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Solving Print Cartridge Alignment Problems

Support details
Issue Solution Step one: Examine the paper the alignment page was printed on Step two: Does the alignment page print correctly Step three: Perform an print cartridge cleaning procedure Step four: Try to align the page again 'Alignment page not detected' errors Supplemental information Other solutions customers found helpful

Issue
Any or all of the following problems can occur when trying to align the print cartridges: The Align Print Cartridges message will not disappear. The Alignment failed message is displayed. The alignment process stops before it is finished. A blank page ejects immediately or a Paper mismatch or Paper too narrow message is displayed. NOTE: Use a fresh piece of paper that has never been printed on for the alignment process or the alignment will fail.If the paper is not feeding correctly, the alignment will fail. Click here to learn how to correct paper feed issues (buu03110) (in English)If there is an ink cartridge-related error message on the front panel, click here for instructions resolving the issue (buu02180) (in English).Both print cartridges must have ink in them for the alignment to be successful. Back to top

Solution
There are several reasons why the HP All-in-One may fail to align the cartridges. The most common reason is an ink cartridge that has one of the following problems: One of the ink cartridges is low or out of ink. Black and all three colors must be available. The paper has already been printed on or is colored paper. Protective tape on a new ink cartridge has not been removed. Contacts on the ink cartridge are not meeting the contacts in the carriage correctly. Cartridge is remanufactured or refilled. Refilled or remanufactured ink cartridges may have been damaged during the refilling process or have clogged ink nozzles. The ink cartridge is defective. Follow the steps below to resolve the problem

Step one: Examine the paper the alignment page was printed on
The alignment page must be printed on clean plain paper of either letter or A4-size and that has a brightness level (as printed on the paper package) of at least 85. Colored papers or paper that already has printing on it will cause the alignment to fail. Back to top

Step two: Does the alignment page print correctly

For the HP PSC 900 series, if the page ejects immediately or a Paper mismatch or Paper too narrow message is displayed, the 4 x 6 paper tray selector located on the paper output tray is pushed forward. Move the selector all the way toward the front of the product. Look at the alignment pages that the product printed. Compare the alignment page to those that are included in the "Examples of alignment pages" section in this document. If any of the colors or the black is missing from your alignment page, a cartridge-related problem exists. Click here for information about troubleshooting ink- and cartridge-related problems (buu02176) (in English). Back to top

Step three: Perform an print cartridge cleaning procedure

The product can perform an print cartridge cleaning procedure even after the alignment message has displayed. Follow these steps to perform an print cartridge cleaning procedure at the front panel: 1. On the front panel, press the Menu or Setup button (depending on the model). 2. Press the right arrow button (>) until Maintenance or Tools is displayed, and then press the OK or Enter button (depending on the model). 3. The Clean Print Cartridges message should display on the front panel. Press Enter or OK to begin the cartridge cleaning process. A page will be printed during the cleaning process with all of the colors on it. If any of the colors (including black) are missing, faded, or streaked on the alignment page, there is a ink cartridge problem. Back to top

Step four: Try to align the page again

HP products have two methods for aligning the ink cartridges, fully-automatic and semiautomatic. The steps are different for each type. Refer to the information below to determine which alignment method your product uses. Automatic - these products use a sensor to check the alignment page as it is printed. You are not required to take any action to complete the alignment process. Click here if your model does not print an instruction page . Semi-automatic - these products print the alignment page and instructions for scanning the alignment page using the scanner assembly. Click here if your model prints an instruction page . Automatic cartridge alignment Perform the following steps to align the ink cartridges: 1. Disconnect the power cord from the unit, wait five seconds, and then plug it back in. This will reinitialize the unit. 2. 2. Print another alignment test page. If the Press Enter to align message is not currently on the front panel display, complete the following steps to print an alignment page: a. Press Setup or Menu on the front panel (depending on the model). b. Press the right arrow button (>) until Maintenance or Tools is displayed, and then press Enter or OK (depending on the model). c. Press the right arrow button (>) until Align Print Cartridges is displayed, and then press Enter or OK (depending on the model). 3. To determine if the automatic alignment is functioning correctly, look into the output tray as the alignment page is printing; a blue light should be visible

periodically on the page as the cartridges move back and forth. If this light is not visible, the product will not be able to align the cartridges and will require service. Service the product. 4. If the blue light is visible and the alignment pages are printing correctly, but the alignment pages still fails, there still may be a hardware problem with the unit. If there are no other printing problems and you wish to continue, use the information in the Bypassing the ink cartridge alignment section below to bypass the alignment. The information from last successful alignment will be used. If the message keeps reappearing or other print quality problems occur, service the product. Models with a semi-automatic print cartridge alignment Some HP products have a semi-automatic alignment process. These models do not have an additional sensor and will print two pages for the alignment process instead of one. The alignment page must be placed on the scanner glass or into the automatic document feeder (HP Officejet V series) and scanned. 1. Disconnect the power cord, wait five seconds, and then plug it in. This reinitializes the product and forces the scanner to calibrate again. 2. Examine the scanner glass and white scan backing. Clean the scanner glass and scan backing if they are not clean. To clean the scanner glass and scan backing, use a soft cloth towel slightly dampened with clean water. 3. With the product turned on, open the scanner cover and check the bulb assembly. If the scanner bulb is not lit, the product must be serviced. 4. Verify that the alignment page is placed correctly on the scanner glass or in the ADF (if the product has one). Place the printed side down. 5. 5. Make a copy of the alignment page. The unit will make a copy even if the alignment message is displayed. Compare the copy to the original. If vertical lines appear in the copy, check to see if the scanner assembly requires cleaning. If cleaning the scanner assembly does not correct the problem, service the product. 6. 6. Use the information in the Bypassing the ink cartridge alignment section below to bypass the alignment. Operate the HP All-in-One to determine if there are other problems. The unit should be serviced if other error messages or problems occur or if alignment problems occur every time the ink cartridges are changed. Back to top

'Alignment page not detected' errors

The Alignment page not detected message displays on products that use the semiautomatic alignment method if the alignment page cannot be scanned correctly. This can occur if the page is not oriented correctly or if it skews too much on scroll fed All-in-Ones while feeding into the automatic document feeded (ADF). Follow these steps to determine the problem: 1. Check the orientation and position of the alignment page. It should be printed side down and placed on the scanner glass or in the ADF as shown in the product manual. 2. Press Enter after the alignment page has been repositioned to try again to align the product. 3. If the error message continues to display, even though the page is oriented correctly and is not skewing while it feeds (on scroll feed products), press Cancel to exit the alignment process, and then make a copy. If a copy cannot be made, service the product. Back to top

Supplemental information Examples of alignment pages

Examples of alignment pages are included in the following table: HP product Alignment page

HP Officejet G series HP Officejet K series HP Officejet V series * HP PSC 700 series HP PSC 900 series HP Color Copier 180 HP Color Copier 190 HP Color Copier 280 HP Color Copier 290 HP Fax 1220 HP Fax 1220xi HP Officejet V series ** HP Officejet 5100 series HP Officejet 5600 series

HP Officejet D series HP Officejet 6200 series HP Officejet 7100 series HP Officejet 7300 series HP Officejet 7400 series HP Digital Copier 610

HP Officejet 6200 series 4800 dpi alignment page HP Officejet 7100 series 4800 dpi alignment page HP Officejet 7300 series 4800 dpi alignment page

HP Officejet 7400 series 4800 dpi alignment page Follow the instructions on the page to complete the 4800 dpi alignment.

HP PSC 2100 series

HP PSC 2200 series HP PSC 2300 series HP PSC 2400 Photosmart series HP PSC 2500 Photosmart series HP PSC 2600 Photosmart series HP PSC 2700 Photosmart series

Alignment page when using the HP 58 photo cartridge: HP PSC 2200 series HP PSC 2300 series HP PSC 2400 Photosmart series HP PSC 2500 Photosmart series HP PSC 2600 Photosmart series HP PSC 2700 Photosmart series HP PSC 1100 series HP PSC 1200 series

HP PSC 1300 series HP PSC 1400 series HP PSC 1500 series HP Officejet 4100 series HP Officejet 4210 series HP Officejet 4250 series HP Officejet 4300 series HP Officejet 5500 series *** HP Officejet 5600 series HP Fax 1240

HP Photosmart 2570 series

HP Officejet J4500 series HP Officejet J4600 series

* Early HP Officejet V series models had a fully automated alignment process and print this alignment page. ** HP Officejet V series models that shipped later on have a semi-automatic alignment and print this alignment page. *** Must be placed on the scanner glass and not in the automatic document feeder (ADF).

Bypassing the print cartridge alignment

It is possible to bypass the alignment page and use the information from the last successful alignment. Print quality may not be as good, but the product will operate. The table below describes how to bypass the cartridge alignment.

Product Family/Model HP Officejet D series HP Officejet G series HP Officejet K series HP PSC 700 series HP Color Copier 180 HP Color Copier 190 HP Color Copier 280 HP Color Copier 290 HP Digital Copier 310 HP Digital Copier 610 HP Officejet V series HP Officejet 4100 series HP Officejet 5100 series HP Officejet 6100 series HP Officejet 7100 series HP PSC 900 series HP PSC 2100 series HP PSC 2200 series HP Officejet 4200 series HP Officejet 4300 series HP Officejet 5500 series HP Officejet 5600 series HP Officejet 6200 series HP Officejet 7300 series HP Officejet 7400 series HP PSC 2350 series HP PSC 2600 Photosmart series HP PSC 2700 Photosmart series HP Photosmart 2570 series HP PSC 2400 Photosmart series HP PSC 2500 Photosmart series HP Officejet J4500 series HP Officejet J4600 series

Button Press Press and hold the Enter button, and then press Menu .

Press and hold the Enter button, and then press Options . Press and hold the Setup button, and then press Enter .

Press and hold the Enter button, and then press Menu

Press and hold the Enter button, and then press Setup . Press and hold the Setup button, and then press Options (or Copy Options ). Press and hold the Setup button, and then press OK .

Press and hold the Setup button, and then press Up Arrow button.

Press and hold the Settings button, and then press OK .

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Other solutions customers found helpful

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Other solutions customers found helpful

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