My HP Deskjet 6988 spits out a blank sheet of paper before it prints anything.

[MJK0703]

My printer spits out a blank sheet of paper before it will print anything, thus when I put a form in the printer, it does  not print on that, i.e. Avery Template.

[sandytechy20 · Accepted solution]

@MJK0703

Welcome to the HP Forums, this is a great location to get assistance! I read your post and see that your printer is printing blank pages. I would like to help you resolve this issue. 

However, I will need a few details to provide an accurate solution,

• Are you using genuine HP ink cartridges?
• Did you do any changes to the printer?

Meanwhile

Print a diagnostic page

1. Make sure the printer is on and loaded with unused, plain, white paper.

2. Press and hold the Power button and then press the Cancel button. Release both buttons. The diagnostic page prints.

1. Figure : Power and Print Cancel buttons

2. 1. 

      Power button and light

   2. Print Cancel button

Check the print quality and ink levels on the diagnostic page.

If both look good, then follow the below steps:

Clean the print cartridges automatically

1. Make sure the printer is on and connected to the computer.

2. Click Start.

3. Click Settings.

4. Click Printers and Faxes.

5. Right-click on the name of your printer and then select Printing Preferences.

6. Click the Services tab and then click Service this Device.

7. The printer Toolbox displays. On the Device Services tab, click Clean the Print Cartridge(s).

1. Figure : Click Clean the Print Cartridge(s)

   

2. Click Clean, and then follow the onscreen instructions.

Clean the area around the cartridge nozzles

1. Gather cleaning supplies:

   • Clean distilled, filtered, or bottled water. Tap water may contain contaminants which could damage the cartridge.

   • Clean cotton swabs or any soft, lint-free material that will not stick to the cartridges (coffee filters work well).

   • Sheets of paper or paper towel to rest the cartridges on during cleaning.

2. Remove one of the cartridges and place it on a piece of paper with the nozzle plate facing up.

3. Examine the area around the nozzle plate. If you see any debris or ink buildup, clean the cartridge as follows:

      NOTE:

   If you do not see debris or ink buildup on the print cartridge, do not clean it.

   1. Lightly moisten the lint-free cleaning material with clean water.

   2. Use the swab to wipe clean the faces and edges around the nozzle plate. The area to be cleaned is cross-hatched in the picture below. Replace the cleaning material if it gets dirty.

         CAUTION:

      Do not touch either the nozzle place (in the center of the cross-hatched area below), or the copper-colored contacts. Touching these parts can cause clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.

1. 1. Figure : Cleaning the cartridge

   2. 1. 

         Clean in the cross-hatched area only

      2. Do NOT touch the nozzle plate

      3. Do NOT touch the copper-colored contacts

2. Repeat the steps above for the other cartridge. Make sure to examine both cartridges, even if the streaks are only one color (streaks in black ink are commonly caused by fibers and debris stuck to the bottom of the tri-color print cartridge). Only clean the cartridge if you see debris or buildup, however. If you do clean the other cartridge, use fresh cleaning material.

3. Either let the cartridge sit for five minutes or use a new swab to dry the cleaned areas before you reinsert the cartridges.

You can refer this HP document for more assistance:-  https://hp.care/2MoP78a

If this helps, please mark my post as an accepted solution so that it benefits several others and please give the same public post a Kudos for my efforts to help.
Take care and have a blessed week ahead.

Cheers.