HP Deskjet 1280 Printer series - Manual (Page 32)

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5 Troubleshooting
This chapter provides solutions to common problems, such as paper jams and poor print
quality. If your printer is not operating properly and these suggestions do not solve your
problem, try to print a diagnostic page, and then contact HP Customer Support (see
“Printing a
diagnostic page” and “Customer Support” ).
Power cannot be turned on
Check that the power cord is connected.
Check that the removable panel, located at the back of the printer, is tightly pushed into
the slot and that the knob is in the lock position.
Printer is not responding (nothing prints)
Check the power.
Make sure the power cord is connected firmly to the printer and to a working outlet, and
that the printer is turned on. The Power light on the front panel of the printer should be lit.
Check the cables.
Make sure the printer cable is firmly connected between the printer and the computer.
Check the rear panel knob.
Make sure the rear panel is correctly installed and the knob is in the lock position. The
printer will not function until the knob is in the lock position.
Check the printer setup.
Make sure your HP deskjet printer is selected as the current or default printer and that
Pause Printing is not selected in the Printer menu.
Be patient.
Complex documents containing many fonts, graphics, and/or color photos take longer to
begin printing. If the Power light is blinking, the printer is processing information.
Check the paper.
Make sure paper is loaded correctly in the tray and that the paper is not jammed in the
printer. See
“Loading paper” and “Paper is jammed in the printer” for more information.
Check the print cartridges.
Make sure that both the black and color print cartridges are properly installed and that the
access cover of the printer is closed (see
“Replacing the print cartridges” for more
information). The Print Cartridge light flashes if the print cartridges are not installed
correctly. See
“Printer lights blink” and “Print cartridge problem” for more information.
If you tried to print when the printer was turned off, you should have seen an alert message on
your screen. If the printer was off and you did not see a message when you tried to print, the
printer setup might be incorrect. To correct this, reinstall the printer software.