Scratches when printing photos

[Hirondelle]

Hello,

My printer (HP Tango) has major print quality problems with photos. The print heads scrape the paper with each pass, with a distinctive shrill noise. The result is vertical scratches all over the photo. (see below)

I tried it on A4 and 5x7" photo paper, no difference, everything is scratched.

I also tried on ordinary paper, the print head makes the same shrill noise, but the scratches are no longer visible.
The cartridges are official HP cartridges, with enough ink

Cleaning or realigning the printheads does not produce any improvement.

I also tried a hard reset, no effect. Neither does a manual cleaning of the printheads.

The problem occurs when printing from an Android phone, and Windows 10.

Thank you for your help.

[Echo_Lake]

@Hirondelle

Thank you for posting on the HP Support Community.
 

Don't worry as I'll be glad to help, I appreciate your efforts to try and resolve the issue, to provide an accurate resolution, I need a few more details:

• Does the copy print out the same way? 
• What's the application you are trying to print from? 
• Have you tried printing from a different application or device? 

Keep me posted for further assistance.

[Hirondelle]

Does the copy print out the same way?

The HP Tango don't do copy

What's the application you are trying to print from?

With HP Smart for Android, and directly from the photo viewer for Windows10

Have you tried printing from a different application or device?

I tried different with devices. An Android 11 smartphone (Xiaomi POCO F3), and a Windows 10 pc, HP Smart for windows says drivers and firmware are up to date.

Thanks for your help.

[Echo_Lake]

@Hirondelle

Thank you for posting back. 

I appreciate your efforts to try and resolve the issue. 
 

Kindly perform the steps mentioned in this document Black Ink Not Printing, Other Print Quality Issues By the end of the article you will be able to isolate the issue.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as 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!

[Hirondelle · Accepted solution]

I've had already done most of these steps numerous times before coming here. Nevertheless, I have now isolated the issue.

By closely examining the black cartridge I've spotted a sort of splinter near the copper-colored contacts. I've cautiously cutted it, and now my photos prints well.

Thanks for your help.