HP Officejet 100 Mobile Printers (L411a and L411b) - Troubleshooting Print Quality Issues

Issue

The quality of a printed document or image is not as expected.

note:
Some of the following solutions require the full HP software. If you did not install the full software when you installed your product, click here to go to the software and drivers page, and then download and install the full feature software.

Solutions

Important: You must follow the solutions and steps in the order presented to resolve the issue.

Solution one: Use genuine HP cartridges

HP recommends that you use genuine HP ink or toner supplies. HP cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of non-HP or refilled cartridges. If you do not use genuine HP cartridges, the steps in this document might not resolve the issue. To check the authenticity of your cartridges, go to the HP anti-counterfeit webpage (in English).

If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution two: Do not leave photo paper in the input tray

If photo paper remains in the tray for too long, a reaction between the paper rollers and the photo paper might occur. This can result in lines or marks on the printed image.

Recommendation: Do not leave photo paper in the tray for more than five to thirty minutes. Only leave photo paper in the tray when printing. Store the photo paper in a resealable bag when not in use.

If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution three: Check the paper

Use the following guidelines to make sure that the paper you are using is appropriate for the print job. If it is not, try printing with an appropriate paper type.

note:
See the specifications for your product for specific paper types that the product supports.

Many papers have printing and non-printing sides. Load the paper with the printing side down.
Use the correct paper type for the project. For everyday documents, plain paper works well. For documents with dense printing, such as high-contrast graphics or photographs, use HP Advanced paper for the best results.
If these steps do not help, try a different paper. Ink might not bleed as easily on heavier paper. Paper that does not accept ink well is also prone to bleeding and smearing. HP designs its inks and papers to work together.

note:
Inappropriate paper usually causes vertical streaks in printouts. Do not replace cartridges to fix vertical streaks.

Examples of horizontal streaks and vertical streaks in the printout
Figure : Horizontal streaks in printout	Figure : Vertical streaks in printout
Continue with the following troubleshooting steps if your printout contains horizontal streaks or other print quality issues besides vertical streaks.	Do not replace cartridges for vertical streaks in a printout. Instead, check the paper as described earlier in this document.

After you make sure that the paper is appropriate for your print job, try printing again.

If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution four: Check the print settings

Follow these steps to make sure that the current print settings are appropriate for your print job.

Return to the document or image you were trying to print when the issue occurred.
In the software program you are trying to print from, click File, and then click Print. The Print dialog box opens.
Select your product, and then click Properties. The print Properties dialog box opens.
Click the Features tab.
From the Paper type drop-down menu, select More. The Type is dialog box opens.
Select the paper type that matches the paper you loaded in the product, and then click OK to save your selection.
From the Size drop-down menu, select the paper size that matches the paper you loaded in the product. For example, if you loaded legal paper in the product, select Legal 8.5x14in.
Click OK to apply the settings.
Click OK from the Print dialog box to start the print job.

If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution five: Check ink levels and replace low or empty cartridges

Follow these steps to check the ink levels on your product, and then replace low or empty cartridges according to the results.

Load plain white paper into the tray.
On the product control panel, press and hold the Cancel button () for three seconds. The self-test report prints.

Figure : Example self-test report showing ink levels

Image: Example self-test report showing ink levels.

If the self-test page shows low or empty cartridges, and you are dissatisfied with the quality of your printouts, replace the cartridges now. Click here to go to instructions in this document to replace the problem cartridge.
If the self-test page shows full cartridges, you do not need to replace the cartridges yet. Continue to the next solution.

Solution six: Troubleshoot defects

Evaluate the self-test page that you printed in the previous solution.

Step one: Check the self-test page for defects

Note the sections on the self-test page printed by the black cartridge and by the color cartridge.

Figure : Example of which cartridges print which areas of a self-test page

Printed by the color cartridge

Printed by the black cartridge

In general, if the product and the cartridges are working correctly, all the color bars should be present, unstreaked, and uniform in color across the width of the page. The black text on the page should not show ink streaks.

Use the following table for examples of defects that are reported on a self-test page. The following examples are not inclusive, but they represent the most common issues.

Examples of defects reported on a self-test page
Defect	Example	Description or cause
Broken lines in grid patterns		There is a problem with the cartridge nozzles.
Faded or nonuniform colors in the color blocks		The color cartridge might be low on ink, or the ink is mixing together.
Track marks or smears in the text		Fibers or other debris are on one or both of the cartridges.
The color blocks are streaked or lined		The color cartridge might be low on ink, or the nozzles might be clogged.
One or more of the colored blocks is missing	All colors printed Yellow is missing	The color cartridge is out of one color of ink, or the nozzles might be clogged.

If you see no defects on the self-test page, the print mechanism and ink supplies work correctly. If printouts are still unsatisfactory, try the following general print quality guidelines, and do not continue the troubleshooting steps in the remainder of this document.
- Make sure that the source document or image has high enough resolution. Documents that are too enlarged might be blurry when printed.
- If the issue is confined to a band near the edge of a printed document or image, try rotating the document 180° with the software you are printing from. Try printing the document again to see if this resolved the issue.
If there are one or more of these defects on the self-test page, continue to the next step.

Step two: Clean the cartridges

If one or more defects are reported on the self-test page, try one of these methods to automatically clean the cartridges.

Method one: Use the product control panel

Follow these steps to automatically clean the cartridges from the product control panel.

There are three cartridge cleaning levels available. After one level of cleaning, perform the next level of cleaning only if the results are not satisfactory.

note:
Clean the cartridges only when print quality is poor. Cleaning uses ink and shortens the life of the cartridges.

Press and hold the Power button (), press the Cancel button () two times, and then release the Power button. A level one cartridge cleaning begins.
Press and hold the Power button (), press the Cancel button () two times, press the Resume button () once, and then release the Power button. A level two cartridge cleaning begins.
Press and hold the Power button (), press the Cancel button () two times, press the Resume button () two times, and then release the Power button. A level three cartridge cleaning begins.

Method two: Use the HP software

Follow these steps to automatically clean the cartridges with HP Toolbox.

There are three cartridge cleaning levels available. After one level of cleaning, perform the next level of cleaning only if the results are not satisfactory.

note:
Clean the cartridges only when print quality is poor. Cleaning uses ink and shortens the life of the cartridges.

Windows XP
1. Click Start (), click All Programs, click HP, click HP Officejet 100 (L411) Mobile Printer Series, and then click Toolbox. The Toolbox opens.
2. Click the Services tab.
3. Click Clean the Print Cartridges, and then follow the on-screen instructions to clean the cartridges.
Windows Vista
1. Click the Windows icon (), click Programs, click HP, click HP Officejet 100 (L411) Mobile Printer Series, and then click Toolbox. The Toolbox opens.
2. Click the Services tab.
3. Click Clean the Print Cartridges, and then follow the on-screen instructions to clean the cartridges.
Windows 7
1. Click the Windows icon (), click All Programs, click HP, click HP Officejet 100 (L411) Mobile Printer Series, and then click Toolbox. The Toolbox opens.
2. Click the Services tab.
3. Click Clean the Print Cartridges, and then follow the on-screen instructions to clean the cartridges.
Mac OS X
1. Click the HP Utility icon in the Dock. The HP Utility opens.
2. Click Clean Printheads, and then follow the on-screen instructions to clean the cartridges.

Step three: Align the cartridges

Select your operating system below, and then follow the instructions to align the cartridges.

note:
Make sure to load unused, plain white paper into the paper tray before you align the ink cartridges. An alignment page prints during the alignment process.

Windows XP
1. Click Start (), click All Programs, click HP, click HP Officejet 100 (L411) Mobile Printer Series, and then click Toolbox. The Toolbox opens.
2. Click the Services tab, and then click Align the Print Cartridges.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the alignment.
Windows Vista
1. Click the Windows icon (), click Programs, click HP, click HP Officejet 100 (L411) Mobile Printer Series, and then click Toolbox. The Toolbox opens.
2. Click the Services tab, and then click Align the Print Cartridges.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the alignment.
Windows 7
1. Click the Windows icon (), click All Programs, click HP, click HP Officejet 100 (L411) Mobile Printer Series, and then click Toolbox. The Toolbox opens.
2. Click the Services tab, and then click Align the Print Cartridges.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the alignment.
Mac OS X
1. Click the HP Utility icon in the Dock. The HP Utility opens.
2. Click Align.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the alignment.

If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution seven: Replace the problem cartridge

If none of the preceding solutions resolved the issue, replace the cartridge that corresponds to the defect on the self-test page. For example, if one of the color bars is defective, replace the color cartridge. Use the following steps to replace the problem cartridge.

Step one: Replace the cartridge

Press the Power button () to turn on the product.
Open the front access cover. Wait until the carriage is idle and silent before proceeding.

Figure : Open the front access cover
Lift the cartridge latch, and then gently remove the cartridge from the carriage.

Figure : Remove the cartridge
Remove the new cartridge from its package, and then pull the pink tab toremove the protective tape.

caution:
Do not touch the copper contacts on the back of the cartridge or the ink nozzles on the bottom of the cartridge. Touching the contacts or the nozzles might damage the cartridge.
Figure : Remove the protective tape from the cartridge

Copper-colored contacts

Plastic tape with pink tab

Ink nozzles under tape
Insert the cartridge at a slight angle into the carriage slot.

note:
Place the tri-color cartridge in the left slot, and the black or photo cartridge in the right slot.

Figure : Insert the cartridge
Close the cartridge latch. Press the latch down to makesure that it rests flat on the cartridge.

Figure : Close the cartridge latch
Close the front access cover, and then allow the cartridge initialization process to complete before proceeding.

Figure : Close the front access cover

Step two: Align the cartridges

Whenever you install a new cartridge, align the cartridges for the best possible print quality.

note:
Make sure to load unused, plain, white paper into the paper tray before you align the ink cartridges. An alignment page prints during the alignment process.

Select your operating system, and then follow the instructions to align the cartridges.

Windows XP
1. Click Start (), click All Programs, click HP, click HP Officejet 100 (L411) Mobile Printer Series, and then click Toolbox. The Toolbox opens.
2. Click the Services tab, and then click Align the Print Cartridges.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the alignment.
Windows Vista
1. Click the Windows icon (), click Programs, click HP, click HP Officejet 100 (L411) Mobile Printer Series, and then click Toolbox. The Toolbox opens.
2. Click the Services tab, and then click Align the Print Cartridges.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the alignment.
Windows 7
1. Click the Windows icon (), click All Programs, click HP, click HP Officejet 100 (L411) Mobile Printer Series, and then click Toolbox. The Toolbox opens.
2. Click the Services tab, and then click Align the Print Cartridges.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the alignment.
Mac OS X
1. Double-click the HP Utility icon in the Dock. The HP Utility opens.
2. If more than one product is listed in the utility, click your product under Printers.
3. Click Align.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the alignment.

Step three: Try to print

Try printing another document, and then check if the print quality is satisfactory.

If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution eight: Service the printer

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.

Service or replace your HP product if the issue persists after completing all the preceding steps.

Go to Contact HP Customer Support to schedule a product repair or replacement. If you are in Asia Pacific, you will be directed to a local service center in your area.

To confirm your warranty status, go to HP Product Warranty Check. Repair fees might apply for out-of-warranty products.

HP Officejet 100 Mobile Printers (L411a and L411b) - Troubleshooting Print Quality Issues

Issue

Solutions

Solution one: Use genuine HP cartridges

Solution two: Do not leave photo paper in the input tray

Solution three: Check the paper

Solution four: Check the print settings

Solution five: Check ink levels and replace low or empty cartridges

Solution six: Troubleshoot defects

Step one: Check the self-test page for defects

Step two: Clean the cartridges

Method one: Use the product control panel

Method two: Use the HP software

Step three: Align the cartridges

Solution seven: Replace the problem cartridge

Step one: Replace the cartridge

Step two: Align the cartridges

Step three: Try to print

Solution eight: Service the printer

Additional support options

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