See FAQs about your HP Deskjet color printer

For optimal printing quality, use HP paper, which is manufactured specifically for your printer and designed to work with HP ink to reduce smearing and produce bright, vivid colors. Here are a few options to consider:

• HP photo paper comes in glossy, semi-gloss, and matte finishes and produces lifelike photo prints that resist fading over time. HP offers Everyday, Premium, and Advanced photo paper varieties to match your needs.
• HP Everyday inkjet paper is optimized for your inkjet printer and best suited for printing most documents — letters, lists, trip itineraries, etc.
• HP also offers a range of specialty papers and a variety of paper sizes to suit your needs, whether you’re printing a postcard to send to a friend or a calendar to hang on your wall.

Avoid paper jams and other printing complications by steering clear of these paper types:

• Paper with cutouts or perforations (unless specifically designed for HP printers).
• Highly textured paper stock, such as linen, which might cause uneven printing and bleeding ink.
• Extremely smooth, shiny, or coated papers not specifically designed for your HP ink printer.
• Multipart forms with duplicate and triplicate layers, which can wrinkle or get stuck and cause the ink to smear.
• Envelopes with clasps or windows, which can get stuck and cause paper jams.
• Paper sizes other than those indicated in the Technical specifications chapter of your user manual.

Explore all of HP’s printing, photo, and specialty papers at the HP Home and Home Office Store .

Your HP Deskjet printer can produce much more than everyday letters and documents. You can print lab-quality photos, greeting cards, brochures and more—all with a professional look and your own personal touch. Here are a few specialty papers to consider:

• Vellum. This translucent parchment paper adds an elegant touch to greeting cards and invitations.
• Iron-on transfers. Create your own personalized T-shirts for a fraction of what you’d spend at a store.
• Greeting cards. You’ll always have the right card for any occasion when you print it yourself. You can even add photos and your own words for a one-of-a-kind keepsake.
• Brochures and flyers. Create a family newsletter, advertise your next garage sale, or create a brochure for your home business without paying a professional.
• Inkjet fabric sheets. Design unique quilt blocks, pillows, and more by printing directly on fabric sheets designed for inkjet printers.

Learn more about printing on specialty papers, and get tips and tricks for producing quality results.

Get ideas and templates for greeting cards, party decorations, quilting, and other creative printing projects from the HP Activity Center .

Find specialty papers designed to work with your printer at the HP Home and Home Office store .

Your  HP printer is versatile enough to print on a variety of paper sizes beyond the standard 8.5" x 11" pages. Print your own photos in popular sizes such as 4" x 6" and 5" x 7", create customized postcards with your own vacation photos, or save time by printing addresses directly onto your envelopes.

Before you begin printing, adjust the paper width and length guides on your printer’s in tray. Then, open the Printer Properties or Page Setup dialog box and set the appropriate paper size, scaling, and orientation options.

Get tips and creative ideas for printing on envelopes .

Yes. You can extend the lifespan of your ink cartridges by adjusting the Print quality setting, which lets you select the print speed and the amount of ink used when printing.

When you’re ready to print, open the Printer Properties or Print dialog box, and select one of the following Print quality settings to match your needs:

• Fast draft. This setting uses the least amount of ink and prints at the fastest speed. Use it for quick printing and simple black-and-white documents that don’t include images or require a professional appearance.
• Fast normal. This setting prints faster than the Normal setting and at a higher quality (it uses more ink) than Fast draft. Use it to print informal documents when time is of the essence (like those last-minute book reports) but you need a darker print quality than Fast draft.
• Normal. With the ideal balance between print quality and speed, this setting is the best choice for most documents. Use it to print letters, web pages or documents for your files, and other primarily text-focused items.
• Best. If you’re printing a greeting card or a flyer, you want it to look as professional as possible. This setting provides high-quality results.
• Maximum dpi. For the ultimate print quality, this setting is your best bet. It provides the highest quality printing, with the most ink saturation. Because it uses more ink, this setting takes longer to complete a print job than the Best setting, and it uses more memory to get the job done. Use it for printing photos, postcards, scrapbook pages, and other documents that include full-color images.

Determine the average number of printed pages you can get from one ink cartridge in your HP deskjet  printer.

The best way to keep up with your ink cartridge needs is by taking advantage of HP SureSupply, a free tool that comes with many HP printers. SureSupply sends you automatic alerts (pop-up messages on your computer screen) when your printing supplies are low, and then gives you the option of purchasing the right replacement supplies online from HP, another online retailer, or a local retailer. You can compare prices to be sure you get the best value, you won’t have to worry about remembering part numbers, and you’ll never run out of ink in the middle of printing an important document again!

Some HP inkjet models feature Print Cartridge Status lights for both color and black-and-white cartridges right on the printer itself. When one of the lights is on and solid, the corresponding cartridge is low on ink.  If the light is flashing, the ink cartridge needs to be serviced.

You can also check the levels through your software.  

• Windows: View estimated remaining ink levels by opening the Print Properties dialog box and clicking the Services tab. Click Service this device, and then select the Estimated Ink Levels tab. Click the Print Cartridge Information button for ordering information.

• Macintosh: Go to HP Printer Utility, and select Supplies Status. If it’s time to replace a cartridge, make a note of the print cartridge selection number displayed in the HP Printer Utility.

It’s a good idea to keep extra ink cartridges handy to avoid any delays while you’re printing. Follow the instructions in your user manual to replace print cartridges.

Find genuine HP ink cartridges for your printer at the HP Home and Home Office Store .

Ink cartridges that you can refill over and over again may sound like an inexpensive option, and manufacturers claim they offer the same quality as genuine HP ink cartridges. But, quality assurance tests have shown that discount cartridges can produce pages with streaks, smudges, and other poor print quality issues. The resulting wasted time, ink, paper, and effort could end up costing you more money in the long run. A recent study by QualityLogic found that HP inkjet print cartridges consistently outperformed ink refills in both print quality and reliability.

For dependability and high-quality prints, use genuine HP inkjet cartridges. They’re designed to work with your HP Deskjet, and they’re developed by HP, a recognized leader in color and ink quality. HP Vivera Inks are specially formulated to deliver crisp colors, sharp images, and exceptional fade resistance, which are particularly important qualities when you’re printing photos for scrapbooks or framing.

Save money and ink by setting Print quality at Normal, and using HP Everyday photo paper, which is designed to print quality photos with less ink.

HP Photo Value Packs offer an even better way to save money when you’re buying ink and paper for printing digital photos. Each pack includes just the right combination of HP original ink and HP Premium photo paper for a certain number of prints at a certain size. You’ll save money on each photo you print, and you don’t have to worry about running out of ink before you run out of paper, or vice versa.

Find an HP Photo Value Pack for your deskjet printer at the HP Home and Home Office Store.

You can conserve your color ink cartridges by only printing and copying in color only when you need to. This comes in handy when you’re printing color pages from the web, but you’re only interested in the text, or when you’re printing a test page of a color document to check spelling or alignment before final printing.

To print a color document in black-and-white, simply adjust your settings to print in grayscale.

• Windows: Open the Printer Properties dialog box, click the Color tab, and select Print in Grayscale.

• Macintosh: Open the Print dialog box, select the Paper Type/Quality pane, and choose Grayscale from the Color pulldown menu.

Remember to adjust your settings again when you’re ready to print the document in color.

With the HP Planet Partners program , it’s free and easy to recycle ink cartridges after you’ve replaced them. Many HP ink cartridge boxes include prepaid shipping labels or envelopes you can use to return the used cartridges to HP. You can also request free pre-addressed, postage-paid shipping materials directly from HP online or by calling 1-800-340-2445.

If you’ve created a network connecting two or more computers in your home, it’s easy to share your printer with other computers in your network. Print recipes from your laptop in the kitchen, documents from your desktop in the den, and homework assignments from your kids’ computers without having to buy multiple printers.

Some HP printers feature a network interface as a standard capability, so you can print from anywhere in the house and save time, space, and money. Some network interface cards feature wireless connection capabilities, so you can even connect your printer to a wireless network for cable-free printing. Check your user manual, and look for an Ethernet port on the side or back of your printer to find out if it’s network-ready.

Follow these steps to connect your network-ready inkjet printer to your home wired or wireless network.

Even if your printer is not automatically network-ready, you can connect it to one computer in your home network and share it with other computers throughout the house. This helpful guide will get you started.

If you’re printing a multipage document, such as a compilation of family recipes or that novel you’ve been working on, you can save time by setting the order in which your pages print (Hint: print the first page last so you won’t have to reorder pages after printing). You can also speed things up by printing collated pages when you’re printing more than one copy of a multipage document. You’ll find these settings in your Print Properties or Print dialog box.

You can save paper (and money) on longer documents by printing on both sides of each page. Some HP printers come with automatic two-sided printing as a standard feature, and for others, it’s an easy-to-install option. HP two-sided printing accessories help you save paper and add a more polished touch to newsletters, posters, and other creative print projects.

Find the right two-sided printing accessory for your printer at the HP Home and Home Office Store .

If you’re printing a first draft of a document, or if you’d like to see how several scrapbook or photo album pages look before you print final copies, you can save paper by printing multiple pages on a single sheet. Your printer software can automatically resize your document’s text and images to fit on one printed page.

• Windows: Open the Printer Properties dialog box, click the Finishing tab, and select the number of pages you want to print on a single sheet from the Pages Per Sheet and Posters drop down list.
• Macintosh: Open the Print dialog box, select the Layout pane, and select from the Pages Per Sheet Menu.

Humidity, temperature, and the specific type of paper and ink you’re using all effect the amount of time it takes for your prints to dry. Generally, however, a color photo takes longer than a black-and-white text document. If you’re printing a heavily saturated image, or if you’re printing on any kind of specialty paper, set your print aside for at least 10 minutes before handling to give the ink time to dry completely.

When you’re printing photos or more than one page at a time, most HP printers automatically wait for a certain amount of time between prints to ensure adequate drying time. You can increase or decrease this interval using your printer software.

• Windows: Open the Print Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab, select Document Options, then Printer Features, and adjust the Dry Time.
• Macintosh: Open the Print Dialog box, and select the Paper Type/Quality pane. Then click the Ink tab and adjust the Dry Time.

Yes, thanks to the HP Planet Partners program, which includes hardware and supplies recycling. Since the program began in 1987, the HP Planet Partners hardware take-back program has recycled more than 400 million pounds of computer hardware worldwide.

HP Planet Partners will recycle computing hardware from any manufacturer, and the process is easy. Simply visit HP Planet Partners Hardware recycling services online, get a free online quote (costs usually range from about $13 to $34), and follow the instructions to package your hardware and submit your order.

Your HP Deskjet should require very little cleaning other than the occasional dusting. Use a soft damp cloth to remove any ink stains or smudges on the exterior of your printer. To ensure clear scans and copies, you may want to occasionally clean the glass to keep it free of fingerprints, smudges, hair, and other debris. You might also want to clean the lid backing occasionally, as minor debris can accumulate there.  Consult your user manual for instructions and more information.

If you keep your printer in a dusty environment, debris can also accumulate on the print cartridge contacts, so you may need to carefully clean them occasionally to ensure optimal printing. Follow the instructions in your user manual to manually clean the cartridges.

To take advantage of the latest software and driver updates, sign up to receive driver, support, and security alerts via e-mail from HP. You can customize your profile so you only get the information that is relevant to you, and you’ll also receive support tips, promotions, and other special offers. Sign up with HP today.

You can also check online for the latest software and driver downloads from HP.

HP Total Care offers service, support, advice, and information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of whether your products are still under warranty. In 2005, HP Total Care was certified by J.D. Power and Associates as “An Outstanding Customer Service Experience.”

With HP Total Care, you can register your new product for up-to-date information, access a wide range of online self-help resources, chat online with a trained support technician, or call or e-mail HP for technical support.

Call 1-800-474-6836 for support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or, e-mail HP for product support.  

Learn more about HP Total Care service and support..   

• See more Printing Tips and How-tos
• Find out more ways to save energy and resources while you print.