Printing Problem - HP Smart Tank 515

[S443]

Hello there,

I've run into a problem with my printer suddenly while printing about a week ago and I'm still unable to resolve this issue. The printer was printing normally but suddenly its speed dropped DRASTICALLY. I am no expert at printers but I know that the printhead which is on a rail (in my case Tri-Color and Black) moves left and right quickly to print. Well now, it moves to the right and stays there a good 20-30 secs before moving back to the left and so on. Sometimes even taking up to 5 minutes to print a small picture which used to take a few seconds before! Towards the last bit of the print (bottom of the page) it speeds up and finishes the print which means that it clearly can print quickly but something is holding it back.

I have tried cleaning the printheads' contacts using a cotton bud and some drinking water not tap water and letting to dry maybe the connection was bad but that did not solve the issue. I got this from an HP retired employee which I found in another post by someone else in HP forum. I also tried completely uninstalling the printer's drivers from my laptop and re-installing them but that also did not work. I tried cleaning the band that the printheads move on above the rail maybe there was bad communication but yet again that did not solve the issue. I tried to update the printer's firmware using HP Support Assistant app but it was up to date.  I tried using my phone to print and it used to work but now the printer is refusing to print documents sent from my phone. Quiet mode is also turned off and the paper quality is set to normal and I even reset settings to default options in case that was issue but to no success. Every print takes ages to complete!

I had the printer sent to a certified HP repair center because of a jam in the paper tray which I could not get out a few days ago and I had mentioned this issue, and when I got the printer back its speed was back but then after a few hours the issue came back and honestly its driving me crazy! I've had the printer for around 2 years now and only a week ago did this issue arise, it was working perfectly fine! 

Moreover, sometimes I'd get an error on the printer and on the HP Smart app that the K printhead (Black) is not communicating properly and sometimes all lights and buttons start flashing on the printer. I did not understand what it meant on the user manual so also do clarify this please. The printer is printing wirelessly on a network that only has my laptop and phone connected to so it's not possible that this issue is because of the load on the network or server.

Kindly help me resolve this issue ASAP as I need the printer to print lots of documents in the coming few days and thank you in advance!

[Rainbow23]

Hi @S443,

Welcome to HP Support Community. 

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

I see that you are facing printing issues with your HP Smart Tank 515 Wireless All-In-One.

I suggest that you follow the steps listed below to update the firmware from HP Smart App.

1. Go to 123.hp.com (Android, Apple iOS, iPad OS), or HP Smart - Microsoft Store (Windows), or HP Smart - Mac App Store (Mac) (if not installed).

2. After completing the printer setup, click or tap on the printer’s name.

NOTE: Menu names, locations, and available settings vary by printer model.

3. Under Advanced, select Printer Home Page (EWS) or Advanced Settings.

4. Click or tap Tools or Web Services.

5. Click or tap Printer Updates or Product Update, and then click or tap Check Now.

I hope this helps.
Take care and have a good day ahead.

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

[S443]

Hello @Rainbow23,

Thanks for your reply, I have already checked for updates but there are no new updates as its up to date and the printer still prints extremely slow but sometimes it would print fast with no issues and I have no clue why's this happening.

[Rainbow23]

Hi @S443,

I suggest that you contact HP Service Center in your location from this weblink: https://support.hp.com/us-en/help/service-center 
Note: Select your country from the dropdown,  enter the city or postal code, select the product, change the radius, and click on search to locate the nearest HP Service center near your location.

Hope this helps.
Take care and have a good day.