hey payne
here is a copy of your problem.
Issue
The printer is working, but colors in the printed output are missing, faded, or dull in comparison to the original.
Solution
Step one: Check the paper
Verify that the paper type is appropriate for the project. If the paper is too fibrous, the ink applied by the printer might not fully cover the print surface.
Step two: Check the print settings
-
In the software application you are trying to print from, click File and then click Print . The Print dialog box opens.
-
Verify that your printer is selected and then click Properties . The printer Properties dialog box opens.
-
Click the Printing Shortcuts tab.
-
In the What do you want to do? menu, select a task.
The What do you want to do? menu lists most printing needs, but you might need to modify some of the options.
Options on the Printing Shortcuts tab include:
-
Print quality: If you are unhappy with the quality of your printouts, try increasing the print quality. To print more quickly, try decreasing the print quality.
-
Paper type: If one of the options matches your paper type exactly, choose it rather than Automatic.
-
Paper size: Make sure this matches your paper.
Additional options: click the Basics tab, then click Advanced Features . The Advanced Features window opens.
-
Ink volume: Adjusts the amount of ink printed on a page. For lighter images (less ink), drag the slider to the left. For darker images (more ink), drag the slider to the right. The lighter the ink volume, the faster the printout will dry.
-
Dry time: Provides extra drying time for slow-drying printouts. Drag the slider to the left for less drying time, or to the right for more drying time. The printer will hold onto the printout until the dry time has elapsed.
Step three: Check the ink levels
NOTE:
If you have installed a refilled or remanufactured print cartridge, or a cartridge that has been used in another printer, the ink level indicator will be inaccurate or unavailable.
-
Open the Printer Toolbox .
-
Open HP Solution Center .
-
Click Settings .
-
Click Print Settings .
-
Click Printer Toolbox .
NOTE:
You can also open the Printer Toolbox from the Print Properties dialog box. In the Print Properties dialog box, click the Services tab and then click Service this device .
-
Click the Estimated Ink Levels tab.
Figure 1: Estimated ink levels - both cartridges low
If the steps above have not resolved the issue, print and evaluate a self-test page to determine if the cartridges or printer is causing the problem.
-
Load the input tray with unused plain white paper.
-
Press and hold the Cancel ( ) button and then press the Start Copy Color ( ) button.
-
Release both buttons. The self-test page prints.
Step five: Note which cartridges printed which areas of the self-test page
You must identify which cartridge printed which part of the self-test page, so that if you find defects on the page, you will know which cartridge is the problem.
However, you can install different combinations of print cartridges in your printer, and different cartridge combinations print different self-test page patterns. Your self-test page may not look exactly like the picture below, but the right and left cartridges will print in the same areas of the page no matter which cartridges are installed.
Step six: Look for defects
In general, if the printer and print cartridges are working properly, the patterns (which look like grids of lines) should contain few or no missing lines. None of the colors should be missing and the colors of the blocks at the bottom of the page should match the labels below each block. Also, there should be no streaks of ink on the report.
Missing lines or streaked bars
If a pattern shows more than a few missing lines, or a bar is streaked, that print cartridge is not functioning properly.
Figure 4: The magenta pattern shows missing lines and the bar is streaked
×