HP Deskjet 5740 failing in an odd way
May 3, 2011 6:48 PM Subscribe
Strange printer problem with HP Deskjet 5740
I have a HP Deskjet 5740 which is several years old. It has never given me trouble before. I'm using fairly new, non-refilled HP printer cartridges on a newer iMac. Nothing about how I was using the printer changed prior to these problems showing up, the problems just started spontaneously one day recently (I had completed a largish job, printing tax stuff, before it happened).
Basically the printer will print only one page - it will print the whole page but not eject the page fully; I have to pull the printed page the last centimeter or so out of the feed. When the printer stops all its indicator lights flash rapidly. The print status on the computer says "printer offline".
Cycling the power does not resolve the problem, the printer returns to its all-lights-flashing state after it comes back on. But if I pull the paper supply, open the cover, then cycle the power, the return the paper supply and close the cover, it will return to its ready state and print normally. For one page.
I've searched at length and browsed HP forums with no luck. I've unplugged everything and pulled the print cartridges and put it back together to no avail. The print drivers were pre-installed on the iMac and there are no updates for them.
So a long shot but has anyone resolved or at least seen a problem like this? I suppose if it just died outright I wouldn't think twice about just replacing it (it's long out of warranty and wasn't particularly expensive to start with) but it irks me that it is obviously mechanically able to print just fine - there's no quality issues, it just can't get past the bottom of page one.
I have a HP Deskjet 5740 which is several years old. It has never given me trouble before. I'm using fairly new, non-refilled HP printer cartridges on a newer iMac. Nothing about how I was using the printer changed prior to these problems showing up, the problems just started spontaneously one day recently (I had completed a largish job, printing tax stuff, before it happened).
Basically the printer will print only one page - it will print the whole page but not eject the page fully; I have to pull the printed page the last centimeter or so out of the feed. When the printer stops all its indicator lights flash rapidly. The print status on the computer says "printer offline".
Cycling the power does not resolve the problem, the printer returns to its all-lights-flashing state after it comes back on. But if I pull the paper supply, open the cover, then cycle the power, the return the paper supply and close the cover, it will return to its ready state and print normally. For one page.
I've searched at length and browsed HP forums with no luck. I've unplugged everything and pulled the print cartridges and put it back together to no avail. The print drivers were pre-installed on the iMac and there are no updates for them.
So a long shot but has anyone resolved or at least seen a problem like this? I suppose if it just died outright I wouldn't think twice about just replacing it (it's long out of warranty and wasn't particularly expensive to start with) but it irks me that it is obviously mechanically able to print just fine - there's no quality issues, it just can't get past the bottom of page one.
Response by poster: Sounds plausible, Rhomboid. My instinct is that seeking repair on this is not going to be worth it, but I guess I'll take second opinions on that. I lack the capacity to attempt it myself unless somehow a relatively straightforward fix could be explicated to me. What's killing me is it is almost functional in the 90% of uses where I only print a page anyway, it only takes 30 seconds to clear the jam. Then tonight I had to print 8 e-tickets from the science museum (Mother's Day with the grandparents!) and that sucked, and I don't want to be stuck with it when I unexpectedly want to print something big very badly.
I seem unlikely to get much more action on this so I'll take home printer recommendations in the $100 range instead!
posted by nanojath at 8:47 PM on May 3, 2011
I seem unlikely to get much more action on this so I'll take home printer recommendations in the $100 range instead!
posted by nanojath at 8:47 PM on May 3, 2011
Best answer: Copier/printer guy here. We generally do not service inkjet printers, as it's just not cost-effective for the customer. You might try just cleaning the rollers for starters. Take your paper stack out and try to print a blank page. Watch how the mechanism works for feeding a page.
The way I usually clean these rollers is to apply rubber restorer, or formula 409, or simple green, to a rag. Using my index finger I'll make a sort of tent with the rag, and pull it tight. I don't want the rag to get "sucked up" into the printer. I'll hold the wet spot on the rag against the roller and send the blank page again. The rollers spin against the wet spot on the rag, cleaning them. This usually takes 4 or 5 times, as there are usually 4 or 5 large feed rollers in a typical HP. You may be comfortable doing this, or not; I've done this more times than I can remember and haven't hurt myself or had my hand mangled by a rogue printer yet.
Just cleaning the rollers takes care of a lot feeding problems on these little HPs. There is very little tread on the tires to begin with, so the smallest amount of dust or grit makes the rollers slick and they have trouble feeding. If your HP has the removable trap door on the back, take it off and clean in there too. Shine your flashlight in there and look for either a dust bunny or perhaps a sliver or scrap of paper that might be stuck.
Your symptom sounds like it could either be dirty rollers or a bad sensor, hard to say. But cleaning the rollers is free, and might just do it.
Lastly, check the paper size setting, if it has one. Small inkjet printers generally don't care much about paper size, but if you've got the printer set for letter size and are running legal paper in it, or vice versa, that can cause jams from paper-length mismatches. Also, aside from the printer itself, check the paper size settings in the driver too. (Is it possible that you have A4 paper loaded, instead of letter? A4 is just shy of 11-3/4" long, or 3/4" longer than a standard letter sheet (narrower, too). Have seen that more than once.
posted by xedrik at 11:20 PM on May 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
The way I usually clean these rollers is to apply rubber restorer, or formula 409, or simple green, to a rag. Using my index finger I'll make a sort of tent with the rag, and pull it tight. I don't want the rag to get "sucked up" into the printer. I'll hold the wet spot on the rag against the roller and send the blank page again. The rollers spin against the wet spot on the rag, cleaning them. This usually takes 4 or 5 times, as there are usually 4 or 5 large feed rollers in a typical HP. You may be comfortable doing this, or not; I've done this more times than I can remember and haven't hurt myself or had my hand mangled by a rogue printer yet.
Just cleaning the rollers takes care of a lot feeding problems on these little HPs. There is very little tread on the tires to begin with, so the smallest amount of dust or grit makes the rollers slick and they have trouble feeding. If your HP has the removable trap door on the back, take it off and clean in there too. Shine your flashlight in there and look for either a dust bunny or perhaps a sliver or scrap of paper that might be stuck.
Your symptom sounds like it could either be dirty rollers or a bad sensor, hard to say. But cleaning the rollers is free, and might just do it.
Lastly, check the paper size setting, if it has one. Small inkjet printers generally don't care much about paper size, but if you've got the printer set for letter size and are running legal paper in it, or vice versa, that can cause jams from paper-length mismatches. Also, aside from the printer itself, check the paper size settings in the driver too. (Is it possible that you have A4 paper loaded, instead of letter? A4 is just shy of 11-3/4" long, or 3/4" longer than a standard letter sheet (narrower, too). Have seen that more than once.
posted by xedrik at 11:20 PM on May 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Wow, thank you xedrik. I appreciate the perspective about the cost-effectiveness of seeking professional repair and definitely worth it to try those maintenance steps. It will probably take me a day or two to get around to it but I will post an update as to whether anything helped, and even if it doesn't I can at least still consider it resolved.
posted by nanojath at 7:15 AM on May 4, 2011
posted by nanojath at 7:15 AM on May 4, 2011
Response by poster: Shortly after I asked this the printer failed more decisively and attempts to revive it yielded naught. I replaced it. Thanks for the insights anyway.
posted by nanojath at 5:56 PM on June 3, 2011
posted by nanojath at 5:56 PM on June 3, 2011
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posted by Rhomboid at 7:52 PM on May 3, 2011