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HP Deskjet 450 Series Printer - Printing Internal Tests

Introduction
Printing diagnostic and configuration pages
Printing a Demo page
Running the print cartridge Diagnostic test
Printing the print cartridge alignment page

Introduction

This document explains how to print the built-in (internal) tests of the HP Deskjet 450 printer. These tests can be used to ensure the printer is working properly or to troubleshoot specific printer issues.
If it is necessary to call the Customer Care Center, a Diagnostic page and a Configuration page should be printed to obtain printer information. Such information is useful to the Customer Care Center in helping to troubleshoot printer problems. Printer information is also available from the Toolbox by clicking Printer Hardware under the Information tab. Information on the printer, battery, connectivity, and media types used is available.

Printing diagnostic and configuration pages

The diagnostic page contains detailed printer information, including firmware version number, serial number, service ID, and print cartridge information.
The Configuration page contains information such as default page settings, printer media settings and Bluetooth connectivity status.
note:
The printer must not be processing any print jobs while the diagnostic or configuration pages are printing.
To print a diagnostic page:
Hold down the Power button and press the Resume button four times.
To print a configuration page:
Hold down the Power button and press the Cancel button four times.

Printing a Demo page

To verify that the printer is working, print a Demo page:
Hold down the Power button and press the Resume button once.
However, to verify that the printer is connected to the computer correctly, or that the printer software is working correctly, print a test page from the General tab in the Printer Properties dialog box (Windows) or the inkjet Utility Panel (Macintosh).
If the test page does not print, see the section "Printer is not responding (nothing prints)" in document BPD50494 - "Troubleshooting the Printer."

Running the print cartridge Diagnostic test

If printed characters are incomplete, or if dots or lines are missing from the printouts, the print cartridges might need to be cleaned. This is a symptom of clogged ink nozzles, which are a result of prolonged exposure to air.
note:
Before cleaning the print cartridges, make sure the print cartridge ink levels are not low or empty. Low ink levels can also cause incomplete characters, missing lines, or dots on the printouts. Check the print cartridge LEDs to make sure they are not on (see document BPD50478 - Printer Buttons and Lights). The print cartridge status can also be checked from the Printer Status tab in the Toolbox. Replace any low or empty print cartridges. For instructions, see document BPD50477 - Replacing the Print Cartridges.
note:
The ink in the print cartridges has been carefully formulated to ensure superior quality and compatibility with the printer. HP is not responsible for damage to the printer that results from modifying or refilling the print cartridges.
There are three cleaning levels available:
  • Level 1 cleaning is the quickest and uses the least amount of ink.
  • Level 2 cleaning should be performed only if level 1 cleaning was insufficient.
  • Level 3 cleaning is the most thorough and consumes the most ink and time. Level 3 cleaning should be performed only if level 2 cleaning was insufficient.
If the printer driver or Toolbox is installed, the print cartridges can be cleaned from the Services tab in the driver or the Printer Services tab in the Toolbox.
After each cleaning, the printer prints a test page to check the print quality, and the Toolbox prompts the next level of cleaning if necessary.
note:
Do not clean the print cartridges unless necessary; cleaning the print cartridges uses ink and shortens the life of the print cartridges.

Printing the print cartridge alignment page

Whenever a print cartridge is replaced, the print cartridges should be aligned for the best possible print quality. If a printout is grainy, has stray dots, jagged edges, or the ink is bleeding into another color on the page, the print cartridges can be re-aligned through the Toolbox or the printer driver.
note:
For PDAs, connect to a Windows or Macintosh operating system and align the print cartridges according to the instructions below.

Aligning from the printer driver in Windows

  1. Load plain paper into the input tray.
  2. Click Start, Settings, and then Printers.
  3. Right-click the printer icon, and then click:
    • Printing Preferences (Windows 2000 and Windows XP)
    • Properties (Windows 98 and Windows Me)
    • Document Defaults (Windows NT 4.0)
  4. Click the Services tab, and click Align Print Cartridges.
  5. Click Align from the Align Print Cartridges dialog box.
  6. Specify the combination of print cartridges in the printer. An alignment page prints.
  7. Follow the instructions on the screen to select the best-aligned patterns from the alignment page.
  8. Click OK to close the Align Print Cartridges dialog box when the alignment procedure is complete.
If the Toolbox is installed, the print cartridges also can be aligned from the Printer Services tab in the Toolbox.

Aligning in Macintosh (USB only)

  1. Load plain paper into the input tray.
  2. Open the HP Inkjet Utility and click the Calibrate Device button.
  3. Specify the combination of print cartridges in the printer. An alignment page prints.
  4. Follow the instructions on the screen to select the best-aligned pattern from the printed page.

Aligning in MS-DOS (R)

  1. Load plain paper into the input tray.
  2. Run the C:\HP450\ALIGN.BAT file.
  3. Follow the instructions on the screen to print an alignment page and to select the best-aligned pattern from the printed page.

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