Ink only prints well on document every other line

[nmardeusz]

Recently purchased new printer ink, black. Now when I go to print off documents, every other line prints well. The other line comes in greyed and basically non existant. How do i fix this problem?

[ReverseTalk]

Hello. Please follow the steps in this document: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03944809

Step one: Print the report

1. Load plain white U.S. letter or A4 size paper in the tray.
2. On the control panel home screen, press the Setup icon .
3. Press the button  next to the Down Arrow  until Reports displays next to OK.
4. Press the button next to OK to select Reports.
5. Press the button next to the Down Arrow  until Print Quality Report displays next to OK, and then press the button next to OK. The report prints.
   Figure : Example of the report

   

Step two: Check the report for defects

If the printer and the cartridges are working correctly, all the color bars in the test report should be complete, unstreaked and uniform in color across the width of the page. The black text on the page should not have ink streaks.

The following table includes examples of defects on the Print Quality Diagnostic report. The examples are not all inclusive but they represent the most common print quality issues.

Examples of defects on the Print Quality Diagnostic Report
Defect	Example
Large text is ragged on one end
Irregularly streaked or faded color bars
Ragged color bars
Color bars are streaked with another color
Color blocks have regular white streaks
Jagged alignment patterns

• If you do not see defects on the test page, the print mechanism and ink cartridges work correctly. Do not continue the troubleshooting steps in this document. If printouts are still unsatisfactory, try the following general print quality guidelines.
  • Make sure that the image you are printing has sufficient resolution. Images that are enlarged too much might appear fuzzy or blurry.
  • If the issue is confined to a band near the edge of a printout, use the software you installed with the printer or another software program to rotate the image 180 degrees. The problem might not display on the other end of the printout.

  Windows only: If you are experiencing garbled, jumbled or illogical text, incomplete printouts, or missing text or graphics, go to Continuous Pages of Strange or Garbled Characters Print in Windows

• If you see one or more of these defects on the test page, continue to the next step.

Step three: Make sure that the cartridges are properly vented and seated correctly

If the vent on the top of the cartridge is clogged or obstructed, the cartridge might not work properly. Follow these steps to make sure that the cartridges are properly vented and seated correctly.

1. Press the Power button to turn on the printer, if it is not already turned on. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you continue.
2. Locate the two slots on the left and right sides of the printer.
   Figure : Locations of the two slots

   
3. Slide your fingers into the two slots, and then lift up to open the cartridge access door. The carriage moves into the access area.
   Figure : Open the cartridge access door

   
4. Press the tab on the front of the cartridge inward to release it, and then pull up on the cartridge to remove it from the slot.
   Figure : Remove the ink cartridge from its slot

   
5. Locate the vent area on the top of the cartridge.
   Figure : Vent area on the top of the cartridge

   
6. If the cartridge still has the orange pull-tab attached, pull to remove it.
   Figure : Orange pull tab

   
7. If the vent is clogged, use a straight pin to gently remove excess adhesive from the vent.
   Figure : Clean the clogged vent with a pin

   

   1. Clogged vent
   2. With a straight pin, gently remove excess adhesive from the vent
   3. Unclogged vent
8. With the nozzle and contacts facing down, slide the cartridge into its slot. Press down on the cartridge until it clicks into place.

      NOTE:

   Make sure that each cartridge is installed in the correct slot. Match the shape of the icon and the color of the cartridge with the slot that has the same shaped icon and color.

   Figure : Reinsert the cartridge

   
9. Repeat these steps to inspect the vents on each of the cartridges.
10. Make sure that each cartridge is firmly in place in its slot. Run your finger along the top of the cartridges to feel for any that are protruding, and if any are, press down firmly until each cartridge snaps into place.
11. Close the cartridge access door.
    Figure : Close the cartridge access door

    
12. Print, and then review another test page.

• If these steps resolved the issue, there is no need to continue troubleshooting.
• If the issue persists, see the next step.

Step four: Use an automated tool to clean the printhead

Follow these steps to run an automated tool to clean the printhead.

   CAUTION:

Never turn off the printer when ink cartridges are missing. Make sure you replace any missing ink cartridges as soon as possible to avoid print quality issues and possible extra ink usage or damage to the ink system. To avoid issues that require cleaning the printhead, always turn the printer off with the Power button on the printer itself.

1. Load plain, white U.S. letter or A4 size paper in the input tray.
2. On the printer control panel, press the Setup icon .
3. Press the button  next to the arrow  until Tools displays next to OK.
4. Press the button next to OK to select Tools, and then press the button next to the arrow  until Clean Printhead displays next to OK.
5. Press the button next to OK to clean the printheads.
   The printer cleans the printheads and then prints a test page.
6. Evaluate the test page for print quality.
   Figure : Example of the printhead cleaning test page
   
   • If the print quality on the test page is satisfactory, touch No to return to the current print job.
   • If the print quality on the test page is unsatisfactory, touch Yes to perform a secondary cleaning of the printhead.
     There are three printhead cleaning stages. Complete all three stages if necessary. If the printhead is badly clogged, it might require another cleaning cycle. If so, wait 30 minutes after the last (third) cleaning stage to start the first stage of the cleaning process over again.

Step five: Update the printer firmware

If cleaning the printhead fixed the problem, select the link for your printer to install the latest firmware update. The firmware update can prevent future printing problems.

   NOTE:

Currently, firmware updates are only available for Windows operating systems.

1. Select your printer:
   • HP Officejet 4610 All-in-One Printer
   • HP Officejet 4620 e-All-in-One Printer
   • HP Officejet 4622 e-All-in-One Printer
   • HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 4615 All-in-One Printer
   • HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 4625 e-All-in-One Printer
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the firmware update for your printer.

• If you do not see defects on the test page, the print mechanism and cartridges work correctly. Do not continue the troubleshooting steps in this document.
• If you see defects on the test page, try the second-stage cleaning option the printer offers. If you still see defects on the test page, continue to the next step.

Step six: Align the printer

Follow these steps to align the printer if you found defects on the test report.

1. Make sure that there is plain white U.S. letter or A4 size paper in the tray.
2. On the printer control panel, press the Setup icon .
3. Press the button  next to the Down Arrow  until Tools displays next to OK.
4. Press the button next to OK to select Tools, and then press the button next to the Down Arrow  until Align Printhead displays next to OK.
5. Press the button next to OK to align the printhead. The printer aligns the printhead, and then prints an alignment page.
6. Lift the scanner lid.
   Figure : Lift the scanner lid

   
7. Load the alignment page print-side down in the right-front corner of the glass.
   Figure : Load the alignment page on the scanner glass

   
8. Press the button next to OK. The printer scans the alignment page.

[zhiqiang]

an easy way to resolve this issue is to clean print head. You can follow the steps in control panel in tools menu or you can refer to user manual on how to clean print head. After cleaning print head, this problem should be resolved. 

Hope thsi helps.