HP Printer problems

[Mr Allen]

I have been trying to print some stuff out including Cinema tickets booked for this afternoon, and the Printer's not working, it's a HP 3630.

There's plenty of paper in the machine and I don't think the Ink cartridge has run out.

Do I need a new Printer? I've not had this one all that long.

 

[pjcnet]

Can the printer perform a test print from the printer itself? I'm not sure what button you have to press on this particular printer, sometimes you have to hold one down, but if you don't know I can most likely find out.

If it can print a test page, then it's most likely either something to do with the cable or it's software related, if it's a wireless printer then there's even more that can go wrong there. Does the PC recognise that the printer is connected at all? Is there any error messages when you try to print? You could try reinstalling any driver software, if there is any, the driver maybe just built into Windows, I can do my research on this printer if necessary, but if I do I will need to know what version of Windows you have, assuming it is Windows?

If it can't print a test page, are there any error lights on the printer or is anything flashing? The most common issue is a paper jam, sometimes they can be really difficult to spot and it could even just need cleaning if a sensor is covered by debris.

If you give more information about the exact issue and what does or doesn't happen when you try to print, I might be-able to help more.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

Is it giving an error message?

 

[pjcnet]

Yeah, you need a new printer.

You could possibly be right and I'm not sure whether you are being sarcastic or serious, but there's not enough information given to make that assumption yet, most issues where a printer doesn't print are resolvable without requiring a complete replacement even if there's enough ink/toner and paper.

 

[Mr Allen]

Can the printer perform a test print from the printer itself? I'm not sure what button you have to press on this particular printer, sometimes you have to hold one down, but if you don't know I can most likely find out.

If it can print a test page, then it's most likely either something to do with the cable or it's software related, if it's a wireless printer then there's even more that can go wrong there. Does the PC recognise that the printer is connected at all? Is there any error messages when you try to print? You could try reinstalling any driver software, if there is any, the driver maybe just built into Windows, I can do my research on this printer if necessary, but if I do I will need to know what version of Windows you have, assuming it is Windows?

If it can't print a test page, are there any error lights on the printer or is anything flashing? The most common issue is a paper jam, sometimes they can be really difficult to spot and it could even just need cleaning if a sensor is covered by debris.

If you give more information about the exact issue and what does or doesn't happen when you try to print, I might be-able to help more.

It does not do anything.

No test page, no nothing.

 

[pjcnet]

It does not do anything.

No test page, no nothing.

I assume you have power to it? Does it do anything when you power it off and back on again, E.g. do you hear it start up? Is there any errors on the printer itself?

Assuming you get power you could look for paper jams and this video goes on to the next stage, I can't find much on your specific printer, but this is probably similar:

You could also try removing your ink cartridges and putting them back in.

If it's under warranty you could get the shop to replace or get it repaired if you've gone through all the troubleshooting steps first, you normally get a minimum of 12 months. If there was a hardware fault it's not usually worth paying for a repair on inkjet printers these days because it would cost more to repair than the printer is worth.

 

[Judge]

From my own perspective of "printer hell" the first question I'd have is exactly how the printer interfaces with your computer.

Use of a USB port is pretty elementary. Conversely using a wireless connection through the Internet can occasionally involve some unpredictable malfunctions you never see coming. Like the printer "losing" your IP address. It happens, yet I have never figured out exactly why.

Then there are also other considerations...like what printer management settings are used relative to printing in grayscale or color.

 

[Mr Allen]

From my own perspective of "printer hell" the first question I'd have is exactly how the printer interfaces with your computer.

Use of a USB port is pretty elementary. Conversely using a wireless connection through the Internet can occasionally involve some unpredictable malfunctions you never see coming.

It's wireless, as you probably know from my previous posts in the technology section, I have a Chromebook PC.

When I tried it again earlier before I went out, it printed a test sheet, but then when I tried to print out tickets I'd booked for a movie, that didn't work, fortunately I'd got the email on my phone so I got into the film but that's beside the point, me printer's knackered.

 

[Judge]

It's wireless, as you probably know from my previous posts in the technology section, I have a Chromebook PC.

More often than not when that happens to me, I just reiterated my IP address. With my printer I just went into the HP menu and selected "Update IP Address", following the instructions to determine either a new IP address or the old one. In most cases it fixed the problem. But yes, I have no idea what causes it, assuming that may be your problem as well.

Another thing to check is the printer management setting in the "advanced" printer settings relative to whether you are printing color or grayscale. On my printer grayscale won't work when my color management is set to Adobe RGB 1998 rather than HP's ColorSmart sRGB. And as for simple solid black line printing, that has never worked at all! So if you want just simple black, switch it to grayscale.

And don't get creative with paper types. Even with all those settings HP provides, I seem to get results only if I keep on HP proprietary paper settings. Otherwise printing comes out bad, incomplete or not at all.

Frankly I'm not all that thrilled with wireless capability given these occasional problems. I have the same printer (HP 5530 Envy) also simultaneously connected to a USB on my legacy computer that operates without fail. Go figure.

HP does also have an online troubleshooting service...but I haven't found it to be particularly helpful. Unfortunately there's no telling how different all these features might be relative to you having a Chromebook as opposed to a Windows OS. Of course I can only comment in such detail based on this particular model.

It all gives me a headache.

 

[pjcnet]

A little from column A and a little from column B. My printer has started to go haywire and I've found it's easier and cheaper to buy a new one. Shoot, it's cheaper to buy a new printer than buy cartridges. I saw a printer in Walmart this morning that had more features than the one I now have for less money. Trying to figure out what's wrong with a printer without knowing the type . . . well, it makes better sense to just buy a new one.

I agree that sometimes it is cheaper to buy a new printer than cartridges which effectively makes it disposable, however be warned that because of this trend some printers only come with partially full cartridges included these days, sometimes they only print a hand full of sheets, so do your research first. Also shop around for cartridges as the price can vary greatly and it maybe cheaper to replace them after all, plus 3rd party cartridges can be a lot cheaper and buying in bulk can work out cheaper still. There is also the option of cheap unofficial refill kits, although some are better than others, plus they usually invalidate the warranty if they find out of course, not that it really matters if the alternative was to replace the printer anyway. I've seen people mess up with refill kits however by spilling ink all over and inside the printer, effectively writing it off. Some printers come with the print head included in each ink cartridge which often makes it cost even more to replace, but even though the print head is supposed to be replaced with each ink change, they can actually last for quite a few before the quality noticeably degrades.

When buying a new printer it's just as important to look at the prices of replacement ink cartridges as the printer itself unless you fully intend it to be disposable in which case you need to ensure it comes with full ink cartridges included.

It's wireless, as you probably know from my previous posts in the technology section, I have a Chromebook PC.

When I tried it again earlier before I went out, it printed a test sheet, but then when I tried to print out tickets I'd booked for a movie, that didn't work, fortunately I'd got the email on my phone so I got into the film but that's beside the point, me printer's knackered.

Since it printed a test page there's unlikely to be anything actually wrong with the printer itself. Wireless can be a real PITA with printers and always has been, it's often very unreliable. If possible I would connect it using a wired connection instead, if you don't have enough USB ports, then use a cheap USB hub to split an existing one.

If you really must continue to use wireless than what Judge has suggested might work, if not it's difficult to resolve without being there because it could be the printer not connecting to your network properly or it could be an issue with the driver, plus I'm not familiar with ChromeOS. I would factory reset the printer if you can't fix it (I can probably find out how if you need me to), then set it up again like a new printer. I'm not sure about the Chromebook side if it still doesn't work then, but in Windows you could remove the driver and then reinstall that from scratch, I would assume you could do the same.

 

[Judge]

If he was able to print a test page wirelessly that likely deduces the worst of the wireless concerns. It may simply come down to what is keeping him from printing could be the Chrome browser itself. Weird though given the Google Chrome browser is so integrated with the OS. But not running that OS I can only make a guess.

There is a support page pertinent to HP print for Google Chrome that may or may not help:

HP Printers - Printing with the HP Print for Chrome App | HP® Customer Support

 

[pjcnet]

If he was able to print a test page wirelessly that likely deduces the worst of the wireless concerns. It may simply come down to what is keeping him from printing could be the Chrome browser itself. Weird though given the Google Chrome browser is so integrated with the OS. But not running that OS I can only make a guess.

There is a support page pertinent to HP print for Google Chrome that may or may not help:

HP Printers - Printing with the HP Print for Chrome App | HP® Customer Support

Ouch, if I did end up being given a Chrome Book (I'd never buy one), the first thing I'd be doing is looking at ways to install Windows 10 instead, or Linux at least if it wasn't up to spec. As I said I'm not familiar with ChromeOS, but if it's specifically a Chrome Browser issue then it could be possible to copy and paste the tickets into another App and print it there as a temporary workaround, or perhaps even do a screen print and paste it to a paint App where you could crop the tickets, assuming this is even possible in ChromeOS.


@Rich Allen, if you can wait a day or two and there's no other way to print something, then there's services like PC2Paper that allow you to send snail letters online from their website, you could copy and paste the tickets or what-ever you want into this and send the letter to yourself. BTW I've used PC2Paper in the UK for years, it's an excellent service and the prices are very reasonable. Also please read the paragraph above as a possible workaround, but I see you've got around this initial problem by using your phone.

 

[Judge]

As I said I'm not familiar with ChromeOS, but if it's specifically a Chrome Browser issue then it could be possible to copy and paste the tickets into another App and print it there as a temporary workaround, or perhaps even do a screen print and paste it to a paint App where you could crop the tickets, assuming this is even possible in ChromeOS.

I'm also wondering if there's some additional validation process or security step that must be completed prior to printing such tickets on that particular web page. Though it's not anything I've done before. But you'd think for tickets for an actual performance they wouldn't necessarily make it easy to print. That they may have made some "hoops" users must jump through before a user can actually print the tickets in question.

I have the Chrome browser on this computer, but I just don't use it much. Never have printed from it before. Still prefer Firefox in that regard.

Yeah, seems to tempting to just install Linux right over any ChromeBook. Make it much more than what it is out of the box.

 

[Judge]

The printer I now have is an Epson WF-3620. I may be wrong, but I think the print heads are built into the cartridge. If I buy the cartridges (not XL) at Walmart, they still cost close to $50 . . . if they have them. I'm considering trying a Brother printer to see if the ink is cheaper and lasts longer, because the Epson burns up ink fast. I even shut the printer off, as I've heard that helps on the longevity. I had an HP several years ago that the ink would last almost a year. I sure do miss that one.

I skipped on Brother based on reliability/repair rate issues. It's true about the Epson though.

The HP can be a pain if used wirelessly, but when it works it does an amazing job- especially with photos. And yeah their ink seems to last a very long time. Over a year if I'm not using it a lot. Especially with XL cartridges. Of course I don't turn it on unless I really plan on using it as each time you crank it over it goes through a print head cleaning cycle and expends a little ink each time.

 

[Mr Allen]

Dad's managed to get it to work on a wired USB connection, and I've managed to print out several copies of my CV.

I just need to somehow try and sort the Wi Fi out, there's only the Printer that it doesn't work with, I have my Sky box and Xbox online via Wi Fi and they both work fine.

 

[Judge]

I just need to somehow try and sort the Wi Fi out, there's only the Printer that it doesn't work with, I have my Sky box and Xbox online via Wi Fi and they both work fine.

You might consider issues that might revolve around Google Cloud Print:

Fix problems with Google Cloud Print - Chromebook Help