Printer problem

[Heather Positive Thinker]

I have an HP PSC 1410 all in one printer, scanner and copier. Its always been ok but recently its started printing a "test page" after each item I print. Its a terrible waste of paper and ink! The test page is what you use to align ink when you first change a cartridge. You print the page, put it under a scan and thats it. Ive even tried scanning one of the pages that have printed to see if that would stop it but it wont.

Ive googled but cant see a solution - anyone any ideas please?

[Guest]

It sounds like it might be the alignment page that is printed. This printer has a "semi-automatic" alignment process so to complete the alignment you need to place the printed page on the scanner glass and press the scan button (note: scan, not copy). Power cycle the printer so a new alignment page is printed and then complete the alignment process.

se if this works Heather

[Guest]

or check you have removed the tape on the cartridges

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Val, Ive done all that :( Its just printing the alignement page after I print every time. Maddening. Am currently fiddling with updates to see if that helps.

[Guest]

how did you get on ? maybe if you took all the cartridges out did an alignment then tried again?? or reinstalled printer

[col48]

What is striking about this is that it is printing the alignment page after each normal print. If it was a matter of the printer thinking a cartridge was newly installed you'd think it would do it before.

I'd try to contact HP support (if they still exist!). Failing that, there may be a user forum.

They might like to know...
1. If you print a multi-page document, does it print the test page after every page or just at the end?
2. If you print more than one copy of a document, does the test page get printed after each copy or only at the end?
3. Is the behaviour the same whatever the source of the printed page - a word-processor document, a spreadsheet, a web page, an email, a 'Notepad' text... - or are there differences?
4. Does the copy function work as expected?
5. Can you identify when it started to happen and what updates might have taken place around then?

[TrevorFranklin]

Looking at this thread

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Other-printing-questions/PSC-1410-PROBLEM-WITH-CONTINUAL-TEST-PAGE-PRINTING/td-p/887765

One thing it could be is that it has not completed the alignment process after cartridges were replaced.
It says you need to scan the alignment page, so if you have not done this, it may be producing a test page expecting that you scan it?

This thread is mentioning the same type of thing

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Other-printing-questions/HP-PSC-1410-a-test-page/td-p/743527

Trev

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Many thanks people. I had done the alignment thing over and over and scanned it. It printed a test page after each print run.

I eventually solved it by disabling the HP facility which reads how much ink you have in the cartridge. I use HP compatibles which have treble the ink and I think that was causing th eproblem. It seems ok now, fingers crossed.

[col48]

Yes, we should have thought of that possibility! If the printer was a scientist it would be wondering why you were persisting in printing when (by its reckoning) the cartridge must be very very dry. Since it can't work it out, it must be asking for reassurance each time in the only way it knows how.

Let's just hope that computers are never given the job of running the world.