Printer not printing only printing very little dots

[Desmond8]

I’ve had this printer for 2 years it’s out of warranty and recently it’s been giving me lots of problems it’s been freezing which I normally just unplug and plug it back in to fix but now I’m having printing issue where the printer is not printing anything I put but it’s not entitled blank it leaves little dots and smudges. I’ve tried talking to customer service but no help so please if anyone could help me I’d appreciate it 

[Nal_NR]

Hi @Desmond8,

Greetings!
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I understand, there's an issue with the print quality. I'd like to help!

To better assist you - 

1) Are you using genuine HP ink? 

2) Have you tried any troubleshooting steps before posting here? 

Let's try these steps -

Step 1 Reset the printer -

1) Take out the cartridges.

2) Unplug the power cord from the printer & wall.

3) Wait for 30 seconds. 

4) Plug the power cord back into the printer and wall, ensure the printer is plugged into the wall & not to a surge protector.

5) Insert the cartridges back into the printer.

Step 2 Use genuine HP ink cartridges. 

Step 3 Check the print settings -

1) In the software application, you are trying to print from, click File, and then click Print.
The Print window opens.
2) Open the Properties dialog box.
Depending on the software application, the button might be Properties, Options, Printer Setup, Printer, or Preferences.
3) Depending on your print job, you might consider modifying the following settings:
· Paper Type: If you are printing on photo paper, select the type of photo paper you are attempting to print on.
· Print Quality: If you are dissatisfied with the quality of your printouts, increase the print quality. To print more quickly, decrease the print quality. These options typically include Best, Normal, and Draft modes.
· Paper Size: If you are printing on a different size of paper than you normally print on, select the correct paper size.
· Black and White: If you want to print in black and white only, select the grayscale option.
4) After selecting the print settings, click OK to apply the settings, and then click Print.

Step 4 Update the printer's firmware - Click here

Step 5 Check the estimated ink levels -

On the printer control panel, touch the Ink Level icon. Identify any ink cartridges that are low or empty, and replace them. 

If the issue still persists, print a Print Quality Diagnostics report -

1) On the printer control panel, touch the Right Arrow to display additional options.
2) Touch Setup, touch the Arrow, and then touch Reports.
3) Touch Print Quality Report. The Print Quality Diagnostics Report prints.Down

Evaluate the report, if a defect is found try cleaning the printhead -

1) On the printer control panel, touch the Right Arrow to display additional options.
2) Touch Setup, and then touch Tools.
3) Touch Clean Printhead. There are three cleaning stages. A test page (different from the Print Quality Diagnostics page) prints between each cleaning stage. Do not use this test page for analysis. Touch No when prompted to continue the next level of cleaning.

Hope this helps!

Let me know how that goes.

To thank us for our efforts to help you, "Accept as solution" and click on the  "Thumbs up". 

[Nal_NR]

Hi @Desmond8,

As we did not hear from you, I'll be closing this case for now. Hope I was able to fix the issue. If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to us. 

Give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution button, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers and did reply to you!

Have a great day!