HP Printer Troubleshooting Guide | Here’s to Fix HP Printer Issues
For fans of HP printers, this device is really a must. Your HP printer is your best friend at work that you can count on to print your important documents and share them securely. These trusted services can stop when your HP printer stops working and requires troubleshooting.
Want to know how to fix HP printer problems? Here’s a helpful HP printer troubleshooting guide to resolve ink cartridge errors, ghost image issues, paper jams, printer driver issues, and more.
Troubleshooting 5 HP Printers
In the following sections, we provide 5 common HP printer problems, their solutions, and step-by-step instructions for you. With these instructions, you’ll be able to easily navigate the procedure and repair your HP printer like an expert.
HP Printer Solving Print Quality Problems
Sometimes the print quality of your HP printer can be affected. Black ink or color ink may not print, the print may be discolored, the printed document may be blurred, and even the printed ink may smudge. Let’s see what you can do to fix print quality problems with your HP printer.
1. Reinstalling the printer driver has been shown to fix the problem. To do this, first turn on your HP printer. If you are using USB to connect the device with your computer, remove the cable.
2. Now press the “Windows” key and open the “Control Panel”.
3. Then go to “Devices and Printers” and right click. When you see the name of your printer, click on it to remove or uninstall it.
4. In case your HP printer name is not visible in the list, you can go to “Printers” section.
5. A set of instructions will appear when you go to the “Printers” section. Follow these onscreen instructions to remove your HP printer.
6. The next step is to remove any other HP icons that appear on the desktop or in the Windows “Start” menu.
7. Once you have removed the printer driver, reinstall it. After the reinstallation, the error will be resolved.
Also keep in mind that you should always use genuine quality HP ink cartridges, as well as the proper type of printing paper that is compatible with your HP printer.
Troubleshooting HP Printer Offline Error
When your HP printer displays offline status, it is likely that the network connectivity is not adequate. There could also be faulty settings. The offline state of the HP printer will not allow your system to communicate with the device and therefore you will not be able to print or scan anything. Take a look at the solution for this.
1. First, you will be prompted to download the HP Print and Scan Doctor.
2. Once the tool is downloaded, run it on your computer.
3. After the HP Print and Scan Doctor opens, click “Start.”
4. Now select the name of your HP printer. If you don’t see your printer name, click “Retry” and it will appear.
5. Your system may be prompted to activate printer updates, if any. Click “Yes” to install and then tap “Continue”.
6. Running the HP Print and Scan Doctor tool will resolve the printer’s offline status. The tool will also guide you through the instructions in case there are any errors with the connection.
HP Printer Paper Jam Troubleshooting
Paper jams are very common errors that occur during printing. It is important to repair your HP printer by clearing the paper jam or else the device will not allow you to print anymore. In this section, we will walk you through the steps to clear HP printer paper jams.
1. To get started, check your input and output trays. Look inside these trays to find any jammed pieces of paper.
2. Now, open the cover of the automatic document feeder or ADF. Remove the jammed paper if you can see it there. Now try a test print to see if the error has been fixed. In case the error has not been resolved, proceed to the third step.
3. Turn off your HP printer and remove the power cord.
4. Now, open the device access door and then move the carriage. Remove any jammed paper from this area.
5. The next step is to check the paper path cover for jammed paper, if your printer has one.
6. Also pull out the input tray and inspect for any pieces of paper that are jammed.
7. In case your HP printer has a bottom cleanout door, look under it to find the jammed paper.
8. Now check the rear access door where paper may have jammed during printing.
9. The next step is to carefully replace all the pieces you removed or moved.
10. Reconnect your HP printer to the power cord and plug it in. Turn it on, and then perform a test print. The HP paper jam error will now be resolved.
Troubleshooting HP Ghosting Printers
Ghosting is another common error that you may encounter while using your HP printer. In ghost images, you may be able to print an image correctly; however, a lighter version of the image may print elsewhere in the document. Let’s see what we can do to eliminate this error.
1. Remove your HP printer’s power cord from the power source.
2. Now, open the access door of your HP printer and remove the ink cartridge.
3. Hold the removed ink cartridge securely on a surface.
4. The next step is to wait 30 seconds.
5. Now reconnect the power cord to your HP printer.
6. Also put the ink cartridge back into the device.
7. Turn on your printer and do a test print. The ghosting bug will now be resolved.
HP Printer Troubleshooting Ink Cartridge
Your HP printer may not deliver prints when there is an error with the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge could be in the wrong slot, it could be missing, or it could even be incompatible with your HP printer. Below we have provided the ink cartridge solution for HP printer troubleshooting. Look at this.
1. The initial step is to make sure the ink cartridge is compatible with your HP printer model. Take the help of the user manual to check the ink cartridge.
2. The next step is to restart your HP printer. Keep your printer turned on, and then remove the power cord.
3. Now wait at least a minute.
4. The final step is to reconnect the power cord to the power supply and then to the HP printer.
5. Once you successfully reset your HP printer, the HP printer ink cartridge error will be resolved.