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  HP Deskjet Printers - The Printer is Printing Strange Characters or Blank or Partial Pages

There are several solutions to this problem:

Step one: Turn the printer on and off

  1. Turn the printer off.
  2. Turn the printer on.
  3. Try to print a document. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step two: Turn off the printer and reboot the PC

  1. Shut down your computer.
  2. Turn the printer off.
  3. Turn your computer on.
  4. Turn the printer on.
  5. Try to print a document. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step three: Close all open programs

  1. Close all programs that you are using.
  2. Open only the program from which you were trying to print.
  3. Try to print a document. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step four: Try printing from different software

  1. Close all programs that you are using.
  2. Open a different program than the one from which you were trying to print.
  3. Try to print a document.
  4. If you can print a document, then you have a problem with the software that you were using to print from originally. You can try reinstalling that software to see if a fresh version of the software allows you to print.
  5. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step five: Check the printer cable

  1. Check that the printer cable is connected firmly to the printer and the computer.
  2. Try to print a document. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step six: Print a test page

  1. Print a test page to see if your printer is mechanically sound. Click here if you don't know how to print a test page.
  2. Try to print a document. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step seven: Set your printer as the default printer

  1. Click the Start button in the bottom left corner of your screen.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click Printers.
  4. In the dialog box, check to see if there is a checkmark by your printer's icon.
  5. If there is no checkmark by your printer, place the mouse pointer on your printer's icon and click the right mouse button.
  6. Use the left button to choose Set as default printer.
  7. Try to print a document. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step eight: Print a test page from the Properties menu

  1. Click the Start button in the bottom left corner of your screen.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click Printers.
  4. In the dialog box, place the mouse pointer on your printer's icon.
  5. Click the right mouse button.
  6. Use the left mouse button to click Properties.
  7. In the dialog box, click the Print Test Page button.
  8. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step nine: Verify you have enough free disk space

  1. On your Desktop, double-click My Computer.
  2. To get to your Desktop, look at the very top right corner of this window. You'll see three buttons . Click the leftmost (underline) button. If you have other windows open, repeat this process with each window until you see your Desktop.
  3. Place the mouse pointer on drive C: (or the drive on which you store your operating system and programs).
  4. Click the right mouse button.
  5. Click Properties.
  6. In the dialog box you should see a pie chart that represents how much free space is available on your hard drive. You need approximately 32 megabytes (MB) of free disk space to print a simple text-only document.
  7. If you have less than 32 megabytes (MB) free, then delete some files that you no longer need on the disk drive until you have enough disk space free. Documents with graphics require more disk space, so delete as many files as you can safely. If you are not sure how to delete files or which files you can delete safely, get help from a computer technician.
  8. Try to print a document. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step ten: Disconnect other peripheral devices

  1. If the printer is connected to a scanner or other device, disconnect the printer from the device.
  2. Connect the printer directly to the computer.
  3. Try to print a document. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step eleven: Reinstall the driver

  1. Click here if you have a parallel printer connection. This link will help you locate and install the correct printer driver for your printer.
  2. Click here if you have a USB printer connection. This link will help you locate and install the correct printer driver for your printer.
  3. Try to print a document. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step twelve: Test with a different cable

  1. Disconnect the printer cable from the computer and the printer.
  2. Connect a new printer cable to the printer and the computer.
  3. Try to print a document. If the problem continues, try the next steps below.

Step thirteen: Test from a different computer (if possible)

If you have access to another computer that has your printer's driver installed, then disconnect the printer from your computer.

Connect the printer to other computer.

Try printing from the other computer.

If you can print from the other computer, then you need to take your computer in for servicing. Take your printer in too and ask the technician to reinstall your printer driver and ensure that you can print from all software on your computer.

Step fourteen: Reinstall the printer port

If none of the steps above resolve the problem, your computer may not understand how your printer is connected, which would require reinstalling your printer port. The instructions for doing this vary from system to system, and it's safest to ask a HP computer technician or HP support agent to check your system and reinstall the correct port for you if necessary.

 Step fifteen: Contact support
If you tried all the solutions in this document and your printer is still not printing correctly, contact a support agent.

 

 

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