What can be done to improve print quality?

Ink News - How To Correct Faded Prints From Toner ...

www.inkpal.com/ink.../tips-to-correct-faded-prints-from-toner-cartridges...

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Mar 30, 2012 - You should particularly suspect this if the prints are faded on only one side and if the printer is not telling you to replace the toner cartridge.Missing: yellow

HP Officejet 6500 Printers - Fixing Print Quality Problems ...

support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01641184

You have a blockage in the print head and/or feed line from the ink cartridge to the print head. One possible fix would be to make a pad of paper kitchen towel wet it and sit the print head on it overnight. With luck the pad will soak the blockage and draw ink through the head. Give the machine two self cleans and try a print quality test to see if you have made ANY improvement. If no improvement - forget it as the blockage has been there too long.

A firmware update for your model addresses print quality issues. Please visit the Lexmark website to download and install the Lexmark S400 Series Firmware Update. If more than one download is listed for your model, choose the first download in the list. If it is the wrong firmware level, an error message will tell you which firmware level is correct.
Try to print again to verify that the print quality has improved.

Should the problem continue, it could be that the printhead itself is the problem. Please contact Lexmark Technical Support Center for assistance.

Hi Collin, These HP's are known to be somewhat of a pain, not a great printing system, but to be honest I not a fan of inkjets of any discripition, such a messy and costly way of acheiving a colour print. Give me a Oki or Kyocera Laserprinter/toner based print system anyday but that for you to think of for the future....

I also find many issues with ink quality of refills (toner and ink refill quality causes 9 out of 10 print quality service calls, great for business;)

But if you have found a constant reliable medium then that shouldn't be the issue, but if a cartridge wasn't performing correctly then you insert one that does you will have to prime the good ink threw the system before you will see any result, and is seems to me that the real issue is some but not all of required quanity of magenta ink isn't flowing threw to you prints hence faint and streaky, have you tried fitting a known good ink and priming a few times? Heres the instructions from the web, let me know how you go, theres not many options really but I always start with known unquestionable good ink, just because 9.5 out of 10 times it is the issue and to fix or to write off stuff with any certainy you got to start from a solid starting block.

Please follow this procedure and tell me if it improves you mag image at all

Try doing the priming session about 3 times in a row without testing & then do a self test print-out. I have seen about a 25% success rate. Hold down the (OK & HELP) buttons & keep them held while plugging in the power cord & if it doesn't automatically power on then also hit the power button. Keep the OK & Help buttons held down till the printer turns itself off all by itself or goes right into the priming session. If it turns off then let go of the 2 buttons & just hit the power button once & it will go right into the priming session for about 4 minutes .

Cheers

Steve

if it is printing really poor quality it will be the toner.
You will need to by a maintaince kit for it.
The drum will need to be cleaned and the toner replaced.
This is something that you may want to get done by a profesional as it is very messy.

ADJUST THE COLOR AND PRINT SPEED You may need to adjust the color and print speed. CHECK THE LEVEL OF INK IN THE PRINT CARTRIDGES 1 From the Finder desktop, double-click the Lexmark X5400 Series folder. 2 Double-click the Lexmark X5400 Series Utility icon. 3 From the Maintenance tab, check the ink levels of the cartridges. If an exclamation point (!) appears on a cartridge, the ink level is low. Install a new cartridge. Improving print quality These are possible solutions. Try one or more of the following: CHECK PAPER • Use the appropriate paper for the document. If you are printing photos or other high-quality images, for best results use Lexmark Photo Paper or Lexmark PerfectFinish Photo Paper. Do not use Lexmark Premium Photo Paper. Your print cartridges are not compatible with this type of paper. • Use a paper that is a heavier weight or bright white. CHECK PRINT CARTRIDGES If the document still does not have the print quality you want, follow these steps: 1 Align the print cartridges. For more information, see "Aligning print cartridges" on page. If print quality has not improved, continue to step 2. 2 Clean the print cartridge nozzles. For more information, see "Cleaning the print cartridge nozzles" . If print quality has not improved, continue to step 3. 3 Remove and reinsert the print cartridges. For more information, see "Removing a used print cartridge" on and "Installing print cartridges" . If print quality has not improved, continue to step 4. 4 Wipe the print nozzles and contacts. For more information, see "Wiping the print cartridge nozzles and contacts". If print quality is still not satisfactory, replace the print cartridges. For more information, see "Ordering print cartridges". CHECK PRINT CARTRIDGES If the document still does not have the print quality you want, follow these steps: 1 Align the print cartridges. For more information, see "Aligning print cartridges" on page 124. If print quality has not improved, continue to step 2. 2 Clean the print cartridge nozzles. For more information, see "Cleaning the print cartridge nozzles" . If print quality has not improved, continue to step 3. 3 Remove and reinsert the print cartridges. For more information, see "Removing a used print cartridge" and "Installing print cartridges" If print quality has not improved, continue to step 4. 4 Wipe the print nozzles and contacts. For more information, see "Wiping the print cartridge nozzles and contacts"
If print quality is still not satisfactory, replace the print cartridges. For more information, see "Ordering print

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The printed pages have smudges or dots. How can I improve the print quality?


How do I improve print quality? The printed pages are light or faded.