Before you start
- Plain white paper and installed ink.
- The HP app connected to the correct printer.
Use alignment for the matching symptom
The recording starts with text that appears shadowed or poorly aligned. Before running maintenance, check the paper, selected paper type and source-file quality. If black or a colour is absent entirely, inspect ink and cleaning separately.
Step 1:Print the alignment page from quality tools
Load plain white paper. In the HP app, select your printer and open Diagnostics or Tools → Print quality tools. Choose Align printheads or Cartridge alignment, then Print alignment page. Let the page finish printing before removing it.
Step 2:Put the printed pattern on the scanner glass
Place the page print-side down using the printed diagram and the glass alignment mark. In this recording the indicated corner is at the front right. Close the scanner lid without moving the page.
Step 3:Select Scan alignment page in the app
Return to the alignment screen and choose Scan alignment page. Wait for the scan to finish and read the result. In the source, this produces the “Alignment successful” message.
Do not count an ordinary photocopy as alignment completion. The presenter first presses a Copy button and gets another page; the alignment is completed only after the app’s Scan command. Automatic alignment during first setup or new-cartridge installation follows its own page and printer prompts.
Step 4:Print and compare a small document
After the app confirms alignment, retry the document and inspect its actual lines and text. The recording confirms alignment status, but does not show a documented before-and-after comparison proving that all blur disappeared.
If output remains poor, print the HP app’s Print quality report to help identify the defect. Use cartridge cleaning only for the relevant missing-ink or streaking symptom. Do not repeat alignment and cleaning indefinitely or assume every blurred image is a mechanical fault.
