What should diagnostic reports look like?

[cag8f]

Hello.  My HP software allows me to print various reports.  But what exactly should these reports look like?  My printer has printed such reports, but I'm not sure if the reports are indicating a print error or not.

More Info

I have an HP Deskjet 1000.  From my HP software (HP Printer Assistant), if I go to Print-->Maintain Your Printer-->Device Reports, I am able to print diagnostic information.  When I do so, my printer prints this page.  But is this what the printout should display, or is my printout indicative of a printing error?  In other words, what is this page supposed to look like?

Additionally, in HP Printer Assistant, I can go to Print-->Maintain Your Printer-->Device Services and run a Clean Ink Cartridges.  When it is complete it can print a diagnostic page.  When I do so with my printer, it prints this page.  Is this correct or not?  In other words, what is this page supposed to look like?

Thank in advance.

[Bob_Headrick]

The diagnostic page you show has a few issues:

• Major - there is color mix in the yellow portion of the color cartridge.  What should be bright yellow looks like a muddy gray/green.  Running multiple cleaning cycles may improve this, but more likely the cartridge will need to be replaced.  I see the cartridge was refilled, likely in this process cyan and magenta inks were allowed to mix on the printhead or (worse) the wrong ink was inserted in the yellow chamber.
• Minor - the nozzle pattern for black shows a few missing or misdirected nozzles.  This may improve with a cleaning cycle, but it likely to not be a problem.  Due to the nature of black printing it is not likely to be visible, it may show up in draft mode with slight banding in text or normal modes.  In your second scan you can see some defects in the E and H in the top row.

The proper test page would look something like below:

Figure : Example of a diagnostic report

[cag8f]

Wow, great info--thanks for this.  I have some follow-ups if you don't mind, mostly for my own edification:

• The example diagnostic report you sent was fairly low resolution.  I can't make out any of the top nozzle information.  Do you have a higher quality version (or link) that you can pass on?  I agree that the black nozzle issues probably won't be a problem.  My main issue appears to be with colors.
• Better though would be a copy of the second diagnostic page--the page with all the color swatches.  Clearly there is some yellow missing from some of those colors.  But without a sample copy of that test, I don't know which swatches are off and which are correct.  Do you have a copy of this sample page?  Maybe I can get it from HP support.

>> I see the cartridge was refilled

It is interesting that you can see this.  Can I ask where/how you see this?  In actuality, in the past year, this printer *has* used refilled ink cartridges.  But those were short lived, since the printer displayed print issues soon after, at which time I replaced them with new cartridges.  So the ink cartridges (both color and B&W) that are currently in are both brand new.  In my desk drawer I have another unopened new color cartridge.  But of course I would hate to insert it, only to find out it does not resolve my issue.  

>> likely in this process cyan and magenta inks were allowed to mix on the printhead

Would I be able to test/resolve this myself?

>> or (worse) the wrong ink was inserted in the yellow chamber.

Are you speaking of the yellow chamber inside the ink cartridge, or the yellow chamber insider my printer, or both (or neither)?  If you're speaking of the yellow chamber inside the ink cartridge, then wouldn't this be resolved with a new color ink cartridge?  If you're speaking of the yellow chamber inside my printer, is there anything I can do to test/resolve this myself?

Thanks for your help!

[Bob_Headrick]

I do not have a higher resolution version of the diagnostic page.  I got it from solution seven of the document here.  I did not find a copy of the second test page, but basically any color square that should have yellow will be incorrect.  The cartridge has cyan, yellow and magenta, and it makes color as follows:

yellow = yellow

green  = yellow + cyan

red     = magenta and yellow

blue    = cyan and magenta

etc.  Since yellow is more greenish gray all colors that use it will be wrong.

My refill premise was based on lines 55 and 57.  Line 55 indicates the cartridge was previously used, and line 57 indicates the ink level is basically empty.  A refilled (or third party remanufactured) cartridge would show both these.  Once a cartridge is emptied the ink level would be "very low", and even refilling or remanufacturing it would not change this.  If the cartrddige is not refilled it is likely a third party remanufactured (badly) cartridge.

On the good side the cartridges are electrically sound - the STAT - 0 in line 56 and 66 indicate this.

As for resolving the issue, it is possible but not likely that running a few cleaning cycles would resolve the issue.  This would help only if the color mixing was only superficial in the printhead of the cartrdige.  If the mixing has been allowed to move to the foam in the cartrdige it would be unrecoverable.  Printing full pages of yellow may help clear things (in the minor case).  If the color gradually shifts from the muddy gray green toward yellow it is working and more cleaning cycles (or yellow printed pages) may help.  The (destructive and messy) way to test this would be an autopsy - cut the top off the cartridge and pull out the foam blocks.  A good cartrdige would have a cyan block, a magenta block and a yellow block.  Your yellow block will be contaminated.

The good news is that a replacement cartridge should resolve the issue (unless it is also defective).  Your printer uses cartrdiges that have the printhead and ink supplies all built into the cartrdige - there is no ink supply in the printer other than the cartridges.  Replacing the color cartrdige replaces all the color ink.

If this has been helpful please click the thumbs up.  When you replace the cartridge and the issue is resolved please click the "accept as solution".  This will help others find the information in searches.

[cag8f]

OK I understand you on everything.  

Earlier I insisted that this current color cartridge was new.  Apologies, but that was inaccurate.  Looking through my records, I see that in May 2016 I purchased a new color cartridge (from a vendor that *might* be suspicious--a local vendor here in Thailand).  Four months later, and after only < 50 pages printed, the printer began to exerience issues with its color printouts.  I took it back to the same vendor and they refilled the color cartridge.  I can't say for sure if that resolved any issues, as I didn't pay too much attention.  But I certainly have issues now (i.e. poor yellow printing).

The good news is that in November 2016 I purchased a new color ink cartridge form a more trustworthy vendor (online megastore Lazada).  Per your suggestions, I will try a few cleanings, and some all-yellow print outs.  If the situation is not improved, I guess my only recourse is to try this new ink cartridge.  

To play devil's advocate, what if I replace the color cartridge with a new unit, confirm that it has not been refilled, yet still experience the same issues?  Might it need a printhead replacement?

Thanks!

[Bob_Headrick · Accepted solution]

Replacing your color cartridge with a good color cartridge WILL fix the problem.  Your printer has the printhead and ink delivery system built into the cartridge.  Replacing the cartridge does replace the printhead, there is nothing else that would need to be changed.

[cag8f]

OK thanks for all your help so far.  I was able to carry out a few of the suggested steps (several cleans, printing yellow page).  There were some illuminating results, but my full summary will unfortunately have to wait ~18 hours.  Stand by until then...

[cag8f]

OK here are test results.  To start, my diagnostic pages looked like this.  I then ran three successive cleanings (initial clean, second-level clean, and third-level clean), and my diagnostic pages looked like this.   A bit better--you can see the yellow coming back a little, but still not all the way.  It should also be noted that during the first cleaning, the HP printer utility popped up a warning saying that my color ink was both very low, and had been refilled.  This was the first time this message had ever appeared in ~1 year of use.  But it still allowed me continue, which I did.  I then tried to print two all-yellow pages (using Microsoft Word).  The two printouts came out like this.  It is quite clear that there are issues with the yellow ink (at least).  

What are your thoughts on these tests?  Do they lend evidence to your theories?  I still have not changed the color ink cartridge.  I have that on stand-by, ready to do so.  For completeness, I just wanted to run as many tests as possible, to learn as much as I could during this process.  Are there any more tests we can/should run with the printer in this state?  If not, I'll replace the color cartridge.

Thanks!

[Bob_Headrick]

The second test page indicates the cleaning was helping and the yelllow was recovering.  By the last page your printer is running out of yellow, although that may be an artifact of heavy printing that might recover with some rest.

I would suggest you replace the color cartridge.

[cag8f]

OK great info.  Just to give it a shot, I'll let it rest for two days, then try a couple cleanings, then print the reports again.  If the yellow recovers, I'll leave the cartridge in for a bit longer (this is not a critical issue).  If the major yellow issues are still present, I'll replace the cartridge.  Either way I'll update this space then.

Thanks!