Printer can scan and print (self) reports but not scan nor print from pc

[Tea702]

Hello everyone,

I have a HP Officejet Pro 8730 that has been causing problems since today. Heres the situation what I tried and tested (the settings are in German so the translations may differ from the actual wordings used by the printer in English):

I can clean the ink heads and it prints the report after

I have printed the printer status report

I can scan via HP Smart app

I cannot print from my PC (it says printing and has the green header and loading icon but it doesnt print, but it does some sounds too at the beginning)

I cannot copy from the printer

I have reinstalled the drivers and HP Smart (by removing it from uninstall programs).

I have removed and re-added the printer from printer and scanners tab of windows.

I have unplugged and plugged in the printer and restarted the pc.

I have tried restarting the print spool / queue in services.msc too

For some reason I cannot factory reset the printer via the embedded web server / HP smart because it isnt able to load the reset to factory settings tab. Does anyone have an alternative solution please?

Edit: The HP Smart diagnostics function also can't find any problems.

[VikramTheGreat · Accepted solution]

Hi @Tea702,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

Thanks for the detailed breakdown, as you are facing this issue with the HP OfficeJet Pro 8730. Based on your description, it seems like the printer is partially functional (can scan and print internal reports) but fails to print from the PC or copy directly. This points to a firmware or internal software issue, possibly affecting the print engine or job processing system.
 

Here’s a focused plan to resolve it:

1. Hard Reset the Printer

This is different from a power cycle:

• Turn the printer on.
• Disconnect the power cable from the back of the printer.
• Unplug the power cord from the wall.
• Wait 60 seconds.
• Plug it back in and turn the printer on.

This clears deeper memory issues.

2. Access the Secret Factory Reset Menu

Since the web interface and HP Smart app aren’t letting you reset, try this manual reset method:

1. On the printer’s touchscreen, tap the Back button (←) four times quickly.
2. This should open a Support or Service menu.
3. Look for the Reset Menu or the Semi-Full Reset.
4. Select it and follow the prompts.

⚠️ This will reset all settings and may require re-setup of Wi-Fi and preferences.

3. Update Firmware via USB (Offline Method)

If the printer is stuck in a weird state, updating firmware manually can help:

• Download the latest firmware for the 8730 from HP’s support site.
• Use the USB Firmware Updater Tool (available on the same page).
• Connect the printer via USB and run the update.

4. Try Printing from Another Device

To rule out a PC-specific issue:

• Try printing from a different PC or mobile device using HP Smart.
• If it works, the issue may be with your Windows print subsystem.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, as it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

VikramTheGreat

HP Support

[Tea702]

Hi @VikramTheGreat,

thank you for your reply. What I forgot to mention is that I was able to update the firmware on the printer directly, but it still didn't work after. I am writing this post as I am going through each step.

I have tried printing from my phone first but it didnt work so it seems to be a printer issue.

I have hard resetted the printer as you instructed, it still doesn't work (Neither PC or phone)

When it configured itself after the semi-full reset it showed "Alignment problem" (not sure if it is the correct translation) although it was able to print the report paper without problems.

After trying to clean the ink heads my printer ran out of ink so I replaced the ink cartridges and it worked after. I cannot tell if the reset or the replaced ink cartridges solved the problem but thank you for your help. I can finally print and copy again.

It might have been a bug that the ink cartridge(s) were empty but it didnt give a notification. I remember checking the ink level on the printer and in HP smart and it was showing an error (it was empty with a yellow error / problem sign) there so that might have been it, even though I could still print the self reports with full color while that error was shown.