Cannot find a way to open the printer toolbox to align cartridges etc. I have no task agent icon nor any other indications in all programs to find the toolbox. Printer operates fine otherwise. I used to be able to reboot and the task agent would appear in my taskbar, but does not happen now The printer is a HP deskjet 940c. I share it with another computer with a peripheral switch.

The printer automatically aligns the print cartridges after a new print cartridge is installed. You can also align the print cartridges at other times to ensure optimal print quality.
To align print cartridges:
1. Load letter-size or A4-size plain white paper in the In tray.
2. Open the printer Toolbox.
3. Click Align the Device.
4. Click Align , and then follow the onscreen instructions

Here are directions for how to open the printer Toolbox, in case you don't know:
The printer Toolbox contains a number of useful tools to enhance the printer performance.
Use the printer tools to perform the following tasks:
• Set the Auto-off function
• Clean the print cartridges
• Align the print cartridges
• Calibrate color
• Print a test page
• View estimated ink levels
To use the tools, open the Printer Properties dialog box, click the Services tab, and
then click the Service this device button.

AND, in case you don't know how to open the Printer Properties dialog box, here you go! :
The Printer Properties dialog box is also referred to as the Printer Preferences dialog box.
Opening the Printer Properties dialog box
Follow these steps to open the Printer Properties dialog box:
1. Open the file that you want to print.
2. Click File , click Print , and then click Properties or Preferences.

Good luck to you! I hope this helps.

1. Open the Printers folder.
   
   
   • For Windows XP Select 'Start', 'Control Panel', 'Printers and Other Hardware', and 'Printers and Faxes'.
   • For Windows versions other than Windows XP select 'Start', 'Settings', and 'Printers'.
   
   
2. Right-click the printer icon to open Properties.
   
   
   
   
3. Click the 'Maintenance' tab and click the 'Print Head Alignment' icon.
   
   
   
   
4. The message below is displayed. After confirming the two points below, click 'Print Head Alignment'.
   
   
   
   
5. The following message is displayed. Click 'OK'. Print head cleaning starts. The power lamp flashes during cleaning operation. Do not perform other operations. After cleaning has finished, the first head alignment pattern will be printed.
   
   
   
   
6. The following message is displayed. After printing has finished, click 'Yes'.
   
   
   
   
7. Refer to the printed sheet, and select the pattern with the fewest visible vertical stripes in column A.
   
   
   
   
   
   <1> Example of highly visible vertical stripes in the pattern.
   <2> Example of the fewest visible vertical stripes in the pattern.
   
   
8. Enter the selected pattern's number in the Column A box.
   
   
   
   
9. Similarly, enter the selected numbers in the boxes for column B to F.
   
   
10. After all numbers have been entered, click 'OK'.

Step two: Align the product through the print driverFollow these steps to manually align the product through the print driver.

1. Open HP Solution Center.
   • Windows XP: Click Start , click All Programs , click HP , and then click HP Solution Center .
   • Windows Vista: Click the Windows icon ( ), click All Programs , click HP , and then click HP Solution Center .
2. In HP Solution Center, click Settings , click Print Settings , and then click Printer Toolbox . The printer Toolbox opens.
3. On the Device Services tab, click Align the Print Cartridges . The product prints a cartridge alignment page.
4. Lift the scanner lid.
5. Place the alignment page on the front-right corner of the scanner glass with the print side down.

Hello

Calibration is one of the functions performed from the Printer Assistant icon on the desktop. If the Printer Assistant icon on the desktop has been deleted from the system, the same tasks can also be accomplished from the Printer Toolbox . The Printer Toolbox can be accessed through the Printer Folder or by right-clicking the Printer Icon on the Taskbar

Please follow these steps to calibrate your printer

Double-click the Printer Assistant icon on the desktop. The Printer Assistant menu will appear with a list of options

Select the Tools and Updates option or the Utilities option (depending on your driver version).

Printer Maintenance menu will appear.

Select the Calibrate Printer tab from the Printer Maintenance options

Click the Calibrate tab. The printer will print the first calibration page.

In the Cartridge alignment page, please inspect the straight colored lines in Sections A, B, C and D . Choose the straightest lines in each section to indicate the best cartridge alignment.

In the Page alignment area, please verify Section E . Then, select the bar and the arrow closest to the edge of the page without being cut off, to indicate the best page alignment.

In the Calibrate Device window, enter the selected alignment values in the Pen Alignment and in the Page Alignment fields and click the Continue tab

The second calibration page will be printed now. The page will contain two patterns: a square and a cross . The lines on the patterns should be horizontally and vertically aligned . Click the Done tab if the lines are correct or the Calibrate tab to repeat the calibration process

The first calibration page contains five sets of alignment patterns. The calibration will cover two areas of alignment. The Cartridge alignment is designed to obtain the best print quality and the Page alignment is designed to ensure that the print is aligned correctly on the page.



If the Printer Assistant and its files have been deleted from the system, the maintenance features in the Tools and Updates section of the Printer Assistant are also available in the Printer Toolbox .
Open the Printer Toolbox and perform the services by following the instructions below:

Right-click the Printer Icon on the Taskbar .

Click Open the Deskjet Toolbox option.

Select the Printing Service tab in the Printer Toolbox .

Choose the Calibrate the printer option.

NOTE:HP recommends to use HP plain paper when performing the cartridges calibration process.

NOTE:These printers could work with one or two print cartridges. HP recommends to perform the cartridge calibration process with the two cartridges installed in order to get the best print quality. Anyway, the printer can also be calibrated with one cartridge installed if the customer decides to work in that way.

Use the HP Toolbox to perform the following tasks:

• Calibrate the printer to align the print cartridges.
• Clean the print cartridges when lines and dots are missing from your printout.
• Print a test page to check for clarity after cleaning or to verify that the printer can receive data and print from the computer correctly.
• Print a diagnostic page to show how the print cartridge nozzles are working.
• Calibrate the photo tray to correctly position your photos.
• Check the ink levels of the print cartridges. Adjust the printer configuration.
• Investigate warning conditions.

Opening the HP Toolbox from the printer icon

1. Double-click the HP Digital Imaging Monitor and make sure you are on the correct printer tab.
2. Click Settings and then click Print Settings .
3. Click the Printer Toolbox choice.

Opening the HP Toolbox from the Printer Properties

1. Click Start .
2. Click Settings .
3. Click Printers .
4. Right-click the icon of the printer in use.
5. Click Printing Preferences .
6. Click the Features tab.
7. Click the Printer Services button.

Checking ink levelsUse one of the following methods to check the ink levels. Method one: Check the ink levels from the HP All-in-One The ink level is displayed on the main screen of the control panel display. Locate the two icons that represent the print cartridges. The icon on the left is for the color cartridge and the icon on the right is for the black cartridge.

• The exclamation mark (! ) symbol indicates a low ink level.
• The question mark (? ) symbol indicates the product cannot determine the status of the print cartridge. This might be because the cartridge is refilled.

Figure 1: Ink levels on the control panel display 1 - Exclamation mark indicates low ink in the color cartridge 2 - Ink level in the black cartridge is OK Method two: Check the ink levels from the computer using the HP ToolboxFollow these steps to check the estimated ink levels using HP Toolbox.

1. Make sure the product is on and connected to the computer.
2. Open HP Solution Center .
• Windows XP: On the Windows taskbar, click Start , click All Programs , point to HP , and then click HP Solution Center .
• Windows Vista: On the Windows taskbar, click the Windows icon ( ), click All Programs , click HP , and then click HP Solution Center .
• Windows 2000: On the Windows taskbar, click Start , click Programs , point to HP , and then click HP Solution Center .
3. Click Settings .
4. Point to Print Settings , and then click Printer Toolbox . Printer Toolbox opens.
5. Check the ink levels displayed on the Estimated Ink Levels tab.

Figure 2: Estimated ink levels

Toolbox The Toolbox provides status and maintenance information about the printer. It also provides links to the onscreen user's guide for help in performing basic printing tasks and solving problems.
NOTE: The Toolbox is available for Windows computers only. If the Toolbox was not installed with the other printer software components, you can install it using the installation program on the Starter CD. To monitor a printer on a shared port (for example, \\portname\printername) from a client machine, the Toolbox must be running on the server machine as well as on the client machine. Opening the Toolbox

1. From the Start menu at your computer, point to Programs .
2. Point to the printer name, and then click the Toolbox icon.

Toolbox tabs The Toolbox contains tabs that you can use to view product information and change configuration settings. Tabs Contents Printer Status

• Selected printer The drop-down list displays the currently selected printer.
• Ink Level Information Shows estimated ink levels for each cartridge.
• Order Supplies Provides access to a Web site where you can order printing supplies for the printer online.
• Ink Cartridge Information Shows order numbers and expiration dates for the installed ink cartridges.
• Preferences Gives you the ability to set advanced Toolbox settings, such as selecting which printer error messages appear, specifying whether you want to be notified by an audio alert when an error occurs, as well as the types of error messages that you want to see. Also, you can turn on myPrintMileage AutoSend, which provides you with a closer forecast of printer usage on the myPrintMileage Web site.

Information

• Printer Information Provides links to myPrintMileage and shows the printer hardware and printhead health information. You can also use the tab to obtain information about accumulated ink and media use, statistics up to the last 20 jobs, and job tracking.
• Help Information Provides links to HP Instant Support and HP Customer Support, as well as to the onscreen user's guide for help in performing tasks and troubleshooting. It also provides instructions that guide you through registering the printer onscreen.

Printer Services

• Align Printheads Guides you through aligning the printheads.
• Clean Printheads Guides you through cleaning the printheads.
• Calibrate Color Allows you to calibrate color manually.
• Print a Demo page Prints a demonstration page. This is used to verify that the printer is connected to the computer correctly and that the printer and printer software are working properly.
• Advanced Configuration Allows you to set tray lock and select a default tray (if Tray 2 is installed).

Align the new print cartridge

1. On the Windows taskbar, click Start .
2. Click Programs or All Programs , click HP , and then click HP Solution Center .
3. In HP Solution Center , click Settings , click Print Settings , and then click Printer Toolbox . The Printer Toolbox opens.
4. Click Align the Print Cartridges .
5. Click Align , and then follow the on-screen instructions. The product prints a test page, aligns the print cartridges, and calibrates the printer.
6. Recycle or discard the test page.

Printer Toolbox

Use the printer Toolbox to perform the following tasks:

• Align the print cartridges
• Automatically clean print cartridges
• Print a test page
• View estimated ink levels -This is what you would click on.

To open the printer Toolbox

• 1. Open the Printer Properties dialog box.

• 2. Click the Features tab, and then click the Printer services button.

The Toolbox is displayed.

I Hope This Helps.

Option 1:- This method of aligning or cleaning ink cartridges will work for most computers and printers. Follow the instructions below to align (calibrate) or clean the ink cartridges:
(NOTE: If the following steps are not the same as those you see on your computer, skip to the next option. Each option does not work on every computer.)
Click Start, then Printers and Faxes.
Click the desired printer icon to highlight it.
Click File, then Printing Preferences.
Click the Services tab.
Click Open Toolbox.
Click the desired task.
Option 2:- Follow the instructions below to align (calibrate) or clean the ink cartridges:
(NOTE: If the steps below do not match what you see on your computer, skip to the next option. Each option does not work on every computer)
Click Start, then Printers and Faxes.
Click the desired printer icon to highlight it.
Click File and Properties.
Click the Services tab.
Click the desired task.
Option 3:- Follow the instructions below to align (calibrate) or clean the ink cartridges:
(NOTE: If the steps below do not match what you see on your computer, skip to the next option. Each option does not work on every computer)
Double-click the XXXX Printer Assistant icon on the Desktop.
Click the Utilities button or the Tools and Updates button.
Click the Printer Maintenance button.
Click the desired task.
Option 4:-Follow the instructions below to align (calibrate) or clean the ink cartridges:
(NOTE: If the steps below do not match what you see on your computer, skip to the next option. Each option does not work on every computer)
Right-click the Printer icon on the Taskbar.
Click Open Toolbox.
On the Device Services tab, click the desired task.
Option 5:-Follow the instructions below to align (calibrate) or clean the ink cartridges:
(NOTE: If the steps below do not match what you see on your computer, skip to the next option. Each option does not work on every computer)
Click Start, Programs, HP DeskJet (your printer) series vX.X, then HP DeskJet (your printer) series vX.X Toolbox.
Click the Device Services tab.
Click the desired task.
Option 6:-Follow the instructions below to align (calibrate) or clean the ink cartridges:
(NOTE: If the steps below do not match what you see on your computer, go to one of the other options. Each option does not work on every computer)
Click Start, Programs, Hewlett-Packard, HP DeskJet XXXX series, then Printer Assistant.
Click the Utilities button or the Tools and Updates button.
Click the Printer Maintenance button.
Click the desired task.
Option 7:-Double-click the HP Director icon on the Desktop.
Click the Utilities option.
Click the Printer Maintenance button.
Click the desired task.