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Advice Please. My Printer HP4500 Is Not Printing Off 3rd Party Forms Properly....
Styker
Posts: 49,863 Forum Member
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I've only had this printer/computer for about 6 weeks. Over the last 2 weeks, whenever I try and print off forms from organisations, be it tax forms, insurance or anything like that, the alignment is wrong, some of the right hand side text is always missing and on a tax form it didn't print the text at all! Just the boxes! 
Also the fonts/logo's of things are too big as well.
Anyone know what is causing that and how can I fix it? I've tried re-aligning it by doing test pages on the printer, doing the scan alignment test but that doesn't mention anything is wrong. Whichever way I try loading the paper in as well doesn't help either. Whether I shift it to the middle middle, or to the far left or right etc.
On PDF prints, I try to decrease the size of the zoom to see if that helps as well and still the alignment is wrong and text is missing.
Thanks in advance of any replies that might help fix this.
Also the fonts/logo's of things are too big as well.
Anyone know what is causing that and how can I fix it? I've tried re-aligning it by doing test pages on the printer, doing the scan alignment test but that doesn't mention anything is wrong. Whichever way I try loading the paper in as well doesn't help either. Whether I shift it to the middle middle, or to the far left or right etc.
On PDF prints, I try to decrease the size of the zoom to see if that helps as well and still the alignment is wrong and text is missing.
Thanks in advance of any replies that might help fix this.
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Of need be, uninstall all the printer software, download the latest version from HP and install that.
Also, it could be the application you are printing from. Is it Adobe Acrobat reader?
I bought HP Everyday A4 paper and that's another thing, once I print things off, they keep on smudging even after hours/days after the thing has been printed off.
I have tried aligning it to the right, left and middle middle that didn't work.
I think it is Adobe Acrobat that the print outs were from.
I might try uninstalling the software, do you think it will work?
p.s. I did have a messege a few weeks back saying that not all of the software was downloaded from the CD that came with the printer and when I put the CD back in, the computer didn't seem to do anything with it.
As Stig suggested uninstall then download the latest drivers here
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?cc=us&lc=en&product=3919448
Is the problem happening only with .pdf files through Adobe Acrobat?
2. Make sure the paper size is correct in the printer defaults and in whatever application you are printing from.
3. Smudging - The coloured inks in HP Printers are water soluble, the black is pigmented and much more permanent,
I always print documents just using the black cartridge because of that.
4. Reduce the amount of ink used from the printer options, the defaults may well be too high (no surprise there....). Less ink is quicker to dry, less paper curling, less cost. Check with a magnifying glass that there is full ink coverage for black on your paper, you only need the minimum required.
Some of the recent HP inks have pigmented colours. Easy to test, just run a colour printout under the tap.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?cc=us&lc=en&product=3919448
Is the problem happening only with .pdf files through Adobe Acrobat?[/QUOTE]
Hi, thanks for the reply. RE BIB, no, I printed off an e-mail today and that was to do with a receipt for something I ordered online and again it is missing things to the right of the page. With PDF, I saved the copy of my insurance certificate directly to PDF and then I managed to shrink that and it printed off ok in the end but with other 3rd party sites, it is still missing things on the right hand side.
The cable I am using to connect the printer to the base unit is the one for my previous HP printer, do you think that could have anything to do with it?
I did reload the disk of the HP printer but that did not make it any better, I didn't de-install the previous installation though. The desk top is an Asus one, a HP4500 printer and a monitor of a different make too.
Re your second suggestion, when you say check the paper size in the default section, is that the little printer box that appears once I've selected that I want to print something? If it is that does say A4 but I'm not sure how to check the size against the app that I'd be using. Any tips on how to do that?
Also, there was no USB cable to connect this printer to the base unit so i used the cable for my previous printer, could that be causing the aligment to mess up in any way? Thanks for the info too.
As for the USB cable. If it is working correctly, ie the data gets from PC to printer without corruption then it is totally irrelevant to your problem.
2) The make of your PC, monitor and printer is irrelevant
3) The USB cable with either work or not at all.
Above you said something about the paper being aligned left right or centre. There is only one correct way of loading the paper. If you are not sure how to do it you should read a manual or watch a video. Normally on HP printer you put the paper in the tray pushed to the right with a paper guide on the left.
I think HP might have selected the wrong printer as they put HP4500 and then I think GR something. I haven't seen GR or anything with a G on on this printer.
So I then loaded via the disk again but I'm still getting the same problems. Text is missing to the right and or the text/fonts are too big and text is missing from the bottom of the page instead.
What else can I try or should I take this back to the shop? I've had this printer for about 7 weeks so I suppose a replacement is my best bet but is that gonna fix things? What if this is a general product fault?
Also I disposed of the box after about a month, I thought the printer was alright but that was before I tried printing from 3rd party sites. It prints off word pad documents alright so I thought it was gonna be ok. The shop won't need the box will they?
Please see the post above this in case you miss it as I'm still not getting any luck.
Re the manual. I didn't get one with this printer, I will try looking at the HP site for it but with the alignment problems occurring, maybe there isn't any point. I have tried loading the paper in all ways possible and none of them fixed the alignment problem.
The paper is currently loaded to the right as well.
Which HP 4500 printer do you actually have? There seem to be two, Officejet and Envy models which are very different.
This is the Envy version
http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=A9T80B&opt=BHC&sel=PRN
Drivers and manual
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?cc=us&lc=en&product=5304877
The link provided by mac2708 is to the Officejet version.
So would help to know which version we are talking about here as they are very different animals by the look of it.
Its the Envy one.
Right, so try the drivers download link I provided. You appear to have two options the full monty install which does all the additional software or just the drivers.
Thanks very much, I will try it now.
For confidentiality obviously, just print a blank tax form.
Are you installing the right driver for 32-bit or 64-bit?
If you don't know what version of Windows you have, press the Start button, type winver the press the Enter key.
I think its got something to do with the web browser. I use firefox and I think the way it formats the pages have something to do with it. I've managed to shrink and print off a form from my local council at what seems to be the right size and its got all of the text on it but I'm still having trouble with printing off an e-mail receipt. I've got it shrinked a bit but the amount I paid for the item is not showing underneath even though it should.
I'll try internet explorer and see if that is any better.
Earlier you said "On PDF prints, I try to decrease the size of the zoom to see if that helps as well and still the alignment is wrong and text is missing. "
So it not just a problem with your web browser.
I've just tried most of the problem pages on internet explorer and so far they are printing to format!
Thanks very much to all of you for your help and conscientious ideas and consideratons. It was Whoeverhey's post that made me think about the browser but thanks to all of you stig, chris, and mac, I really do appreciate your help.
p.s. It is a 64 bit computer too.
In the future, you can actually print to pdf, the open a pdf viewer and just print that.
I did try that on some of them but most didn't work. As you can probably tell, I'm not an expert on the ins and outs of computers, I just have in between basic and average knowledge of working computers. I will have to get clued up on them more though.
Thanks again.