HP Deskjet 952c Printer - Troubleshooting Tips

Getting Help When Things Go Wrong

4

37

The software did not install
correctly.

• There may be a conflict with

your virus protection
program.

OR
• There may be a conflict with

another software program.

OR
• Your printer software didn’t

install properly.

1

Uninstall your printer software. Insert the
printer software CD into your computer,
select

Uninstall

from the Installer, then

repeat the installation procedure.

2

Close any virus protection programs that
are active.

3

If you have been using Apple’s QuickDraw
GX software, turn it off. Your HP DeskJet
printer is not compatible with QuickDraw
GX.

4

Exit all of your software programs.

5

Reinstall the printer software. See the
“Install Printer Software” step on the Quick
Start Poster or see page 56 in this User’s
Guide.

If you are still having problems with the
software installation, call an HP authorized
dealer or HP Customer Care. For the phone
number of the HP Customer Care Center
nearest you, see page 47.

The printer software won’t install, what’s wrong? continued

What is the problem?

Possible cause

To solve the problem…

38

Getting Help When Things Go Wrong

4

Why won’t it print?

What is the problem?

Possible cause

To solve the problem…

No page came out

of the printer.

Power may be off or there
may be a loose connection.

1

Make sure the power is on.

2

Make sure that all cable connections
are secure.

You may not have any paper
in the IN tray.

Double-check that the media is placed in the
IN tray correctly.

The printer’s top cover may be
open.

Close the printer’s top cover.

A problem may exist with one
of the print cartridges.

If the Print Cartridge Status Light is
blinking, lift the printer’s cover, check the Print
Cartridge Status. Verify that the print
cartridges are installed properly. See page 29.

The printer may be slow.

If the Power Light is blinking, the printer is
in the process of printing. Be patient.

The printer is waiting for you
to press the Resume Button .

If the Resume Light is flashing, press the
Resume Button .

There may be a paper jam.

1

Pull the paper out of either the IN tray or
the OUT tray.

2

Press the Resume Button on the front of
the printer.

3

If you were printing labels, make sure a
label did not become unglued from the
label sheet while going through the printer.

4

If the paper jam has cleared, print your
document again.

5

If the paper jam hasn’t cleared, open the
Rear Access Door by turning the knob
(counter-clockwise) and removing the
door.

6

Pull the jammed paper out of the printer,
then replace the Rear Access Door.

The Rear Access Door may be
disengaged.

1

Insert the Rear Access Door and engage
lock.

2

Print your document again.

Getting Help When Things Go Wrong

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39

A blank page came

out of the printer.

You may be out of ink.

1

Lift the printer cover and check the Print
Cartridge status icons to make sure you are
not out of ink. See “Print Cartridge Status”
on page 27.

2

If you are out of ink, replace the print
cartridge. See “Replacing Print Cartridges”
on page 29.

3

Print your document again.

You may have forgotten to
remove the vinyl tape from
the print cartridge.

Make sure you have removed the protective
piece of vinyl tape on each of the print
cartridges. See “Replacing Print Cartridges”
on page 29.

You may be trying to print
a fax.

1

Save the fax in a graphic format, such as
TIFF.

2

Place it in a word processing document and
print it from there.

Why won’t it print? continued

What is the problem?

Possible cause

To solve the problem…

40

Getting Help When Things Go Wrong

4

The printer is really slow.

Your computer may have less
than the minimum system
requirements.

1

Check the amount of RAM and processor
speed in your computer. See “System
Requirements” on page 57.

2

Free up some space on your hard drive.
Having less than 100MB of free space on
your computer’s hard drive can mean
longer processing times.

Too many software programs
may be running at the same
time.

Close all unnessary software programs.

You may be using outdated
printer software.

Check the printer driver you are using. Be sure
to check the HP web site at

http://

www.hp.com/support/home_products

for

the most recent software updates.

You may be printing a
complex document
containing graphics or
photographs.

Be patient. Large, complex documents
containing graphics or photographs print
slower than text-only documents.

Why won’t it print? continued

What is the problem?

Possible cause

To solve the problem…

Getting Help When Things Go Wrong

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41

What do the flashing lights mean?

What is the problem?

Possible cause

To solve the problem…

The Power Light is
flashing.

Your printer may be receiving
data.

Be patient.

The Resume Light is
flashing.

You may be out of paper.

1

Insert paper.

2

Press the Resume Button .

You may have a paper jam.

1

Pull the paper out of either the IN tray or
the OUT tray.

2

Press the Resume Button on the front of
the printer.

3

If you were printing labels, make sure a
label did not become unglued from the
label sheet while going through the printer.

4

If the paper jam has cleared, print your
document again.

5

If the paper jam hasn’t cleared, open the
Rear Access Door by turning the knob
(counter clockwise) and removing the door.

6

Pull the jammed paper out of the printer,
then replace the Rear Access Door.

You may be printing a two-
sided document by hand and
the first side has finished
printing.

1

Follow the on-screen directions for how to
insert the paper.

2

Press the Resume Button .

The Print Cartridge Status
Light is flashing.

The top cover may be open.

Close the top cover.

There may be a problem with
one of the print cartridges.

See

“Print Cartridge Status” on page 27.

All of the lights are
flashing.

The printer may need to
be reset.

1

Press the Power Button to turn the printer
off. Then press the Power Button again to
turn the printer back on.

2

If that doesn’t solve the problem, press the
Power Button to turn the printer off.

3

Unplug the printer.

4

Plug the printer back in.

5

Press the Power Button to turn the printer
on.

42

Getting Help When Things Go Wrong

4

Is there a problem with your printout?

What is the problem?

Possible cause

To solve the problem…

Parts of the

document are missing or
are in the wrong place.

Paper may not be loaded
correctly.

1

Make sure the media is correctly oriented
in the IN tray.

2

Make sure the paper guides fit snugly
against the media.

You may have selected the
wrong paper orientation.

Make sure you have selected the correct
orientation (portrait or landscape) on the

Page Setup

dialog box. See “Page Setup -

Controlling Page Layout” on page 6.

You may have selected the
wrong paper size.

Make sure you have selected the correct
paper size in the

Page Setup

dialog box. See

“Page Setup - Controlling Page Layout” on
page 6

You may be trying to print text
or graphics that are larger
than your paper size.

Make sure text and graphics are scaled
correctly in your document. See “Paper Size,
Scaling, and Page Orientation” on page 6

You may have selected the
wrong margins.

Make sure the margins are within the printable
area. See “Minimum Printing Margins” on
page 59.

You may have accidentally
left

Poster Printing

selected.

Uncheck

Poster Printing

in the

Layout

panel.

See

“Layout” on page 9.

You may be using the Photo
Tray and the tray has not been
calibrated.

Go to the

Calibrate

panel of the

HP DeskJet

Utility

dialog box and select

Calibrate

the

Photo Tray.

Getting Help When Things Go Wrong

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43

Print quality is poor.

You may not be using the
most appropriate media for
the desired output.

• Make sure that you are using media

intended for HP DeskJet printers.

• Print quality is dramatically improved if you

print on paper specifically designed for a
certain output (photographs, for example),
rather than using plain paper.

You may be printing on the
wrong side of the media.

Make sure that the media is loaded print side
down.

You may not have selected
the correct paper type in the
printer software.

Make sure that you have selected the correct
paper type on the

Paper Type/Quality

dialog box. See “Paper Type/Quality” on
page 9.

You may be printing in Draft
mode.

If printing appears faded or dull, click

Normal

or

Best

instead of Draft on the

Paper Type/

Quality

dialog box. See “Paper Type/Quality”

on page 9.

If you have smearing, you
may be using too much ink.

1

Click

Normal

or

Draft

instead of Best on

the

Paper Type/Quality

dialog box. See

“Paper Type/Quality” on page 9.

2

Reduce the amount of ink. From the

HP

DeskJet 900 Series Print

dialog box,

select the

Ink Controls

panel. Use the

sliders to adjust ink volume.

3

Increase the dry time. From the

HP DeskJet

900 Series Print

dialog box, select the

Ink

Controls

panel. Use the sliders to adjust

dry time.

You may be running out of
ink.

1

Check the print cartridges status. See

“Print

Cartridge Status” on page 27.

2

If you are running out of ink, replace the
print cartridge. See

“Replacing Print

Cartridges” on page 29.

You may need to clean the
print cartridges.

See

“Cleaning Print Cartridges” on page 32.

Is there a problem with your printout? continued

What is the problem?

Possible cause

To solve the problem…

44

Getting Help When Things Go Wrong

4

Print quality is poor.

(continued)

You may have forgotten to
remove the vinyl tape from
the print cartridge.

Make sure that you have removed the
protective piece of vinyl tape on each of the
print cartridges. See “Replacing Print
Cartridges” on page 29.

You may have the incorrect
“Image” setting in the

Color

panel of the

Print

dialog box.

Click the

Revert to Defaults

button in the

Color

panel of the

Print

dialog box. See

“Color” on page 10.

Your print cartridges may be
out of alignment.

If the color and black ink aren’t lining up on
the printed page, go to the

HP DeskJet

Utility

located in the Utilities folder in your

hard drive’s main directory. Click the

Calibrate

tab, then click the

Align

button. See

“HP DeskJet Utility Window” on page 25.

Banners aren’t

printing correctly.

You may have forgotten to
raise the OUT tray.

Make sure that the OUT tray is up.

You may have problems with
the paper.

• If several sheets feed into the printer

together, unfold and refold the paper.

• If the paper creases going through the

printer, the paper might be unsuitable for
banner printing.

You may have problems with
your banner software.

Make sure you selected the paper size U.S.
Letter Banner or A4 Banner on the Page Setup
dialog box. See “Page Setup - Controlling
Page Layout” on page 6.

Is there a problem with your printout? continued

What is the problem?

Possible cause

To solve the problem…

Getting Help When Things Go Wrong

4

45

Photos aren’t

printing correctly when I
use the Photo Tray.

You may not have fully
engaged the Photo Tray.

1

Push the Photo Tray Button down and
slowly slide it toward the printer.

2

Stop when you feel resistance. Pushing too
far may crease your photo paper.

You may not have inserted the
photo media correctly.

Insert the photo media glossy side down.

You may not have selected
the appropriate

Paper Type

or

Paper Size

.

1

From the

Page Setup

dialog box, select

Photo 4 x 6 in., 102 x 152 mm (with
tear-off tab)

as the

Paper Size

. See “Page

Setup - Controlling Page Layout” on
page 6.

2

In your software program, choose

Print

from the

File

menu. On the

Paper Type/

Quality

panel of the

Print

dialog box,

select

HP Premium Plus Photo Paper,

Glossy

as the

Paper Type

. See

“Print Dia-

log Box” on page 7.

3

Click

Save Settings

.

4

Print your document.

You may not have selected

Best

print quality.

1

Go to the

Paper Type/Quality

dialog box.

See “Paper Type/Quality” on page 9.

2

Select

Best

print quality.

Binding margin appears in
the wrong place when
trying to do Two-Sided
Printing.

You may have selected the
wrong paper orientation.

• Make sure you have selected the correct

Binding

option in the

Layout

panel of the

Print dialog box. See “Layout” on page 9.

Is there a problem with your printout? continued

What is the problem?

Possible cause

To solve the problem…