve the issue, continue to the next step.

Step 2: Use genuine HP ink cartridges

For the best print quality, use genuine HP ink cartridges.

HP recommends that you use genuine HP ink or toner supplies. HP cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of non-HP or refilled cartridges. If you do not use genuine HP cartridges, the steps in this document might not resolve the issue. To check the authenticity of your cartridges, go to hp.com/go/anticounterfeit.

Visit HP SureSupply to check ink or toner cartridge compatibility or purchase replacement cartridges and other supplies.

1. Go to HP SureSupply.

2. If necessary, select your country/region.

   Figure : Country/region selector

   

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to order new supplies or check cartridge compatibility with your printer.

You can also purchase genuine HP cartridges and supplies from other retailers.

   NOTE:

Rough handling at the store or during installation can cause print quality problems with newly installed ink cartridges. If you see print problems with newly installed ink cartridges, wait for a few hours for the automatic servicing routine to complete, and then try to print again.

If using genuine HP ink cartridges did not resolve the issue, continue to the next step.

Step 3: Allow automatic servicing to complete

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE TROUBLESHOOTING

Let me know how that pans out

I hope you have a good day ahead,

And Feel free to ask any other queries as well,

Considering, this forum has some of the best people in the world available and ready to help.

[AntW]

Hi, 

Thanks very much for taking th etime to reply.

After following your instructions, I did notice an improvement in the distortion of the printing. Although far from perfect the improvement does shift the print quality from unnacceptable to acceptable for my purposes.

I will need to replace my ink cartridges soon and I'm hoping that this issue will improve further a this point (I do use genuine, unrefilled cartridges).

I will update further once I have done this. 

Thanks again

Antony

[MKazi]

@AntW

Hi Antony,

You're most welcome. 

As @Flower_Bud is out of the office today, I'm replying to you. 

Fabulous analysis. Spectacular diagnosis of the issue. Kudos to you for that. 

Sure, please reach out to us as conveniently as possible and we're here to assist you. 

Happy printing! 🙂