Recommended Free Tools
Start with a printer-generated nozzle check or print-quality report, not a cleaning cycle or a new cartridge. The pattern can show whether ink delivery is interrupted; if the printer’s test page looks good but one document or photo does not, investigate that file and its print settings instead. Exact menu names and maintenance limits vary by printer, so follow the guide for your model.
Identify the defect before changing anything
Note whether the problem appears as missing color, repeated horizontal bands, blurred lettering, smears, faint output, or vertical streaks. If possible, print a nozzle check or quality report from the printer itself. A fault reproduced on that page points toward the printer; a clean test page with a defective document or photo points more toward the source file or job settings.
Use the test pattern your printer provides. Gaps or broken sections in nozzle blocks can indicate an ink-delivery problem, while alignment patterns and straight-line tests help diagnose alignment. Epson and HP instructions are model-specific; use your own printer’s manual for menu paths and procedures. Epson’s print-quality troubleshooting guide and HP’s Officejet 6600/6700 print-quality guide illustrate the kinds of checks available.
Match the symptom to the first check
| What you see | Check first | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal light or dark bands | Nozzle-check pattern, paper type, and any high-speed setting | Run cleaning only if the pattern shows gaps. Otherwise, consult the model guide about alignment or print quality. |
| Blurry text or misaligned vertical lines | Alignment pattern and print settings | Run the printer’s alignment procedure if indicated. If only an image is blurry, check its resolution and enlargement. |
| Faint output or gaps | Nozzle check, ink status, and paper settings | Clean if the nozzle pattern is incomplete; replace ink only when the printer’s status and diagnostics indicate it. |
| Smears or wet-looking marks | Paper condition and type, handling and drying time, and paper path | Reload suitable dry paper. Let glossy prints dry, and use paper-path cleaning only if your model recommends it. |
| Vertical streaks | Check whether the streak is in the print itself or only in a scanned or copied original; inspect paper | Follow the model’s troubleshooting steps. HP warns against replacing cartridges for the particular vertical-streak issue described in its Officejet article. |
| Grainy photos or fuzzy enlarged images | Source image resolution, scaling, quality setting, alignment, and nozzle pattern | Use a suitable source image and reduce enlargement. If printer-generated output is also defective, continue with printer diagnostics. |
Use cleaning only when the nozzle check supports it
If the pattern has missing segments, the printer’s built-in printhead or nozzle cleaning cycle may help. Start it from the printer menu or its software, following the model’s instructions. Keep the printer powered and do not interrupt the cycle; print another nozzle check afterward to see whether the pattern changed.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors#1 Best Overall
- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: DeskJet 1255, 2710e, 2720e, 2721e, 2722, 2722e, 2723e, 2724, 2725, 2732, 2742e, 2752e, 2755, 2755e, 4110e, 4120e, 4121e, 4122e, 4123e, 4130e, 4132e, 4152e, 4155e, 4158e; DeskJet Plus 4122, 4132, 4155
- Works with these HP Printers: ENVY 6010e, 6020e, 6022e, 6030e, 6032e, 6034e, 6050e, 6052e, 6055, 6055e, 6075, 6075e, 6420e, 6422e, 6430e, 6432e, 6450e, 6452e, 6455e, 6458e, 6475e; ENVY Pro 6455, 6458, 6475
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 120 pages black, 100 pages tri-color
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 67 Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
Cleaning consumes ink. Epson’s cited guide states, “Cleaning uses ink, so clean the nozzles only if print quality declines.” For the printer family covered by that guide, if quality does not improve after up to three cleanings, stop and wait at least six hours before trying again; contact Epson if the problem remains. Those limits are specific to that guide and should not be assumed for other printers. Check Epson’s guide for its full model-specific procedure.
Align the printhead when lines or text are out of position
Alignment is a different fix from nozzle cleaning. It can help with blurry or grainy output, misaligned vertical lines, and some banding. Use the printer’s on-screen alignment procedure and print or select the requested test pattern.
Rank #2
- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: OfficeJet 9122e; HP OfficeJet Pro 9110b, 9125e, 9128e, 9130b, 9135e; OfficeJet Pro Wide Format 9730e
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 1,450 pages black, 800 pages per color
- HP has kept over 2,300 metric tons of plastic out of our world’s oceans to be upcycled into HP Ink cartridges and other everyday products
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 936 Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
Some printers offer separate horizontal and vertical alignment checks. In the cited Epson guide, vertical alignment addresses blur or misaligned vertical rules, while horizontal alignment addresses horizontal banding. Select the test that matches the symptom and follow your model’s prompts; alignment controls and terminology are not universal. HP also provides model-family guidance on alignment issues and errors.
Check paper, loading, and print settings
- Use dry, flat, undamaged paper. Replace sheets that are damp, curled, old, or damaged.
- Load the paper in the correct orientation and with the printable side facing the direction specified for that stock and printer.
- Set the paper type in the print dialog to match the media in the tray. A mismatch can affect ink application and output.
- For banding or weak output, review quality and speed settings. Try a higher-quality setting or turn off high-speed printing if the model offers it.
- With glossy media, avoid handling the printed surface until it has had time to dry.
Paper problems can resemble a printer fault, so test with suitable media before replacing supplies. If marks persist, consult the model-specific instructions for paper-path cleaning rather than attempting an unsupported procedure.
Rank #3
- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: ENVY Inspire 7955e, 7958e; ENVY Photo 6220, 6222, 6230, 6232, 6252, 6255, 6258, 7134, 7155, 7158, 7164, 7830, 7855, 7858, 7864; Tango; Tango X
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 200 pages black, 165 pages tri-color
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 64 Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
- HP has kept over 2,300 metric tons of plastic out of our world’s oceans to be upcycled into HP Ink cartridges and other everyday products
Check ink and the file being printed
Low or old ink can contribute to faint output, but a streak or blur alone is not proof that a cartridge needs replacing. Check the printer’s ink status and diagnostic pattern, then replace a supply only if the model’s guidance or status indicates a problem. Confirm the exact printer and the correct regional cartridge or bottle number before buying ink.
If the printer’s test page is clean, inspect the document or image. A low-resolution picture enlarged to fill the page may look grainy or fuzzy even when the printer is working properly. Check the source image’s resolution, the scaling or enlargement, the selected paper type, and the quality setting. Try printing a different file to determine whether the defect follows one job.
Rank #4
- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: DeskJet 1255, 2710e, 2720e, 2721e, 2722, 2722e, 2723e, 2724, 2725, 2732, 2742e, 2752e, 2755, 2755e, 4110e, 4120e, 4121e, 4122e, 4123e, 4130e, 4132e, 4152e, 4155e, 4158e; DeskJet Plus 4122, 4132, 4155
- Works with these HP Printers: ENVY 6010e, 6020e, 6022e, 6030e, 6032e, 6034e, 6050e, 6052e, 6055, 6055e, 6075, 6075e, 6420e, 6422e, 6430e, 6432e, 6450e, 6452e, 6455e, 6458e, 6475e; ENVY Pro 6455, 6458, 6475
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 240 pages
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 67XL Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
When to contact the printer maker
Use the manufacturer’s support route if the printer’s built-in diagnostics and the maintenance steps specified for your exact model do not improve output. Provide the model number, a description of the defect, and the latest test pattern or quality report if support requests it. Do not remove a printhead or use third-party cleaning liquids as a universal remedy: the cited manufacturer instructions do not establish those as safe steps for every inkjet.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- HP Ink Cartridges for HP printers are engineered to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: OfficeJet 8122e; OfficeJet Pro 8135e, 8138e, 8139e
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 500 pages black, 400 pages per color
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: HP 923 Ink Cartridges are perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs
- HP has kept over 2,300 metric tons of plastic out of our world’s oceans to be upcycled into HP 923 color ink cartridges for HP printers and other everyday products
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
