hp officejet 4650 very slow copying

[mstark]

My HP Officejet 4650 printer makes copies very slowly.

I have done hard resets of the printer. 

I have tried plugging it directly into the wall.

I have downloaded the latest drivers.

I have done the printer alignment. 

Please let me know what else to try. 

Thanks 

Mary Starkovich

[Bob_Headrick · Accepted solution]

Does the Officejet 4650 print at normal speed, but copies are slow?  Or are prints also slow? 

If only copies are slow then check the copy settings, make sure Plain Paper is selected for the paper type unless you are printing on special media like Photo Paper.

If both copies and printing is slow then make a copy and listen as the carriage moves back and forth.  Does the carriage make a pass, then pause for about fifteen seconds, then make another pass?  If so one of the cartridges is at fault.  Try the following:  remove the black cartridge and set it aside with the nozzles facing up.  Make a copy and note the speed.  Does the copy now proceed at normal speed?  If so the black cartridge was at fault and will need to be replaced.  If the copy is still slow with the black cartridge removed then put it back in the printer and remove the color cartridge and set it aside.  Now try making a copy.  If the copy is at normal speed with the color cartridge removed then the color cartridge is at fault and should be replaced.

[mstark]

yes, it was just the copying and it was set on specialty paper. 

Fixed.

Thanks!!!

[kcallahan47]

I went through this procedure and determined the color cartridge was the issue.  However, after contacting HP support, I reolved the issue by restoring factory settings.  Of course, you'll have to go through all the original setup as if it was a new printer, including wifi setup.  But, that's better/cheaper than replacing a cartridge. 

[Bob_Headrick]

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@kcallahan47 wrote:

I went through this procedure and determined the color cartridge was the issue.  However, after contacting HP support, I reolved the issue by restoring factory settings.  Of course, you'll have to go through all the original setup as if it was a new printer, including wifi setup.  But, that's better/cheaper than replacing a cartridge. 

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If a reset resolved the issue I would suspect the issue was related to media selection - if the printer was set for photo paper then printing would be very slow, with the printhead making hundreds of swaths across the paper.

[kcallahan47]

I did check all the settings, including media, before doing the reset. As an FYI, I've never used any media other than plain paper. I have an older deskjet I use for photo media.