Please help me fix my printer

[tw]

Originally Posted by monster

I fixed that and can print things.... as long as I don't want any black in them

Put a dab of alcohol where ink comes out. Then dab that with an absorbent tissue. If that ink stains the tissue, then those ink jets are clean. Move on to other potential defects.

HP printers were once easy to fix. They came with exploded diagrams and technical details. That (and other useful features) ended with Carly Fiorina. With costs and profits being more important than useful facts; began removing support. Her philosophy even created one of the worst mergers in American corporate history. HP bought Compaq.

HP documentation today is mumbo-jumbo that often says nothing technically informative - other than a technical help phone number.

For example, one reason for cartridge failures are contacts that connect printer electronics to that cartridge. Some restore an ink color by repeatedly removing and installing a cartridge. In a few cases, I has some success by gently soaking (cleaning) those contacts with alcohol.

Some had a break in a moving cable that connects that cartridge carriage to printer electronics. That took some time to disassemble (made difficult by the now missing exploded diagrams) so that a magnifying eyelet could get close enough to inspect.

In one case, I documented a detailed list of problems with their HP Solution Center in an HP technical support discussion group. Including specific actions that always created a problem. And when a modification fixed it, a rebooted HP Solution Center undid the fix. This was for older version HP All-In-Ones. Text was also bluntly explicit about others with similar symptoms. But others did not include technical facts and even some HP PCL commands.

I never got a response. But then suddenly, about 6 months later, that Solution Center program was upgraded by HP. With all those detailed problems fixed. There were still islands of excellence in the company.

HP documentation was once legendary for explaining things. Diagnostic messages once cited a specific part or subsystem that was failing. With error numbers that could be referenced elsewhere to learn what was defective. Today, those messages will not even report a disconnected wire from electronics to an ink jet carriage and cartridge.

Obviously all those 'try this' and 'maybe it is that' recommendations say nothing useful. Either one says specifically what is done to identify a defect even before fixing it. Or says exactly what part is defective. Not found in any 'I did this once' reply, in part, because HP is no longer an engineering company. HP no longer provided facts necessary to resolve such problems.

Even the so called reset functions do little more than unplugging it and repowering. Almost nothing is provided to make an informed recommendation.

If the cartridge ink jets are cleaned with alcohol, any other solution can only create enough vibration to temporarily restore a connection. Even HP technical support really does not know how a printer works. They will only recite standard 'try this' paragraphs from service manuals.

HP has already broken apart into at least seven companies. Management from business schools has no idea that they have subverted new product innovations. That management is slowly selling HP off just like GE is doing. HP may be purchased by Xerox. Because Xerox is also doing what Sears has been doing to maintain the slow selling off of parts - to enrich top management.

A real shame. Since HP was always a favorite company even back when HP was among the very first minicomputer manufacturers - when memory was 4K of core - before semiconductor memory. Those are some of the first computers I fixed and designed boards for. When HP oscilloscopes were legendary. When HP even created electronic music machines that made Walt Disney's 1940 Fantasia movie possible. It all began ending when Carly Fiorina began subverting innovation to increase profits.

[monster]

so you're saying shake the mutherfocker? Might be worth try. yup ink is coming out of the cart, all have been cleaned with alcohol. BajaBoi has been kicked out of the shop (their season is cancelled) so was home mooching and took it apart and cleaned it all again with even more alcohol...... I have a very light gray now so i was thinking time, bad language and stopping giving a shit might be the magic cocktail

[sexobon]

I hope you can revive it.

About three years ago, an older model HP printer was given to me and failed a couple of months thereafter. I did an internet search for info on the model and articles turned up identifying a known issue for which multiple independent techies had identified the same cause: an OEM capacitor that was marginally rated for the circuit it supported would eventually fail. The fix required partial disassembly, unsoldering the capacitor, ordering a properly rated one, soldering it in and reassembling the machine.

It was all stuff I could do; but, didn't have time to mess with. It would've cost more that it was worth to farm it out for repair. So, even though I had just bought and installed new ink cartridges, I tossed it out and got a new machine. C'est la vie.

[monster]

I'm getting set to suck it up and replace it, but now it just really not the time financially The University closed the remaining open buildings, so my oldest son lost his student jobs income, but still has rent to pay and food to buy.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by monster

...i was thinking time, bad language and stopping giving a shit might be the magic cocktail

You may have just discovered the secret of life!

[tw]

Originally Posted by sexobon

It would've cost more that it was worth to farm it out for repair.

And that is the bottom line. They are virtually giving those printers away. Profits are in cartridges. So it is cheaper to buy a new one.

Meanwhile, Fed Ex and UPS provide excellent printers in their copy machines. B&W print is like 7 or 8 cents per copy. Color is too expensive.

But convert that file to a recognized format. For example, that printer (copier, scanner) probably will not understand .TXT, .DOC, .BMP, or .GIF files. Converting that file to .PDF and putting it on a USB drive should work just fine.

Unfortunately, I have yet to fine a copy place who can list all their acceptable file formats. Even employees (and what I believe was the manager in one place) did not know. When in doubt, bring the file (text or graphic) converted to .PDF.

A good and temporary solution when cash flow is a problem.