Top 10 problems with HP printers and their solutions

Despite being reliable printing machines and their best efforts, HP printers often malfunction. Why? There can be multiple reasons for HP printers to malfunction and display error messages. Here we have listed 10 common HP printer problems and their solutions.

Toner smears or does not stick to the page

Check the fuser. If it’s near the end, replace it. If you don’t know how to replace a fuser, ask your HP printer support manual that originally came with the HP printer installation kit. Sometimes the melter displays the message Clean melter input. This is a clear indication that the fuser needs cleaning. Open the front door of your HP printer. Check if you see a blue brush in there (there should be one). Pull the toner cartridge out of the printer to get to the fuser inlet assembly.

The assembly sits on top of the black toner cartridge port. Take out the blue brush and clean the assembly. The cleaning procedure is designed for an HP Color LaserJet 5500 printer. If you have a different printer, check its manual. If it’s not the fuser, it could be the toner cartridge that is defective or near the end of its life. In that case too, you will need to replace it. If the toner is not defective or near the end of toner, clean the toner cartridge assembly.

paper jams

Paper jams are the most common printer problems, not just with HP printers, but with all makes and models of printers. Paper jam can occur due to a number of reasons from torn pieces of paper, wrong paper tray selected, wrong paper type selected, loose paper roller, dust lint, etc. Look carefully inside the paper tray and at the print paper outlet. If there are pieces of paper stuck inside, remove them. Verify that the paper tray has the correct paper type found on the printer’s control panel.

If it is different, the printer will experience a paper jam problem. Make sure the paper type matches what is in the printer properties. If not, correct it. Also, make sure the printer is printing to the correct paper tray. Otherwise, a paper jam will occur. If the roller appears to be loose, carefully tighten it. If the roller looks shiny, it may need to be replaced. Also, never pull the paper in the opposite direction. Always pull in the direction of the paper path.

Windows sends print jobs to the wrong printer

It occurs when Windows selects a default printer for itself. If you’re using Windows 7, click the Start button and select Devices and Printers. You will see several printers listed under Printers and Faxes. Right-click on the desired printer and click Set as Default Printer. If prompted, confirm your action and exit Devices and Printers. Restart your computer and printer. Try a print page and check again. Windows must print to the correct printer.

If you are using Windows XP, click the Start button and select Control Panel. Double-click Hardware and Sound and then Printers. Find the printer you want to set as default, right-click it, and then choose Set as Default Printer.

Spooler service stops working

This is again a common problem with HP printers. To get rid of this problem, click the Start button and select Run. When in the Run dialog, type ‘services.msc’ (without quotes) and press Enter. This will take you to the Services window. On the right hand side, find Print Spooler, right click and select Restart. When prompted, confirm your action and exit the Services window. If prompted, restart your computer. When you’re done, try a print page.

50.4 error message

The error message indicates a problem with the power supply and usually occurs when your printer’s power cord is plugged into a power strip or the UPS. To get rid of this error message, plug the printer directly into a power outlet.

Prints are too light, have smears

A printer often starts printing light or smeared when the ink/toner cartridge is dry or clogged. Remove the ink/toner cartridge. Take a soft cloth and soak it in hot water or alcohol. Now rub the soft cloth carefully against the print head. Also, rub it under the nozzle of the printer. It will soften the ink and allow the printer to print properly. Put the ink cartridge back in its place. Print a test page and check again.

69.x error message

This shows a temporary failure of your printing device. To get this message to go away, simply turn off the printer, wait 10-15 seconds, and then turn it on. This will reset the settings and get your printer working again. If the message still appears, turn off the printer and computer, and then turn them on.

Error message 10

The error indicates a supplies memory error. Depending on your HP printer model, the error can occur due to various reasons. To get rid of the problem, turn off your printer and unplug it from the power outlet. Wait 10-15 seconds before plugging the printer back in. When you’re done, plug the printer back into the wall outlet, turn it on, and let it warm up properly. When you’re done, print a test page and check again. Your printer should start working fine now. There may also be a problem with your printer’s memory. Replace your memory card.

No more text fits on the page

You may want your print page to have a substantial amount of text, but your printer’s default settings may not allow it. Sometimes, you may also face problem while shrinking the text on a sheet. To get rid of this problem, go to Printer Properties in Control Panel. Change the printer settings to accommodate more pages for each sheet. For example, click the drop down menu under Pages per sheet and banners and select it as 2 or 3 as desired per pages. Click on the okay button. Settings may differ depending on your printer model. Check your HP printer support manual for the correct settings.

Wireless Printer Problems

Wireless printers are ideal for the home or office. However, they can’t beat wired printers when it comes to speed. Wireless printer users often face printer slowness issues. To make sure your wireless printer works at a decent speed, use a unique channel number on your router. Also, place your printer near your Wi-Fi router. Keep devices like cordless phones, security alarms away from your wireless router. These devices create electrical interference and cause your printer to run slowly.