# [resolved] HP 7130, alignment problem, please help



## PandaHater (May 26, 2005)

*HP 7130, alignment problem, please help*

I noticed my printer needed an alignment. When I try to run printhead alignment and error pops up saying that "paper is too narrow" do i have to use a special paper to run an alignment. Im useing regular 8.5x11 clean paper. Paper is too narrow?


----------



## kodi (Jun 30, 2004)

Check your default settings you could have it set as A4 instead of the American Standard - letter, or even a custom setting


----------



## PandaHater (May 26, 2005)

This is the message I got and get, "Paper mismatch. Either the paper installed is too narrow for the document being printed or an attempt was made to print a received fax onto transparency. Install the correct paper and press the ENTER button on the hp officejet."


----------



## PandaHater (May 26, 2005)

*HP resolved the matter!*

HP resolved the matter!


----------



## Terrister (Apr 18, 2005)

Could you share with us how you fixed this. It may help another member of this forum.


----------



## n_i_t_i_n (Aug 18, 2005)

*Solution to the Problem*

Hi,

I understand the problem is resolved but below mentioned steps can lead to the resolution of such problems.

Regards,


*Symptoms* 

Any or all of the following problems occur when trying to align the ink cartridges:

_"Align Ink Cartridges" message will not go away. 
"Alignment failed" message appears. 
Alignment process stops before it is finished. 
Blank page ejects immediately or a "Paper mismatch" or "Paper too narrow" message appears_

*Introduction* 

There are several reasons why the all-in-one may fail to align the cartridges. The most common reason is an ink cartridge that has one of the following problems: 

One of the print cartridges is low or out of ink. Black and all three colors must available. 

The paper has already been printed on or is colored paper. 

Protective tape on a new print cartridge has not been removed. 

Contacts on the print cartridge are not meeting the contacts in the print carriage correctly. 

Cartridge is remanufactured or refilled. Refilled or remanufactured ink cartridges may have been damaged during the refilling process or have clogged ink nozzles. 

The print cartridge is defective.


*Step 1: Examine the paper the alignment page was printed on*

The alignment page must be printed on clean plain paper of either letter or A4-size and that has a brightness level (as printed on the paper package) of at least 85. Colored papers or paper that already has printing on it will cause the alignment to fail.

*Step 2: Does the alignment page print correctly*

If any of the colors or the black are missing, faded, or streaked on the alignment page, there is a print cartridge problem.

*Step 3: Perform a print cartridge cleaning procedure * 

The ink cartridge cleaning process can be performed even with the alignment message showing in the display. Follow the steps below to perform an ink cartridge cleaning process from the front panel: 


On the front panel, press Menu or Setup (depending on the model). 

Press Right Arrow (>) until Maintenance or Tools appears, and then press the Enter or OK. 

Clean Print Cartridges should appear in the display. Press Enter or OK to begin the cartridge cleaning process. 

A page will be printed during the cleaning process with all of the colors on it. If any of the colors or the black are missing, faded, or streaked on the alignment page, there is a print cartridge problem.


*Step 4: Try to align the page again* 

HP products have two methods for aligning the ink cartridges, fully automatic and semi-automatic. The steps are different for each type. Refer to the information below to determine which alignment method your product uses. 


*Automatic - * these products use a sensor to check the alignment page as it is printed. You are not required to take any action to complete the alignment process.

*Semi-automatic -* these products print the alignment page and instructions for scanning the alignment page using the scanner assembly.


*Automatic cartridge alignment* 


Perform the following steps to align the print cartridges: 


Disconnect the power cord from the unit, wait five seconds, and then plug it back in. This will reinitialize the unit. 

Print another alignment test page. If the “Press Enter to align” message is not currently on the front panel display, complete the following steps to print an alignment page: 

Press Setup or Menu on the front panel (depending on the model). 

Press the Right Arrow (>) until Maintenance or Tools appears in the display, and then press Enter or OK (depending on the model). 

Press the Right Arrow (>) until Align Print Cartridges appears in the display, and then press Enter or OK (depending on the model). 

To determine if the automatic alignment is functioning correctly, look into the output tray as the alignment page is printing; a blue light should be visible periodically on the page as the cartridges move back and forth. If this light is not present, the unit will not be able to align the cartridges and will require service. _Contact HP to schedule service for your product_. 

If the blue light is visible and the alignment pages are printing correctly, but the alignment pages still fails, there still may be a hardware problem with the unit.

If there are no other printing problems and you wish to continue, use the information in the "Bypassing the ink cartridge alignment". The information from last successful alignment will be used. 

*"Bypassing the ink cartridge alignment"* 
"Key Press Combination for 7100 Series"
Press and hold the Enter button, and then press Menu.

_If the message keeps reappearing or other print quality problems occur, contact HP for assistance._ 


*Models with a semi-automatic ink cartridge alignment * 


Some HP products have a semi-automatic alignment process. These models do not have an additional sensor and will print two pages for the alignment process instead of one. The alignment page must be placed on the scanner glass or into the automatic document feeder and scanned. 

Disconnect the power cord, wait five seconds, and then plug it back in. This will reinitialize the unit and force the scanner to recalibrate. 

Examine the scanner glass and white scan backing. Clean the scanner glass and scan backing if they are not clean. To clean the scanner glass and scan backing, use a soft cloth towel slightly dampened with clean water. 

With the product turned on, open the scanner cover and check the bulb assembly. If the scanner bulb is not lit, the unit must be serviced. 

Verify that the alignment page is placed on the scanner glass or in the automatic document feeder (if equipped) correctly. Place the printed side down. 

Make a copy of the alignment page. The unit will make a copy even if the alignment message is displayed. Compare the copy to the original. If vertical lines appear in the copy, check to see if the scanner assembly requires cleaning. 
_If cleaning the scanner assembly does not correct the problem, contact HP for assistance._ 

Use the information in the " Bypassing the ink cartridge alignment " section below to bypass the alignment. Operate the all-in-one to determine if there are other problems. The unit should be serviced if other error messages or problems occur or if alignment problems occur every time the ink cartridges are changed. _Contact HP for additional troubleshooting or to schedule service for your HP product. _ 

*"Alignment page not detected" errors* 
The "Alignment page not detected" message will appear on all-in-ones that have a semi-automatic alignment process if the alignment page cannot be scanned correctly. This can occur if the page is not oriented correctly of if it skews too much on scroll fed all-in-ones while feeding into the automatic document feeder (ADF). Follow the steps below to determine the problem. 

Verify the orientation and position of the alignment page. It should be printed side down and placed on the scanner glass or in the ADF as shown in the product manual. 

Press Enter or OK after the alignment page has been repositioned. 

If the error message continues to occur even though the page is oriented correctly and is not skewing while feeding (on scroll feed products), press Cancel to exit the alignment process, and then try to make a copy. _If a copy cannot be made, contact HP for assistance. _


----------

