Table of Contents
- Contents
- Welcome
- Getting ready to print
- Printing photos without a computer
- Getting connected
- Printing from a computer
- Care and maintenance
- Troubleshooting
- Customer Care
- Networking
- Specifications
- Index
HP 8450gp User Manual
Displayed below is the user manual for 8450gp by HP which is a product in the Photo Printers category. This manual has pages.
Related Manuals
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide
English
Copyrights and trademarks
© Copyright 2004 Hewlett-Packard
Development Company, L.P.
The information contained herein is
subject to change without notice.
Reproduction, adaptation or
translation without prior written
permission is prohibited, except as
allowed under the copyright laws.
Notice
The only warranties for HP products
and services are set forth in the
express warranty statements
accompanying such products and
services. Nothing herein should be
construed as constituting an
additional warranty. HP shall not be
liable for technical or editorial errors
or omissions contained herein.
The Hewlett-Packard Development
Company, L.P. shall not be liable for
incidental or consequential damages
in connection with, or arising out of
the furnishing, performance, or use of
this document and the program
material which it describes.
Trademarks
HP, the HP logo, and Photosmart are
property of Hewlett-Packard
Development Company, L.P.
The Secure Digital logo is a
trademark of the SD Association.
Microsoft and Windows are registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
CompactFlash, CF, and the CF logo
are trademarks of the CompactFlash
Association (CFA).
Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo,
Memory Stick PRO, and Memory
Stick PRO Duo are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Sony
Corporation.
MultiMediaCard is a trademark of
Infineon Technologies AG of
Germany, and is licensed to the
MMCA (MultiMediaCard Association).
Microdrive is a trademark of Hitachi
Global Storage Technologies.
SmartMedia is a trademark of
Toshiba Corporation.
xD-Picture Card is a trademark of Fuji
Photo Film Co., Ltd., Toshiba
Corporation, and Olympus Optical
Co., Ltd.
Mac, the Mac logo, and Macintosh
are registered trademarks of Apple
Computer, Inc.
The Bluetooth word mark and logos
are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
and any use of such marks by
Hewlett-Packard Company is under
license.
PictBridge and the PictBridge logo are
trademarks of the Camera & Imaging
Products Association (CIPA).
Other brands and their products are
trademarks or registered trademarks
of their respective holders.
The embedded software in the printer
is based in part on the work of the
Independent JPEG Group.
The copyrights to certain photos
within this document are retained by
the original owners.
Regulatory model
identification number
SDGOA-0403
For regulatory identification purposes,
the product is assigned a Regulatory
Model Number. The Regulatory
Model Number for the product is
SDGOA-0403. This regulatory
number should not be confused with
the marketing name (HP Photosmart
8400 series printer) or product
number (Q3388A).
Safety information
Always follow basic safety
precautions when using this product
to reduce risk of injury from fire or
electric shock.
Warning To prevent fire or
shock hazard, do not expose
this product to rain or any
type of moisture.
●Read and understand all
instructions in the
HP Photosmart 8400 series
Quick Start booklet.
●Use only a grounded electrical
outlet when connecting the unit
to a power source. If you do not
know whether the outlet is
grounded, check with a qualified
electrician.
●Observe all warnings and
instructions marked on the
product.
●Unplug this product from wall
outlets before cleaning.
●Do not install or use this product
near water or when you are wet.
●Install the product securely on a
stable surface.
●Install the product in a protected
location where no one can step
on or trip over the power cord,
and where the power cord will
not be damaged.
●If the product does not operate
normally, see the
troubleshooting information in
the onscreen HP Photosmart
Printer Help.
●There are no operator
serviceable parts inside. Refer
servicing to qualified service
personnel.
●Use in a well-ventilated area.
Environmental statements
Hewlett-Packard Company is
committed to providing quality
products in an environmentally sound
manner.
Protecting the environment
This printer has been designed with
several attributes to minimize impact
on our environment. For more
information, go to HP's Commitment
to the Environment web site at
www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/
environment/.
Ozone production
This product generates no
appreciable ozone gas (O3).
Energy consumption
Energy usage drops significantly
while in ENERGY STAR® mode,
which saves natural resources and
saves money without affecting the
high performance of this product. This
product qualifies for ENERGY STAR,
which is a voluntary program
established to encourage the
development of energy-efficient office
products.
ENERGY STAR
is a U.S.
registered mark
of the U.S. EPA.
As an ENERGY
STAR partner, Hewlett-Packard
Company has determined that this
product meets the ENERGY STAR
guidelines for energy efficiency. For
more information, go to
www.energystar.gov.
Paper use
This product is suited for the use of
recycled paper according to DIN
19309.
Plastics
Plastic parts over 24 grams (0.88
ounces) are marked according to
international standards that enhance
the ability to identify plastics for
recycling purposes at the end of the
printer life.
Material safety data sheets
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
can be obtained from the HP web site
at www.hp.com/go/msds. Customers
without Internet access should
contact Customer Care.
Recycling program
HP offers an increasing number of
product return and recycling programs
in many countries, and partners with
some of the largest electronics
recycling centers throughout the
world. HP conserves resources by
reselling some of its most popular
products.
This HP product contains lead in the
solder, which may require special
handling at the end of its life.
Contents
1 Welcome ...............................................................................................................3
Printer parts ...........................................................................................................4
Available accessories ............................................................................................8
Printer menu ..........................................................................................................9
2 Getting ready to print ........................................................................................15
Loading paper ......................................................................................................15
Choosing the right paper ..............................................................................15
Loading your paper ....................................................................................... 16
Inserting print cartridges ......................................................................................17
Inserting memory cards .......................................................................................20
Supported file formats ..................................................................................20
Inserting a memory card ...............................................................................20
Removing a memory card ............................................................................22
3 Printing photos without a computer ................................................................23
Selecting a photo layout ......................................................................................24
Deciding which photos to print .............................................................................25
Selecting photos to print ......................................................................................26
Improving photo quality ........................................................................................ 27
Getting creative ...................................................................................................28
Printing photos .....................................................................................................31
Printing photos from a memory card ............................................................. 31
Printing photos from a digital camera ...........................................................35
Printing from HP Instant Share .....................................................................36
4 Getting connected .............................................................................................37
Connecting to other devices ................................................................................37
Connecting through HP Instant Share .................................................................38
5 Printing from a computer ..................................................................................41
6 Care and maintenance ......................................................................................45
Cleaning and maintaining the printer ...................................................................45
Cleaning the outside of the printer ................................................................45
Automatically cleaning the print cartridges ...................................................45
Manually cleaning the print cartridge contacts ..............................................46
Printing a test page ....................................................................................... 46
Aligning the print cartridges ..........................................................................47
Printing a sample page .................................................................................47
Updating the software ..........................................................................................48
Storing the printer and print cartridges ................................................................. 48
Storing the printer .........................................................................................49
Storing the print cartridges ...........................................................................49
Maintaining the quality of photo paper .................................................................49
Storing photo paper ......................................................................................49
Handling photo paper ...................................................................................49
7 Troubleshooting ................................................................................................51
Printer hardware problems ..................................................................................51
Printing problems .................................................................................................53
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 1
Error messages ...................................................................................................57
Paper errors .................................................................................................57
Print cartridge errors .....................................................................................58
Memory card errors ......................................................................................61
Proof sheet errors .........................................................................................63
Computer printing errors ...............................................................................64
Network and HP Instant Share errors ...........................................................65
8 Customer Care ...................................................................................................67
Customer Care by phone ..................................................................................... 67
Placing a call ................................................................................................69
Return to HP repair service .................................................................................69
a Networking .........................................................................................................71
Networking basics (Windows and Macintosh) .....................................................71
Internet connection .......................................................................................72
Recommended network configurations ........................................................72
Ethernet network without Internet access ..............................................72
Ethernet network with Internet access by dial-up modem .....................72
Ethernet network with broadband Internet access provided by a
router .....................................................................................................73
Connecting the printer to the network ..................................................................73
Installing the printer software on a Windows computer ........................................ 74
Installing the printer software on a Macintosh ......................................................75
Using the embedded web server .........................................................................76
Printing a network configuration page .................................................................. 77
b Specifications ....................................................................................................79
System requirements ...........................................................................................79
Printer specifications ...........................................................................................79
Index...........................................................................................................................83
2HP Photosmart 8400 series
1Welcome
Thank you for purchasing an HP Photosmart 8400 series printer! With this new photo
printer you can print beautiful photos, save photos to a computer, and create fun and
easy projects with or without a computer.
This guide primarily explains how to print without connecting a computer. To learn
how to print from a computer, install the printer software and view the onscreen Help.
For an overview of using a computer and the printer together, see Printing from a
computer. For information about installing the software, see the Quick Start booklet.
Among other things, you'll learn how to:
Print borderless photos with colorful, customized frames.
See Getting creative.
Transform your photos into instant classics with black-
and-white, sepia, and other color effects. See Getting
creative.
Improve the quality of your photos by removing red-eye,
brightening, and improving the contrast. See Improving
photo quality.
The printer comes with the following documentation:
●Quick Start booklet: The HP Photosmart 8400 series Quick Start booklet
explains how to set up the printer, install the printer software, and print your first
photo.
●User's Guide: The HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide is the book you are
reading. This book describes the basic features of the printer, explains how to
use the printer without connecting a computer, and contains hardware
troubleshooting information.
●HP Photosmart Printer Help: The onscreen HP Photosmart Printer Help
describes how to use the printer with a computer and contains software
troubleshooting information.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 3
After you have installed the HP Photosmart printer software on a computer, you can
view the onscreen HP Photosmart Printer Help:
●Windows PC: From the Start menu, select Programs (in Windows XP, select All
Programs) > HP > Photosmart 320, 370, 7400, 7800, 8100, 8400, 8700 series
> Photosmart Help.
●Macintosh: Select Help > Mac Help in the Finder, then select Library >
HP Photosmart Printer Help.
Printer parts
Front of printer
1. Camera port
Use this port to connect a
PictBridge™ digital camera to
the printer, or to insert the
optional HP Bluetooth®
wireless printer adapter.
2. Out tray
Lift this tray to load small
media or to clear front paper
jams.
3. Paper-width guide
Adjust this guide to fit close to
the edge of the paper in the
Main tray.
4. Main tray
Place plain paper,
transparencies, envelopes, or
other media in this tray for
printing.
5. Out tray extender
Lift the tab, then pull it towards
you to extend the Out tray to
catch the printed paper as it is
ejected from the printer.
6. Paper-length guide
Adjust this guide to fit close to
the end of the paper in the
Main tray.
7. Photo tray
Lift the Out tray to load small
photo paper in the Photo tray.
8. Photo tray slider
Push this slider away from you
to engage the Photo tray.
Chapter 1
4HP Photosmart 8400 series
9. Top cover
Lift this cover to access the
print cartridges and the print
cartridge storage area, and to
clear paper jams.
10. Printer screen
Use this screen to view your
photos and menu options.
11. Memory card slots
Insert memory cards here.
Back of printer
1. Ethernet port
Use this port to connect the
printer to a network.
2. Power cord connection
Use this port to connect the
power cord included with the
printer.
3. USB port
Use this port to connect the
printer to a computer or to an
HP direct-printing digital
camera.
4. Rear access door
Remove this door to clear
paper jams.
Control panel
1. On
Press this button to turn on the
printer or put it into power save
mode.
2. Save
Press this button to save
photos from a memory card to
a computer.
3. HP Instant Share
Press this button to send a
photo via e-mail or through the
network (if connected). For
more information, see Getting
connected.
4. Select Photos arrows
Use these arrows to scroll
through the photos on a
memory card.
(continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 5
5. Select Photos
Use this button to select the
currently displayed photo or
video frame for printing.
6. Cancel
Press this button to deselect
photos, to exit a menu, or to
stop an action you have
requested.
7. Zoom
Press this button to enter
Zoom mode and zoom in on
the currently displayed photo,
and to exit 9-up view mode.
8. Menu
Press this button to view the
printer menu.
9. Rotate
Press this button to rotate the
currently displayed photo.
10. OK
Press this button to answer
questions on the printer
screen, to select menu options,
to enter 9-up view mode, and
to play a video.
11. Navigation arrows
Use these arrows to scroll
through the printer menu
options, position the crop box,
and control the speed and
direction of video playback.
12. Print
Press this button to print
selected photos from the
inserted memory card.
13. Layout
Press this button to select the
print layout for your photos.
Chapter 1
6HP Photosmart 8400 series
Indicator lights
1. On light
–On—the power is on
–Off—the printer is in
power-save mode
2. Paper tray lights
–Photo tray light on—the
Photo tray is engaged
–Main tray light on—the
Main tray is engaged
3. Status light
–On (Green)—the power is
on and the printer is not
printing
–Off—the printer is in
power-save mode
–Flashing green—the
printer is busy printing
–Flashing red—the printer
requires attention
4. Print layout lights
Indicate the current print layout.
5. Memory card light
–On—the memory card is
inserted correctly
–Off—no memory card is
inserted
–Flashing—HP Instant
Share is being used or
information is being
transmitted between a
memory card and the
printer or computer
(continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 7
Available accessories
There are several accessories available for the HP Photosmart 8400 series printer
that enhance its convenience. The appearance of the accessories may vary from what
is shown.
Accessory name Description
250-sheet paper tray
Supplement the printer paper capacity
with a 250-sheet tray and spend less
time monitoring your print jobs. (Model:
Q3447A)
This accessory may not be available in
all countries/regions.
HP Automatic Two-sided Printing
Accessory
Print on both sides of a page. You'll
save money (two-sided printing reduces
paper consumption) and make bulky
documents more manageable. (Model:
Q5712A)
This accessory may not be available in
all countries/regions.
HP Auto Two-sided Print Accessory
with Small Paper Tray
Print on both sides of a page. You'll
save money (two-sided printing reduces
paper consumption) and make bulky
documents more manageable. (Model:
Q3032A)
In Japan known as: Hagaki Tray with
Auto Two-sided Print Accessory
This accessory may not be available in
all countries/regions.
HP bt300 Bluetooth® wireless printer
adapter
The HP bt300 Bluetooth® wireless
printer adapter goes into the camera
port on the front of the printer and lets
you use Bluetooth wireless technology
for printing. (Model: Q3395A)
Chapter 1
8HP Photosmart 8400 series
Printer menu
Press Menu to access the printer menu. If you are viewing a submenu, pressing
Menu returns you to the main printer menu.
To navigate the printer menu:
●Press Navigation or to scroll through the menu options displayed on the
printer screen. Menu items that are not accessible are grayed out.
●Press OK to open a menu or select an option.
●Press Cancel to exit the current menu.
Printer menu structure
Top level
menu
Submenus/options Additional submenus/options
Print
Options
Print all
Print proof sheet
Scan proof sheet
Video action prints
Print range Select beginning of range:
Select end of range:
Print index page
Print new
Edit Remove red eye
Photo brightness Photo brightness:
(Press Navigation or to
increase or decrease the photo
brightness.)
Add frame Select pattern:
Select color:
Add color effect Choose color effect:
●Black and white
●Sepia
●Antique
●Solarize
●Metallic
●Red filter
●Blue filter
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 9
Top level
menu
Submenus/options Additional submenus/options
●Green filter
●No effect (default)
The color effect does not affect
frames created with the Add
frame option.
Tools View 9-up
Slide show Press OK to pause and unpause
the slide show; press Cancel to
stop the slide show.
Print quality Print quality:
●Best (default)
●Normal
Network Network:
●Print detailed report
Prints the network
configuration page listing
the printer device name, IP
address, subnet mask, link
speed, DNS, etc.
●Display summary
Displays the printer device
name, IP address, and
subnet mask on the printer
screen.
●Restore defaults
Restores default networking
settings.
Print sample page
Print test page
Clean cartridges Continue to second level
cleaning?
●Yes
●No
Continue to third level cleaning?
●Yes
●No
Align cartridges
Chapter 1
Printer menu structure (continued)
10 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Top level
menu
Submenus/options Additional submenus/options
Bluetooth Device address Device address:
(Some devices with Bluetooth
wireless technology require you
to enter the address of the
device they are trying to locate.
This menu option shows the
device address.)
Device name Device name:
(You can select a device name
for the printer that appears on
other devices with Bluetooth
wireless technology when they
locate the printer.)
Passkey (Press Navigation to
increase number by one; press
Navigation to decrease the
number. Press OK to move to
next number.)
(You can assign a Bluetooth
numerical passkey to the printer
that users of devices with
Bluetooth wireless technology
trying to locate the printer must
enter before they can print, if the
printer Bluetooth Security level
is set to High. The default
passkey is 0000.)
Accessibility Accessibility:
●Visible to all
●Not visible
When Accessibility is set
to Not visible, only devices
that know the device
address can print to it.
(You can set the Bluetooth-
equipped printer to be visible or
invisible to other devices with
Bluetooth wireless technology
by changing this accessibility
option.)
Security level Security Level:
●High
Printer menu structure (continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 11
Top level
menu
Submenus/options Additional submenus/options
(The printer does require
users of other devices with
Bluetooth wireless
technology to enter the
printer passkey)
●Low
(The printer does not
require users of other
devices with Bluetooth
wireless technology to enter
the printer passkey)
Reset Bluetooth options Reset Bluetooth options:
●Yes
●No
Help Memory cards Memory Card Help:
(Select to see information about
supported memory cards)
Cartridges Print Cartridge Help:
(Press Navigation or to
scroll through the HP print
cartridges available for the
printer, then press OK to see
how to insert the cartridge)
Photo sizes Photo Sizes Help:
(Press Navigation or to
scroll through the available
photo sizes)
Paper loading Paper Loading Help:
(Press Navigation or to
scroll through information on
loading paper)
Paper jams Paper Jam Help:
(Select to see how to remove a
paper jam)
Camera connect Camera Connect Help:
(Select to see where to connect
a PictBridge compatible digital
camera to the printer)
Chapter 1
Printer menu structure (continued)
12 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Top level
menu
Submenus/options Additional submenus/options
Preferences SmartFocus Turn SmartFocus:
●On (default)
●Off
Digital Flash Turn Digital Flash:
●On
●Off (default)
Date/time Date/time stamp:
●Date/time
●Date only
●Off (default)
Colorspace Choose colorspace:
●sRGB
●Adobe RGB
●Auto-select (default)
The Auto-select default tells the
printer to use the Adobe RGB
colorspace, if available. The
printer defaults to sRGB if
Adobe RGB is not available.
Passport photo mode Turn passport photo mode:
●On
●Off (default)
Select Size:
If you select On, the printer
prompts you to select the
passport photo size. Passport
mode tells the printer to print all
photos in the selected size.
Each page contains one photo.
However, if you specify several
copies of the same photo, they
all appear on the same page (if
enough space is available).
You must let photos printed in
passport photo mode dry for a
week before they are laminated.
Printer menu structure (continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 13
Top level
menu
Submenus/options Additional submenus/options
Tray select Select which paper tray to use:
●Front (default when rear
tray not installed)
●Rear
●Ask each time (default
when rear tray is installed)
Paper detect Auto paper detect:
●On (default)
●Off
Preview animation Turn preview animation:
●On (default)
●Off
Video enhancement Turn video print enhancement:
●On
●Off (default)
Restore defaults Restore original factory
preferences:
●Yes
●No
Restores factory settings for all
menu items except Select
language and Select country/
region (under Language in
Preferences menu) and
Bluetooth settings (under
Bluetooth in the main printer
menu). This setting does not
affect HP Instant Share or
Network defaults.
Language Select language:
Select country/region:
Chapter 1
Printer menu structure (continued)
14 HP Photosmart 8400 series
2Getting ready to print
Before you can begin printing, there are three easy procedures you should become
familiar with:
●Loading paper
●Inserting print cartridges
●Inserting memory cards
You must load paper and insert a print cartridge before inserting a memory card.
Loading paper
Learn how to choose the right paper for your print job and how to load it into the
correct tray for printing.
Choosing the right paper
For a list of available HP inkjet paper, or to purchase supplies, go to:
●www.hpshopping.com (U.S.)
●www.hp.com/go/supplies (Europe)
●www.hp.com/jp/supply_inkjet (Japan)
●www.hp.com/paper (Asia/Pacific)
To get the best results from the printer, choose from these high-quality HP photo
papers.
To print Use this paper
High-quality, long-lasting prints and
enlargements
HP Premium Plus photo paper
(Also known as Colorfast Photo Paper in
some countries/regions.)
Medium-to-high-resolution images from
scanners and digital cameras
HP Premium photo paper
Casual and business photos HP photo paper
HP Everyday photo paper
Text documents, draft versions, test and
alignment pages
HP Premium inkjet paper
To keep your paper in good condition for printing:
●Store the photo paper in its original packaging or in a resealable plastic bag.
●Keep the paper flat in a cool, dry place. If the corners curl, place the paper in a
plastic bag and gently bend it in the opposite direction until it lies flat.
●Hold photo paper by the edges to avoid smears.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 15
Loading your paper
Paper loading tips:
●You can print photos and documents on a wide variety of paper sizes, from 76 x
127 mm (3 x 5 inches) up to 216 x 356 mm (8.5 x 14 inches), as well as on 216
mm (8.5 inch-wide) banner paper.
●Before loading paper, slide out the paper-width and length guides to make room
for the paper. After loading paper, adjust the guides to fit close to the edges of the
paper without bending the paper.
●Load only one type and size of paper at a time. Do not mix paper types or sizes in
the Main input tray or the Photo tray.
●After loading paper, extend the Out tray extension to hold your printed pages.
This prevents printed pages from dropping off of the Out tray.
Use the directions in the following table to load the most commonly used paper sizes
into the printer.
Paper type How to load Tray to load
●Letter or A4
paper
●Transparencies
●20 x 25 cm (8 x
10 inch) photo
paper
1. Raise the Out tray.
2. Load plain paper, photo
paper, or transparencies
print-side down. Check
that the stack of paper is
no higher than the top of
the paper-length guide.
3. Pull the Photo tray slider
towards you until it stops.
The Main light illuminates,
meaning that paper from
the Main tray will be used
for the next print job.
4. Lower the Out tray.
Main tray
1Out tray
2Paper-width guide
3Paper-length guide
4Photo tray slider
●10 x 15 cm (4 x
6 inch) photo
paper
●Index cards
●Hagaki cards
●L-size cards
1. Raise the Out tray.
2. Load paper print-side
down. If you are using
tabbed paper, insert the
paper so the tab feeds in
last.
3. Lower the Out tray.
4. Push the Photo tray slider
away from you until it
stops. The Photo light
illuminates, meaning that
paper from the Photo tray
will be used for the next
print job.
Photo tray
1Out tray
2Paper-width guide
3Paper-length guide
Chapter 2
16 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Paper type How to load Tray to load
1Photo tray slider
●13 x 18 cm (5 x
7 inch) photo
paper
●Envelopes
1. Remove the Out tray by
pushing in the buttons on
each side and pulling the
tray towards you.
2. Load photo paper print-
side down.
Load envelopes with the
front-side down and with
the flap on the left. Tuck
the flaps inside the
envelopes to avoid paper
jams.
3. Replace the Out tray.
4. Pull the Photo tray slider
towards you until it stops.
The Main light illuminates,
meaning that paper from
the Main tray will be used
for the next print job.
Main input tray
1Out tray
1Paper-length guide
2Paper-width guide
Inserting print cartridges
The HP Photosmart 8400 series printer can print color and black-and-white photos.
HP provides different types of print cartridges so you can choose the best cartridges
for your project. The cartridge numbers you can use in this printer also appear on the
back cover.
For optimum printing results, HP recommends using only HP print cartridges. Inserting
a cartridge that is not in this table may invalidate the printer warranty.
(continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 17
Use the correct print cartridges
To print… Insert this print
cartridge in the
left stall
Insert this print
cartridge in the
middle stall
Insert this print
cartridge in the
right stall
Full-color photos HP Photo #99 HP Tri-color #95
or #97
HP Gray Photo
#100
Black-and-white
photos
HP Photo#99 HP Tri-color #95
or #97
HP Gray Photo
#100
Sepia or antique
photos
HP Photo #99 HP Tri-color #95
or #97
HP Gray Photo
#100
Text and colored
line drawings
HP Photo #99 HP Tri-color #95
or #97
HP Black #96
Caution Check that you are using the correct print cartridges. Also, note that
HP does not recommend modifying or refilling HP cartridges. Damage that
results from modifying or refilling HP cartridges is not covered by the HP
warranty.
For best print quality, HP recommends that you install all retail print cartridges before
the date stamped on the box.
Insert or replace the print cartridges
Remove the pink tape
Do not touch here
Prepare the printer and cartridges
1. Make sure the power is on and you have
removed the cardboard from inside the printer.
2. Lift the main cover of the printer.
3. Remove the bright pink tape from all cartridges.
Do not touch the ink nozzles or the copper-colored
contacts, and do not re-tape the cartridges.
Chapter 2
18 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Insert the cartridges
1. If you are replacing a cartridge, push down and
pull outward on the cartridge stall cover to
open it and then pull the cartridge out.
2. Match the symbol on the cartridge label to the
correct stall. Hold the cartridge with the label
on top and slide it at a slight upward angle into
the stall so the copper-colored contacts go in
first. Push the cartridge until it snaps into place.
3. Close the cartridge stall cover.
4. Repeat the previous steps to install the other
cartridges, if necessary.
5. When you are finished installing cartridges,
close the main cover.
You must install all three cartridges in order for the
printer to work as intended.
Tip Ink-backup printing mode lets you keep
printing even if one of the cartridges fails or runs
out of ink. Remove the cartridge and close the main
cover to enter ink-backup printing mode. The
printer continues to print, but at a slower speed and
with inferior print quality. A message reminds you
that the printer is in ink-backup printing mode.
Replace the cartridge as soon as possible.
The idle screen of the printer displays three icons
showing the approximate ink level for each
cartridge (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, and nearly
empty). Ink-level icons do not appear if any of the
installed cartridges are not genuine HP cartridges.
Each time you install or replace a print cartridge, a
message prompts you to print an alignment page.
This ensures high-quality prints.
Align the cartridges
1. Load paper in the Main tray.
2. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete
the cartridge alignment.
See Aligning the print cartridges.
Insert or replace the print cartridges (continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 19
When you are not using a print cartridge
Whenever you remove a print cartridge from the
printer, store it in a print cartridge protector, if
available. The cartridge protector keeps the ink
from drying out. Storing the cartridge improperly
can cause the cartridge to malfunction.
➔To insert a cartridge into the cartridge
protector, slide the cartridge into the protector
at a slight angle and snap it securely into place.
Once you have inserted a cartridge into the
cartridge protector, place it in the storage area
located in the printer under the top cover.
Inserting memory cards
After you have taken pictures with a digital camera, you can remove the memory card
from the camera and insert it into the printer to view and print your photos. The printer
can read the following types of memory cards: CompactFlash™, Memory Sticks,
Microdrive™, MultiMediaCard™, Secure Digital™, SmartMedia™, and xD-Picture Card™.
Caution Using any other type of memory card may damage the memory card
and the printer.
To learn about other ways of transferring photos from a digital camera to the printer,
see Connecting to other devices.
Supported file formats
The printer can recognize and print the following file formats directly from the memory
card: JPEG, uncompressed TIFF, AVI (JPEG compression), QuickTime (JPEG
compression), and MPEG-1. If a digital camera saves photos and video clips in other
file formats, save the files to a computer and print them using a software application.
For more information, see the onscreen HP Photosmart Printer Help.
Inserting a memory card
Find the memory card in the following table and use the instructions to insert the card
into the printer.
Guidelines:
●Insert only one memory card at a time.
●Gently push the memory card into the printer until it stops. The memory card
does not insert all the way into the printer; do not try to force it.
Caution Inserting the memory card any other way may damage the card and
the printer.
When the memory card is inserted correctly, the Memory Card light flashes and then
remains solid green.
Chapter 2
20 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Caution Do not pull out a memory card while the Memory Card light is
flashing. For more information, see Removing a memory card.
Memory card Slot How to insert the memory card
CompactFlash Top right slot ●Front label faces up, and if the label has an
arrow, the arrow points toward the printer
●Edge with metal pinholes goes into the printer first
Memory Stick Bottom left slot ●Angled corner is on the left
●Metal contacts face down
●If you are using a Memory Stick Duo™ or Memory
Stick PRO Duo™ card, attach the adapter that
came with the card before you insert the card into
the printer
Microdrive Top right slot ●Front label faces up, and if the label has an
arrow, the arrow points toward the printer
●Edge with metal pinholes goes into the printer first
MultiMediaCard Bottom right slot ●Angled corner is on the right
●Metal contacts face down
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 21
Memory card Slot How to insert the memory card
Secure Digital Bottom right slot ●Angled corner is on the right
●Metal contacts face down
SmartMedia Upper portion of
the top left
double slot
●Angled corner is on the left
●Metal contacts face down
xD-Picture Card Lower right
portion of the top
left double slot
●Curved side of card points toward you
●Metal contacts face down
Removing a memory card
Wait until the Memory Card light stops flashing, then gently pull the memory card to
remove it from the printer.
Caution Do not pull out a memory card while the Memory Card light is
flashing. A flashing light means that the printer is accessing the memory card.
Removing a memory card while it is being accessed may damage the printer
and the memory card or corrupt the information on the memory card.
Chapter 2
(continued)
22 HP Photosmart 8400 series
3Printing photos without a
computer
The HP Photosmart 8400 series printer lets you select, enhance, and print photos
without even turning on the computer. Once you've set up the printer using the
instructions in the Quick Start booklet, you can insert a memory card in the printer and
print your photos using the buttons on the printer control panel.
You can also print photos directly from a digital camera. For more information, see
Printing photos from a digital camera.
Follow these steps for start-to-finish photo printing from a memory card
Step 1
Insert a memory card in a memory card slot
See Inserting memory cards.
Step 2
Load photo paper
See Loading paper.
Step 3
Insert the correct print cartridges
See Inserting print cartridges.
Step 4
Select a photo layout
See Selecting a photo layout.
Step 5
View the photos on the memory card to decide which
photos to print
See Deciding which photos to print.
Step 6
Select photos to print
See Selecting photos to print.
Step 7
Improve photo quality
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 23
Follow these steps for start-to-finish photo printing from a memory card
See Improving photo quality.
Step 8
Get creative!
See Getting creative.
Step 9
Print the photos
See Printing photos.
Selecting a photo layout
Press Layout on the printer to select a layout for the photos you want to print. All
photos selected from the printer control panel will print in this layout. The actual size
of the prints will vary according to the size of paper you load in the printer, as shown
in the following table.
Paper size Layout Photo size
●10 x 15 cm
●4 x 6 inches
1 per page (borderless) ●10 x 15 cm
●4 x 6 inches
5 x 7 inches 1 per page (borderless) 5 x 7 inches
●A4
●8.5 x 11 inches
1 per page (borderless) ●A4
●8.5 x 11 inches
●A4
●8.5 x 11 inches
1 per page (with border) ●20 x 25 cm
●8 x 10 inches
●A4
●8.5 x 11 inches
2 per page ●13 x 18 cm
●5 x 7 inches
●A4
●8.5 x 11 inches
3 per page ●10 x 15 cm
●4 x 6 inches
●A4
●8.5 x 11 inches
4 per page ●9 x 13 cm
●3.5 x 5 inches
8.5 x 11 inches 9 per page Wallet (2.5 x 3.25 inches)
Note The printer may rotate the photos to fit the layout.
Chapter 3
(continued)
24 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Select the desired layout with the
Layout button
Description
Print layouts (row 1)
1. One photo per sheet, borderless
2. One photo per sheet, with white
borders around the edges
3. Two photos per sheet
Print layouts (row 2)
1. Three photos per sheet
2. Four photos per sheet
3. Nine photos per sheet
Deciding which photos to print
You can decide which photos to print by viewing the photos on the printer screen, by
printing a photo index, or by printing a proof sheet.
To decide which photos to print, try one of these options
View photos on the printer
screen
You can view photos one at a
time or nine at a time on the
printer screen.
To view photos one at a time:
1. Insert a memory card.
2. Press Select Photos or . Press and hold
the button to view the photos rapidly. When
you reach the last photo in either direction,
the display returns to the first or last photo
and continues.
To view nine photos at a time:
1. Insert a memory card.
2. Press OK to enter 9-up view mode, then use
the Navigation arrows to move through the
photos.
To exit 9-up view mode and return to viewing one
photo at a time, press Zoom.
Tip To move quickly through the photos, press
and hold Select Photos or . When you reach
the last photo in either direction, the display
continues with the first or last photo.
Print a photo index
A photo index shows
thumbnail views and index
numbers for up to 2000 photos
on a memory card. Use plain
To print a photo index:
1. Insert a memory card.
2. Load several sheets of plain paper in the Main
tray and pull the Photo tray slider towards you.
3. Press Menu.
4. Select Print options, then press OK.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 25
To decide which photos to print, try one of these options
paper instead of photo paper
to cut costs.
A photo index may be several
pages long.
5. Select Print index page, then press OK.
Print a proof sheet
A proof sheet shows
thumbnail views of all photos
stored on a memory card. A
proof sheet is different than a
photo index because it
provides spaces for you to
select photos to print, specify
the number of copies to print,
and select the photo layout.
Note If the printed proof
sheet spans several pages,
insert the pages in reverse
order to allow the printer to
scan them all properly.
For more information, see
Selecting photos to print and
Printing photos.
To print a proof sheet:
1. Insert a memory card.
2. Load several sheets of plain paper in the Main
tray and pull the Photo tray slider towards you.
3. Press Menu.
4. Select Print options, then press OK.
5. Select Print proof sheet, then press OK.
6. Select from the following options:
– If you want to print a proof sheet
containing the photos on the memory
card that have not previously been
printed from the control panel, select
New photos, then press OK.
– If you want to print a proof sheet
containing all photos on the memory
card, select All photos, then press OK.
7. Press OK.
Selecting photos to print
If you want to… Follow these steps
Select a photo 1. Insert a memory card.
2. Press Select Photos or to display the
photo you want to select.
3. Press Select Photos to select the
displayed photo.
A check mark appears in the bottom corner of
the photo.
4. To select additional photos, repeat steps 2
and 3.
Select more than one copy
of a photo
1. Insert a memory card.
2. Press Select Photos or to display the
photo you want to select.
3. Press Select Photos once for each copy of
the displayed photo you want to print.
The number of times that the photo has been
selected appears at the bottom of the photo.
Chapter 3
(continued)
26 HP Photosmart 8400 series
If you want to… Follow these steps
For example, if you select a photo twice, x2
appears.
Deselect a photo
When you deselect a photo,
the printer discards any
changes you made to the print
settings for that photo.
Note Deselecting photos
does not delete them from the
memory card.
1. Press Select Photos or to display the
photo you want to deselect.
2. Press Cancel to deselect the displayed photo
for printing.
If a photo was selected multiple times, the printer
removes one selection of the photo each time you
press Cancel.
Deselect all photos 1. Press Select Photos or to display a
photo that is not currently selected (any photo
with no check mark in the bottom corner).
2. Press Cancel until a message appears on the
printer screen asking if you want to deselect
all photos.
3. Select Yes, then press OK.
Select photos on a proof
sheet
After you print a proof sheet,
you can use it to select
specific photos to print.
For information about printing
a proof sheet, see To print a
proof sheet:.
1. Select the photos you want to print by filling in
the circle below each photo with a dark pen.
2. Select the number of copies you want of each
photo by filling in the copies section. Make
sure to fill in only one choice in the copies
section.
3. Select a photo layout in the print layout
section. Make sure to only fill in one choice.
Once you've filled out the proof sheet, scan it to
print the selected photos. For information about
scanning the proof sheet, see Printing photos.
Improving photo quality
The printer provides a variety of enhancements that can improve the quality of a photo
printed from a memory card. These print settings do not change the original photo.
They only affect printing.
Problem How to correct it
Red eye in flash photos To remove or reduce the red eye effect in a
photo:
1. Press Select Photos or to display the
photo you want to fix.
2. Press Menu.
3. Select Edit, then press OK.
4. Select Remove red-eye, then press OK.
(continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 27
Problem How to correct it
Photos with poor brightness To adjust the brightness of a photo:
1. Press Select Photos or to display the
photo you want to fix.
2. Press Menu.
3. Select Edit, then press OK.
4. Select Photo brightness, then press OK.
5. Use the Select Photos arrows to increase or
decrease photo brightness to the desired
level, then press OK.
Blurred photos
This preference affects all
printed photos.
To automatically focus images for clearer,
sharper detail:
1. Press Menu.
2. Select Preferences, then press OK.
3. Select SmartFocus, then press OK.
4. Select On, then press OK.
Photos with poor lighting
and contrast
This preference affects all
printed photos.
To apply a digital flash to a photo:
1. Press Menu.
2. Select Preferences, then press OK.
3. Select Digital Flash, then press OK.
4. Select On, then press OK.
Poor-quality video clips
This preference affects all
printed photos.
To improve the quality of video action prints:
1. Press Menu.
2. Select Preferences, then press OK.
3. Select Video enhancement, then press OK.
4. Select On, then press OK.
Getting creative
The printer provides a variety of tools and effects that let you use your photos in
creative ways. These print settings do not change the original photo. They only affect
printing.
To try these features… Follow these steps
Crop a photo
Press Zoom to enter Zoom
mode where you can increase
or decrease the magnification
by 0.25x. The maximum level
is 5.0x.
1. Press Select Photos or to display the
photo you want to crop.
2. Press Zoom to enter Zoom mode and
increase the magnification of the photo by
0.25x.
3. Press Select Photos to increase the
magnification level by 0.25x.
Chapter 3
(continued)
28 HP Photosmart 8400 series
To try these features… Follow these steps
Note The crop box changes from green to
yellow if printing at the selected magnification
will noticeably reduce the print quality.
Press Select Photos to decrease the
magnification level by 0.25x. The minimum
magnification level is 1.0x.
4. At any magnification level, use the
Navigation arrows to move the crop box left,
right, up, or down. Press Rotate to rotate the
crop box 90 degrees clockwise.
5. Press OK when the portion of the image you
want to print is in the crop box.
Cropping does not change the original photo.
It only affects printing.
Add a decorative frame
Choose from a palette of
different patterns and colors to
make the frame stand out.
1. Press Select Photos or to display the
photo to which you want to add a frame.
2. Press Menu.
3. Select Edit, then press OK.
4. Select Add frame, then select OK.
5. Use the Select Photos arrows to highlight the
frame pattern you want to use, then press OK.
6. Use the Select Photos arrows to highlight the
frame color you want to use, then press OK.
The photo appears on the printer screen with
the frame. The effect does not change the
original photo. It only affects printing.
Add a color effect
You can set the printer to
change the color effect applied
to a photo from No effect
(default) to Black & white,
Sepia, Antique, Solarize,
Metallic, Red filter, Green
filter, or Blue filter.
Photos printed in Sepia print
in brown tones and look
similar to photos produced in
the early 1900s. Photos
printed in Antique print in the
same brown tones, but with
some pale colors added to
give the appearance that they
are hand-colored. The
Solarize effect reverses tones
1. Press Select Photos or to display the
photo to which you want to add a color effect.
2. Press Menu.
3. Select Edit, then press OK.
4. Select Add color effect, then press OK.
5. Select a color effect, then press OK.
The photo appears on the printer screen with
the selected color effect applied. The effect
does not change the original photo. It only
affects printing.
(continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 29
To try these features… Follow these steps
in an image for a dramatic
look. Metallic adds a metallic
sheen to colors in an image.
The color filters are similar to
the lens filters used in
traditional photography.
Create borderless prints
You can set the printer to print
borderless photos.
➔Press the Layout button to select the One
photo per sheet, borderless icon.
Make sure to use photo paper. If you use plain
paper, the printer will override the borderless
setting and print with narrow white borders on all
sides to prevent paper jams.
Add the date and time to
your prints
You can print a stamp on the
front of your photos that
shows when the photo was
taken. This preference affects
all prints.
1. Press Menu.
2. Select Preferences, then press OK.
3. Select Date/time, then press OK.
4. Select one of the following date/time stamp
options:
–Date/time
–Date only
–Off
5. Press OK.
If you use a computer to modify the photo and
then save your changes, the original date and time
information are lost. Changes that you make to the
photo using the printer control panel do not affect
the date and time information.
Change the print quality
You can change the print
quality for photos. Best quality
is the default and produces
the highest quality photos.
Normal quality conserves ink
and prints faster.
To change the print quality to Normal for one
print job:
1. Press Menu.
2. Select Tools, then press OK.
3. Select Print quality, then press OK.
4. Select Normal, then press OK.
Print quality will revert to Best after the next print
job.
View a slide show
You can view all the photos
stored on a memory card in
sequence like a slide show.
Viewing a slide show on the
printer screen does not affect
any photo selections or print
settings you have made.
To view a slide show on the printer screen:
1. Press Menu.
2. Select Tools, then press OK.
3. Select Slide Show, then press OK.
Press OK to pause or resume a slide show.
Press Cancel to stop the slide show.
Chapter 3
(continued)
30 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Printing photos
You can print photos without a computer in several different ways:
●Insert a memory card with photos on it into one of the memory card slots on the
printer
●Connect an HP direct-printing digital camera to the USB port on the rear of the
printer
●Connect a PictBridge digital camera to the camera port on the front of the printer
●Install the optional HP Bluetooth® wireless printer adapter and print from a digital
camera with Bluetooth wireless technology
●Receive and print HP Instant Share photos if the printer connected to an Ethernet
network
Printing photos from a memory card
You can print photos from a memory card by inserting the card into the printer and
using the printer control panel to view, select, enhance, and print photos. You can
also print camera-selected photos—photos you marked for printing using a digital
camera—directly from a memory card. If the digital camera records video clips, you
can view the video clips on the printer screen and select individual frames for printing.
Printing from a memory card is quick and easy, and does not drain the digital camera
batteries.
If you want to… Follow these steps:
Print one photo
Before you begin, make sure
that the memory card is
inserted in the printer and the
paper tray you want to use is
engaged and loaded with the
correct paper.
1. Press the Layout button to select a photo
layout.
2. Press Select Photos or to display the
photo you want to print.
3. Press Select Photos to select the photo.
4. If you like, change the print settings for the
selected photo as described in Getting
creative and Improving photo quality.
5. Press Print to print the photo.
Print multiple photos
Before you begin, make sure
that the memory card is
inserted in the printer and the
paper tray you want to use is
engaged and loaded with the
correct paper.
1. Press the Layout button to select the photo
layout.
2. Press Select Photos or to display the
photos you want to print.
3. When a photo you want to print appears on
the printer screen, press Select Photos to
select the photo.
4. If you like, change the print settings for the
selected photo as described in Getting
creative and Improving photo quality.
5. To select additional photos, repeat steps 4, 5,
and 6.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 31
If you want to… Follow these steps:
6. When you have selected all the photos you
want to print and have made any desired
changes to the print settings, press Print.
Print more than one copy of
a photo
Before you begin, make sure
that the memory card is
inserted in the printer and the
paper tray you want to use is
engaged and loaded with the
correct paper.
1. Press the Layout button to select the photo
layout.
2. Press Select Photos or to display the
photo you want to print.
3. Press Select Photos once for each copy of
the displayed photo you want to print.
4. If you like, change the print settings for the
selected photo as described in Getting
creative and Improving photo quality.
5. Press Print.
Print all photos on the
memory card
Before you begin, make sure
that the memory card is
inserted in the printer and the
paper tray you want to use is
engaged and loaded with the
correct paper.
1. Press the Layout button to select a photo
layout.
2. Press Menu.
3. Select Print options, then press OK.
4. Select Print all, then press OK to begin
printing all photos on the memory card.
The first frame of each video clip on the
memory card will also print.
Print a continuous range of
photos
Before you begin, make sure
that the memory card is
inserted in the printer and the
paper tray you want to use is
engaged and loaded with the
correct paper.
1. Press the Layout button to select a photo
layout.
2. Press Menu.
3. Select Print options, then press OK.
4. Select Print range, then press OK.
5. Press Select Photos or until the first
photo you want to print appears on the left
side of the printer screen, then press OK.
6. Press Select Photos or until the last
photo you want to print appears on the right
side of the printer screen, then press OK.
The selected range of photos begins printing.
The first frame of each video clip in the
selected range will also print.
Print new photos
You can choose to print all
“new” photos on a memory
card at once. “New” photos
are photos that have not
previously been printed from
the printer control panel.
1. Press the Layout button to select a photo
layout.
2. Press Menu.
3. Select Print options, then press OK.
Chapter 3
(continued)
32 HP Photosmart 8400 series
If you want to… Follow these steps:
If you print or modify the
photos using a computer, the
tags the printer uses to mark
photos that have been printed
from the control panel might
get removed, causing
previously printed photos to be
selected as new photos.
Before you begin, make sure
that the memory card is
inserted in the printer and the
paper tray you want to use is
engaged and loaded with the
correct paper.
4. Select Print new, then press OK.
The first frame of each new video clip will also
print.
The printer will continue to consider these photos
”new” until you remove the memory card.
Print the photos you
selected on a proof sheet
After you've filled out the proof
sheet as described in
Selecting photos to print, you
can scan it to print the
selected photos. Make sure
the same memory card used
when you printed the proof
sheet is inserted when you
scan that proof sheet.
1. Make sure that the memory card is inserted in
the printer.
2. Press Menu.
3. Select Print options, then press OK.
4. Select Scan proof sheet, then press OK.
5. Load the proof sheet in the Main tray with the
printed side facing down and the top of the
page facing toward the printer.
If the printed proof sheet spans several
pages, insert the pages in reverse order to
allow the printer to scan them all properly.
6. Press OK to begin scanning.
7. When a message appears on the printer
screen prompting you to load paper, load
photo paper in the Main tray or Photo tray and
check that the tray is engaged.
8. Press OK to start printing the photos you
selected on the proof sheet.
Photos printed from a proof sheet use the default
print settings. Any print settings you have applied
to photos, such as cropping, color effects, and
decorative frames, are ignored.
Print photos from video clips
You can view video clips on
the printer screen, and select
and print individual frames.
When you first insert a
memory card containing a
video clip, the printer uses the
first frame of the video clip to
1. Press the Layout button to select a photo
layout.
2. Press Select Photos or to display the
video clip you want to print.
3. Press OK to play the video clip.
You can fast-forward the video while it is
playing by pressing and holding Navigation .
(continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 33
If you want to… Follow these steps:
represent the clip on the
printer screen.
The printer recognizes video
clips recorded in these formats:
●Motion-JPEG AVI
●Motion-JPEG QuickTime
●MPEG-1
The printer ignores video clips
in any other format.
Before you begin, make sure
that the memory card is
inserted in the printer and the
paper tray you want to use is
engaged and loaded with the
correct paper.
4. To pause the video while it is playing, press OK.
You can play the video in slow motion by
pressing and holding Navigation while the
video is paused.
5. To select the displayed video frame, press
Select Photos .
6. Press Print to begin printing.
Print a video action print
A video action print is a series
of nine automatically selected
frames from a video clip.
1. Insert a memory card containing one or more
video clips.
2. Load photo paper and check that the paper
tray you want to use is engaged.
3. Press Menu.
4. Select Print options, then press OK.
5. Select Video action prints, then press OK.
6. Press Select Photos or to highlight the
video clip you want to print as a video action
print.
7. Press Select Photos , then press Print.
Print camera-selected
photos from a memory card
When you select photos for
printing using a digital camera,
the camera creates a Digital
Print Order Format (DPOF) file
that identifies the selected
photos. The printer can read
DPOF 1.0 and 1.1 files directly
from a memory card.
1. Use the digital camera to select the photos
you want to print. For more information, see
the documentation that came with the camera.
2. If you select default as the photo layout with
the camera, press the Layout button on the
printer to select a photo layout.
If you select a photo layout other than default
with the camera, photos print in the camera-
selected layout regardless of the printer setting.
3. Load photo paper and check that the paper
tray you want to use is engaged.
4. Remove the memory card from the digital
camera and insert it into the printer.
5. When a message appears on the printer
screen asking if you want to print the camera-
selected photos, select Yes, then press OK.
The photos you selected with a camera will
print.
Chapter 3
(continued)
34 HP Photosmart 8400 series
If you want to… Follow these steps:
If the printer cannot find or read all of the camera-
selected photos on the card, it will print those
photos that it can read.
After printing, the printer deletes the DPOF file and
unmarks the photos.
Stop printing To stop a print job in progress, press Cancel.
Printing photos from a digital camera
You can print photos by connecting an HP direct-printing digital camera or a
PictBridge digital camera directly to the printer with a USB cable. If you have a digital
camera with Bluetooth wireless technology, you can insert the optional HP Bluetooth®
wireless printer adapter in the printer and send photos to the printer wirelessly.
When you print from a digital camera, the printer uses the settings that you selected
on the camera. For more information, see the documentation that came with the
camera.
To print photos from a… Follow these steps
Digital camera with
Bluetooth wireless
technology
If you have a digital camera
with Bluetooth wireless
technology, you can purchase
the optional HP Bluetooth®
wireless printer adapter and
print from a camera using a
Bluetooth wireless connection.
Note You can also print from
other devices with Bluetooth
wireless technology, such as
PDAs and mobile phones. For
more information, see
Connecting to other devices.
1. Set the Bluetooth options for the printer using
the Bluetooth menu on the printer screen. For
more information, see Printer menu.
2. Load photo paper in the printer and check that
the paper tray you want to use is engaged.
3. Insert the HP Bluetooth® wireless printer
adapter into the camera port on the front of
the printer.
The light on the adapter will flash when the
adapter is ready to receive data.
4. Follow the instructions in the documentation
that came with the digital camera to send
photos to the printer.
Digital camera with
PictBridge technology
1. Turn on the PictBridge digital camera and
select the photos you want to print.
2. Load photo paper in the printer and check that
the paper tray you want to use is engaged.
3. Make sure the camera is in PictBridge mode,
then connect it to the camera port on the
(continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 35
To print photos from a… Follow these steps
front of the printer using the USB cable that
came with the camera.
Once the printer recognizes the PictBridge
camera, the selected photos print
automatically.
HP direct-printing digital
camera
1. Turn on the HP direct-printing digital camera
and select the photos you want to print.
2. Connect the camera to the USB port on the
back of the printer using the USB cable that
came with the camera.
3. Load photo paper in the printer and check that
the paper tray you want to use is engaged.
4. Follow the instructions on the camera screen.
Printing from HP Instant Share
You can also print photos you receive on a networked printer through HP Instant
Share.
If you want to... Follow these steps
Print photos received through
HP Instant Share
If the printer is connected to an Ethernet
network, other users of HP Instant
Share can send HP Instant Share
collections (messages with one or more
attached photos) directly to the printer
where you can view, select, and print
them even if the printer is not connected
to a computer. An HP Instant Share
received icon (an envelope) on the
printer screen notifies you when a
collection has arrived. See Connecting
through HP Instant Share and Printing
from HP Instant Share.
1. Press HP Instant Share.
2. Select Receive, then press OK.
3. Select the HP Instant Share
collection you want to view, then
press OK.
Once the first photo in the HP Instant
Share collection appears, you can
navigate, select, and print any photo
included, just as if the photo were on a
memory card.
Chapter 3
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36 HP Photosmart 8400 series
4Getting connected
Use the printer to stay connected to other devices and people.
Connecting to other devices
This printer offers several ways of connecting to computers or other devices. Each
connection type lets you do different things.
Connection type and what you need This lets you...
USB
●A Universal Serial Bus (USB) 1.1 or
2.0 full-speed compliant cable 3
meters (10 feet) or less in length.
For instructions about connecting
the printer with a USB cable, see
the Quick Start Booklet.
●A computer with Internet access (to
use HP Instant Share).
●Print from a computer to the printer.
See Printing from a computer.
●Save photos from a memory card
inserted in the printer to a computer
where you can enhance or organize
them in the HP Image Zone software.
●Share photos through HP Instant
Share.
●Print directly from an
HP Photosmart direct-printing digital
camera to the printer. For more
information, see Printing photos
from a digital camera and the
camera documentation.
Network
A CAT-5 Ethernet cable with RJ-45 plug.
Connect your printer to the network by
connecting the cable to the Ethernet port
on the rear of the printer. For more
information, see Connecting the printer
to the network.
●Print from any computer on the
network to the printer. See Printing
from a computer.
●Save photos from a memory card
inserted in the printer to any
computer on the network and then
enhance or organize them in the
HP Image Zone software.
●Share photos through HP Instant
Share.
●Send photos to or receive them
from other HP Instant Share-ready
printers on the network.
PictBridge
A PictBridge-compatible digital camera
and a USB cable.
Connect the camera to the camera port
on the front of the printer.
Print directly from a PictBridge-
compatible digital camera to the printer.
For more information, see Printing
photos from a digital camera and the
camera documentation.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 37
Connection type and what you need This lets you...
Bluetooth
The optional HP Bluetooth wireless
printer adapter.
If the printer came with this accessory or
you have purchased it separately, see
the accompanying documentation and
the onscreen Help for instructions.
Print from any device with Bluetooth
wireless technology to the printer.
If you connect the optional HP Bluetooth
wireless printer adapter to the printer
through the camera port, be sure to set
the Bluetooth printer menu options as
needed. See Printer menu.
The adapter is not compatible with the
Macintosh.
Connecting through HP Instant Share
Use HP Instant Share to share photos with friends and relatives using e-mail, online
albums, or an online photo finishing service. You can even send a photo to another
compatible networked printer. Your printer must be connected through a USB cable to
a computer with Internet access or be on a network and have all the HP software
installed. If you try to use HP Instant Share and do not have all the required software
installed or configured, a message prompts you through the required steps. You must
have the following to use HP Instant Share with the printer:
USB connection Network connection
●The printer set up and connected to
a computer through a USB cable
●Access to the Internet through the
computer to which the printer is
connected
●An HP Passport user ID and
password
●The printer software installed on the
computer
Make sure you select the Typical
install when you install the printer
software. HP Instant Share does
not function with a Minimum install.
●A functional local area network (LAN)
●The printer set up and connected to
the LAN
See Networking.
●Direct access to the Internet
through the network
●An HP Passport user ID and
password
●The printer software installed on the
computer
Make sure you select the Typical
install when you install the printer
software. HP Instant Share does
not function with a Minimum install.
Setting up HP Instant Share
You can set up HP Instant Share, create a list of HP Instant Share destinations,
manage a list of approved or blocked senders, and obtain an HP Passport user ID
and password as follows:
●Windows: Double-click the HP Instant Share Setup icon on the desktop of a
computer where you installed the printer software. Follow the onscreen
instructions. If a Help button appears on an HP Instant Share Setup screen, click
it for more information. You can run it again at any time if you need to modify your
Chapter 4
(continued)
38 HP Photosmart 8400 series
list of HP Instant Share destinations. HP Instant Share Setup is also available
through the Settings drop-down menu in HP Director.
●Macintosh: In the Finder navigate to Applications > Hewlett-Packard >
Photosmart > Utilities, then double-click HP Instant Share Setup. Follow the
onscreen instructions. This application runs automatically when you first install
the printer software. You can run it again at any time if you need to modify your
list of HP Instant Share destinations.
To set HP Instant Share options
1. Press HP Instant Share.
2. Select HP Instant Share options, then press OK.
3. Select one of the following options, then press OK:
–Receive options:
•Receive from allowed senders tells the printer to receive only
collections that have been sent by approved senders.
•Receive from any unblocked sender tells the printer to receive all
collections.
–Auto checking:
This is on by default. If you do not want the printer to check for HP Instant
Share collections automatically, select Off.
•On makes the printer check for HP Instant Share collections at regular
intervals.
•Off keeps the printer from checking for collections.
–Remove collections lets you select received collections you want removed.
–Device name displays the network name of the printer.
–Reset HP Instant Share resets all HP Instant Share options to the defaults.
This means you have to go through HP Instant Share set up again to register
the printer with the HP Instant Share service.
To use HP Instant Share (USB) to send photos
1. Insert a memory card and select some photos.
2. Press HP Instant Share.
3. Follow the instructions on your computer to share the selected photos with others.
See the onscreen Image Zone Help for information about using HP Instant Share.
To use HP Instant Share (network) to send photos
1. Insert a memory card and select some photos.
2. Press HP Instant Share.
3. Select a destination, then press OK.
4. Select Send photos, then press OK.
If the destination is an e-mail address, the printer sends an e-mail message with
a link to the photo on the HP Instant Share web site. If the destination is a
compatible networked printer, an icon appears on the printer screen to notify the
user that the photo is available. For more information, see the onscreen
HP Image Zone Help.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 39
To use HP Instant Share (network) to receive photos
1. Press HP Instant Share.
2. Select Receive, then press OK.
3. Select a received HP Instant Share collection (message with photos), then press
OK.
The first photo included with that message appears on the printer screen. You
can navigate, select, and print HP Instant Share photos in the same manner as
you do with photos on a memory card or attached digital camera. If you insert a
memory card or connect a digital camera while viewing HP Instant Share photos,
the HP Instant Share session ends, and the normal viewing of photos from the
card or camera begins.
Your printer also checks at regular intervals to see if new photos have been
received. An HP Instant Share received icon (an envelope) appears on the printer
screen to notify you that HP Instant Share photo is available for viewing on the
printer. Also see Printing from HP Instant Share.
4. Choose one of the following, then press OK:
–View to view the received photo on the printer screen.
–Remove to delete the received photo.
Chapter 4
40 HP Photosmart 8400 series
5Printing from a computer
All HP photo printers come with the HP Image Zone software, which helps you do
more with your photos than ever before. Use it to get creative with your pictures: edit
them, share them, and create fun projects such as greeting cards. To work with
photos, you need to transfer them to a computer that you have connected to the
printer. Press Save on the printer control panel to save the photos from an inserted
memory card to the computer. Follow the instructions on the computer screen.
You should also get to know the printer driver software. That's the interface that pops
up whenever you print. It controls the resolution and color, and it usually chooses
those settings automatically (which is fine when you're printing on plain paper). But if
you're printing a digital photo, you'll want to change printer driver settings to produce
the best-quality print.
For information on installing the HP Image Zone and printer driver software, see the
Quick Start booklet. HP Image Zone is only installed if you choose the Typical
installation option. The Macintosh supports only a subset of the features of the
HP Image Zone, as noted in the following table.
Software feature Where to find information
Take control of printing
Harness the power of the
HP Photosmart printer driver. This
software gives you full control over how
your photos print. You can:
●Produce draft-quality prints to save
on ink and photo media
●Learn how to get the most out of the
printer and your digital photos
●Use advanced color settings to
produce the highest-quality prints
Windows: In the onscreen Help, click
HP Photosmart Printer Help. In the
print dialog box itself, right-click any
option and click the What's This? box to
learn more about that option.
Macintosh: Select Help > Mac Help in
the Finder, then select Library >
HP Photosmart Printer Help.
HP Instant Share For more information about using
HP Instant Share with your specific
printer model, see Connecting through
HP Instant Share.
Windows: In the onscreen Help, click
Use the HP Image Zone, then click
Share your images using HP Instant
Share.
To use HP Instant Share on Windows,
start HP Image Zone, select one or
more photos, then click the HP Instant
Share tab.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 41
Software feature Where to find information
Use HP Instant Share to share photos
with family and friends. HP Instant
Share lets you easily:
●E-mail images using HP Instant
Share without large file attachments
●Create online albums to share,
organize, and store photos
●Order professionally processed
prints online (availability varies by
country/region)
Macintosh: Start HP Instant Share, then
follow the onscreen instructions.
To use HP Instant Share on a
Macintosh, press and hold on
HP Photosmart Menu in the Dock, then
select HP Instant Share from the pop-
up menu.
Creative projects
Think outside the photo album. The
HP Image Zone lets you use your digital
photos for creative projects such as:
●Iron-on transfers
●Banners
●Greeting cards
Windows: In the onscreen Help, click
Use the HP Image Zone, then click
Create projects.
To do creative projects on Windows,
start HP Image Zone, select one or
more photos, then click the Projects tab.
Macintosh: To do creative projects on a
Macintosh, press and hold on the active
HP Photosmart Menu in the Dock, then
select HP Image Print from the pop-up
menu. Select a creative printing option
from the Print Style drop down menu.
Onscreen instructions appear in the
HP Image Print window.
Organize your photos
The HP Image Zone helps you keep on
top of your digital photos and video clips
by letting you:
●Organize your photos in albums
●Search through your photos by
date, keywords, and more
●Index images automatically
In the onscreen Help, click Use the
HP Image Zone, then click Manage
your images.
To organize your photos on Windows,
start HP Image Zone, then click the My
Images tab.
Macintosh: This feature is not available
on the Macintosh in the printer software.
We recommend using iPhoto 2.0 or later.
Edit and enhance your photos Windows: In the onscreen Help, click
Use the HP Image Zone, then click Edit
your images.
To edit photos on Windows, start
HP Image Zone, select one or more
photos, then click the Edit tab.
Chapter 5
(continued)
42 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Software feature Where to find information
The HP Image Zone lets you:
●Do manual color correction and
make other adjustments to improve
your photos before you print them
●Add text and other graphics
●Resize your digital photos
Macintosh: To edit photos on a
Macintosh, press and hold on the active
HP Photosmart Menu in the Dock, then
select HP Image Edit from the pop-up
menu.
Be sure to download the latest printer software update every couple of months to
ensure you have the latest features and improvements.
To update the printer software (Windows)
1. Make sure the computer is connected to the Internet.
2. From the Windows Start menu, select Programs (All Programs in Windows XP)
> HP > HP Software Update.
3. Click Next. HP Software Update searches the HP web site for printer software
updates.
– If the computer has the most recent version of the printer software installed,
No updates are available for your system at this time appears in the
HP Software Update window.
– If the computer does not have the most recent version of the printer software
installed, a software update appears in the HP Software Update window.
4. If a software update is available, check the box beside the update to select it.
5. Click Install.
6. Follow the onscreen instructions.
To update the printer software (Macintosh)
1. Make sure the computer is connected to the Internet.
2. On your Macintosh, press and hold the HP Photosmart Menu in the Dock
3. Select HP Photosmart Updater.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions.
If you are behind a firewall, you need to enter the proxy server information in the
updater.
Note This process does not update the HP Image Zone software. The
HP Image Zone software is available only on CD. Contact HP directly to order
software updates on CD, including the HP Image Zone software. For contact
information, see the web site: www.hp.com/support.
(continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 43
Chapter 5
44 HP Photosmart 8400 series
6Care and maintenance
The HP Photosmart 8400 series printer requires very little maintenance. Follow the
guidelines in this chapter to extend the life span of the printer and printing supplies,
and to ensure that the photos you print are always of the highest quality.
Cleaning and maintaining the printer
Keep the printer and print cartridges clean and well maintained using the simple
procedures in this section.
Cleaning the outside of the printer
1. Turn off the printer, then disconnect the power cord from the back of the printer.
2. Wipe the outside of the printer with a soft cloth that has been lightly moistened
with water.
Caution Do not use any type of cleaning solution. Household cleaners and
detergents may damage the printer finish. Do not clean the interior of the
printer. Keep all fluids away from the interior. Do not lubricate the metal rod on
which the print cartridge cradle slides. Noise is normal when the cradle moves
back and forth.
Automatically cleaning the print cartridges
If you notice white lines or single-color streaks on the photos you print, the print
cartridges may need to be cleaned. Do not clean the cartridges more often than
necessary, since cleaning uses up ink. Follow the steps in this section to run an
automatic cartridge-cleaning procedure.
1. Press Menu.
2. Select Tools, then press OK.
3. Select Clean cartridges, then press OK.
4. Following the directions on the printer screen, load paper so the printer can print
a test page after cleaning the cartridges. Use plain paper to conserve photo paper.
5. Press OK to begin cleaning the print cartridges.
6. When the printer finishes cleaning the cartridges and prints a test page, it asks
whether you want to Continue to second level cleaning. Check the test page
and select from the following options:
– If the test page has white streaks or missing colors, the print cartridges need
to be cleaned again. Select Yes, then press OK to continue to a second level
cleaning.
– If the print quality of the test page looks good, select No, then press OK.
You can clean the cartridges up to three times. Each successive cleaning is more
thorough and uses more ink.
If you complete all three levels of cleaning using this procedure and you still notice
white streaks or missing colors on the test page, you may need to clean the print
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 45
cartridge contacts. For more information, see Manually cleaning the print cartridge
contacts.
Note If a cartridge has been recently dropped, you may also see white
streaks or missing colors in your prints. This problem is temporary and clears
up within 24 hours.
Manually cleaning the print cartridge contacts
If you use the printer in a dusty environment, debris may accumulate on the copper-
colored contacts and cause printing problems.
To clean the print cartridge contacts:
1. Gather the following items to clean the contacts:
– Distilled water (tap water may contain contaminants that can damage the
print cartridge)
– Cotton swabs or other soft, lint-free material that will not stick to the print
cartridge
2. Open the top cover of the printer.
3. Remove the print cartridge and place it on a piece of paper with the ink nozzle
plate facing up. Be careful not to touch the copper-colored contacts or the ink
nozzle plate with your fingers.
Caution Do not leave the print cartridge outside the printer for more than
30 minutes. Ink nozzles exposed to the air longer than this may dry out
and cause printing problems.
4. Lightly moisten a cotton swab with distilled water and squeeze any excess water
from the swab.
5. Gently wipe the copper-colored contacts with the cotton swab.
Caution Do not touch the ink nozzle plate. Touching the ink nozzle plate
will result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until no ink residue or dust appears on a clean swab.
7. Insert the print cartridge in the printer, then close the top of the printer.
Printing a test page
You can print a test page to check the condition of the print cartridges.
1. Press Menu.
2. Select Tools, then press OK.
3. Select Print test page, then press OK.
4. Following the directions on the printer screen, load paper so the printer can print
a test page. Use plain paper to conserve photo paper.
5. Press OK to begin printing the test page.
The test page contains the following information:
Chapter 6
46 HP Photosmart 8400 series
1Image print quality. If the lined bars look good, photos should print well.
2Ink nozzle quality. If there are white streaks in the solid bars on this page, try cleaning the
print cartridge. For more information, see Automatically cleaning the print cartridges.
3Estimated ink level. This indicator shows how much ink is left in the print cartridge.
4Diagnostic information. Use the text information on this page when working with
Customer Care to solve printing problems.
Aligning the print cartridges
The first time you install a print cartridge in the printer, the printer aligns it
automatically. However, if colors in the photos you print are misaligned, or if the
alignment page does not print correctly when you install a new print cartridge, use the
following procedure to align the print cartridges.
1. Press Menu.
2. Select Tools, then press OK.
3. Select Align cartridges.
4. Following the directions on the printer screen, load paper so the printer can print
an alignment page. Use plain paper to conserve photo paper.
5. Press OK to begin aligning the print cartridges.
When the printer finishes aligning the cartridges, it prints an alignment page to
confirm that the alignment was successful.
– The check marks verify that the print cartridge is installed correctly and
functioning properly.
– If an “x” appears to the left of any of the bars, align the print cartridge again.
If the “x” still appears, replace the print cartridge.
Printing a sample page
You can print a sample page to test the printer photo printing quality and to make sure
the paper is loaded correctly.
1. Disengage the Photo tray by pulling the Photo tray slider toward you until it stops.
2. Load paper in the Main tray. Use plain paper to conserve photo paper.
3. Press Menu.
4. Select Tools, then press OK.
5. Select Print sample page, then press OK.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 47
Updating the software
Download the latest printer software update periodically to ensure you have the latest
features and improvements. You can download printer software updates by going to
www.hp.com/support or by using HP Software Update.
Note The printer software update that you download from the HP web site
does not update the HP Image Zone software.
Downloading the software (Windows)
Note Make sure you are connected to the Internet before you use
HP Software Update.
1. From the Windows Start menu, select Programs (in Windows XP, select All
Programs) > Hewlett-Packard > HP Software Update. The HP Software
Update window opens.
2. Click Check Now. HP Software Update searches the HP web site for printer
software updates. If the computer does not have the most recent version of the
printer software installed, a software update appears in the HP Software Update
window.
Note If the computer has the most recent version of the printer software
installed, the following message appears in the HP Software Update
window: “No updates are available for your system at this time”.
3. If a software update is available, click the checkbox next to the software update to
select it.
4. Click Install.
5. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
Downloading the software (Macintosh)
Note Make sure you are connected to the Internet before you use
HP Photosmart Updater.
1. On your Macintosh, press and hold the HP Photosmart Menu in the Dock.
2. Select HP Photosmart Updater.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
If you are behind a firewall, you need to enter the proxy server information in the
updater.
Storing the printer and print cartridges
Protect the printer and print cartridges by storing them properly when you are not
using them.
Chapter 6
48 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Storing the printer
The printer is built to withstand long or short periods of inactivity.
●Store the printer indoors out of direct sunlight in a place without temperature
extremes.
●If the printer and print cartridge have not been used for one month or more, clean
the print cartridge before printing. For more information, see Automatically
cleaning the print cartridges.
Storing the print cartridges
When you store the printer, always leave the active print cartridge inside the printer.
The printer stores the print cartridge in a protective cap during the power-down cycle.
Caution Make sure the printer completes its power-down cycle before you
unplug the power cord. This allows the printer to store the print cartridge
properly.
Follow these tips to help maintain HP print cartridges and ensure consistent print
quality:
●When you remove a print cartridge from the printer, store it in a print cartridge
protector to prevent the ink from drying out.
In some countries/regions the cartridge protector is not included with the printer,
but comes with the Gray Photo cartridge that can be purchased separately. In
other countries/regions, the protector is included with the printer.
●Keep all unused print cartridges in their original sealed packages until they are
needed. Store print cartridges at room temperature (15–35 degrees C or 59–95
degrees F).
●Do not remove the plastic tape covering the ink nozzles until you are ready to
install the print cartridge in the printer. If the plastic tape has been removed from
the print cartridge, do not attempt to reattach it. Reattaching the tape damages
the print cartridge.
Maintaining the quality of photo paper
For best results with photo paper, follow the guidelines in this section.
Storing photo paper
●Store the photo paper in its original packaging or in a resealable plastic bag.
●Store the packaged photo paper on a flat, cool, and dry surface.
●Return unused photo paper to the plastic bag. Paper left in the printer or exposed
to the elements may curl.
Handling photo paper
●Always hold photo paper by the edges to avoid fingerprints.
●If the photo paper has curled edges, place it in its plastic storage bag and gently
bend it in the opposite direction of the curl until the paper lies flat.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 49
Chapter 6
50 HP Photosmart 8400 series
7Troubleshooting
The HP Photosmart printer is designed to be reliable and easy to use. This chapter
answers frequently asked questions about using the printer and printing without a
computer. It contains information about the following topics:
●Printer hardware problems
●Printing problems
●Error messages
For additional troubleshooting information, see:
●Software installation troubleshooting: The Quick Start booklet that came with
the printer.
●Printer software and printing from a computer troubleshooting: The
onscreen HP Photosmart Printer Help. For information about viewing the
onscreen HP Photosmart Printer Help, see Welcome. Macintosh users should
also check for troubleshooting and readme options on the HP Photosmart Menu
in the Dock.
●Macintosh users should check for troubleshooting and readme options on the
HP Photosmart Menu in the Dock.
Printer hardware problems
Before contacting Customer Care, read this section for troubleshooting tips or go to
the online support services at www.hp.com/support.
Note If you want to connect the printer to a computer with a USB cable, HP
recommends using a cable of less than 3 meters (10 feet) in length to minimize
injected noise due to potential high electromagnetic fields.
The On light is flashing green but the printer is not printing.
The printer is busy processing information. Wait for it to finish.
The On light is flashing red.
The printer requires attention. Try the following:
●Check the printer screen for instructions. If you have a digital camera connected
to the printer, check the camera screen for instructions. If the printer is connected
to a computer, check the computer monitor for instructions.
●Turn off the printer, then unplug its power cord. Wait about 10 seconds, then plug
it in again. Turn on the printer.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 51
The On light flashed amber briefly after I turned the printer off.
This is a normal part of the power-down process. It does not indicate a problem with
the printer.
The On light is flashing amber.
A printer error has occurred. Try the following:
●Check the printer screen for instructions. If you have a digital camera connected
to the printer, check the camera screen for instructions. If the printer is connected
to a computer, check the computer monitor for instructions.
●Turn off the printer, then unplug its power cord. Wait about 10 seconds, then plug
it in again. Turn on the printer.
●If the On light continues to flash amber, go to www.hp.com/support or contact
Customer Care.
The printer does not find and display the photos I stored on my memory card.
Try the following:
●Turn off the printer, then unplug its power cord. Wait about 10 seconds, then plug
it in again. Turn on the printer.
●The memory card may contain file types the printer cannot read directly from the
memory card.
– Save the photos to a computer, then print them from the computer. For more
information, see the documentation that came with the camera and the
onscreen HP Photosmart Printer Help.
– The next time you take photos, set the digital camera to save them in a file
format the printer can read directly from the memory card. For a list of
supported file formats, see Printer specifications. For instructions on setting
the digital camera to save photos in specific file formats, see the
documentation that came with the camera.
– The memory card may need to be reformatted if the problem persists.
The printer is plugged in, but it will not turn on.
●The printer may have drawn too much power. Unplug the printer's power cord.
Wait about 10 seconds, then plug the power cord back in. Turn on the printer.
●The printer may be plugged into a power strip that is turned off. Turn on the
power strip, then turn on the printer.
●The power cord could be defective. Check the green light on the power cord and
make sure it is lit.
The printer makes noises when I turn it on, or starts making noises on its own
after it has been sitting unused for a while.
The printer may make noises after long periods of inactivity (approximately 2 weeks),
or when its power supply has been interrupted and then restored. This is normal
Chapter 7
52 HP Photosmart 8400 series
operation—the printer is performing an automatic maintenance procedure to ensure
that it produces the best quality output.
Printing problems
Before contacting Customer Care, read this section for troubleshooting tips or go to
the online support services at www.hp.com/support.
The printer does not print borderless photos when I print from the control panel.
Make sure you have selected an appropriate paper size. The printer cannot print
borderless photos on all sizes of paper. Make sure you have select the borderless
layout on the printer.
Printing is very slow.
●You may be printing a project containing high resolution graphics or photos, or a
PDF. Large, complex projects containing graphics or photos print slower than text
documents.
●The printer may be in Ink-Backup Printing Mode. The printer enters this mode
when one of the print cartridges have been removed. Replace the missing print
cartridge.
I selected the Print new option in the printer menu, and got more photos than I
expected.
To the printer, a “new” photo on a memory card is one that you haven't printed from
the printer control panel. When you select Print new, the printer will print all photos
that have not previously been printed from the control panel. To print the photos you
want, select them manually. For more information, see Selecting photos to print.
I selected the Print new option in the printer menu, but the printer did not print
the new photos stored on the memory card.
There are no new photos on the memory card, or the photos have already been
printed from the printer control panel. To print the photos you want, select them
manually. For more information, see Selecting photos to print.
Photo paper does not feed into the printer correctly from the Photo tray.
●The Photo tray may not be engaged. Engage the Photo tray by gently pushing
the Photo tray slider towards the printer until it stops.
●The photo paper guides may not be adjusted correctly. Make sure that the photo
paper-width guide and the photo paper-length guide fit close to the edges of the
paper without bending the paper.
●There may be too much paper loaded in the Photo tray. Remove some paper
from the tray and try printing again.
●If you are using the printer in an extremely high or low humidity environment,
insert the paper as far as it will go into the Photo tray, and load one sheet of
photo paper at a time.
●The photo paper may be curled. Place the paper in a plastic bag and gently bend
it the opposite direction of the curl until the paper lies flat. If the problem persists,
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 53
use photo paper that is not curled. For information about proper storage and
handling of photo paper, see Maintaining the quality of photo paper.
Paper does not feed into the printer correctly from the Main tray.
●There may be too much paper loaded in the Main tray. Remove some paper from
the tray and try printing again.
●The paper guides may not be adjusted correctly. Make sure that the paper-width
guide and the paper-length guide fit close to the edges of the paper without
bending the paper.
●Two or more pieces of paper may be sticking together. Remove the paper from
the Main tray, fan the edges of the stack to separate the sheets of paper, then
reload the paper and try printing again.
●If the paper is wrinkled or bent, try using different paper.
●The paper may be too thin or too thick. Use HP inkjet paper for best results. For
more information, see Choosing the right paper.
Printed pages are dropping off of the Out tray.
Pages can drop off of the Out tray when they are printed. To prevent this, always
extend the Out tray extension when you print.
The printout is rippled or curled.
The project you are printing uses a larger amount of ink than normal. Print the project
from a computer, and use the printer software to lower the ink saturation level. See
the onscreen HP Photosmart Printer Help for more information.
The document printed at an angle or is off-center.
●The paper may not be loaded correctly. Reload the paper, making sure that the
paper is correctly oriented in the Main tray and that the paper-width guide and the
paper-length guide fit close to the edges of the paper. For paper-loading
instructions, see Loading your paper.
●The print cartridges may need to be aligned. For more information, see Aligning
the print cartridges.
Colors are not printing satisfactorily.
●You may not be using the best print cartridges for the project. For more
information, see Inserting print cartridges.
●You may be printing in Ink-Backup Printing Mode. The printer enters Ink-Backup
printing mode when one of the print cartridges is missing. Replace the missing
cartridge.
●A cartridge is out of ink. Replace it.
●Some of the ink nozzles on a cartridge are clogged. Clean the cartridges. See
Automatically cleaning the print cartridges.
No page came out of the printer. —OR— The paper jammed while printing.
●The printer may need attention. Read the printer screen for instructions.
●The power may be off or there may be a loose connection. Make sure the power
is on, and that the power cord is securely connected.
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54 HP Photosmart 8400 series
●You may not have any paper in the Main tray or Photo tray. Check that the paper
is loaded correctly in the paper tray you are using. For paper-loading instructions,
see Loading your paper.
●The paper may have jammed while printing.
– Turn off the printer, then unplug it from the power source. Clear the printer of
any paper that may be obstructing the paper path. Remove the rear access
door. Gently remove the jammed paper from the printer, then replace the
rear access door. Plug the printer back in and turn it on. Try printing again.
– If you were printing labels, make sure a label did not become unglued from
the label sheet while going through the printer.
– If you experience paper jams when using the Photo tray, make sure that the
photo paper-width guide and the photo paper-length guide fit close to the
edges of the photo paper without bending the paper. Make sure the Photo
tray is fully engaged by gently pushing the Photo tray slider toward the
printer until it stops. If you still have problems, try loading one sheet of photo
paper at a time.
Banner paper jams between the Main and Out trays.
There is too much banner paper in the Main tray. Clear the paper jam. See No page
came out of the printer. —OR— The paper jammed while printing..
A blank page came out of the printer.
●Check the ink-level icons on the printer screen. Replace any print cartridges that
are out of ink. For more information, see Inserting print cartridges.
●You may have begun printing and then cancelled the process. If you cancelled
the process before printing started, the printer may have already loaded paper in
preparation for printing. The next time you print, the printer will eject the blank
page before starting the new printing project.
●You may be printing in Ink-Backup Printing Mode with only the black print
cartridge installed and borderless printing turned on. Replace the missing print
cartridge with a new one, or turn off borderless printing. For more information
about printing in Ink-Backup Printing Mode, see Inserting print cartridges.
●If you are trying to print a fax, first save the fax in a graphic format such as TIFF.
Place it in a word processing document and print it from there.
The photo did not print using the printer's default print settings.
You may have changed the print settings for the selected photo. Print settings you
apply to an individual photo override the printer's default print settings. Discard all
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 55
print settings that have been applied to an individual photo by deselecting the photo.
For more information, see Selecting photos to print.
The printer ejects the paper when preparing to print.
Direct sunlight could be interfering with the operation of the automatic paper sensor.
Move the printer out of direct sunlight.
Print quality is poor.
●You may be printing in Ink-Backup Printing Mode. The printer enters Ink-Backup
Printing Mode when one of the print cartridges is missing. Replace the missing
print cartridge with a new one. For more information, see Inserting print cartridges.
●If you magnified the photo using the Zoom button on the printer control panel,
you may have magnified the photo too much. To reduce the magnification, press
Zoom to enter Zoom mode, and then press Select Photos one or more times
to reduce the magnification.
●One of the print cartridges may be running out of ink. If a print cartridge is running
low on ink, replace it. For more information, see Inserting print cartridges.
●Use photo paper designed for the printer. For best results, use HP inkjet paper.
●You may be printing on the wrong side of the paper. Make sure the paper is
loaded with the side to be printed facing down.
●You may have selected a low-resolution setting on the digital camera. Reduce the
size of the image and try printing again. For better results in the future, set the
digital camera to a higher photo resolution.
●There may be a problem with a print cartridge. Try the following:
– Remove and then reinsert the print cartridges.
– Run an automatic print cartridge cleaning procedure from the printer control
panel. For more information, see Automatically cleaning the print cartridges.
– Align the print cartridges from the printer control panel. For more information,
see Aligning the print cartridges.
– If this does not solve the problem, try cleaning the copper-colored contacts
on the print cartridges. For more information, see Manually cleaning the print
cartridge contacts.
– If these solutions do not work, replace the print cartridge(s).
Photos are not printing correctly.
●You may have loaded the photo paper incorrectly. Load the photo paper with the
side to be printed facing down.
●The photo paper may not have fed into the printer correctly. Try the following:
– If you have a paper jam, see No page came out of the printer. —OR— The
paper jammed while printing..
– Insert the photo paper as far as it will go into the Photo tray.
– Load one sheet of photo paper at a time.
The photos I marked for printing in the digital camera do not print.
Some digital cameras, such as the HP 318 and HP 612, let you mark photos for
printing in both the camera's internal memory and on the memory card. If you mark
photos in the internal memory, and then move photos from the camera's internal
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56 HP Photosmart 8400 series
memory to the memory card, the marks do not transfer. Mark photos for printing after
you transfer them from the digital camera's internal memory to the memory card.
Error messages
Before contacting Customer Care, read this section for troubleshooting tips or go to
the online support services at www.hp.com/support.
Error messages that appear on the printer screen can be divided into the following
types:
●Paper errors
●Print cartridge errors
●Memory card errors
●Proof sheet errors
●Computer printing errors
●Network and HP Instant Share errors
Paper errors
Before contacting Customer Care, read this section for troubleshooting tips or go to
the online support services at www.hp.com/support.
Error message: Paper jam. Clear jam then press OK.
Turn off the printer, then unplug it from the power source. Clear the printer of any
paper that may be obstructing the paper path. Remove the rear access door. Gently
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 57
remove the jammed paper from the printer, then replace the rear access door. Plug
the printer back in and turn it on.
Error message: Out of paper. Load paper then press OK.
Load paper, then press OK to print again. For paper-loading instructions, see Loading
your paper.
Error message: Unsupported media size. Job was cancelled. Press OK.
The printer cannot use the size of paper loaded in the paper tray. Press OK, then load
a supported paper size instead. For a list of supported paper sizes, see Printer
specifications.
Error message: Automatic paper sensor failed.
The automatic paper sensor is obstructed or damaged. Try moving the printer out of
direct sunlight, then press OK and try printing again. If this does not work, go to
www.hp.com/support or contact Customer Care.
Error message: Photo tray is engaged. Disengage it and press OK.
The printer is trying to print using paper loaded in the Main tray, but the Photo tray is
engaged. Disengage the Photo tray by pulling the Photo tray slider toward you.
Print cartridge errors
Before contacting Customer Care, read this section for troubleshooting tips or go to
the online support services at www.hp.com/support.
Error message: Cartridge failed.
The specified print cartridge may be old or damaged. Try the following:
1. Remove the cartridge and then reinstall it. For more information, see Inserting
print cartridges.
2. If this does not work, replace the cartridge.
Error message: Cartridge failed. Replace it, or remove it to print using ink-
backup printing mode.
The specified print cartridge may be old or damaged. Try the following:
1. Remove the cartridge and then reinstall it. For more information, see Inserting
print cartridges.
2. If this does not work, replace the cartridge. You can also print in Ink-Backup
Printing Mode by removing the damaged cartridge.
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Error message: One or more cartridges have failed. Please remove all
cartridges. Reinsert them one at a time, closing the main door each time, to see
which cartridges have failed.
A print cartridge is old or damaged. Follow these steps to test both print cartridges to
see if one or both of the print cartridges failed:
1. Remove all of the print cartridges.
2. Reinsert one of the print cartridges in its appropriate print cartridge cradle.
3. Close the main door. If the printer screen states that the inserted print cartridge
has failed, replace it.
4. Remove the print cartridge, then repeat steps 2–3 with the untested print
cartridges.
Error message: Color cartridge not compatible. Use appropriate HP cartridge. —
OR— Photo cartridge not compatible. Use appropriate HP cartridge. —OR—
Right cartridge not compatible. Use appropriate HP cartridge.
You have inserted a print cartridge that does not work with the printer. Replace the
print cartridge with one that is compatible with the printer. For more information, see
Inserting print cartridges.
Error message: Color Cartridge is not installed correctly. please remove and
reinsert it. —OR— Photo Cartridge is not installed correctly. please remove and
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 59
reinsert it. —OR— Cartridge is not installed correctly. please remove and
reinsert it.
The specified print cartridge is not installed properly. Remove the print cartridge and
reinstall it. For more information, see Inserting print cartridges.
Error message: Color Cartridge is missing. —OR— Photo Cartridge is missing.
—OR— Cartridge is missing. Please install and snap cartridge in completely.
The specified print cartridge is not installed. Install the print cartridge using the
instructions in Inserting print cartridges.
Error message: Color Cartridge is low on ink. —OR— Photo Cartridge is low on
ink. —OR— Cartridge is low on ink. You may need to replace it soon, or remove
it to print using ink-backup printing mode.
The specified print cartridge is low on ink. Replace the print cartridge. For more
information, see Inserting print cartridges.
Error message: One or more cartridges have failed.
One or more of the print cartridges have failed. Replace the failed cartridges with new
HP print cartridges. For more information, see Inserting print cartridges.
Error message: One or more cartridges are not compatible.
One or more of the print cartridges are not HP print cartridges. Replace the non HP
print cartridges with supported HP print cartridges. For more information, see Inserting
print cartridges.
Error message: One or more cartridges are not installed correctly.
One or more of the print cartridges are not installed correctly. Remove the print
cartridges that are not installed correctly and then reinstall them following the
procedures in Inserting print cartridges.
Error message: One or more cartridges are low on ink.
One or more of the print cartridges have low ink levels. Replace the print cartridges
that have low ink levels with new HP factory-filled print cartridges. For more
information, see Inserting print cartridges.
Error message: Cartridge service station is stuck.
There is an obstruction blocking the path of the cartridge service station. The print
cartridge service station is located beneath the print cartridge cradle when the printer
is in an inactive state. Follow these steps to clear the obstruction:
1. Lift the top cover to access the print cartridges.
2. Clear any obstruction blocking the path of the cartridge service station.
3. Close the top cover.
4. Press the OK button to continue.
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Error message: Print cartridge cradle is stuck. Clear jam then press OK.
Follow these steps to clear any obstruction in the path of the print cartridge cradle:
1. Lift the top cover to access the print cartridges.
2. Clear any obstruction in the cradle path.
3. Close the top cover.
4. Press the OK button to continue.
The current page will eject and the print job will continue on the next available
sheet of paper.
Error message: Top cover is open.
Close the top cover of the printer.
Memory card errors
Before contacting Customer Care, read this section for troubleshooting tips or go to
the online support services at www.hp.com/support.
Error message: Photo is missing. —OR— Some photos are missing.
The printer cannot read the file on the memory card or the file was accidentally
deleted, or one or more files specified for the job are missing from the memory card.
Try saving the photos to the computer using the digital camera rather than the
memory card. If a photo is missing, you may have accidentally deleted the photo from
the card.
Error message: Card access error. Job was cancelled. See computer for details.
Press OK. —OR— File directory structure is corrupted. —OR— Card may be
damaged. Job was cancelled. See computer for details. Press OK.
The printer cannot read the data on the memory card and cannot complete any
current print or save jobs. The data may be corrupted or there may be a physical
problem with the memory card. Try the following:
●Save the files to the computer by pressing Save and access them from there.
●If this does not work, use a new memory card or reformat the memory card using
the digital camera. Any photos on the memory card will be lost.
●If this does not work, the photo files may be damaged or unreadable. Before you
contact Customer Care, try another memory card to determine if it is the printer or
the memory card that is failing.
Error message: Can not print photos.
More than 10 photos specified for a print job may be corrupt, missing, or are an
unsupported file type. For information about supported file types, see Printer
specifications. Try the following:
●Try saving the photos to the computer using the digital camera rather than the
memory card.
●Save the files to the computer by pressing Save and print from the computer.
●Print a photo index page and reselect photos. For more information, see Deciding
which photos to print.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 61
Error message: Card is locked. Can not access card.
The printer cannot read the memory card because the memory card is password
protected. Follow these steps:
1. Remove the memory card from the printer.
2. Insert the memory card in the device you originally used to store the password on
the memory card.
3. Remove the password from the memory card using the same software you used
to store the password.
4. Remove the memory card and reinsert it in the printer memory card slot.
5. Try printing again.
Error message: Card is not fully inserted. Push card in a little more.
The printer can detect the memory card but cannot read it. Push the memory card
gently into the memory card slot until it stops. For more information, see Inserting a
memory card.
Error message: Use only 1 card at a time. Please remove a memory card.
The printer has two or more different types of memory cards inserted simultaneously
or a memory card inserted and a digital camera connected to the camera port at the
same time. Remove memory cards or disconnect the camera until only one card is in
the printer or one camera is connected.
Error message: Card was removed. Job was cancelled. Press OK.
You removed a memory card from the printer while it was busy printing a file from the
memory card or saving files to the computer. Follow these steps:
1. Press the OK button.
2. Reinsert the memory card and print selected photos or saved files again. The
memory card must remain inserted until the print or save job is complete.
To avoid damage to memory cards in the future, do not remove them from the printer
memory card slot while they are being accessed. For more information, see Removing
a memory card.
Error message: Camera selections (DPOF) file has error.
The printer is unable to read a DPOF file due to corrupted data or an error on the
memory card. Use the printer control panel to reselect the photos. For more
information, see Printing photos from a memory card.
Error message: Some camera-selected photos are not on card.
Some camera-selected photos are missing or have been deleted. Try the following:
●Confirm that you did not accidentally delete the photo from the memory card.
●Reselect the photos again using the digital camera.
●Print a new photo index page to see the index numbers associated with each
photo. For more information, see Deciding which photos to print.
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62 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Error message: No new photos on card.
There are no new photos on the memory card, or the photos have already been
printed once. Select and print the desired photos.
Error message: Cannot display this photo.
The memory card contains image formats that the printer does not support or the file
is corrupted. For a list of supported image formats, see Printer specifications. Access
photos using the computer. For information about accessing photos through the
computer, see Printing from a computer.
Error message: Memory card in backwards. The black side should face up.
The memory card has been inserted upside down. Remove the memory card and
reinsert it with the gold contacts facing down. For more information, see Inserting a
memory card.
Error message: E-mail error. Unable to send.
The inserted memory card is full or the selected photo cannot be read when you try to
send it as e-mail by using HP Instant Share. Remove some files from the memory
card to free up space or retake the photo.
Proof sheet errors
Before contacting Customer Care, read this section for troubleshooting tips or go to
the online support services at www.hp.com/support.
Error message: Could not read proof sheet. Scan cancelled. Please print a new
proof sheet. Press OK.
The proof sheet is smeared or has stray marks. Print a new proof sheet. For more
information, see Deciding which photos to print.
Error message: Can not detect the proof sheet. Scan cancelled. Please reinsert
and rescan. Press OK.
You may have loaded the proof sheet with the printed side facing up. Follow these
steps:
1. Insert the proof sheet into the Main tray with the printed side facing down.
2. Try scanning again.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 63
Error message: Multiple number of copies selected. Scan cancelled. Please
print a new proof sheet and select one choice for number of copies. Press OK.
You filled in more than one circle for the number of copies at the bottom of the proof
sheet. Print a new proof sheet and try again.
Error message: Multiple layouts selected. Scan cancelled. Please print a new
proof sheet and select one choice for layout. Press OK.
You filled in more than one layout circle at the bottom of the proof sheet. Follow these
steps:
1. Print a new proof sheet.
2. Completely fill in the circle to select one of the seven layouts.
3. Try scanning the proof sheet again.
Error message: No images selected. Please select the images to be printed and
rescan proof sheet. Press OK.
You have not filled in the circles on the proof sheet beneath the photos you want to
print, or you may not have filled in the circles completely. Follow these steps:
●Follow the steps on the proof sheet to select the photos you want to print and try
again.
●For best results, be sure to fill in the circles completely.
Error message: Number of copies not selected. Please select a number of
copies and rescan proof sheet. Press OK.
You have not filled in the circles on the proof sheet to indicate the number of copies of
the photo(s) you want to print. You can print one, two, or three copies of the photo(s)
at a time. Completely fill in the circle below one of the icons in the lower left corner of
the proof sheet. The printer will print the number of all the photos you selected.
Error message: Layout not selected. Please select a layout and rescan proof
sheet. Press OK.
You have not filled in a layout circle at the bottom of the proof sheet beneath the
layout you want to use for the photos. Completely fill in the circle below one of the
seven layout icons at the bottom of the proof sheet. The printer will print the photos
using that layout.
Error message: Card contents do not match proof sheet. Scan cancelled. Please
print a new proof sheet. Press OK.
The card inserted is not the same card as the one you used to print the proof sheet.
Remove the card and reinsert the card you used to print the proof sheet.
Computer printing errors
Before contacting Customer Care, read this section for troubleshooting tips or go to
the online support services at www.hp.com/support.
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64 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Error message: Printer memory is full. Job was cancelled. Press OK.
The printer encountered a problem when saving files to the computer. Try the following:
●To clear the printer memory, turn the printer off, then turn it on again.
●Print fewer photos at a time.
●Save the photos to the computer and print from there.
●Save the files to the computer using a memory card reader and then print from
the computer.
Error message: Computer is not connected. To save photos...connect printer to
computer. Press OK. —OR— Communication error. Check computer
connection. Press OK. —OR— Data was not received. Check computer
connection. Press OK to continue. —OR— No response from computer.
The printer cannot communicate properly with the computer. A printer driver may not
be working or a cable may be loose. Make sure the USB cable is securely attached to
both the computer and to the USB port on the back of the printer. If the cable is
secure, verify that the printer software is installed.
Network and HP Instant Share errors
Before contacting Customer Care, read this section for troubleshooting tips or go to
the online support services at www.hp.com/support. You also find help with
networking the printer by going to the home page of the embedded web server in the
printer. See To access help for the embedded web server.
Error message: HP Instant Share service not set up.
The printer encountered a problem when HP Instant Share button pressed. Try the
following:
Go to the computer, insert the print software CD, and install HP Instant Share.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 65
Error message: Disconnected from service.
Connection with the HP Instant Share service was lost. Press HP Instant Share and
select Receive to reconnect.
Error message: No destinations set up.
Go to the computer, set up one or more destinations in the HP Image Zone, then try
again. See the onscreen HP Image Zone help.
Error message: No HP Instant Share collections found.
You have received no HP Instant Share files. Try again later.
Error message: The HP Image Zone software not installed on computer.
Install the HP Image Zone software and then try again.
Error message: Network not connected.
The printer cannot find the network. Check to make sure the Ethernet cable is
properly connected to the Ethernet port and the network. If your network requires you
to use a proxy IP address, you need to access the embedded web server to set the
proxy server settings. See Using the embedded web server.
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66 HP Photosmart 8400 series
8Customer Care
If you have a problem, follow these steps:
1. Check the documentation that came with the printer.
–Quick Start booklet: The HP Photosmart 8400 series Quick Start booklet
explains how to set up the printer and print your first photo.
–User's Guide: The User's Guide is the book you are reading. This book
describes the basic features of the printer, explains how to use the printer
without connecting a computer, and contains hardware troubleshooting
information.
–HP Photosmart Printer Help: The onscreen HP Photosmart Printer Help
describes how to use the printer with a computer and contains software
troubleshooting information.
2. If you are unable to solve the problem using the information in the documentation,
visit www.hp.com/support to do the following:
– Access online support pages
– Send HP an e-mail message for answers to your questions
– Connect with an HP technician by using online chat
– Check for software updates
Support options and availability vary by product, country/region, and language.
3. For Europe only: Contact your local point of purchase. If the printer has a
hardware failure, you will be asked to bring the printer to where you purchased it.
Service is free during the printer limited warranty period. After the warranty
period, you will be quoted a service charge.
4. If you are unable to solve the problem using the onscreen Help or HP web sites,
call Customer Care using the number for your country/region. For a list of country/
region phone numbers, see Customer Care by phone.
Customer Care by phone
While the printer is under warranty, you can obtain free phone support. For more
information, see the warranty included in the box, or go to www.hp.com/support to
check the duration of your free support.
After the free phone support period, you can obtain help from HP at an additional cost.
Contact your HP dealer or call the support phone number for your country/region for
support options.
To receive HP support by phone, call the appropriate support phone number for your
location. Standard phone company charges apply.
North America: Call 1-800-HP-INVENT (1-800-474-6836). U.S. phone support is
available in both English and Spanish languages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (days
and hours of support may change without notice). This service is free during the
warranty period. A fee may apply outside the warranty period.
Western Europe: Customers in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Germany,
Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 67
Placing a call
Call Customer Care while you are near the computer and printer. Be prepared to
provide the following information:
●Printer model number (located on the front of the printer).
●Printer serial number (located on the bottom of the printer).
●Computer operating system.
●Version of printer driver:
–Windows PC: To see the printer driver version, right-click the memory card
icon in the Windows taskbar and select About.
–Macintosh: To see the printer driver version, use the Print dialog box.
●Messages displayed on the printer screen or on the computer monitor.
●Answers to the following questions:
– Has the situation you are calling about happened before? Can you recreate
the situation?
– Did you install any new hardware or software on the computer around the
time that the situation occurred?
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 69
Chapter 8
70 HP Photosmart 8400 series
aNetworking
The instructions below describe how to install the HP Photosmart 8400 series printer in an
ethernet (wired) network. A wired setup allows the printer to communicate to computers through
a router, hub, or switch. Broadband Internet access is required in order to take full advantage of
the printer feature set.
Note For USB installation, see the setup instructions that came in the box.
Once you set up the printer on a network, the printer screen displays one of two ethernet
connection icons to indicate the status of the connection:
1Ethernet connection active icon
2Ethernet connection inactive icon
Before proceeding with this section, make sure you have already set up your wired network. See
the documentation that came with your network hardware. Also make sure you have set up the
printer as described in the setup instructions that came in the box.
Networking basics (Windows and Macintosh)
Networking lets networked devices, such as computers and printers, communicate with each
other. A wired or ethernet network is the most common type of network in offices and in homes.
The network adapter in the printer itself supports both 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps ethernet networks.
To connect the printer to a network, you need a CAT-5 ethernet cable equipped with a RJ-45
plug. This is not the same as a USB cable.
Caution Although the RJ-45 plug of a CAT-5 cable resembles a common telephone
plug, it is not the same. Never use a regular phone wire to connect the printer to an
ethernet network. You can damage the printer and other network devices by doing so.
The following illustration shows an example of the printer networked with several computers
through a network hub, switch, or router. A cable or DSL modem links the hub and all the
networked devices to broadband Internet access.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 71
1Cable or DSL modem connecting the networked devices to broadband Internet access
2A network access point (hub, switch, or router) into which all the devices are connected through ethernet
cables
Networked devices connect to each other through a central device. The most common types
include:
●Hubs: A simple, inexpensive network device that lets several computers communicate with
each other or share a common printer. Hubs are passive. They only provide a way for
communication to flow between other devices.
●Switches: Switches are similar to hubs, but can examine the information sent between
devices and forward the information only to the proper device. They can lessen bandwidth
usage on a network and help keep it running more efficiently.
●Routers: Routers or gateways connect both devices and networks. A common use is to
connect several home computers on a network to the Internet. Routers often also include a
built-in firewall that can help protect a home network from unauthorized access.
Note For specific information about setting up and configuring the hardware on your
network, see the documentation that came with the hardware.
Internet connection
If your network is connected to the Internet through a router or gateway, it is recommended that
you use a router or gateway that supports Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). A
gateway with DHCP support manages a pool of reserved IP addresses that it assigns
dynamically as needed. See the documentation that came with the router or gateway.
Recommended network configurations
The following network configurations support the printer. Determine the type of network
configuration you have, then see Connecting the printer to the network and Installing the printer
software on a Windows computer or Installing the printer software on a Macintosh for instructions
on connecting your printer to the network and then installing the software.
Ethernet network without Internet access
The computers and printer communicate with each other, forming a simple network, through a
hub. None of the networked devices has access to the Internet. Some printer features, such as
sharing photos directly from the printer over the Internet using HP Instant Share, do not work in
this configuration.
Appendix a
72 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Ethernet network with Internet access by dial-up modem
The computers and printer communicate with each other, forming a simple network, through a
hub. One of the computers has access to the Internet through a modem and dial-up account.
None of the other networked devices, including the printer, have direct access to the Internet.
Some printer features, such as sharing photos directly from the printer over the Internet using
HP Instant Share, do not work in this configuration.
Ethernet network with broadband Internet access provided by a router
The printer is connected to a router that acts as a gateway between the user network and the
Internet. The full feature set of the printer, including sharing photos over the Internet, is available
without even having a computer available or connected to the network. This is the ideal network
configuration.
Connecting the printer to the network
To connect the printer to a wired network, you need the following:
●A network access point such as a hub, router, or switch with an open port
●A CAT-5 ethernet cable with RJ-45 plug
●Broadband Internet access (only if you want to access HP Instant Share directly from the
device. For more information, see Getting connected).
Note 1 You should not connect the printer directly to a computer using an ethernet
cable. Peer-to-peer networking is not supported.
Note 2 After you connect the printer to the network as described in this section, you
must install the printer software. See Installing the printer software on a Windows
computer or Installing the printer software on a Macintosh.
To connect the printer to the network
1. Connect the ethernet cable to the back of the printer.
2. Connect the ethernet cable to an empty port on the hub, router, or switch.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 73
After you finish connecting the printer to the network, install the printer software. You cannot print
from a computer until you do the software installation.
●Installing the printer software on a Windows computer
●Installing the printer software on a Macintosh
Installing the printer software on a Windows computer
Note Set up the printer as indicated in the setup instructions that came in the box.
Installation time can range from 20 minutes (Windows XP) to 1 hour (Windows 98), the amount
of available hard drive space, and the processor speed of the computer. Make sure you have
already connected the printer to the network with an ethernet cable before you begin the
installation.
Note The printer software must be installed as described in this section on every
networked computer from which you want to print to the Photosmart 8400 series printer.
After the installation, printing is identical to printing through a USB connection.
Tip Do not use the Windows Add Printer control panel utility to install the printer
software. You must use the HP installer to install the printer on a network properly.
To install the printer software
1. Print a network configuration page. You may need the information included in this report if
the installer cannot detect the printer.
See Printing a network configuration page.
2. Insert the HP Photosmart printer software CD into the computer's CD-ROM drive.
3. Click Next and follow the instructions provided by the Installer to check and prepare the
system, and install drivers, plug-ins, and software. This takes several minutes.
4. At the Connection Type screen, select Through the network, then click Next.
The Searching screen appears as the Setup program searches for the printer on the
network.
If the Printer Found screen appears, do this:
a. Verify that the printer description is correct. (Use the configuration page to verify the
printer name and hardware address. See Printing a network configuration page.)
b. If the printer description is correct, select Yes, install this printer, then click Next.
If more than one printer is found on the network, select HP Photosmart 8400 series
as the device to configure and install, then click Next. If you have more than one
HP Photosmart 8400 series printer on your network, use the Hardware Address (MAC)
Appendix a
74 HP Photosmart 8400 series
item listed in the network configuration page to identify the specific HP Photosmart
8400 series printer you want to install.
If the Check Cable Connection screen appears, do this:
a. Follow the onscreen instructions, then select Specify a printer by address, then click
Next.
b. On the Specify Printer screen, enter the Hardware Address (MAC) number listed in
the network configuration page in the Hardware Address (MAC) box.
Example: 02bad065cb97
MAC stands for Media Access Control, a hardware address that identifies the printer
on the network.
c. Enter the IP Address listed in the network configuration page in the IP Address box ,
then click Next.
Example: 169.254.203.151
d. When the Printer Found screen appears, select Yes, install this printer, then click
Next.
e. In the Confirm Settings screen, click Next.
f. Follow the onscreen instructions.
5. When prompted, click Finish to exit the installation.
Installing the printer software on a Macintosh
Note Set up the printer as indicated in the setup instructions that came in the box.
Installation time can take 3-4 minutes depending on your operating system, the amount of
available hard drive space, and the processor speed of the Macintosh. Make sure you have
already connected the printer to the network with an ethernet cable before you begin the
installation. If you have already installed this printer on a USB connection, you do not have to
follow these instructions to do a network installation. Instead, see To change a USB connected
printer to a network connection.
Note The printer software must be installed as described in this section on every
networked computer from which you want to print to the Photosmart 8400 series printer.
After the installation, printing is identical to printing to a printer connected by a USB cable.
To install the printer software
1. Insert the HP Photosmart printer software CD into the Macintosh CD-ROM drive.
2. Double-click the CD icon on the desktop.
3. Double-click the Installer icon.
The Authenticate dialog appears.
4. Enter the Name and Password used to administer your Macintosh, then click OK.
5. Follow the onscreen instructions.
6. When the HP Photosmart Install window appears, choose Easy Install, then click Install.
7. In the Select Printer window, click the Network tab. The installer searches for any printers
on the network.
If the printer is found, do this:
a. Select the HP Photosmart 8400 series printer in the Select Printer window, then click
Utilities.
b. Follow the onscreen instructions to register the printer.
If the printer is not found, do this:
a. Print a network configuration page and locate the IP Address entry listed on the page.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 75
b. Make sure the printer is connected by the correct type of CAT-5 ethernet cable to the
network. See Connecting the printer to the network.
c. Click Find, enter the IP Address, then click Save.
d. Select the HP Photosmart 8400 series printer in the Select Printer window, then click
Utilities.
e. Follow the onscreen instructions to register the printer.
Note Some browsers may not work with the online registration. If you
encounter problems, either try another browser or skip this step.
8. Select the printer in the Print dialog box. If the printer does not appear in the list, select Edit
Printer List to add the printer.
9. In the Printer List window, click Add.
10. Select Rendezvous from the drop-down list.
11. Select the printer from the list, then click Add.
That's it. You're done!
To change a USB connected printer to a network connection
1. Connect the printer to the network. See Connecting the printer to the network.
2. Print a network configuration page and locate the IP Address entry.
3. Open a web browser and enter the IP Address to access the embedded web server in the
printer. For more information on the embedded web server, see Using the embedded web
server.
4. Click the Networking tab.
5. Click mDNS in the Applications area on the left.
6. Enter a unique name (63 characters or less) in the mDNS Service Name box.
7. Click Apply.
8. Select the printer in the Print dialog box. If the printer does not appear in the list, select Edit
Printer List to add the printer.
9. In the Printer List window, click Add.
10. Select Rendezvous from the drop-down list.
11. Select the printer from the list, then click Add.
Using the embedded web server
The embedded web server in the printer provides a simple way to manage the networked printer.
Using any web browser from either a Windows or Macintosh computer, you can communicate
with the printer over the network to:
●Check printer status and estimated ink levels
●View network statistics
●Adjust the printer network configuration such as specifying a proxy server, setting a DNS
name, or manually entering an IP address
●Restrict access to configuration pages
●Order supplies
●Go to the HP web site for support
To access the embedded web server home page
1. Print a network configuration page. See Printing a network configuration page.
Appendix a
76 HP Photosmart 8400 series
2. Enter the printer IP address indicated on the network configuration page into the address
box of your browser.
Example IP address: 10.0.0.81
The home page for the embedded web server appears.
For information about network terms and the embedded web server that is not covered in this
guide, access the embedded web server help.
To access help for the embedded web server
1. Go to the embedded web server home page. See To access the embedded web server
home page.
2. Click Help in the Other Links area of the home page.
Printing a network configuration page
You can print a network configuration page from the printer without even being connected to a
computer. The configuration page provides useful information regarding the printer IP address,
network statistics, and other network settings. You can also display a summary of select network
settings on the printer itself.
To print a detailed network configuration page
1. Press Menu on the printer.
2. Select Tools, then press OK.
3. Select Network, then press OK.
4. Select Print detailed report, then press OK.
To view a summary of network settings
1. Press Menu on the printer.
2. Select Tools, then press OK.
3. Select Network, then press OK.
4. Select Display summary, then press OK.
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 77
Appendix a
78 HP Photosmart 8400 series
bSpecifications
This section lists the minimum system requirements for installation of the HP Photosmart printer
software, and provides selected printer specifications.
For a complete list of printer specifications and system requirements, see the onscreen
HP Photosmart Printer Help. For information about viewing the onscreen HP Photosmart Printer
Help, see Welcome.
System requirements
Component Windows PC minimum Macintosh minimum
Operating system Microsoft® Windows 98, 2000
Professional, ME, XP Home,
and XP Professional
Mac® OS X 10.1 through 10.3
Processor Intel® Pentium® II (or
equivalent) or higher
G3 or greater
RAM 64 MB (128 MB
recommended)
Mac OS 10.1 through 10.3:
128 MB
Free disk space 500 MB 500 MB
Video display 800 x 600, 16-bit or higher 800 x 600, 16-bit or higher
CD-ROM drive 4x 4x
Connectivity USB: Microsoft Windows 98,
2000 Professional, ME, XP
Home, and XP Professional
Ethernet: using the Ethernet
port
PictBridge: using front
camera port
Bluetooth: using optional
HP Bluetooth Wireless
Adapter
USB: Front and back ports
(OS X 10.1 through 10.3)
Ethernet: using the Ethernet
port
PictBridge: using front
camera port
Browser Microsoft Internet Explorer
5.5 or later
—
Printer specifications
Category Specifications
Connectivity USB: Microsoft Windows 98, 2000 Professional, ME, XP
Home, and XP Professional; Mac OS X 10.1 through 10.3
Ethernet
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 79
Category Specifications
Environmental Recommended operating temperature range: 15–30°
C (59–86° F)
Maximum operating temperature range: 5–40° C (41–
104° F)
Storage temperature range: -30–65° C (22–149° F)
Image file formats JPEG Baseline
TIFF 24-bit RGB uncompressed interleaved
TIFF 24-bit YCbCr uncompressed interleaved
TIFF 24-bit RGB packbits interleaved
TIFF 8-bit gray uncompressed/packbits
TIFF 8-bit palette color uncompressed/packbits
TIFF 1-bit uncompressed/packbits/1D Huffman
Media sizes Photo paper 10 x 15 cm (4 x 6 inches)
Photo paper with tab 10 x 15 cm with 1.25 cm tab (4 x 6
inches with 0.5 inch tab)
Index cards 10 x 15 cm (4 x 6 inches)
Hagaki cards 100 x 148 mm (3.9 x 5.8 inches)
A6 cards 105 x 148 mm (4.1 x 5.8 inches)
L-size cards 90 x 127 mm (3.5 x 5 inches)
L-size cards with tab 90 x 127 mm with 12.5 mm tab (3.5
x 5 inches with 0.5 inch tab)
Media specifications Recommended maximum length: 356 mm (14 inches)
Recommended maximum thickness: 292 µm (11.5 mil)
Media sizes, standard Photo paper
76 x 76 mm to 216 x 356 mm (3 x 3 inches to 8.5 x 14
inches)
Plain paper
Letter, 216 x 280 mm (8.5 x 11 inches)
Legal, 216 x 356 mm (8.5 x 14 inches)
Executive, 190 x 2540 mm (7.5 x 10 inches)
A4, 210 x 297 mm (8.27 x 11.7 inches)
A5, 148 x 210 mm (5.8 x 8.3 inches)
B5, 176 x 250 mm (6.9 x 9.8 inches)
Cards
Hagaki, 100 x 148 mm (3.94 x 5.83 inches)
L-size, 90 x 127 mm (3.5 x 5 inches)
L-size with tab, 90 x 127 mm with 12.5 mm tab (3.5 x 5
inches with 0.5 inch tab)
Appendix b
(continued)
80 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Category Specifications
Index, 76 x 127 mm, 10 x 15 cm, and 127 x 203 mm (3 x
5 inches, 4 x 6 inches, and 5 x 8 inches)
A6, 105 x 148.5 mm (4.13 x 5.85 inches)
Envelopes
No. 9, 98.4 x 225.4 mm (3.875 x 8.875 inches)
No. 10, 105 x 240 mm (4.125 x 9.5 inches)
A2 Invitation, 110 x 146 mm (4.375 x 5.75 inches)
DL, 110 x 220 mm (4.33 x 8.66 inches)
C6, 114 x 162 mm (4.5 x 6.4 inches)
Custom
76 x 127 mm to 216 x 356 mm (3 x 5 inches to 8.5 x 14
inches)
Transparencies and label sheets
Letter, 216 x 280 mm (8.5 x 11 inches)
A4, 210 x 297 mm (8.27 x 11.7 inches)
Media types Paper (plain, inkjet, photo, and banner)
Envelopes
Transparencies
Labels
Cards (index, greeting, Hagaki, A6, L-size)
Iron-on transfers
Memory cards CompactFlash Type I and II
Microdrive
MultiMediaCard
Secure Digital
SmartMedia
Memory Sticks
xD-Picture Card
Memory card-supported file
formats
Printing: See Image file formats earlier in table.
Saving: All file formats
Paper trays Main tray
76 x 127 mm to 216 x 356 mm (3 x 5 inches to 8.5 x 14
inches)
Photo tray
10 x 15 cm (4 x 6 inch) and Hagaki
Out tray
All supported sizes
(continued)
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 81
Category Specifications
Paper tray capacity Main tray
100 sheets of plain paper
14 envelopes
20–40 cards (depending on thickness)
20 sheets of banner paper
30 sheets of labels
25 transparencies, iron-on transfers, or photo paper
Photo tray
25 sheets of photo paper
Out tray
50 sheets of plain paper
20 sheets of photo paper, banner paper, or transparencies
10 cards or envelopes
25 sheets of labels or iron-on transfers
Power consumption Printing: 15–45 W
Idle: 5 W
Off: 2 W
Power cord model number Q0950-4476
Print cartridges HP Gray Photo (C9368A)
HP Color Photo (C9369W)
HP Tri-color (C8766W or C9363W)
HP Black (C8767W)
USB support Microsoft Windows 98, 2000 Professional, ME, XP
Home, and XP Professional
Mac OS X 10.1 through 10.3
HP recommends that the USB cable be less than 3
meters (10 feet) in length
Network support Microsoft Windows 98, 2000 Professional, ME, XP
Home, and XP Professional
Mac OS X 10.1 through 10.3
An RJ-45 Ethernet cable
Video file formats Motion JPEG AVI
Motion-JPEG QuickTime
MPEG-1
Appendix b
(continued)
82 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Index
Symbols/Numerics
9–up view 25
A
accessories
250-sheet paper tray 8
two-sided printing 8
aligning print cartridges 18, 47
alignment page 47
antique coloration 28
AVI 20
B
black-and-white photos 18
Bluetooth
connecting to printer 37
menu settings 9
wireless printer adapter 8
borderless prints 28
buttons 5
C
cameras
connecting to printer 37
direct-printing 35
PictBridge 35
port 4
printing from 35
cartridges. See print cartridges
cleaning
print cartridges 45
printer 45
color effects 28
CompactFlash 20
computer
connecting to printer 37
printing from 3, 41
system requirements 79
control panel 5
cropping photos 28
Customer Care 67
D
date and time stamps 28
digital cameras. See cameras
Digital Flash 27
documentation, printer 3
E
e-mailing photos 38
error messages 57
ethernet 71
F
file formats, supported 20, 79
framing photos 28
H
help. See troubleshooting
help, onscreen 3
HP direct-printing digital
cameras 35
HP Image Zone 41
HP Instant Share
and printing 36
HP Software Update 41
I
ink cartridges. See print
cartridges
ink level, checking 18, 46
inserting
memory cards 20
print cartridges 18
Instant Share. See HP Instant
Share
J
JPEG file formats 20
L
layout
and photo size 24
lights 7
loading paper 16
M
memory cards
inserting 20
printing from 31
removing 22
supported types 20
Memory Sticks 20
menu, printer 9
Microdrive 20
MPEG-1 file format 20
MultiMediaCard 20
N
networking 71
O
onscreen Help 3
P
paper
buying and choosing 15
loading 16
maintaining 15, 49
specifications 79
trays 4
paper jams 54, 57
photos
antique coloration 28
color filters 28
cropping 28
date and time stamp 28
e-mailing 38
framing 28
improving quality 27
index 25
metallic effect 28
print cartridges, choosing
18
printing 31
red eye removal 27
saving to computer 37
selecting for print 26
sepia tones 28
solarize effect 28
supported file formats 20
viewing 25
zooming 28
PictBridge cameras
camera port 35
print cartridges
aligning 47
HP Photosmart 8400 series User's Guide 83
choosing 18
cleaning 45
ink level, checking 18
inserting 18
replacing 18
storing 20, 49
testing 46
printer
accessories 8
cleaning 45
connecting 37
documentation 3
error messages 57
menu 9
parts 4
specifications 79
storing 49
warnings 2
printer software
updating 41, 48
printing
and HP Instant Share 36
from a computer 41
from a proof sheet 31
from cameras 35
from computer 3
from memory cards 31
multiple copies 26
multiple photos 26
photo index 25
photos 31
proof sheet 25
range of photos 31
test page 46
thumbnails 25
without computer 23
proof sheet
printing from 31
Q
quality
photo paper 49
photos 27
printing test page 46
QuickTime 20
R
range
printing 31
red eye removal 27
regulatory notices 85
removing memory cards 22
replacing print cartridges 18
S
saving photos to computer 37
Secure Digital 20
sepia tones 28
slide show 28
SmartFocus 27
SmartMedia 20
software
HP Image Zone 41
HP Instant Share 41
print driver 41
specifications 79
storing
photo paper 49
print cartridges 20, 49
printer 49
system requirements 79
T
test page 46
thumbnails, printing 25
TIFF file format 20
trays, paper 4
troubleshooting
Customer Care 67
error messages 57
flashing lights 51
two-sided printing 8
U
USB
connection type 37
port 4
specifications 79
V
viewing photos 25
X
xD-Picture Card 20
Z
zooming
and cropping 28
84 HP Photosmart 8400 series
Regulatory notices
Hewlett-Packard Company
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
●This device may not cause harmful interference, and
●This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Pursuant to Part 15.21 of the FCC Rules, any changes or modifications to this equipment not expressly approved by Hewlett-
Packard Company may cause harmful interference, and void your authority to operate this equipment. Use of a shielded data
cable is required to comply with the Class B limits of Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
For further information, contact: Hewlett-Packard Company, Manager of Corporate Product Regulations, 3000 Hanover
Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304, (650) 857-1501.
Note
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the
FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, can cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee
that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct
the interference by one or more of the following measures:
●Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
●Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
●Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
●Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
LED indicator statement
The display LEDs meet the requirements of EN 60825-1.