Troubleshooting HP C309a printer

My HP C309a printer is working. But ink is at low level. When I tried to replace the ink cartridge I find that the print head does not home on to the middle. It appears to be stationery at the right side. What do I do? How do I replace a cartridge?

The video at the link here may help. If the printer does not recognize the door being opened you could fool the printer as follows: press copy and once the printer starts going through the motions of printing unplug the power. Once things have come to rest open the printer and manually move the carriage, then change the cartridge. Plug the printer back in and power it up, it may take a bit of time for the printer to initialize.
Bob Headrick, HP Expert
I am not an employee of HP, I am a volunteer posting here on my own time.
If your problem is solved please click the "Accept as Solution" button ------------V
If my answer was helpful please click the "Thumbs Up" to say "Thank You"--V

Similar Messages

HP Photosmart c309a printer. install msg is 'wireless radio is not functioning'. troubleshoot?

My HP Photosmart C309a printer stopped printing. i uninstalled & re-installed the printer and software. on the reinstall, a message popped up that "wireless radio is not functioning'" how do i troubleshoot this?

This is how to contact HP support: www.hp.com/go/totalcare (click on Printers & Monitors, there is a phone number on the resulting page).
Do it soon.
Say thanks by clicking "Kudos" "thumbs up" in the post that helped you.
I am employed by HP

How do I install the IP address on a C309a printer?

How do I install the IP address on the C309a printer?

Welcome to the HP Forum!
chief92a wrote:
How do I install the IP address on the C309a printer?
Do you mean a static IP address for wireless or LAN?
Why do you want to set the IP address manually?
I suggest that you use the Home network diagnostic utility. Normally your wireless router will provide the IP address when it is set to be a DHCP server in your home network.
Kind regards,
erico
****Please click on Accept As Solution if a suggestion solves your problem. It helps others facing the same problem to find a solution easily****
2015 Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience Consumer

Troubleshooting a paper jam and print cradle.

Hi
The print cradle cannot sometimes move to it's right position in my HP All-in-one Photosmart C3180 printer.
I have tried several things and also been talking to customer support in Norway and in the U.S. about my isssues with the printer. It seems that my printer has done it's last printing job, but I'm looking for more help if there's another troubleshooting or if people here in the support forum knows about other procedures which can fix my printer.
* Checklist of what I've done
1. Resetting the printer accurately.
2. Uninstall/install all print cartridges.
3. Looking for any paper jams or barriers which can cause the print cradle to not move. But there are no barriers.
The cradle sometimes wont get back to it's position only.
3. Cleaning the printer (doesn't work because of the cradle wont move.
4. Cleaning the cradle and sensors.

Hello @AKAJEF ,
Thank you for joining us on the HP Forums today, hope you enjoy your time with us!
At this point all I can say is it is a hardware issue and you are looking at replacing the printer.
Sorry to be the person that had to tell you that but I can't offer any more direction past what you have already done. I would recommend calling phone support back and seeing what options they have for you.
If you are in Canada or US call 800 474 6836, or you can Contact HP Worldwide.
HP printers generally have a 1 year warranty from their purchase date, you can verify the warranty using the following link if you would like; warranty check.
I hope this helps. Sorry that I couldn't be of any help, printers are hard to deal with when it comes to hardware as replacement parts aren't sold separately.
I worked for HP.

HP Photosmart all in one C309a printing multiple copies when its set to print only one copy.

having issues with my C309a its now printing multiple copys when its set to print only one copy.it started doing this 4 days ago and its happening on both my Windows 7 64 bit computer and my Vista 32 computer that both have the latest release drivers already installed need help.HP please sort this issue out.still under warranty do i have to return it?

I am using a Motorola SBG900 Wirless Surfboard Gateway - supplied with Bigpond Cable. It is set to be using WPA security and have never had a problem with it before whilst connecting any wireless devices such as a laptop, PDA etc.
My feeling is that the wireless functionality of this printer needs some serious work before the next release. And furthermore they should never have released it the way it is as it wouldn't pass 5% of user acceptance tests if using wireless. There are too many complaints on this forum and others about similar problems to suggest that I am not by myself here. Dissapointing considering this is the feature that would be at the top of the list of most purchasing this model. It lets down what could of been a vg printer.
I agree, I think if I want to get this printer working on a wirless network, I will have to set the IP address manually. The problem is the printer refuses to connect to the router now even after it connected a few days ago with no intervention. I have powered down both the router, PC, and printer without any luck yet. I will set the IP address manually first on the printer and see how it goes, then if it connects will see if the PC/router can see the printer during the SW install procedure which has failed >10 times to date.
For now I think I will stick with Ethernet as it is no doubt much faster anyway and will try the wirless setup again in a few days when my patience grows back. Does anyone know differences in speed between USB/Wireless/Ethernet? I know this is dependant on a number of things but just interested in ball park figures here.

Wireless Setup on HP Photosmart All in one (C309a) Printer

I have recently purchased a HP Photosmart Premium (c309a) All in one Printer and have had ongoing issues installing it with Wireless connectivity. The first of the problems are that while the printer itself initially detected the wireless router it drops this connection once in idle or on startup, and it does not automatically detect it the next time. Infact I have had to manualy input the SSID and WEP/WPA passphrase as it has more often than not been able to detect the router again by iteself. This is very painfull and a real turnoff. Secondly, when installing the provided SW the printer isn't detected when scanning for wireless devices and is not found when manually typing the SSID. This occurs even when the printer says it detects the router.
Troubleshooting - Where to start um.....ok I have done the obvious things - power cycle the printer, router and PC. No go. Also downloaded the latest SW from the HP website (as opposed to the CD provided) and resintalled - No go. Also disabled start up programs in msconfig and added the required exceptions and ports to the Firewall and resintalled - no go. The only thing I haven't tried is manually configuring the IP Address, Subnet on the printers advanced settings and matching it on the PC-Printer settings. I found this process ridiculously time consuming and frustrating and would hate to think what the average user would do in this case. Hardly a simple user friendly process. I have since reverted to connect via ethernet just to get it operational (and before I throw it out the window) nevertheless would appreciate some assistance as the wireless feature was one of the reasons I bought it in the first place.

I am using a Motorola SBG900 Wirless Surfboard Gateway - supplied with Bigpond Cable. It is set to be using WPA security and have never had a problem with it before whilst connecting any wireless devices such as a laptop, PDA etc.
My feeling is that the wireless functionality of this printer needs some serious work before the next release. And furthermore they should never have released it the way it is as it wouldn't pass 5% of user acceptance tests if using wireless. There are too many complaints on this forum and others about similar problems to suggest that I am not by myself here. Dissapointing considering this is the feature that would be at the top of the list of most purchasing this model. It lets down what could of been a vg printer.
I agree, I think if I want to get this printer working on a wirless network, I will have to set the IP address manually. The problem is the printer refuses to connect to the router now even after it connected a few days ago with no intervention. I have powered down both the router, PC, and printer without any luck yet. I will set the IP address manually first on the printer and see how it goes, then if it connects will see if the PC/router can see the printer during the SW install procedure which has failed >10 times to date.
For now I think I will stick with Ethernet as it is no doubt much faster anyway and will try the wirless setup again in a few days when my patience grows back. Does anyone know differences in speed between USB/Wireless/Ethernet? I know this is dependant on a number of things but just interested in ball park figures here.

C309a print copies of 1 page documents

I've been using Photosmart printers with duplexing for years. In the past, I've always left two-sided printing on "Automatically" as the default for general printing. If I had a one page document, and asked it to print, say, 3 copies of the document, I would get 3 pages with one side each.
I just intalled a C309a on the same Vista system I've been using in the past. I've set my printer default to "automatically" for two-sided printing. Now if I want to print several copies of a one-page document, it prints both sides of the page. So a request for 3 copies of a one-page document results in two printed pages - one page has the document printed on each side, plus one page has it on only one side.
The only way around this seems to be to alternate between printing shortcuts. If I have a one-page document, and I want several copies, I have to switch to the General setting with two-sided printing set to "off". If I want a multi-page document duplexed, I have to switch over to the Two-Sided printing setting. I'm disappointed because I didn't have to switch back and forth with any of my former Photosmart duplex printers.
Is my new C309a really supposed to work this way? Or should I be able to get 3 single-sheet copies of a one page document, even with two-sided printing set to "Automatically", like all my previous printers allowed?
Thank you!

audpilot,
same boat, same printer...
this is not how the other printers worked.
is there any workaround?

C309a printing black and white has magenta cast

I have had a C309a for a couple of weeks now. I have no problems with color printing, but when printing pure grayscale, the prints hae a distinct purple/magenta tint - even when selecting 'print grayscale' from teh 'color' tab of the print setup dialog. The image in question have been totally desaturated in either Lightroom or Photoshop. I have tried HP Premium Plas semi gloss, Premium gloss, and Advanaced gloss papers, all with the same results.
The only way I can get anything near neutral is to print b&w in color and add a slight green cast.
Anyone had this problem

Hi fossil1, are the color ink levels ok? Ciara
Although I am an HP employee, I am speaking for myself and not for HP.
Twitter: @Ciara_B_HP

HP c309a printing blank pages from new Dell Win8 laptop

I have a c309a installed on the network via LAN to the router. It works fine with Win-Vista and Win-7 computers wired and wirelessly connected to the network.
A new Dell laptop with Win-8 is connecting to printer, but nothing but blank pages comes out of the printer - even when trying to print a test page from Printer Properties in Windows.
I have tried to istall the complete HP printer software from the HP website, also via HP Print and Scan Doctor, which din in fact install on the laptop, as well as from the disc that came with the printer - but in vain. I have downdoaded the software repeatedly. It runs the file extraction, but nothing happens when done. Not even an error message. When attempting to run setup.exe from the disc, nothing happens either. The disc runs for little while, then stops. No error massage in this case either.
I have removed the free McAfee security program that came with the laptop, in the hope that it was terminating the installation, but to no avail.
Please help!

Hi viben,
I understand you are having issues installing the HP software on your new Dell with Windows 8, and that you can not print from the windows 8 machine as you get only blank pages. Please try the following steps and let me know how it works out.
Hold down the Windows Logo key () on the keyboard and the 'R' to open the run box, type %temp%
Delete all files and folders from the temp folder. Choose skip if any pop ups appear saying any of the files could not be deleted
Download the software and choose to save as, save to desktop > HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One C309 Series Full Feature Software and Driver
After the software downloads and extracts, open the temp folder again, use the instructions from step 1.
Look for, and open the folder starting with 7z (Example: 7zS2356)
Open folder Util
Open folder CCC
If you have an HP computer run the L3uninstall.exe. If you have anon-HP computer run the L4uninstall.exe
When the uninstall has completed restart the computer
Follow these steps to reset the registry settings and options for Windows Installer.
Hold down the Windows Logo key on the keyboard and the 'R' to open the run box
In the Open box, type msiexec /unregister, and then click OK.
Hold down the Windows Logo key on the keyboard and the 'R' to open the run box
In the Open box, type msiexec /regserver, and then click OK
If you have any difficulty with this step, please use this link to perform it another way. Restarting Windows Installer
Run Disk cleanup from Accessories\ System Tool < How to Delete files using Disk Cleanup
Download and install the latest version of Adobe flash player http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html
Restart the computer
Download and run the HP Printer Install Wizard for Windows
The HP Printer Install Wizard for Window was created to help Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 users download and install the latest and most appropriate HP software solution for their HP Printer.
It is a good idea to keep your antivirus and firewalls off while troubleshooting, but don't forget to turn them back on after!
I hope this helps.
Please click the Thumbs up icon below to thank me for responding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Sunshyn2005 - I work on behalf of HP

How to get my C309a printer to only use black ink cartridge?.

I have changed my ink cartridges 3 times. ALL of them. I haven't had the printer for that long. I only print TEXT so only BLACK INK. And not that much of it either. SO why does all of the cartridges get used up? I cannot find anything where you can adjust or fix this problem. HELP as I don't have the money to keep buying all this ink.

PTGillan wrote:
[snip] Decent thing to do would be to allow printer to do what they have done from time immemorial - print faded docs to give us time to get cartridges and avoid total failure. Not a good or decent system. Not a good way to treat customers.
The Photosmart c309a does allow printing in black if a color ink is depleted - I have one here. What is your printer model?
HP and other printer manufacturers have different printer technologies for different needs.
Some have printheads built into the ink cartridges. These printers can typically print with one or more of the colors completely empty, or even with color or black (but not both) cartridges removed. The Deskjet 6980 series is an example.
Other printers have separate ink supplies and replaceable printheads. An example would be the Officejet 6500 printers. The printhead in these printers can be replaced if they are damaged by running the printhead with colors out. Some of these printers will allow printing with a color out, other will not. If the printer is run without ink in one or more colors the printer may be damaged, but the user may be able to recover without having to send the printer for service.
Other printers have permanent printheads. To run these without some ink in all the colors would risk causing damage to the printhead due to clogs, air ingested in the printheadvor burned out printhead firing resistors. The Photosmart 3310 series is an example of this type of printer. For printers with fixed printheads this could require service to get the printer to print properly again when the ink is finally replaced.
The document here has information on how ink is used.
Bob Headrick, HP Expert
I am not an employee of HP, I am a volunteer posting here on my own time.
If your problem is solved please click the "Accept as Solution" button ------------V
If my answer was helpful please click the "Thumbs Up" to say "Thank You"--V

%1 is not a valid Win32 application (C309A printer install)

I have three computers on 10/100 home network. I have Photosmart C309A available on two of them. It use to be three of them. No matter what I do I get the same messages when I do an install from the downloads on the HP website and now I get this message when I try to install from the original distribution CD.
After installation from the support page download the printer is on the devices page. I can connect by typing in the IP address and see the printer just fine. But when I try to print a test page I get this error message.
"Function address 0xea89f849 caused a protection fault. (exception code 0xc000005). Some or all property pages may not be displayed."
Then the property page comes up showing the printer and the correct IP address. When you press the 'Print Test Page' button Explorer complains that is STOPPED working , the screen flashes, property page disappears and all goes back to where it was before I started trying to print a test page. Also there is nothing in the print queue.
I have run uninstall_L1.bat L2 and L3 and tried to reinstall the software numerous times.

Hi kf5y,
Try using the scrubber built into the CD or Download.
From Original installation CD:
1. Insert CD into drive, and then cancel the installer
2. Open My Computer, and then right click on the CD drive and chose open
3. Open folder Util
4. Open folder CCC
5. If you have an HP computer run the L3uninstall.exe. If you have a non-HP computer run the L4uninstall.exe
6. When the uninstall has completed restart the computer
7. Run Disk cleanup from Accessories\ System Tools
8. Download and install the latest version of Adobe flash player
http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html
9. Download the full feature software and drivers
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=mp-66918-4&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&...=
10. Run the download to reinstall the printer
If software was downloaded and extracted to your system:
1. Type %temp% in the run field
2. Look for, and open the folder starting with 7z (Example: 7zS2356)
3. Open folder Util
4. Open folder CCC
5. If you have an HP computer run the L3uninstall.exe. If you have a non-HP computer run the L4uninstall.exe
6. When the uninstall has completed restart the computer
7. Run Disk cleanup from Accessories\ System Tools
8. Download and install the latest version of Adobe flash player
http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html
9. Download the full feature software and drivers
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=mp-66918-4&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&...=
10. Run the download to reinstall the printer
I am an HP employee.
Say Thanks by clicking the Kudos Star in the post that helped you.
Please mark the post that solves your problem as "Accepted Solution"

**HELP** My C309a printer will not print!!

I have a C309a HP Photosmart Premium printer. I operate it thru a wireless att dsl modem. Suddendly, after some HP update, it no longer responds to the Print. I have run several self diagnostics online. Thus, I first made sure the wireless connection is operative (YESI disconnected and reconnected just to make sure) then 1: uninstalled the Printer driver. 2: Installed the CD printer dirver. 3:Unistalled the CD printer driver. 4:Installed and unistalled the HP website drived for windows 7 64 bit (three times). I have called HP tech support and was helped by a friendly guy who had me repeat step 4 two more times . We have concluded A: the the printer is indeed connected to my wireless network. B: the copy feature works on the printer. C:the Scan feature works and successfully uploads the scan onto my computer. However, the the printer will not Print!! When I hit the print button on a document, web page, or anywhere on the computer the printer does nothing!! The test page on the HP site does nothing as well. Not a whisper. Anoher odd thing is that I cannot augment my printer properties (the window that allows you to select draft, black and white printing only, or paper size). When I hit this button I am receiving some OXE..... error window. The HP tech stated that i had to have ink in all of the cartiriges for it to respond to print and attempted to sell me some over the phone. My color and photo black ink have been dry for over 8 months. CAN ANYONE HELP ME???!!!!

Well, I think the simple answer is that, yes, you have to have ink in all of the cartridges for the printer to print.
You can also download and run this: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03286146&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en
What does it say?
Say thanks by clicking "Kudos" "thumbs up" in the post that helped you.
I am employed by HP

My c309a printer can't communicate wirelessly with my laptop but it used to.

My HP C309a is not communicating with my cell phone or my laptop computer. It was fine until a few days ago when I stuck in a camera memory stick it and printed pictures. The pictures printed just fine (as they have in the past), but a few days later my children tried to print something and the printer wouldnot respond. When I looked at it, it said "This usb device is not compatible" The wierd thing is that there were not any devices in at that time. I figured it must have had something to do with the pictures I had printed. So I turned off the printer and turned it back on. But it was still giving the same message. So I unplugged it from the wall. This time it worked and my children were able to print from the desk top computer. But today I tried to print from my laptop and it never printed. I went to Windows Printers and devices and it said that the printer was off line. There was was an exclaimation mark next to my laptop icon. I clicked it and it said that there was a problem with the printer, that the drivers were missing. So i got the original cd that came with the printer and I uninstalled and then reinstalled the software. All was fine until I went to set up the wireless settings. It would not work. I then tried to set up the printer on my new Droid cell phone and it said that there were no wireless printers found. Therefore I think its the bluetooth in the printer itself. Is there anything I can do to fix it. I've only had the printer for about 10 mos. Help please!
I appreciate any input you can give in this matter.
Sincerely
LaDonna Hall-Gamble

OK, I think you are trying to connect the printer wirelessly to your wireless router, right?
I think that is the way to go, so let's do that:
1. Restart the router by pulling its power cord momentarily. Let it restart.
2. On the front of the printer go to Setup > Wireless (or Netowrk, not sure) > Wireless Setup Wizard. Run the Wizard to connect your printer to your router.
3. After that, go to Control Panel > Devices & Printers and delete all instances of the printer.
4. Finally re-add the printer with these instructions:
1. Make sure the printer is turned on and connected to your network. Verify that you can access the printer's internal web page by browsing to its IP address before continuing. Get its IP from a Network Test printed from the front panel of the printer.
2. Click >> Start >> Control panel >> Devices & Printers.
3. Click the Add a printer
4. Select Local printer
5. Select Create a new port and select Standard TCP/IP Port and click Next button.
6. Under Device type, select TCP/IP Device. Under Hostname or IP address, enter the printer's IP address. Click Next.
7. Select Hewlett-Packard from the list of manufacturers and select and select your printer model. Click Next.
If your printer model was not listed, then select Have Disk, browse the HP CD that came with your printer and select the first file that starts with hp and ends with inf. Click Open then OK. Select your printer model. Click Next.
8. If you are asked, use the currently installed driver.
9. It will ask for the Printer name -- enter a new name or use the existing one. This will be the name of the printer that you select from other applications.
10. You may be asked to share the printer. Choose NO.
11. The Print Test Page box appears. Go ahead and print it.
12. Click Finish.
Say thanks by clicking "Kudos" "thumbs up" in the post that helped you.
I am employed by HP

C309A Printing on DVD's

Trying to find a way to print my photo directly onto the DVD without having to use the HP provided template. Whenever I attempt to attach my photo, it attaches to the HP template.
Any suggestions welcome
This question was solved.
View Solution.

I have just purchased the C309a. I was using Nero to do my cd/dvd direct print labeling before on an epson.
I too am used to more advanced capabilities. When I have tried to print from Nero (as before but with the settings for cd printing on this hp) an error comes up to 'close the cd tray (as it is evidently trying to print to paper even though the setup shows printing to cd). It has been a frustrating start with this printer already for other issues. If my only choices are to successfully print within the default 'HP Solution Center' menu settings, I think I've reached the end of my line on this unit.
Thank you for any help you can provide. (although I appreciate the animation help online, it is just too elemental)
Colin

PS C309a printer detecting paper type

PS C309a; Windows Windows 7; USB wired.
Is there a way to override the printer detecting the type of paper being used? My printer canceled the print job, because the paper didn't match its detection.

What paper type did you specify? Are you feeding from the main tray or the photo tray? Does the paper have a printed border?
Bob Headrick, HP Expert
I am not an employee of HP, I am a volunteer posting here on my own time.
If your problem is solved please click the "Accept as Solution" button ------------V
If my answer was helpful please click the "Thumbs Up" to say "Thank You"--V

Troublesho​oting HP C309a printer

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for

Troubleshooting HP C309a printer