Getting Help When Things Go Wrong
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Print quality is poor.
You may not be using the 
most appropriate media for 
the desired output.
• Make sure that you are using media 
intended for HP DeskJet printers.
• Print quality is dramatically improved if you 
print on paper specifically designed for a 
certain output (photographs, for example), 
rather than using plain paper.
You may be printing on the 
wrong side of the media.
Make sure that the media is loaded print side 
down.
You may not have selected 
the correct paper type in the 
printer software.
Make sure that you have selected the correct 
paper type on the Paper Type/Quality 
dialog box. See “Paper Type/Quality” on 
page 9. 
You may be printing in Draft 
mode.
If printing appears faded or dull, click Normal 
or Best instead of Draft on the Paper Type/
Quality dialog box. See “Paper Type/Quality” 
on page 9.
If you have smearing, you 
may be using too much ink.
1 Click Normal or Draft instead of Best on 
the Paper Type/Quality dialog box. See 
“Paper Type/Quality” on page 9. 
2 Reduce the amount of ink. From the HP 
DeskJet 900 Series Print dialog box, 
select the Ink Controls panel. Use the 
sliders to adjust ink volume.
3 Increase the dry time. From the HP DeskJet 
900 Series Print dialog box, select the Ink 
Controls panel. Use the sliders to adjust 
dry time.
You may be running out of 
ink.
1 Check the print cartridges status. See “Print 
Cartridge Status” on page  27. 
2 If you are running out of ink, replace the 
print cartridge. See “Replacing Print 
Cartridges” on page  29. 
You may need to clean the 
print cartridges.
See “Cleaning Print Cartridges” on page  32. 
Is there a problem with your printout? continued
What is the problem? Possible cause To solve the problem…