computer question

[calimac]

Apparently I have to jump through huge hoops to get this answered at any kind of product help forum, and googling doesn't produce results that address the question, so I'll put it here.

My printer has stopped printing. It accepts printer commands and spits out sheets of paper, but they're blank. I tried different programs, still nothing.

An obvious suggestion would be that the cartridge is out of toner, but it was working fine yesterday: clear printing, no streaks or anything. I shook the cartridge to redistribute the toner; still nothing. It's possible, I suppose, that it ran clean out at exactly the moment I finished yesterday's large printing job. But before I go out and buy a new expensive cartridge, I'd like to be sure that's the problem. So what I'd like to know is:

Is there any way to tell from looking at the cartridge whether it's out of toner?

Comments

[spacecrab.livejournal.com]

First, see if you can find a button setting on the printer that allows direct printing of a test page. This will rule out whether the problem has anything to do with Windows or the computer. To check ink status, you may find a setting In the Devices and Settings window. Right click the printer object, choose Printer Properties and look for a tab that displays the ink status. (You can also click a button to print a test page from the General Tab, but this isn't as good a test as trying directly from a physical button on the printer.) If a direct print test results in a blank page, then something's wrong with the printer, itself, which may or may not be the ink cartridge. If a direct print test works, then something's wrong with the printer configuration in Windows. You can try deleting the printer object in the Devices and Printers folder (Printers and Faxes in XP) and reinstall it from the CD that comes with the printer or a downloaded driver. Other than that, it would be useful to know the printer model. There are other things you can try before deleting and reinstalling, such as stopping and restarting the print spooling service; but first you want to know whether the printer can print its own test pages regardless of the configuration on the computer.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

I can't find anything that says ink status. That may be a newer feature than I have. This is a LaserJet 1300.

I did try the general tab print-test-page command during my testing, for what it was worth, and that gave the same blank sheet.

[spacecrab.livejournal.com]

What about the hardware printer test?
http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-bpl70243#N1005F

There are instructions for printing an ink status report for that printer from Windows; but I suspect that you'd just get a blank page if you tried it.
http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c01177998-14

If you play with the printer settings displayed on the printer by hitting the hardware button(s), you might find one that displays ink level along with a command that prints a direct test page. (Usually, though, when the ink level is low, most printers display a status message on the panel. So my guess is it's something else.) Is the printer in a cold place? The manual is here:
http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/psi/manualsResults/?sp4ts.oid=238320

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Ah, HP manuals. That's what would have helped, had I been able to find them before.

Problem is, the instructions leave me stuck.

First one, I get stuck at "Press and release the GO button." What GO button?

Second one, I get stuck at "Click the Services tab." There is no Services tab.

[spacecrab.livejournal.com]

*Sigh* I took a deeper look. Doesn't look like there is a real printer manual for this model on the page that lists all those links. And apparently no display panel with English messages.

But this link: http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c00003059 suggests that there is a button on the thing with two display lights to the left of it. If this corresponds to what you have, you should be able to get the thing to print a status page by holding down the button for five seconds -- unless the lights are flashing in some sequence that indicates an internal hardware problem. Maybe the list of all the error conditions that can occur in this link will be useful. (If pushing the button results in output of a blank page, you may want to try the listed option to contact HP support. Or else try removing the ink cartridge, put it in a warm place for awhile, slosh it and reinsert for a voodoo approach. If you can get a readable printout directly from the hardware, then you know it's something in WIndows that's wrong, and you can tackle it from that end.)

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Oh, that button. I had tried pressing it on general principles, but not holding it for 5 seconds.

Well, I've held it. A piece of paper went through. And ... it's blank. And this with a new cartridge. Yep, it's the printer.

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

Do you have access to your printer software via System Preferences (Mac) or Control Panels (Windows)? My printer software has a function that's supposed to check supply levels.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

Have you tried simply turning the printer off then on again? It's simplistic, but it's surprising how often it works.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

I found one link which definitively said that you can't directly check the ink level for the 1300.

Here's a link which seems to usefully describe where to find the printer controls for three different PC operating systems. It's for the HP 1200 instead of 1300, but I think the basic directions may still be useful:
http://www.ehow.com/how_6100064_check-hp-laserjet-1200-series.html

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

It says "look for the 'services' tab." That's what I couldn't find when Lenny sent me the instructions, either. Thanks for trying.