HP 6180 Print Problem: I'm getting horizontal streaks when printing either in colour or black, Have cleaned the heads through the printers tool box and ued both levels of cleaning. Also aligned the pr

Issue: How do I align the print head?
Solution: Perform a Print Head Alignment (Windows)- MX340

Aligning the Print Head Position Print head alignment corrects the installation positions of the print head and improves deviated colors and lines. The procedure for performing print head alignment is as follows:

Print Head Alignment

1. Open the printer driver setup window
   • In Windows Vista, select the Start menu -> Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Printers.
     
     
   • In Windows XP, select the Start menu -> Control Panel -> Printers and Other Hardware -> Printers and Faxes.
     
     
   • In Windows 2000, select the Start menu -> Settings -> Printers.
     
     
     
2. Right-click your model name icon, and then select Printing Preferences from the displayed menu.
   
   The printer driver setup window appears.
   
   
3. Click Custom Settings on the Maintenance tab.
   The Custom Settings dialog box opens.
   
   
4. Check the Align heads manually check box.
   
   
5. Click Send, and click OK when the confirmation message appears.
   
   
6. Click Print Head Alignment on the Maintenance tab The Start Print Head Alignment dialog box opens.
   
   
   
   
7. Load three sheets of A4 size or Letter size plain paper into the rear tray (3).
   
   
   
   
8. Execute head alignment Make sure that the machine is on and click Align Print Head.
   Follow the instruction in the message.
   
   
9. Check the printed pattern
   Enter the numbers of the patterns with the least amount of streaks in the associated boxes.
   Clicking the patterns with the least amount of streaks in the preview window, will automatically set their numbers in the associated boxes.
   
   
   
   
10. When you have entered all the necessary values, click OK.
    
    Note:
    • If it is difficult to pick the best pattern, pick the setting that produces the least noticeable vertical white streaks.
      
      
      (A) Less noticeable vertical white streaks
      (B) More noticeable vertical white streaks
      
      
    • If it is difficult to pick the best pattern, pick the setting that produces the least noticeable horizontal white streaks.
      
      
      (A) Less noticeable horizontal white streaks
      (B) More noticeable horizontal white streaks
      
      
11. Confirm the displayed message and click OK.
    The second pattern is printed.
    Important: Do not open the Scanning Unit (Cover) while printing is in progress.
    
    
12. Check the printed pattern
    Enter the numbers of the patterns with the least amount of streaks in the associated boxes.
    Clicking the patterns with the least amount of streaks in the preview window, will automatically set their numbers in the associated boxes.
    
    
    
    
13. When you have entered all the necessary values, click OK.
    
    Note:
    
    • If it is difficult to pick the best pattern, pick the setting that produces the least noticeable vertical white streaks.
      
      
      (A) Less noticeable vertical white streaks
      (B) More noticeable vertical white streaks
      
      
      
14. Confirm the displayed message and click OK.
    The third pattern is printed.
    Important: Do not open the Scanning Unit (Cover) while printing is in progress.
    
    
15. Check the printed pattern
    Enter the numbers of the patterns with the least noticeable horizontal stripes in the associated boxes.
    Clicking the patterns with the least noticeable horizontal stripes in the preview window, will automatically set their numbers in the associated boxes.
    
    
    
    
16. When you have entered all the necessary values, click OK.
    
    Note:
    
    • If it is difficult to pick the best pattern, pick the setting that produces the least noticeable horizontal white stripes.
      
      
      (A) Less noticeable horizontal white stripes
      (B) More noticeable horizontal white stripes
      

Note: To print and check the current setting, open the Start Print Head Alignment dialog box, and click Print Alignment Value.

By manual you mean that it needs windows to clean it right? (you cannot physically clean it yourself) Go to your printers, right click and in properties somewhere you should find "clean heads" somewhere. Try print test after. Should be good.

f print quality does not improve by the standard cleaning of the Print Head, clean the Print Head deeply. Cleaning the Print Head deeply consumes more ink than the standard cleaning of the Print Head, so clean the Print Head deeply only when necessary.
1. Make sure that the power is turned on.

2. Clean the Print Head deeply. (1) Press the (Maintenance) button repeatedly until y appears.
(2) Press the Black or Color button.
The machine starts cleaning the Print Head deeply. Do not perform any other operations until the machine completes the deep cleaning of the Print Head. This takes about 2 minutes.

3. Check the print head condition.

When the deep cleaning is completed, the LED returns to the copy standby mode. To check the print head condition, print the nozzle check pattern.

See " Printing the Nozzle Check Pattern".

If the problem is not resolved, turn off the power and clean the Print Head deeply again after 24 hours.
If the problem is still not resolved, replace the FINE Cartridge with a new one.

See " Replacing FINE Cartridges".
If the problem is still not resolved after replacing the FINE Cartridge, contact the service center.

Printing the Nozzle Check Pattern
Print the nozzle check pattern to determine whether the ink ejects properly from the print head nozzles.

NOTE If the remaining ink level is low, the nozzle check pattern will not be printed correctly. Replace the FINE Cartridge whose ink is low.
See " Replacing FINE Cartridges".



You need to prepare: a sheet of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper

1. Make sure that the power is turned on.

2. Load a sheet of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper in the Rear Tray.

3. Open the Paper Output Tray gently, and open the Output Tray Extension.

4. Print the nozzle check pattern.

(1) Press the (Maintenance) button repeatedly until A appears.
(2) Press the Black or Color button.

The nozzle check pattern will be printed.

5. Examine the nozzle check pattern.
See Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern.

Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern

Examine the nozzle check pattern, and clean the Print Head if necessary.

1. Check if there are missing lines in the pattern (1) or horizontal white streaks in the pattern (2). (1) Check if lines are missing in this pattern. If yes, the cleaning is required.
See " Cleaning the Print Head".


(A) Good
(B) Bad (lines are missing)

(2) Check if horizontal white streaks are present in this pattern. If yes, the cleaning is required.
See " Cleaning the Print Head".

(A) Good
(B) Bad (horizontal white streaks are present)
Post back!

Black printer ink in HP Photosmart may fail to be recognized by the printer. Most times an error message will be sent indicating that something is wrong with the black print cartridge. Sometimes the printer may accept to print with the black ink, but the printouts may have horizontal lines and very illegible letters. In such a case a manual cleaning of the print head should be carried out. In doing the manual cleaning, one should spray Windex heavily on paper towel and wipe off the surface of the print head.

the print head for magenta and cyan (might be also Yellow) is dirty. you can try to clean it with warm water, or replace a new print head.

Are you using genuine or knock off inks?
Take out the blabk cartridge and knock in onto your hand while using a paper towel to absorb ink.
If ink comes out you have a communuication problen with the printer ink carriage or a defective cartridge.

as i can suggest you that it can be the problem of head clogged internally where you insert your black cartridge .and the other main cause is while you give a head cleaning command to get the cartridge cleaned it sucks or pulls  the ink from the cartridge in such a huge quantity that 3-4 cleanings make the cartridge totally empty .due to this the ink gets very low and the printouts come with streaks.many a times setting the print mode in best makes the copy perfect.but the printing gets too slow in that best mode.

Had the same problem for weeks. Had to go thru all three levels of print head cleaning in the HP Toolbox menu to get black to work again. The head cleaning option on the printer itself was insufficient. Unless you've already gone thru all three cleaning levels this may be worth a try.

I walked thru the steps via the HP website FAQs for the 6180. Basically: Open the HP Solution Center, select Settings->Print Settings->Printer Toolbox, then click Clean the Printheads. After the first cleaning you'll be asked if the test page printed OK (mine didn't), click the Intermediate Cleaning box. You'll be asked again if the test page printed OK (mine did, but an independent MSWord print test was still streaky), click the clean again (sorry, don't remember what this one was called) for the third and deepest clean.

This last one worked for me, now it's back to normal printing. From what the HP website says I'm guessing that my black print head was dried up. That's a reasonable explanation for my situation, we had let the black sit dormant for a couple of weeks after the black cartridge ran out before we tried to install a replacement.

Hope this helps, sure was frustrating for me. Good luck.

you need to run printer maintenance tool

First with a clean soft cloth and a very small amt of alcohol clean off the underside of the printer carridge (the holder for the print heads) also where the print heads cleaning station is clean out any large masses of congealed link. Then remove the ink cartridge in question and with a pencil eraser gently rub the contacts and both the cartridge and the carridge replace the cartridge. Using the software tools for the printer clean and align the printheads ( if there is an option to do so). If this dosn't fix the problem try a different ink cartridge.