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HP All-in-One Products - The HP PSC 1100, 1200, or Officejet 4100 Series All-in-One Is Not Printing Correctly

Purpose

The colors are incorrect

The print out has white streaks in it

The ink is not drying and is getting smeared

Two-sided printing

The print is crooked

The paper is not being pulled into the all-in-one correctly

The ink does not go to the edge of the paper

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to assist HP customers to correct printing problems. This document pertains to the following HP all-in-one products:

HP PSC 1110	HP Officejet 4105
HP PSC 1210	HP Officejet 4110
HP PSC 1210v	HP Officejet 4110v
HP PSC 1210xi	HP Officejet 4110xi
HP PSC 1215

The colors are incorrect

This normally occurs because one of the ink cartridges are low on one or more colors of ink, do the following to determine if the ink cartridge is out of ink.

Check the estimated ink levels in the Printer Toolbox. If the all-in-one software is not installed, skip to Step 2.

note:
The estimated ink levels are calibrated for the HP 56 and HP 57 ink cartridges. The estimated ink level will be incorrect for the HP 28 ink cartridge.
1. In the HP Director software, click Settings, click Print Settings, and then click Printer Toolbox.
2. In the Printer Toolbox, select the Estimated Ink Level tab as is shown in Figure 1. Remember that this is an estimated ink level based on counting the drops of ink used and that it may not reflect the actual amount of ink remaining. If one or more of the colors of ink are low or empty, replace the ink cartridge.
Figure : The Estimated Ink Level tab of the Printer Toolbox
Print a test page by one of the following methods:
- From the Printer Toolbox: Select the Device Services tab of the Toolbox and then click Print a Test Page. The test page marked A in Figure 2 will print.
- From the all-in-one front panel: Press and hold the Cancel button, and then press the Color Start Copy button. The test page marked B in Figure 2 will print.
Figure : Self test pages - A is from the Printer Toolbox, B is from the front panel
If the colors on the test page look correct and are not faded or light, continue troubleshooting with Step 4 below. If the colors on the test page do not look correct or are faded or missing, clean the ink cartridges as detailed in the "Cleaning the ink cartridges" section below. Replace the ink cartridge if the correct colors do not print after cleaning the ink cartridge.
Assign a color management profile to the all-in-one. To do this, refer to the following:
1. Click Start, click Settings, and then click Printers (in Windows XP, click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes) to open the Printers folder.
2. In the Printers folder, right-click the HP all-in-one printer icon and then click Properties.
3. Click the Color Management tab.
4. Click Add to see the list of available color profiles.
5. In the Add Profile Association dialog box, select Diamond Compatible 9300k G2.2.icm.
6. Click Add and then click OK. Print the file again. If the application does not print in color, use Microsoft Paint to print a document with colors.
7. Try printing again and see if the colors are better.
When printing on some photo papers, there can be a greenish cast to blacks when photo paper is the selected paper type. Change the Paper Type setting to HP Bright White paper or Plain paper and print the page again.

The print out has white streaks in it

This problem will occur if the ink cartridge is getting low on ink or has clogged ink nozzles. Do the following:

If the ink cartridge nozzles have become clogged, printing a test page may flush the blockage out. Print your page again after the test page has printed. Print a test page by one of the following methods:
- From the computer: Open the Director software. Click Settings, click Print Settings, and then click Printer Toolbox. Click Print a Test Page. The test page marked A in Figure 2 will print.
- From the all-in-one front panel: Press and hold the Cancel button, and then press the Color Start Copy button. The test page marked B in Figure 2 will print.
If the problem still exists, clean the ink cartridge by using the information below in the "Cleaning the ink cartridges" section. Replace the ink cartridge if the correct colors do not print after cleaning the ink cartridge.
If the ink cartridge still prints with white streaks in the print, replace the ink cartridge that is having this problem.

The ink is not drying and is getting smeared

This is usually a paper related problem. Some papers do not accept ink as well as others. This is especially true of transparency and some of the less expensive photo papers. Perform the following steps to determine or correct the problem:

Verify that the paper is an Inkjet rated paper. Paper designed for laser printers and copiers can have a coating on them that does not allow the ink to be absorbed correctly. Some store branded photo papers may also not allow the ink to dry properly. Try printing on some different paper from a different manufacturer.
Paper varies in weight. The weight of the paper will be marked on the packaging. Heavier papers tend to work better than lighter papers. Printing on plain paper that is 70 g/m² (20 pounds) or less in Best mode may put more ink on the page than the paper can absorb easily. Try printing with a heavier paper or print in Normal mode.
Try changing the Paper Type setting to Plain/Inkjet and setting the Print Quality setting to Normal, and then print again. If the ink still will not dry, the paper is the problem.
Try a paper from a different manufacturer and see if different results can be obtained.

Two-sided printing

Two-sided printing is not built into the HP PSC 1100, 1200, or Officejet 4100 series software. While the print drivers do not support two-sided printing, it may be possible to perform two-sided printing from some programs. The ability and method for manually performing two-sided printing will vary depending on the program being used. The steps below detail how to perform manual two-sided printing from popular office programs. Other programs may offer similar options.

Microsoft Word and Outlook

In the program, click File and then Print.
Click Properties to enter the Printer properties, and then click Printing Preferences.
On the Layout tab, select Back to Front and then click OK twice to accept the changes.
Change the print settings to print only the even pages.
- In Microsoft Word, this setting is in the lower-left corner. Change the Print section to read Even instead of "All pages in range."
- In Microsoft Outlook, this setting is on the right side of the dialog box in the Copy section. Change the Number of setting to Even instead of All.
Print the pages. Page two should print last and be on top.
Remove the paper from the output tray and turn the pages around so that the printed side is up and the top of the page enters the all-in-one first. Reinsert the pages into the paper supply tray.
Click File and then Print.
Click Properties to enter the Printer properties, and then click Printing Preferences.
On the Layout tab, select Front to Back and then click OK twice to accept the changes. This step will order the pages correctly. Click OK twice to accept the changes and return to the program.
Repeat Step 4 above but select the Odd pages for printing. When the pages are printed, they will be two-sided but in reverse order.

Microsoft PowerPoint

In the program, observe how many pages are in the document, and then click File and then Print.
Click Properties to enter the Printer properties, and then click Printing Preferences.
On the Layout tab, select Back to Front and then click OK twice to accept the changes.
Change the Print range settings to print only the even pages. Select Slides and then type in all the even-numbered pages separated by commas.
Print the pages. Page two should print last and be on top.
Remove the paper from the output tray and turn the pages around so that the printed side is up and the top of the page enters the all-in-one first. Reinsert the pages into the paper supply tray.
Click File and then Print.
Click Properties to enter the Printer properties, and then click Printing Preferences.
On the Layout tab, select Front to Back and then click OK twice to accept the changes. This step will order the pages correctly. Click OK twice to accept the changes and return to the program.
Repeat Step 4 above, but enter all of the odd-numbered pages for printing. When the pages are printed they will be two-sided but in reverse order.

The print is crooked

The most common cause for skewed or crooked printing and copying is that the rear access door is not securely snapped into position. Remove the rear access door and examine it for broken or missing parts and that the rollers all turn freely. Verify that it is fully snapped into position when it is reinstalled. Also, verify that the original is placed on the glass correctly.

Following these steps will further minimize the chance of crooked or skewed output:

Proper loading and handling of the paper can minimize skew. Make sure the paper is loaded evenly against the right wall of the main paper tray.
Make sure the paper width adjuster fits snugly against the left edge of the paper stack so that the paper is being fed squarely into the printer.
Load only one type of media (paper or transparency) into the input tray. Some types of paper and pre-printed forms or letterheads can impact print skew.
Unplug the power cord, remove the rear access door, and clean the rollers with a damp clean cloth.

The page does not start printing but there are no error messages

Check the front panel for error messages or lights. Correct any errors that are indicated on the front panel. If there are no errors on the front panel, follow the steps below to continue troubleshooting. Verify that the problem still exists after performing a step before moving to the next step.

Open the HP Director software and click Status. Proceed to Step 2 if the status is Ready. If the status is anything other than Ready:
1. With the all-in-one and computer turned on and ready, disconnect the USB cable to the all-in-one, wait five seconds, and then plug it back in.
2. Close the Status window and then click Status again to check the all-in-one status again. If the status still indicates anything other than ready, restart the computer. If a message appears indicating that there are unfinished print jobs, click the option that gets rid of the incomplete print jobs.
3. Check the all-in-one status again. If the all-in-one is still indicating that it is not ready, uninstall the all-in-one software following the directions below and then reinstall the all-in-one software.
4. If the problem still exists after reviewing the contents of that document, contact HP for assistance.
Print a self-test page from the all-in-one to verify that the all-in-one is working correctly. If the self-test prints correctly, proceed to Step 3. If the page does not print correctly, verify that the ink cartridges have ink in them, unplug the power cord from the all-in-one, then plug it back in. Contact HP for assistance if a self-test page will still not print. To print a self-test page:
1. On the all-in-one front panel, press the Setup button until Print Report appears in the display then press Enter.
2. Press the Setup button until Self-Test appears in the display, then press Enter.
Check to see if the printer is disabled and see if the print job is in the printer queue for printing in the Printer folder.
1. Click Start, Settings, and then click Printers (in Windows XP, click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes) to open the Printers folder.
2. Double-click the HP all-in-one print icon to open the printer window. Any print jobs that have been sent to the printer will be listed here. If there is not a print job listed, either the print job was sent to the wrong printer or the print driver has been set to print to the wrong port. If the HP all-in-one print icon is not present, install the all-in-one software to add the print driver icon.
3. Click the Printer menu option.
4. From the menu that appears, verify that Work Offline or Pause Printing are not checked. If either Work Offline or Pause Printing is checked, click that option and then repeat this step.
5. If these options are not checked, select Properties to open the printer Properties and proceed to the next step.
Click the Ports tab. On the Ports tab there will be a section that determines which port the all-in-one prints to. If this section lists the port to be printed to as DOT4_00x (with x being a number between 1 and 9) in Windows 98 and Me or USB00x (with x being a number between 1 and 9) for Windows 2000 and XP, proceed to the next step. If this port is not selected, select that port if it is an option. If it is not an option, uninstall the all-in-one software following the directions later in this document and then reinstall it.
Close all open windows and restart the computer. If a message appears indicating that there are unfinished print jobs, click the option that cancels the incomplete print jobs. This must be done or the self-test page to be printed in the next step will not print if a print job is still queued.
Print a self-test page from the computer. If the self-test page will print but a page from the application will not print, there is a problem with the software program. Contact the software program manufacturer for assistance if this occurs. If the self-test page does not print, uninstall the all-in-one software following the directions below, restart the computer, and then reinstall the all-in-one software. To print a self-test page from the computer do the following:
1. Click Start, Settings, and then click Printers (in Windows XP, click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes) to open the Printers folder.
2. Right-click the HP all-in-one print icon and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, click the option that will print a test page.

The paper is not being pulled into the all-in-one correctly

This problem is typically caused by not loading the paper properly. Pushing the paper in too far will cause this problem. This problem is covered further and in more detail in other documents.

HP PSC 1100 and 1200: Click here for information on paper feeding issues (buu00697) (in English).
HP Officejet 4100 series: Paper Jam Messages (c00108075) (in English).
HP Officejet 4100 series: Carriage Jam Messages (c00309121) (in English).

The ink does not go to the edge of the paper

This is how the unit is designed. The all-in-one has a printable region that it can print within. This region is not adjustable for the following reasons:

The all-in-one must have enough paper in the rollers to be able to position the paper to receive ink. For this reason, the lower margin is larger than the others.
It prevents ink from accidentally spraying on the paper feed mechanism. If ink is sprayed onto the rollers, it may be deposited on future copies. It may also cause paper jams or result in hardware failure of the all-in-one.

caution:
Trying to force the all-in-one to print edge-to-edge on the paper or incorrectly loading the four x six-inch, Hagaki, or A6 card paper may result in damage to the all-in-one from ink that gets sprayed into the print mechanism. Read the paper loading information in the Help files for assistance loading paper.

Sheet paper print/copy margins

Paper type	Top	Bottom	Left	Right
U.S. Letter U.S. Legal U.S. Executive	1.8 mm (.07 inch)	11.7 mm (.46 inch)	6.4 mm. (25 inch)	6.4mm (.25 inch)
ISO A4 ISO A5 JIS B5	1.8 mm (.07 inch)	11.7 mm (.46 inch)	3.2 mm (.13 inch)	3.2 mm (.13 inch)

Envelope print/copy margins

Paper type	Top	Bottom	Left	Right
U.S. #10 A2 DL C6	3.2 mm (.13 inch)	11.7 mm (.46 inch)	3.2 mm (.13 inch)	3.2 mm (.13 inch)

Card print/copy margins

Paper type	Top	Bottom	Left	Right
U.S. 3 x 5 inch U.S. 4 x 6 inch U.S. 5 x 8 inch ISO and JIS A6 Hagaki	3.2 mm (.13 inch)	11.7 mm (.46 inch)	3.2 mm (.13 inch)	3.2 mm (.13 inch)

Supplemental information

Cleaning the ink cartridges

Follow these steps to clean the ink cartridges if the print is smeared or faint:

Open the all-in-one with the power on and then remove the ink cartridges by lightly pressing down on the cartridge while gently pulling it toward you.
Inspect the print cartridge ink nozzles and contacts for ink and debris buildup.
To clean away any buildup, dip a clean cotton swab into distilled water (or clean water if distilled water is not available), and squeeze any excess water from the swab.
While holding the ink cartridge by the sides as shown in Figure 3 below, gently wipe away any debris buildup.
Reinsert the ink cartridges and perform the ink cartridge alignment.
Print a test page to check the ink cartridges and flush any remaining buildup from the ink cartridge nozzles.

Figure : Cleaning the ink cartridge contacts

Uninstalling the all-in-one software

Follow these steps to uninstall the all-in-one software.

Disconnect the communications cable to the HP all-in-one from the computer.
Uninstall the all-in-one software by clicking Start, pointing to Programs (All Programs in Windows XP), pointing to Hewlett-Packard, pointing to the HP product folder, and then clicking Uninstall software. Follow the directions that appear to uninstall the software.
Restart the computer.
Reinstall the all-in-one software. Do not connect the USB cable until directed by the installation software.