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HP Officejet Pro 8000 Printer Series (A809) - Troubleshooting Print Quality Issues

This document is for the HP Officejet Pro 8000, Officejet Pro 8000 Special Edition, and Officejet Pro 8000 Wireless printers.
The printer is working, but the output is not acceptable. It might be streaked, smeared, faded, show incorrect colors, or have other defects.
note:
If the problem is black ink in yellow printed areas, these steps will not solve the issue. The Black/Yellow printhead needs replacing. Contact HP, and please be prepared to tell the agent how often the problem occurs, and what steps, if any, you have taken to solve the problem. In areas supported by Authorized Return Centers, a print sample showing the problem might be required.

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).
Purchase replacement cartridges and other supplies from the HP Store or local retailers.

Solution two: 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, reload the product with an appropriate paper type.
  • HP papers, inks, and printers are designed to work together. Many non-HP media could be incompatible with HP inks and printing systems.
  • Use the correct paper type for your project:
    • For everyday text documents, plain paper with ColorLok technology works well.
    • For documents with dense printing, such as high contrast graphics or photographs, use HP Advanced Photo Paper for the best results.
  • Load the paper print side down in the input tray. Many papers have printing and nonprinting sides.
  • Do not use wrinkled or curled paper. Load only clean, wrinkle-free paper into the product.
  • Store photo paper in its original packaging inside a resealable plastic bag. Store the paper on a flat surface in a cool, dry place. Load photo paper only when you are ready to print, and then put the unused paper back in the packaging.
  • Try using a different paper. Paper that does not accept ink well is also prone to print defects. HP designs ink and paper to work together.
  • Some media may not absorb ink as well as others. If your prints smear easily, make sure you are using a recommended paper.
Figure : Plain paper with ColorLok technology is recommended for text printing
Example of the ColorLok logo
Figure : Horizontal streaks in printout
illustration of horizontal streaks in printouts
Continue with the following troubleshooting steps if your printout contains horizontal streaks, or other print-quality issues besides vertical streaks.
Figure : Vertical streaks in printout
illustration of vertical streaks in printouts
Do not replace cartridges or printheads for vertical streaks in a printout. Instead, check the paper as described earlier in this document, or search for a document that covers this issue. Vertical streaks in copies can often be fixed by cleaning the scanner glass.
If this solution has not solved the problem, continue with the following steps.

Solution three: Check the print settings

Follow these steps to check the print settings for your print job.
  1. In the software program you are trying to print from, click File and then click Print.
    The Print dialog box opens.
  2. Select your product, and then click Properties.
    The printer Properties dialog box opens.
  3. Click the Printing shortcuts tab.
  4. Under Printing shortcuts, click the type of job you are trying to print.
  5. Review the following options, and then make any necessary changes.
    • Paper size: Make sure that the selected option matches your paper size.
    • Paper type: If one of the options matches your paper type exactly, select that option.
    • Print quality: If you are not satisfied with your printed page quality, or want more densely printed prints, increase the print quality. To print more quickly, or for lighter prints, decrease the print quality.
  6. Click the Features tab.
  7. Check the Print in Grayscale setting
    • If you are trying to print in color, select Color Options, and then make sure that Print in Grayscale is not selected.
    • If you are printing a black and white image, select Print in Grayscale to fix streaking in black areas.
  8. Click OK, and then click OK again to start the print job.

Solution four: Print and evaluate a Print Quality (PQ) Diagnostic page

The PQ Diagnostic can help determine if the printer needs to be aligned, or if the printheads need to be cleaned, or if the linefeed needs to be calibrated.

Step one: Print the PQ Diagnostic page

If you installed the HP software that came with the printer, you can use the instructions in the left column below. If you did not, you can use the instructions in the right column.
HP software is installed
No HP software
  1. Make sure the printer is loaded with unused white paper.
  2. Open HP Solution Center, then click Settings, then Printer Toolbox.
  3. Select the Services tab.
  4. Click Print PQ (print quality) diagnostic page.
    Figure : Print a PQ (Print Quality) Diagnostic Page through the Toolbox
  5. In the next dialog box, click Print.
    Figure : Click Print
  1. Press and hold the Power button ().
  2. Press the Cancel button () seven times.
  3. Press the Resume button () two times.
  4. Release the Power button ().
If the patterns on the test page are extremely streaked or are missing some portions, follow these steps to check the ink supply tubing:
  1. Open the product lid. The carriage moves to the left side of the product.
    If the carriage does not move to the left side, press and hold the Resume button () until the carriage moves. Wait until the carriage is idle and silent.
  2. Look in the center of the product for the four ink tubes that connect to the printhead, and then examine the ink tubes. The ink tubes should be bundled neatly, and they should not appear kinked or bent.
    Figure : Ink tubes, correctly bundled and not kinked
    Illustration: Ink tubes, correctly bundled and not kinked.
  • If the ink tubes are bundled correctly and are not kinked, continue to the next step.
  • If the ink tubes are bundled incorrectly but do not appear to be kinked, service the product. You do not need to replace the printheads.
    note:
    Incorrect bundling of the ink tubes does not directly cause print quality problems, but it is an issue that must be corrected. When the product has been serviced, continue troubleshooting with the next step in this document.
  • If the ink tubes are bundled incorrectly and are kinked, service the product. When the product has been serviced, replace the printhead associated with the kinked tubes:
    • If the black or yellow tube is kinked, replace the black and yellow printhead.
    • If the magenta or cyan tube is kinked, replace the magenta and cyan printhead.

Step two: Examine Test Pattern 1

If the lines in Test Pattern 1 are not straight and connected, follow the steps below to align the printer.
If you installed the HP software that came with the printer, you can use the instructions in the left column below. If you did not, you can use the instructions in the right column.
HP software is installed
No HP software
  1. Make sure the printer is loaded with unused white paper.
  2. Open HP Solution Center, then click Settings, then Printer Toolbox.
  3. Select the Services tab.
  4. Click Align the Printheads.
    Figure : Click Align the Printheads in the Toolbox
  5. The Align Printheads window opens. Click Align.
  1. Press and hold the Power button ().
  2. Press the Resume button () three times.
  3. Release the Power button (). The printer prints alignment and calibration pages.

Step three: Examine Test Pattern 2

If any of the colored blocks in Test Pattern 2 show white lines, follow the steps below to clean the printheads.
Figure : White lines in Test Pattern 2
note:
If there are white lines through ALL the color blocks, and also white lines through the gray blocks in Test Pattern 3, then do not clean the printheads - instead go to the next step and calibrate linefeed.
If you installed the HP software that came with the printer, you can use the instructions in the left column below. If you did not, you can use the instructions in the right column.
HP software is installed
No HP software
  1. Make sure the printer is loaded with unused white paper.
  2. Open HP Solution Center, then click Settings, then Printer Toolbox.
  3. Select the Services tab.
  4. Click Clean Printheads.
    Figure : Clean Printheads through Printer Toolbox
  5. A Clean the Printheads window opens. Click Clean.
    Figure : Clean the Printheads window
    After each stage of cleaning, a diagnostic page prints and another cleaning window opens.
    Figure : Page printed after every cleaning stage
  6. Another Clean the Printheads window opens. If the page that prints looks good, click Done in the Clean the Printheads window. If the page does not look good, click Intermediate Clean.
    Figure : Click Done or Intermediate Clean
  7. If the page that prints looks good, click Done in the cleaning window. If the page does not look good, click Advanced Clean.
    Figure : Click Done or Advanced Clean
  8. If the page that prints looks good, click Done in the cleaning window. If the page does not look good, click Clean Again to repeat the cleaning sequence.
    Figure : Click Done or Clean Again
  1. Press and hold the Power button ().
  2. Press the Cancel button () twice.
  3. Release the Power button ().
    Cleaning takes a few minutes, and when it completes, a page prints. If the page shows no streaking, stop here. Otherwise, continue with the next cleaning level.
  4. Press and hold the Power button ().
  5. Press the Cancel button () twice.
  6. Press the Resume button () once.
  7. Release the Power button ().
    The second stage of cleaning takes a few minutes, and when it completes, another page prints. If the page shows no streaking, stop here. Otherwise, continue with the third cleaning level.
  8. Press and hold the Power button ().
  9. Press the Cancel button () twice.
  10. Press the Resume button () twice.
  11. Release the Power button ().
    The third stage of cleaning takes a few minutes, and when it completes, another page prints. If the page shows no streaking, stop here. Otherwise, continue with priming.
  12. Press and hold the Power button ().
  13. Press the Cancel button () once.
  14. Press the Resume button () nine times.
  15. Release the Power button ().
    Priming takes a few minutes, and when it completes, another page prints. If the page shows no streaking, stop here. Otherwise, one or both printheads must be replaced. Go to the procedure for replacing printheads, elsewhere in this document.
After cleaning, print another PQ Diagnostic page and look for defects:
  • If there are no defects, stop troubleshooting here.
  • If there are defects on the page, try another printhead cleaning.
  • If there are still defects on the page after another cleaning, go to step six below to replace printheads.

Step four: Examine Test Pattern 3

If any of the gray blocks in Test Pattern 3 show dark lines or white gaps where the arrows are pointing, calibrate linefeed
Figure : White gaps in Test Pattern 3
If you installed the HP software that came with the printer, you can use the instructions in the left column below. If you did not, you can use the instructions in the right column.
HP software is installed
No HP software
  1. Make sure the printer is loaded with unused white paper.
  2. Open HP Solution Center, then click Settings, then Printer Toolbox.
  3. Select the Services tab.
  4. Click Calibrate Linefeed.
    Figure : Calibrate Linefeed through Toolbox
  5. An Advance Linefeed Calibration window opens. Click OK.
  6. After calibration, print another PQ Diagnostic. If there are still dark lines or white gaps in Test Pattern 3, the printer must be serviced.
  1. Press and hold the Power button ().
  2. Press the Resume button () three times.
  3. Release the Power button (). The printer prints alignment and calibration pages.

Solution five: Check the image

If you see no defects on the print quality diagnostic report, the print mechanism and ink supplies are working correctly. There is no reason to clean, align or calibrate, or to replace printheads or ink cartridges. Instead, try these solutions:
  • Recheck the first steps in this document. Many non-HP media could be incompatible with HP inks and printing systems. HP cannot guarantee the quality of non-HP inks.
  • Make sure that the image you are printing has sufficient resolution. Images that have been enlarged too much might appear fuzzy or blurry.
  • If the problem is confined to a band near the edge of a printout, use the software you installed with the product, or another software program to rotate the image 180°. The problem might not appear on the other end of the printout.
Garbled, illogical text, and incomplete printout (graphic)
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 (c01954177).

Solution six: Replace one or both printheads

If you have a defective cartridge or printhead, it might be under warranty. To check the warranty on your ink or toner supplies, go to Printer and Page Yield Overview, and then review the limited warranty information for your supplies.
If, after repeated printhead cleaning, the Print Quality Diagnostic page shows white lines across the color blocks in Test Pattern 2 (but no white lines in the gray blocks in Test Pattern 3), one or both of the printheads will have to be replaced. The Print Quality Diagnostic page shows which printhead should be replaced.
Look at the color blocks labeled Test Pattern 2. Some of them should show white horizontal streaks (if none of the blocks are streaked, the printheads are okay).
  • Black block has lines – replace the Black/Yellow printhead.
  • Red block has lines – replace the Black/Yellow printhead.
  • Green block has lines – replace the Black/Yellow printhead.
Figure : Streaked black, red, or green color blocks - replace Black/Yellow Printhead
Illustration of streaked black, red or green color blocks in test pattern 2
  • Cyan block has lines – replace the Magenta/Cyan printhead.
  • Magenta block has lines – replace the Magenta/Cyan printhead.
Figure : Streaked cyan or magenta color blocks - replace Cyan/Magenta Printhead
Illustration of streaked cyan or magenta color blocks in test pattern 2
  1. Open the cover.
  2. Make sure paper is loaded in Tray 1.
  3. If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, press and hold the Resume button () until the carriage moves to the left. Wait for the carriage to stop moving.
      caution:
    Do not proceed until the carriage is on the left. If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, turn the printer off and back on and then try holding down the Resume button () again.
  4. Lift the printhead latch.
    Figure : Lifting the printhead latch
  5. Lift the handle of a printhead, and use it to pull the printhead out of its slot.
    Figure : Pull the printhead out of its slot
  6. Before installing a new printhead, shake the printhead up and down at least six times while the printhead is still in its packaging.
    Figure : Shake the printhead
  7. Remove the new printhead from its package, and then remove its orange protective caps.
      caution:
    Do not shake printheads after the caps are removed.
    Figure : Open the printhead and remove the orange caps
  8. Insert the printhead into its color-coded slot (the label on the printhead must match the label on the printhead latch). Press down firmly on the printhead to ensure proper contact.
  9. Pull the printhead latch all the way forward, and then press down to ensure that the latch is properly engaged. You might have to apply some pressure to engage the latch.
  10. Close the cover, then wait while the device initializes the printheads and prints the alignment pages.

Solution seven: Service the printer

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.
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.

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