'Puter/Printer help please

Morning all,

We have recently bought a new base unit. We had our former operating system installed (XP). All our previous hardware has installed and is working again - except the printer.

We have a HP5552 deskjet. The 'puter detects the hardware and I follow the instuction regarding installing the software/drivers. However I cannot get the blessed thing to print. All it does is spit out blank sheets.


Does anyone know whats going wrong???

Thanks in advance

Dee

PS .... Can I have idiot proof intructions if I need to do any fiddling with stuff !! (that sentence should provide you with an accurate gauge of my technical knowledge/skill)

Pick up the printer, turn it upside down, shake it from side to side, then up and down. See what falls from inside. Then try and print again. Seriously.

Sean

I haven't a clue, is the ink cartridge nozzle blocked?

[fizzwheel]

We used to get all sort of weirdness with HP printers where I used to work. Especially if they were USB connected.

HP printer drivers are always weird, are you installing the drivers and then plugging the printer in. If not, uninstall the driver, disconnect the printer and then reboot the PC. Re-install the printer driver and it should come up with a a screen halfway through that say to "now connect your printer" follow the instructions and if its a driver problem then that should sort it out.

Failing that, I'd agree with Law sounds like your print cartridge could be dried up. Get a bit of damp tissue and gentle wipe the bottom contacts on the catridge and then run the printer through its cleaning / catridge re-allignment cycle from the HP control panel. If it is the cartridge that might resuce it, if not try a new cartridge.

Its been ages since I looked at a HP printer, so things might have changed but what I've posted might get you round your problem.

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

We used to get all sort of weirdness with HP printers where I used to work. Especially if they were USB connected.

HP printer drivers are always weird, are you installing the drivers and then plugging the printer in. If not, uninstall the driver, disconnect the printer and then reboot the PC. Re-install the printer driver and it should come up with a a screen halfway through that say to "now connect your printer" follow the instructions and if its a driver problem then that should sort it out.

Failing that, I'd agree with Law sounds like your print cartridge could be dried up. Get a bit of damp tissue and gentle wipe the bottom contacts on the catridge and then run the printer through its cleaning / catridge re-allignment cycle from the HP control panel. If it is the cartridge that might resuce it, if not try a new cartridge.

Its been ages since I looked at a HP printer, so things might have changed but what I've posted might get you round your problem.

Thanks Fizz

I've plugged in the printer then installed the drivers as per onscreen instruction to no effect

Also removed cartridges and wiped

It printed a test page when I asked it to clean cartridges

It printed to calibrate print cartridges

It prints a test page

However, It wont print anything from the print comand - (word docs, screen prints, notepads.)

[fizzwheel]

Thats Odd, if it prints a test page and the calibration pages then its not a physical problem.

Its weird that it wont print from word but does print a test page. Sounds like a driver problem to me, have you downloaded the latest printer drivers for your printer and tried those ? You should be able to get them from www.hp.co.uk

[TSM]

check the default page size, go to printers, then right click on the printer in question and select printing prefs, check in there.

It could be that the printers internal memory is full. To discharge memory, turn off at wall and press the on/off button 8 times. If this continues unistall and reinstall as suggested with a downloaded driver from hps site. I get this problem often, I'm an inks technician, if problem continues do you have another usb cable to use? sometimes changing the cable can work.

HTH

Originally Posted by Cumfy

It could be that the printers internal memory is full. To discharge memory, turn off at wall and press the on/off button 8 times. If this continues unistall and reinstall as suggested with a downloaded driver from hps site. I get this problem often, I'm an inks technician, if problem continues do you have another usb cable to use? sometimes changing the cable can work.

HTH

TSM : Paper size - A4


I've done the turn on/turnoff thing

Downloaded new Parallel port driver from HP - No joy!

Swapped to USB and downloaded driver - Nada!!!!

Think I'll just go out and buy a new printer.

[TEC]

Are you just hitting the print button from within the app or doing File - Print, if the former then you may not be printing to the HP printer, check to ensure the HP is the default printer in the Printers and Faxes bit, if the later then you may be right about a new printer