Check power and power connections

Make sure the printer is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC) power outlet. The power requirements are

• Input 100-240V AC, 1300 mA 50/60Hz
• Output 32V DC, 1500mA

Check printer vents

The printer vents are located on the sides of the printer. If the vents are covered and the printer overheats, the printer automatically turns off. Make sure the vents are not covered and the printer is in a cool, dry location. The required operating environment for the printer:

• Operating temperature: 5° to 40°C (41° to 104°F)
• Recommended operating conditions: 15° to 30°C (59° to 95°F)
• Storage temperature: –40° to 60°C (–40° to 140°F)
• Relative humidity: 20 to 80% RH non-condensing
• Noise levels per ISO 9296: Sound power LwAD: 6.1 B(A)

A non-recoverable error has occurred.

Reset the printer by following the steps below.

1. Press the POWER button to turn off the printer.
2. Disconnect the power cord from the printer.
3. Wait about 20 seconds, and then reconnect the power cord.
4. Press the POWER button to turn on the printer.

If the problem persists, contact HP.

Check printer setup

Ensure the following:

• Power light is on and not blinking. When the printer is first turned on, it takes approximately 45 seconds to warm up.
• Make sure the printer is in the Ready state.
• No error messages appear on the computer screen.
• Power cord and other cables are working and firmly connected to the printer. Make sure the printer is connected firmly to a functioning alternating current (AC) power outlet and is turned on.
• Media is loaded correctly in the tray and is not jammed in the printer.
• Print cartridges are properly installed in their correct color-coded slots. Press down firmly on each one to ensure proper contact. Ensure you have removed the tape from each print cartridge.
• Print cartridge cradle latches and all covers are closed.
• Rear access panel or duplex unit is locked into place.
• All packing tapes and materials are removed from the printer.
• Printer can print a diagnostics page.
• Printer is set as the current or default printer. For Windows, set the printer as the default in the Printers folder. For Mac OS, set the printer as the default in the Chooser or the Print Center. See your computer's documentation for more information.
• Pause Printing is not selected if you are using a computer running Windows.
• You are not running too many programs when you are performing a task. Close programs that you are not using or restart the computer before attempting the task again.

Check the print cartridge initialization

When print cartridges are installed or replaced, the printer automatically prints an alignment page to align the print cartridges. This process takes about seven minutes. Until this process is complete, only the automatic alignment page can be printed.

Check cable connections

Make sure both ends of the cable (USB, parallel, or network) are secure.

If the printer is connected to a network, check the following:

• Make sure you are not using a phone cord to connect the printer.
• The network hub, switch, or router is on and working properly.

Check printer setup for network environment

Ensure the correct printer driver and printer driver port are being used.

Check any personal firewall software installed on the computer

The personal software firewall is a security program that protects a computer from intrusion. However, the firewall might block communication between the computer and the printer. If there is a problem communicating with the printer, try temporarily disabling the firewall. If the problem persists, the firewall is not the source of the communication problem. Re-enable the firewall.

If disabling the firewall allows you to communicate with the printer, you might want to assign the printer a static IP address and re-enable the firewall.

Print cartridge does not fit the printer

Verify that the print cartridge is in the correct print cartridge cradle. The symbol on the print cartridge and the print cartridge latch should match.

Printer does not recognize the print cartridge

Verify that the nozzle protective tape has been removed from the cartridge and that the cartridge is properly installed with the latch closed. Use only the replacement cartridges that have the same cartridge number as the print cartridge you are replacing..

Clean the print cartridges

Complete the print cartridge cleaning procedure.

Remove the print cartridge and ensure the print cartridge latch is closed. Turn off the printer without the print cartridge installed. Restart the printer and reinsert the print cartridge.

Check the system configuration

Make sure the computer meets the minimum system requirements for the printer.

Verify the number of software programs running on the computer

Too many programs may be running at the same time. Close all unused software programs.

Check the port setting

The port setting configuration in your system might not be set to ECP.

See the documentation that came with the computer for information on how to change the port setting, or contact the computer manufacturer.

Check the printer software settings

The printer prints more slowly when Best or Maximum dpi is selected as the print quality. To increase the print speed, select different print settings in the printer driver.

A large file is printing

It is normal for a large file to take a long time to print.

The printer may be in Ink-backup Printing Mode

The printer enters Ink-backup Printing Mode when one of the print cartridges is removed. Replace the missing print cartridge with a new one.

Check for empty print cartridges

If you are printing black text and a blank page prints, the black print cartridge might be empty.

If the Toolbox is installed, check the ink levels of the print cartridges from the Estimated Ink Level tab.

You may be printing in Ink-backup Printing Mode . The printer enters Ink-backup Printing Mode when one of the print cartridges is empty or removed. Replace the missing print cartridge with a new one.

The protective tape on the print cartridge nozzle has not been removed.

Verify the clear protective tape is removed from the print cartridge nozzle.

Check media settings

• Make sure you select the correct print quality settings in the printer driver for the media loaded in the tray. For example, Maximum dpi is only available for photo paper and cannot be used with other media types.
• Make sure the page settings in the printer driver matches the width of media loaded in the tray.

Check the parallel port on your computer

Make sure the page settings in the printer driver matches the width of media loaded in the tray.

The printer may be in Ink-backup Printing Mode

The printer enters Ink-backup Printing Mode when one of the print cartridges is removed. Replace the missing print cartridge with a new one.

Verify the ink levels of the print cartridges

One of the print cartridges may be low on ink. To view the ink levels, print a diagnostics page. (For Windows, if the Toolbox is installed, you can find ink-level information by clicking the Estimated Ink Level tab.) If the print cartridge is low on ink, replace it.

The print cartridges may need to be cleaned

Perform the auto-clean procedure.

Check color print settings

Make sure Print in Grayscale is not selected in the printer driver.

CLICK HERE (document ID c00458223) to view the document titled HP Deskjet 9800 - User Guide

Check the print location and length of USB cable

High electromagnetic fields (such as those generated by USB cables) can sometimes slightly distort printouts. Move the printer away from the source of the electromagnetic fields. Also, it is recommended that you use a USB cable that is less than 3 meters (9.8 feet) long to minimize the effects of these electromagnetic fields.

Check how the media is loaded

Make sure the media width and length guides fit snugly against the edges of the stack of media, and make sure the tray is not overloaded.

Check the media size

• Content on a page might be cut off if the document size is larger than the media that you are using. CLICK HERE (document ID c01656494) to view the document titled HP DeskJet 9800 Printer Series - Printing with Front or Rear Manual Feed Slot .
  CLICK HERE (document ID c00257040) to view the document titled HP Deskjet 9800 Printer series - Resolving Borderless Printing Problems.
• CLICK HERE (document ID c00283626) to view the document titled HP Deskjet 9800 Printer series - Printer specifications.
• Make sure the media size selected in the printer driver matches the size of media loaded in the tray.
• If you are using a computer running Windows, select Emulate LaserJet Margins in the printer driver to scale the document to fit the media size currently selected.

Check the page-orientation setting

Make sure the media size and page orientation selected in the application match the settings in the printer driver.

Check the printer location and length of USB cable

High electromagnetic fields (such as those generated by USB cables) can sometimes slightly distort printouts. Move the printer away from the source of the electromagnetic fields. Also, it is recommended that you use a USB cable that is less than 3 meters (9.8 feet) long to minimize the effects of these electromagnetic fields.

If the above solutions do not work, the problem may be caused by the inability of the application to interpret print settings properly. See the release notes for known software conflicts; or refer to the application's documentation, or contact the software manufacturer for specific help.