Troubleshooting general printer issues

You may have an electrical power problem. If there is no activity at all from the printer, and the front panel does not respond, check that the power cable is connected correctly and that there is power available at the socket. Press the power key for 5 seconds to reset the printer.

You may be experiencing unusual electromagnetic phenomena, such as strong electromagnetic fields or severe electrical disturbances, which can cause the printer to behave strangely or even stop working. In this case, turn off the printer using the power key on the front panel and unplug the power cord, wait until the electromagnetic environment has returned to normal, then turn it on again. If you still experience problems, contact your support representative.

Nesting may be on, and the printer is waiting for the specified nest wait time before calculating the appropriate nests. In this case, the front panel shows the remaining time needed for nesting.

You may have the wrong graphic language setting, see Change the graphic language setting.

You may not have installed in your computer the correct driver for your printer, see the Assembly instructions.

If you are printing on a sheet, you must specify Single sheet as the paper source in your printer driver.

The printer may be holding the job for suitable paper (see On hold for paper) or accounting ID information (see Require account ID).

You may have requested a print preview from your printer driver. This is a function you can use to check that the image is the one you want. In this case, the preview is displayed on your screen, and you must click the Print button to start printing.

Did you set the print quality to Best or Maximum detail? Best-quality and maximum detail prints take longer.

Did you specify the correct paper type when loading the paper? Some paper types require more time for printing; for example, photo and coated papers require more drying time between passes. To find out the printer's current paper type setting, see View information about the paper.

If your printer is connected by network, check that all components used in the network (network interface cards, hubs, routers, switches, cables) are capable of high-speed operation. Is there a lot of traffic from other devices on the network?

Did you specify Extended drying time in the front panel? Try changing the drying time to Optimal.

The front-panel display does not show the Receiving message when you have sent an image to the printer.

Your computer displays an error message when you are trying to print.

Your computer or printer hangs (stays idle), while communication is taking place.

Your printed output shows random or inexplicable errors (misplaced lines, partial graphics etc.)

Ensure that you have selected the correct printer in your application, see Printing.

Ensure that the printer works correctly when printing from other applications.

Remember that very large prints may take some time to receive, process and print.

If your printer is connected to your computer through any other intermediate devices, such as switch boxes, buffer boxes, cable adapters, cable converters, and so on, try using it when connected directly to your computer.

Try another interface cable.

Ensure that the graphic language setting is correct, see Change the graphic language setting.

If the printer is connected by network, check that your printer has a static IP address. If it is using DHCP, the IP address may change every time it is turned on, in which case the driver may not be able to find it.

In Internet Explorer 6 for Windows, go to Tools > Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings, and check the Bypass proxy server for local addresses box. Alternatively, for more precise control, click the Advanced button and add the printer's IP address to the list of exceptions, for which the proxy server is not used.

In Safari for Mac OS X, go to Safari > Preferences > Advanced and click the Proxies: Change Settings button. Add the printer's IP address or its domain name to the list of exceptions, for which the proxy server is not used, in the Bypass proxy settings for these Hosts & Domains field.

Check that you have filled in each field correctly. See Configure a network folder.

Check that the printer is connected to the network.

Check that the remote computer is switched on, working normally and connected to the network.

Check that the folder is shared and that you have the correct permissions and functionality use of it.

Check that you can put/read files (depending of the functionality use), to the same folder from a different computer on the network, using the printer's logon credentials.

Check that the printer and the remote computer are in the same network subnet; if they are not, check that the network routers are configured to forward the CIFS protocol traffic (also known as Samba).

Errors: Mainly alerting you to the fact that the printer is unable to work normally. However, in the printer driver, errors can also alert you to conditions that could ruin the print, such as clipping, even if the printer is able to print.

Warnings: Alert you when the printer needs attention either for an adjustment, such as a calibration or for a possible unprintable situation, such as a preventive maintenance or low ink.

Front-panel display: The front panel shows only the most relevant alert at a time. In the case of a warning, it disappears after a timeout. There are permanent alerts, such as "ink cartridge low on ink", that reappear when the printer becomes idle and there is not another more severe alert.

Embedded Web Server: The upper-right corner of the Embedded Web Server window shows the printer status. If there is an alert in the printer, the status shows the alert text.

Driver: The driver warns about job configuration settings that may produce a problem in the final output. If the printer is not ready to print, it displays a warning.

HP DesignJet Utility: To see alerts, go to the Overview tab and review the Items needing attention list on the right-hand side.

By default, alerts are displayed only when you are printing. If alerts are enabled and there is a problem that prevents a job from completing, you see a pop-up window, which explains the reason for the problem. Follow the instructions to achieve your required result.