You can check the estimated ink levels from the Toolbox (Windows), the HP Printer Utility (Mac OS), or the embedded Web server. For information about using these tools, see

Overview of printer management tools . You can also print the configuration page to view this information (see

Understanding the configuration page ).

NOTE After removing a cartridge from its package, install it right away. Do not remove a cartridge from the printer for long periods of time.

To find out which ink cartridges work with your printer, see

Supplies

To replace the ink cartridges

Gently pull open the ink cartridge cover.

Remove the ink cartridge that requires replacement by grasping it between your thumb and forefinger and pulling it firmly toward you.

Remove the new ink cartridge from its package.

Align the cartridge with its color-coded slot and insert the cartridge into the slot. Press down firmly on the cartridge to ensure proper contact.

Close the ink cartridge cover.

30 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Maintaining the printheads

If printed characters are incomplete, or dots or lines are missing from printouts, this may be caused by clogged ink nozzles and you might need to clean the printheads.

When the quality of printouts deteriorates, complete the relevant steps based on the following sequence:

Check the health of the printheads (see

To check printhead health

Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem areas, and perform the recommended actions (see

To print the print quality diagnostic page ).

If the color tints on printed pages have shifted visibly towards yellow, magenta, or blue, calibrate

the color (see Calibrating the color

Manually clean the printhead contacts. See

To clean the printhead contacts manually

Replace the printheads, if the problems persist after cleaning. See

To replace the printheads .

CAUTION HP is not responsible for damage to the printer that results from modifying the printheads.

To check printhead health

Use one of the following means to check the printhead health. If the status of any printhead is not good or fair, then perform one or more of the maintenance functions, or clean or replace the printhead.

● Configuration page: Print the configuration page on a clean sheet of white paper, and check the printhead health section. See

Understanding the configuration page .

● Embedded Web server:

Open the embedded Web server (see To open the embedded Web server ). Click the

Information tab and click Ink Supplies in the left pane.

● Toolbox (Windows): Open the Toolbox (see

To open the Toolbox

). Click the Information tab and click Printhead Health .

To print the print quality diagnostic page

Use the print quality diagnostic page to diagnose issues affecting the print quality of the printer. This will help you decide whether to run any maintenance tools to improve the print quality of your printouts. You can also view the ink level information, and the printhead health status on the page.

●

Control panel: Press and hold ( Power button), press (

( Resume button) 4 times, and release ( Power button).

Cancel button) once, press

● Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select

PQ (print quality) diagnostic page from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply .

● Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the

ENWW Maintaining the printheads 31

Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Print PQ (print quality) diagnostic page and follow the onscreen instructions.

● Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Print PQ (print quality) diagnostic page and follow the onscreen instructions.

● HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Print PQ Diagnostic Page from the Information and

Support panel.

1 Printer Information: Shows printer information (such as the product model number, serial number, and firmware version number), the number of pages printed from the trays and duplex unit, the ink level information, and the printhead health status.

2 Test Pattern 1: If the lines are not straight and connected, align the printheads. See

To align the printheads

3 Test Pattern 2:

If there are thin white lines across any of the colored blocks, clean the printheads. See To clean the printheads .

4 Test Pattern 3: If there are dark lines or white gaps where the arrows are pointing, calibrate the linefeed. See

To calibrate the linefeed

32 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

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To align the printheads

Whenever you replace a printhead, the printer automatically aligns the printheads to ensure the best print quality. However, if the appearance of your printed pages indicates that the printheads are misaligned, you can start the alignment process manually.

●

Control panel: Press and hold ( release ( Power button).

Power button), press ( Resume button) 2 times, and

● Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select

Align printheads from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply .

● Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the

Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Align Printheads and follow the onscreen instructions.

● Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Align Printheads and follow the onscreen instructions.

● HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Align from the Information and Support panel.

To calibrate the linefeed

●

Control panel: Press and hold ( Power button), press ( Resume button) 3 times, and release ( Power button).

● Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select

Calibrate Linefeed from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply .

● Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the

Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Calibrate Linefeed and follow the onscreen instructions.

● Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Calibrate Linefeed and follow the onscreen instructions.

● HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Calibrate Linefeed from the Information and Support panel.

To clean the printheads

NOTE Cleaning uses ink, so clean the printheads only when necessary.

The cleaning process takes up to 3.5 minutes. Some noise might be generated in the process.

●

Control panel: Press and hold ( Power button), press ( Resume button) 6 times, and release ( Power button).

● Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select

Clean printheads from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply .

● Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the

Maintaining the printheads 33

Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Clean Printheads and follow the onscreen instructions.

● Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Clean Printheads and follow the onscreen instructions.

● HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Clean from the Information and Support panel.

To clean the printhead contacts manually

After printheads are installed, if one or both printhead lights on the control panel begin to blink and the printer will not print, you might need to clean the electrical contacts on the printheads and in the printer.

CAUTION Clean the electrical contacts only after you have attempted to clean the printheads. See

To clean the printheads

. Electrical contacts contain sensitive electronic components that can be damaged easily.

Open the top cover.

If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, press and hold ( Resume button) for 3 seconds. Wait for the carriage to stop moving, then, unplug the power cord from the printer.

Lift the printhead latch.

Lift the handle of the printhead (which corresponds to the blinking printhead light) and use it to pull the printhead out of its slot.

Obtain clean, dry, soft and lint-free cleaning material. Suitable materials include paper coffee filters and eyeglass lens cleaning paper.

CAUTION Do not use water.

34 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Wipe the electrical contacts on the printhead but do not touch the nozzles.

NOTE The electrical contacts are small copper-color squares, grouped on one face of the printhead.

The nozzles are on a different face of the printhead. Ink will be visible on the nozzles.

CAUTION Touching the nozzles can cause permanent nozzle damage. Also, ink can permanently mark clothing.

After cleaning, place the printhead on a sheet of paper or paper towel. Make sure the nozzles are facing up and are not in contact with the paper.

Clean the electrical contacts in the printhead slot inside the printer with a clean, dry, soft and lintfree cloth.

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Plug in the power cord and turn on the printer. The control panel should indicate that the printhead is missing.

10 Insert the printhead into its color-coded slot (the label on the printhead must match the label on the printhead latch). Press down firmly on the printhead to ensure proper contact.

11 Pull the printhead latch all the way forward, and then press down to ensure that the latch is properly engaged. You might have to apply some pressure to engage the latch.

12 Where necessary, repeat the above steps for the remaining printhead.

13 Close the top cover.

Maintaining the printheads 35

14 If one or both the printhead lights still blink, repeat the cleaning procedure described above for the printhead which corresponds to the blinking printhead light.

15 If one or both the printhead lights still blink, replace the printhead which corresponds to the blinking printhead light.

16 Wait while the printer initializes the printheads and prints the alignment pages. If the printer does not print the pages, start the alignment process manually (see

To align the printheads ).

To replace the printheads

NOTE

To find out which printheads work with your printer, see Supplies

Open the top cover.

If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, press and hold ( Resume button) for 3 seconds. Wait for the carriage to stop moving.

Lift the printhead latch.

Lift the handle of a printhead and use it to pull the printhead out of its slot.

Remove the new printhead from its package, and then remove its orange protective caps.

Insert the printhead into its color-coded slot (the label on the printhead must match the label on the printhead latch). Press down firmly on the printhead to ensure proper contact.

Pull the printhead latch all the way forward, and then press down to ensure that the latch is properly engaged. You might have to apply some pressure to engage the latch.

Close the top cover.

Wait while the printer initializes the printheads and prints the alignment pages. If the printer does not print the pages, start the alignment process manually (see

To align the printheads ).

36 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Calibrating the color

Whenever you replace a printhead, the printer automatically calibrates the colors to ensure the best print quality. If you are not satisfied with the appearance of the colors, you can start the color calibration process manually.

●

Control panel: Press and hold (

( Power button).

Power button), press ( Cancel button) 2 times, and release

● Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select the option to calibrate color from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply .

● Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the

Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Calibrate Color and follow the onscreen instructions.

● Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Calibrate Color and follow the onscreen instructions.

● HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Calibrate Color from the Information and Support panel.

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Troubleshooting tips and resources

Use the following tips and resources to resolve printing problems.

● For paper jam, see

Clearing jams .

● For paper-feed problems, such as the paper skew and paper pick, see

Resolving paper-feed problems

Some printer problems can be resolved by resetting the printer.

To reset the printer's network settings (HP Officejet Pro K550dtn/K550dtwn)

Press and hold / ( Configuration Page button), press ( Resume button) 3 times, and release / ( Configuration Page button). The Power light blinks for a few seconds. Wait till the

Power light is on.

Press / ( Configuration Page button) to print the configuration page and verify that the network settings have been reset. By default, the network name (SSID) is "hpsetup" and the communication mode is "ad hoc".

38 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

General troubleshooting tips

Ensure the following:

● Power light is on and not blinking. When the printer is turned on for the first time, it takes approximately 8 minutes to initialize the printer after the printheads are installed.

● Make sure the printer is in the ready state. If lights are on or blinking, see

Printer lights reference .

● No error messages appear on the computer screen.

● Power cord and other cables are working, and are firmly connected to the printer. Make sure the printer is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC) power outlet, and is turned on.

See

Electrical specifications for voltage requirements.

● Media is loaded correctly in the tray and is not jammed in the printer.

● Printheads and ink cartridges are properly installed in their correct color-coded slots. Press down firmly on each one to ensure proper contact. Ensure you have removed the orange protective caps from each printhead.

● Printhead latch and all covers are closed.

● Rear access panel (HP Officejet Pro K550) or duplex unit (HP Officejet Pro K550dtn/K550dtwn) is locked into place.

● All packing tapes and materials are removed from the printer.

●

Printer can print a configuration page. See Understanding the configuration page .

● The printer is set as the current or default printer. For Windows, set the printer as the default in the Printers folder. For Mac OS, set the printer as the default in the Chooser or the Print Center.

See your computer's documentation for more information.

● Pause Printing is not selected if you are using a computer running Windows.

● You are not running too many programs when you are performing a task. Close programs that you are not using or restart the computer before attempting the task again.

ENWW General troubleshooting tips 39

Resolving printing problems

Printer shuts down unexpectedly

Check the power and power connections

▲ Make sure the printer is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC) power outlet.

See

Electrical specifications for voltage requirements.

Check the printer vents

▲ The printer vents are located on the sides of the printer. If the vents are covered and the printer overheats, the printer automatically turns off. Make sure the vents are not covered and the

printer is in a cool, dry location. See Environmental specifications for the required operating

environment for the printer.

All printer lights are on

A non-recoverable error has occurred

▲ Disconnect all cables (such as power cord, network cable, and USB cable), wait about 20 seconds, and reconnect the cables. If the problem persists, visit HP website ( www.hp.com/ support/officejetprok550 ) for the latest troubleshooting information, or product fixes and updates.

Printer is not responding (nothing prints)

If the printer supports wireless communication, see also

Problems setting up or using wireless communication

Check the printer setup

▲ See

General troubleshooting tips .

Check the printhead initialization

▲ When printheads are installed or replaced, the printer automatically prints a few alignment pages to align the printheads. This process takes about 8 minutes. Until this process is complete, only the automatic alignment pages can be printed.

Check the printer software installation

▲ If the printer is turned off when printing, an alert message should appear on your computer screen; otherwise, the printer software might not be installed correctly. To resolve this, uninstall

the software completely, and then reinstall the printer software. See Uninstalling the printer software .

40 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

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Check the cable connections

● Make sure both ends of the network cable are secure.

● If the printer is connected to a network, check the following:

● Check the Link light on the back of the printer. See

Interpreting network connector lights .

● Make sure you are not using a phone cord to connect the printer.

● The network hub, switch, or router is turned on and working properly.

Check the printer setup for network environment

▲ Ensure the correct printer driver and printer driver port are being used. For more information

about network connections, see Configuring the printer (Windows)

Configuring the printer (Mac

OS) , or the documentation provided by your network vendors.

Check any personal firewall software installed on the computer

▲ The personal software firewall is a security program that protects a computer from intrusion.

However, the firewall might block communication between the computer and the printer. If there is a problem communicating with the printer, try temporarily disabling the firewall. If the problem persists, the firewall is not the source of the communication problem. Re-enable the firewall.

If disabling the firewall allows you to communicate with the printer, you might want to assign the printer a static IP address and re-enable the firewall. See

Configure network settings .

Printer does not accept printhead

Check the printhead latch

▲ Make sure the printhead latch is properly closed.

Check the printhead

● Make sure the printhead is inserted into its correct color-coded slot. See

To replace the printheads

● Remove the printhead, and check to make sure the orange protective caps have been removed from the printhead.

Clean the printhead

▲

Complete the printhead cleaning procedure. See Maintaining the printheads .

Turn off the printer after removing the printhead

▲ After removing the printhead, turn off the printer, wait about 20 seconds, and turn it on again without the printhead installed. After the printer has restarted, reinsert the printhead.

Printer takes a long time to print

Check the system configuration

▲ Make sure the computer meets the minimum system requirements for the printer. See

System requirements

Resolving printing problems 41

Check the printer software settings

▲ The printer prints slower when Best or Maximum dpi is selected as the print quality. To increase the print speed, select different print settings in the printer driver. See

Changing print settings .

Check for radio interference

▲ If the printer is connected using wireless communication and is printing slowly, then the radio signal might be weak. See

Guidelines for reducing interference on a wireless network .

Blank page printed

Check for empty ink cartridges

▲

Check the printer lights to see which cartridge is low (see Interpreting control panel lights ). The

Toolbox (Windows), HP Printer Utility (Mac OS), and the configuration page (see

Understanding the configuration page ) provide information about ink levels. If you are printing black text and a

blank page prints, the black cartridge might be empty. See

Replacing the ink cartridges .

Check the media settings

● Make sure you select the correct print quality settings in the printer driver for the media loaded in the trays.

● Make sure the page settings in the printer driver match the page size of media loaded in the tray.

Something on the page is missing or incorrect

Check the printheads

▲ Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see To print the print quality diagnostic page ).

Check the margin settings

▲ Make sure the margin settings for the document do not exceed the printable area of the printer.

See

Setting minimum margins

Check the color print settings

▲ Make sure Print in Grayscale is not selected in the printer driver.

Check the printer location and length of USB cable

▲ High electromagnetic fields (such as those generated by USB cables) can sometimes cause slight distortions to printouts. Move the printer away from the source of the electromagnetic fields. Also, it is recommended that you use a USB cable that is less than 3 meters (9.8 feet) long to minimize the effects of these electromagnetic fields.

Placement of the text or graphics is wrong

Check how the media is loaded

▲ Make sure the media width and length guides fit snugly against the edges of the stack of media, and make sure the trays are not overloaded. See

Loading media

42 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Check the media size

● Content on a page might be cut off if the document size is larger than the media that you are using.

● Make sure the media size selected in the printer driver match the size of media loaded in the tray.

● If you are using a computer running Windows, select Emulate LaserJet Margins in the printer driver to scale the document to fit the media size currently selected. See

Changing print settings

Check the margin settings

▲ If the text or graphics are cut off at the edges of the page, make sure the margin settings for the document do not exceed the printable area of your printer. See

Setting minimum margins .

Check the page-orientation setting

▲ Make sure the media size and page orientation selected in the application match the settings in the printer driver. See

Changing print settings .

Check the printer location and length of USB cable

If the above solutions do not work, the problem may be caused by the inability of the application to interpret print settings properly. See the release notes for known software conflicts; or refer to the application's documentation, or contact the software manufacturer for specific help.

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Poor print quality and unexpected printouts

Poor quality printouts

Check the printheads and ink cartridges

● Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see To print the print quality diagnostic page ).

● Replace any ink cartridges that are low on ink, and try to print again. See

Replacing the ink cartridges .

Check the paper quality

▲ The paper might be too moist or too rough. Make sure the media used meets HP specifications,

and try to print again. See Selecting print media .

Check the type of media loaded in the printer

● Make sure the tray supports the type of media you have loaded. See

Understanding specifications for supported media .

● Make sure you have selected the tray in the printer driver that contains the media that you want to use.

Check the printer location and length of USB cable

Meaningless characters print

If an interruption occurs to a job that is printing, the printer might not recognize the rest of the job.

Cancel the print job and wait for the printer to return to the ready state. If the printer does not return to the ready state, cancel all jobs and wait again. When the printer is ready, resend the job. If prompted by the computer to retry the job, click Cancel .

Check the cable connections

▲ If the printer and computer are connected with a USB cable, the problem may be due to a poor cable connection.

Make sure the cable connections at both ends are secure. If the problem persists, turn off the printer, disconnect the cable from the printer, turn on the printer without connecting the cable, and delete any remaining jobs from the print spooler. When the Power light is on and not flashing, reconnect the cable.

Check the document file

▲ The document file may be damaged. If you can print other documents from the same application, try printing a backup copy of your document, if available.

44 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

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Ink is smearing

Check the print settings

● When you print documents that use much ink, allow more time to dry before handling the printouts. This is especially true for transparencies. In the printer driver, select the Best print quality, and also increase the ink drying time and reduce the ink saturation using the ink volume under the advanced features (Windows) or ink features (Mac OS). However, note that decreasing ink saturation might give printouts a "washed-out" quality.

● Color documents that have rich, blended colors can wrinkle or smear when printed using the

Best print quality. Try using the other print mode such as Normal to reduce ink, or use HP

Premium Paper designed for printing vivid color documents. See

Changing print settings

Check the media type

▲ Some types of media do not accept ink well, ink will dry more slowly and smearing may occur.

See

Selecting print media .

Check the margin settings

● Increase the margins in your document. Refer to the documentation included with your software application.

● If you are using a computer running Windows, make sure Minimize Margins is not selected in the printer driver.

Ink is not filling the text or graphics completely

Check the ink cartridges

▲ Ink cartridges might have run out of ink. Replace any empty cartridge. Or try removing and

reinstalling the cartridges; make sure they snap firmly into place. See Replacing the ink cartridges .

Check the media type

▲ Some media types are not suitable for use with the printer. See

Selecting print media .

Output is faded or dull colored

Check the print mode

▲ The draft or fast mode in the printer driver allows you to print at a faster rate, which is good for printing drafts. To get better results, select Normal or Best

. See Changing print settings .

Check the paper type setting

▲ When printing on transparencies or other special media, select the corresponding media type in the printer driver. See

To print on special or custom-sized media (Windows)

Check the ink cartridges

▲ If lines in the text or image are broken or do not print properly, one or more of the ink cartridges

may have run out of ink or are defective. Replace these cartridges with new ones. See Replacing the ink cartridges

Poor print quality and unexpected printouts 45

Colors are printing as black and white

Check the print settings

▲ Make sure Print in Grayscale is not selected in the printer driver.

Wrong colors are printing

Check the print settings

▲ Make sure Print in Grayscale is not selected in the printer driver.

Check the printheads

▲ Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see To print the print quality diagnostic page ).

Printout shows bleeding colors

Check the print settings

▲ Some media type settings (such as for transparencies and photo papers) and print quality settings (such as Best) require more ink than others. Choose different print settings in the printer driver, make sure you select the correct media type. See

Changing print settings

Check the ink cartridges

▲ Make sure ink cartridges have not been tampered with. Refilling processes and the use of incompatible inks can disrupt the intricate printing system, and result in reduced print quality and damage to the printer or printhead. HP does not guarantee or support refilled ink cartridges. For

ordering information, see HP supplies and accessories .

Check the printheads

▲ Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see To print the print quality diagnostic page ).

Colors do not line up properly

Check the printheads

▲ Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see To print the print quality diagnostic page ).

Check the graphics placement

▲ Use the zoom or print preview feature of your software to check for gaps in the placement of graphics on the page.

Lines or dots are missing from text or graphics

Check the printheads

▲ Print the print quality diagnostic page on a clean sheet of white paper. Evaluate any problem

areas, and perform the recommended actions (see To print the print quality diagnostic page ).

46 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Resolving paper-feed problems

For information on resolving jams, see Clearing jams

Tray cannot be inserted

● Reinsert the tray. Make sure it is aligned with the printer opening.

●

Check for paper jam. See Clearing jams .

Another paper-feed problem is occurring

Media is not supported for the printer or tray

▲ Use only media that is supported for the printer and the tray being used. See

Understanding specifications for supported media .

Media is not picked up from a tray

●

Make sure media is loaded in the tray. See Loading media . Fan the media before loading.

● Make sure the paper guides are set to the correct markings in the tray for the media size you are loading. Also make sure the guides are snug, but not tight, against the stack.

● Make sure media in the tray is not curled. Uncurl paper by bending it in the opposite direction of the curl.

● Make sure the tray is inserted properly.

Media is not coming out correctly

● Make sure the output tray extension is extended; otherwise, printed pages may fall off the printer.

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● Remove excess media from the output tray. There is a limit to the number of sheets the tray can hold.

● If the rear access panel or duplex unit is not installed properly during a print job, media may exit through the rear of the printer. Reinstall the rear access panel or duplex unit, or close the cover of the duplex unit.

Resolving paper-feed problems 47

Pages are skewing

● Make sure the media loaded in the trays is aligned to the paper guides. If needed, pull out the trays from the printer, reload the media properly, making sure that the paper guides are properly aligned.

● When reinserting a tray into the printer, do so gently. Forceful insertion with a full stack of paper may cause sheets to slide up within the printer, causing the printer to jam or pick multiple sheets at one time.

● Make sure the rear access panel or duplex unit is properly installed.

Multiple pages are being picked up

● Fan the media before loading.

● Make sure the paper guides are set to the correct markings in the tray for the media size you are loading. Also make sure the guides are snug, but not tight, against the stack.

● Make sure the tray is not overloaded with paper.

● Use HP media for optimum performance and efficiency.

48 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Resolving printer management problems

This section provide solutions to common problems that involve managing the printer.

Embedded Web server cannot be opened

Check your network setup

● Make sure you are not using a phone cord or a cross cable to connect the printer to the network.

See

Configuring the printer (Windows) or

Configuring the printer (Mac OS) .

● Make sure the network cable is securely connected to the printer.

● Make sure the network hub, switch, or router is turned on and working properly.

Check the computer

▲ Make sure the computer that you are using is connected to the network.

Check your Web browser

▲ Make sure the Web browser meets the minimum system requirements. See

System requirements .

Check the printer IP address

● Print the configuration pages of the printer, and locate the printer's IP address on the second

page. See Understanding the configuration page .

● Ping the printer using the IP address from an MS-DOS prompt.

For example, if the IP address is 123.123.123.123, type the following at the MS-DOS prompt:

C:\Ping 123.123.123.123

If a reply appears, the IP address is correct. If a time-out response appears, the IP address is incorrect.

ENWW Resolving printer management problems 49

Troubleshooting installation issues

Problems printing an alignment page

Problems installing software

NOTE

Verify the computer requirements

▲

Verify installation preliminaries

●

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● If the installation program cannot discover the printer, print the configuration page of the printer, and enter the IP address listed on the configuration page during the software installation. See

Understanding the configuration page .

● Ping the printer using the IP address from an MS-DOS prompt.

For example, if the IP address is 123.123.123.123, type the following at the MS-DOS prompt:

C:\Ping 123.123.123.123

If a reply appears, the IP address is correct. If a time-out response appears, the IP address is incorrect.

● If you are using a computer running Windows, make sure that the network ports created in the printer driver match the printer IP address:

Print the configuration page. See Understanding the configuration page .

On the Windows desktop, click Start , point to Settings , and then click Printers or Printers and

Faxes .

Right-click the printer icon, click Properties , and then click the Ports tab.

On the Ports tabbed page, select the TCP/IP port for the printer and click Configure Port .

Compare the IP address listed in the dialog box and make sure it matches the IP address listed on the configuration page. If the IP addresses are different, change the IP address in the dialog box to match the address on the configuration page.

Alternatively, create a new HP standard TCP/IP port (using the IP address listed on the configuration page) by doing the following: a.

On the Ports tabbed page, click Add Port .

Select Standard TCP/IP Port and click New Port .

Follow the onscreen instructions to create a new TCP/IP port using the printer's IP address.

Click OK twice to save the settings and close the dialog boxes.

Problems connecting to a wired network

● If the Link light on the network connector does not turn on, make sure that all of the conditions listed in

General troubleshooting tips are met.

● Though it is not recommended that you assign the printer with a static IP address, you might resolve some installation problems (such as a conflict with a personal firewall) by assigning the printer with a static IP address. For more information, see

Configure network settings .

Problems setting up or using wireless communication

If the printer is unable to communicate with the network after completing the wireless setup and software installation, perform one or more of the following tasks:

Troubleshooting installation issues 51

Check the wireless network settings

● Make sure the computer's wireless card is set to the correct wireless profile. A wireless profile is a set of network settings unique to a given network. A single wireless card might have several wireless profiles (for example, one for a home network and one for an office network). Open the configuration utility for the network card installed on your computer, and ensure that the profile selected is the profile for the printer's network.

● Make sure the printer's network settings match those of your network. Do one of the following to find the settings for your network:

● Infrastructure communication mode: Open the wireless access point's (WAP) configuration utility.

● Ad hoc communication mode: Open the configuration utility for the network card installed in your computer.

● Compare the network's settings to those that appear on the printer's network configuration page

(see

Understanding the configuration page

), and note any differences. Possible problems include the following:

● The WAP filters hardware addresses (MAC addresses). See

To add hardware addresses to a wireless access point (WAP)

● One of these settings in the printer might be incorrect: communication mode (infrastructure or ad hoc), network name (SSID), channel (Ad hoc networks only), authentication type, encryption. See

Understanding 802.11 wireless network settings .

● Print a document. If the document still does not print, then reset the printer's network settings

(see the instructions under

Troubleshooting tips and resources ) and reinstall the printer software

(see

Setting up the printer for wireless communication (HP Officejet Pro K550dtwn) ).

If the wireless network settings are correct, the computer might be associated to another wireless network. Ensure that the computer is associated to the same wireless network as that of the printer.

Users can ensure this by checking the wireless settings on their respective computers. In addition, ensure that the computers have access to the wireless network.

If the wireless network settings are incorrect, follow these steps to correct the printer's network settings:

Connect the printer to your network with a network cable or to the computer using the cross cable included with the printer.

Open the printer's embedded Web server. See Embedded Web server .

Click the Networking tab, and then click Wireless (802.11) in the left pane.

Use the Wireless Setup wizard on the Wireless Setup tab to change the printer's settings to match the settings of the network.

Close the embedded Web server, and then disconnect the cable from the printer.

52 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Uninstall the printer software completely, and then reinstall the software. See Uninstalling the printer software .

Check the signal strength

▲ Check the signal strength indicated on the network configuration page of the printer (see

Understanding the configuration page ). If the value is '0', the wireless devices (such as the

computer, the hub, or the wireless router) might be too far away, or the wireless signal might be blocked.

If possible, bring the devices closer, or move the devices to avoid any obstructions or partitions.

Clearing jams

To clear a jam

Remove all media from the output tray.

Check the rear access panel or the duplex unit.

Push the button on either side of the rear access panel or the duplex unit, and remove the panel or unit.

Locate any jammed media inside the printer, grasp it with both hands and pull it towards you.

If the jam is not there, push the latch on the top of the duplex unit and lower its cover. If the jam is inside, carefully remove it. Close the cover.

Reinsert the rear access panel or the duplex unit into the printer.

If you cannot locate the jam, lift the output tray and check for a jam in tray 1. If media is jammed in the tray, do the following: a.

Pull out tray 1.

54 Chapter 4 Maintaining and troubleshooting ENWW

Pull the paper towards you.

ENWW c.

Reinsert the tray and lower the output tray.

If you have not found the jam and have tray 2 installed, pull out the tray and remove the jammed media, if possible. If not, do the following: a.

Ensure the printer is turned off and disconnect the power cord.

Lift the printer off tray 2.

Remove the jammed media from the bottom of the printer or from tray 2.

Reposition the printer on top of tray 2.

Open the top cover. If there is paper remaining inside the printer, ensure the carriage has moved to the right of the printer, free any paper scraps or wrinkled media, and pull the media towards you through the top of the printer.

WARNING!

Do not reach into the printer when the printer is on and the carriage is stuck.

When you open the top cover, the carriage should return to its position on the right side of the printer. If it does not move to the right, turn off the printer before you remove any jam.

After clearing the jam, close all covers, turn on the printer (if you turned it off) and resend the print job.

If you encounter frequent jams, perform paper feed test to ensure that the paper path of the trays or duplex unit is clear. This process will print 20 blank pages.

To perform paper feed test

● Embedded Web server: Click the Settings tab, click Printer Services in the left pane, select the option to test paper feed from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section, and click Apply .

● Printer driver (Windows): Click the Services tab. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

Windows Server 2003, click the Service this Device button (this option is available only if the

Toolbox is installed), and then click the Printer Services tab. Click Test Paper Feed and follow the onscreen instructions.

● Toolbox (Windows): Click the Printer Services tab, and then click Test Paper Feed and follow the onscreen instructions.

● HP Printer Utility (Mac OS): Click Test Paper Feed from the Information and Support panel.

Clearing jams 55