note:To view the types of paper your printer supports, see the specifications for your printer.
note:To purchase paper in the United States and Canada, go to HP Home & Home Office.
note:Inappropriate paper usually causes vertical streaks in printouts (or if the problem occurs on a copy, dirty scanner glass usually causes the issue). Do not replace cartridges to fix vertical streaks.
Examples of horizontal streaks and vertical streaks in the printout
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Figure : Horizontal streaks in printout
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Figure : Vertical streaks in printout
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Continue with the following troubleshooting steps if your printout contains horizontal streaks or other print quality issues besides vertical streaks.
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Do not replace cartridges for vertical streaks in a printout. Instead, check the paper as described earlier in this document, or click here to fix Vertical Bands, Lines, or Streaks in Copies or Scans to resolve the issue.
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note:Ink level warnings and indicators provide estimates for planning purposes only. When an indicator shows low ink levels, consider having a replacement ink cartridge available to avoid possible printing delays. You do not need to replace ink cartridges until print quality becomes unacceptable.
note:Never turn off the printer when ink cartridges are missing. Make sure you replace any missing ink cartridges as soon as possible to avoid print quality issues and possible extra ink usage or damage to the ink system.
caution:Do not lift the latch to the side of the carriage to remove the ink cartridge. Doing so might result in incorrectly seated ink cartridges.
caution:Make sure you remove the orange pull-tab and plastic wrap completely before you remove the orange cap in the next step. Otherwise, ink might leak from the ink cartridge. When you remove the plastic wrap, the paper label on the top of the ink cartridge tears slightly, which is necessary to properly vent the cartridge.
caution:Do not lift the carriage latch handle to install the ink cartridges. Doing so can result in incorrectly seated ink cartridges and printing problems. The latch must remain down to install the ink cartridges correctly. Make sure the colored icon on the ink cartridge matches the colored icon on the slot.
caution:Be careful not to bend the tab out more than 1.27 cm (0.5 in). Moving the tab too far might damage the ink cartridge or cause the tab to break off.
note:The steps in the video might not match exactly the steps in the document.
Examples of defects on the print quality diagnostic report
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Defect
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Example
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Large font text is ragged on one end (possible cartridge or printhead problem)
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Irregularly streaked or faded color bars (possible cartridge or printhead problem)
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Ragged color bars (possible cartridge or printhead problem)
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The color bars are streaked with another color (possible cartridge or printhead problem)
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The color blocks have regular white streaks (possible cartridge or printhead problem)
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Completely missing (black) color (possible cartridge or printhead problem)
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Page is blank or nearly blank (possible cartridge or printhead problem)
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Jagged alignment patterns (possible alignment problem)
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Windows only: If you are experiencing garbled, jumbled or illogical text, incomplete printouts, or missing text or graphics, go to Continuous Pages of Strange or Garbled Characters Print in Windows.
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note:If the printhead is badly clogged, you might need to clean the printhead several times to restore normal print quality.
caution:Never turn off the printer when ink cartridges are not installed. To avoid issues that require cleaning the printhead or that can damage the ink system, always replace ink cartridges as soon as possible, and always turn off the printer using the Power button.
note:There are two cleaning levels. Complete both if necessary. If the printhead is badly clogged, it might require another cleaning cycle. If so, wait 30 minutes before you perform both levels of cleaning again.
note:Mechanical noises during the alignment are normal.
note:If the alignment fails to complete successfully, follow the on screen instructions to complete the alignment before you proceed to the next step.
caution:Wait until you have a new printhead assembly available before removing the cartridges. HP recommends that you do not leave the cartridges outside the printer longer than 30 minutes. This could damage both the printer and the cartridges.
note:Keep a print sample that shows the problem. If the ink cartridges, printhead, or printer is replaced under warranty, the support agent will request the print sample. If the printer is returned to HP, the print sample must be returned with the printer. Place the sample in the output tray when you package your printer for shipping.