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HP LaserJet 4L and 4ML Printers - Understanding the Status Lights and the Front Panel Button

ISSUE:

What do the lights on the printer mean?

SOLUTION:

See below:

THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS ON THE PRINTER

  • Error (Amber)

  • Paper (Amber)

  • Data (Green

  • Ready (Green)

THE FOLLOWING LISTS CONTAIN STATUS MESSAGES FOR THE HP LASERJET 4L/4ML PRINTER

Error (Amber)

OFF

Steady: The printer is ready to print a job from the paper cassette.

Paper (Amber)

OFF

Blinking: the printer is receiving or processing data.

Data (Green)

OFF

 

Ready (Green)

ON

 

Error (Amber)

OFF

Steady: the Printer is receiving or processing Data.

Paper (Amber)

OFF

Data and Ready light steady: There is unprinted Data still in the Printer. Briefly press and release the front panel button.

Data (Green)

ON

Blinking: Printer is in Manual Feed mode. Insert a sheet of paper into the manual feed slot or briefly press and release the front panel button. (Paper will pull from the cassette.

Ready (Green)

OFF

 

Error (Amber)

OFF

Steady: The paper cassette is empty or missing. Add more Paper.

Paper (Amber)

ON

Blinking: There is a paper jam. Jammed paper can be in the paper tray or under the print cartridge.

Data (Green)

OFF

 

Ready (Green)

OFF

 

Error (Amber)

ON

Steady: Top door open or print cartridge missing or not correctly installed.

Paper (Amber)

OFF

Blinking: Page too complex. Press the front panel button to continue printing. There may be some data loss on the page.

Data (Green)

OFF

 

Ready (Green)

OFF

 

Error (Amber)

ON

Steady: If all lights are on steadily, there is a hardware error. Disconnect power from the printer for 15 seconds and try again.

Paper (Amber)

ON

Disconnect power from the printer for 15 minutes and try again.

Data (Green)

ON

If the error still does not clear, push the front panel button and see what lights remain lit (this shows a secondary light pattern). Contact HP Customer Care for technical support.

Ready (Green)

ON

In the Properties or Setup of the driver, change the graphics mode to HP/GL-2.

THE FOLLOWING LISTS CONTAIN SECONDARY STATUS MESSAGES FOR THE HP LASERJET 4L/4ML PRINTER

When all four lights are on, a service error is indicated. Press and hold the front panel button to display the secondary error code. The code will be shown only while the button is pressed. The following patterns show the possible error codes.

    NOTE: If all four lights remain on, yet no error code is displayed when pressing the button, power cycle the printer. If the condition persists the printer will need service.

Error (Amber)

ON

50 Error/Service.

Paper (Amber)

OFF

The fuser is improperly seated or is defective.

Data (Green)

OFF

 

Ready (Green)

ON

 

Error (Amber)

ON

51 Loss of Beam Detect.

Paper (Amber)

OFF

A temporary error has occurred. Power cycle the printer.

Data (Green)

ON

If the condition persists the printer will need service.

Ready (Green)

OFF

 

Error (Amber)

ON

52 Incorrect scanner speed.

Paper (Amber)

ON

A temporary error has occurred. Power cycle the printer.

Data (Green)

OFF

If the condition persists the printer will need service.

Ready (Green)

OFF

 

Error (Amber)

OFF

53 Accessory Memory Error.

Paper (Amber)

OFF

An error has been found in the RAM. Power cycle the printer.

Data (Green)

ON

The Memory card is defective or incompatible. Turn the printer off; remove any additional memory; then turn the printer back on. If the message clears, replace the memory card.

Ready (Green)

OFF

If the condition persists the printer will need service.

Error (Amber)

ON

55 Engine.

Paper (Amber)

OFF

The cable is loose or bad.

Data (Green)

OFF

There is inadequate site power ( or the problem may be the result of thunderstorms ). Examine the surge protector.

Ready (Green)

OFF

If the condition persists the printer will need service.

Error (Amber)

ON

58 Fan.

Paper (Amber)

OFF

The printer will need service.

Data (Green)

ON

 

Ready (Green)

ON

 

Error (Amber)

OFF

61.x Formatter.

Paper (Amber)

ON

The printer will need service.

Data (Green)

ON

 

Ready (Green)

ON

 

Error (Amber)

OFF

Blank Display.

Paper (Amber)

OFF

Power is not supplied to the printer. Check the power cord connections and the power source.

Data (Green)

OFF

If the condition persists the printer will need service.

Ready (Green)

OFF

 

ISSUE: What function does the front panel button perform?

SOLUTION:

The front panel button can be used to accomplish the following tasks:

  • Wake up - If the printer is in sleep mode (all lights off while connected to a power source), the printer will wake up to a ready state when the button is briefly pushed and released.

  • Self-Test - When the printer is in the Ready state (one green light on), briefly press and release the front panel button. After about six seconds the data light will come on and the ready light will flash. The self-test page will then print.

  • Reset - Resetting the printer clears all data from the printer’s memory. It also removes some error conditions and resets the printer back to factory defaults. To perform a reset, follow the steps below:

    1. Hold down the front panel button for five seconds. The lights will start blinking in succession.

    2. Release the button. The printer will repeatedly cycle through the lights and settle down to the green ready light if no error conditions are present.

  • Form Feed - If the data light and the Ready light are both on steadily, there is unprinted data in the printer. This can happen with print screens from DOS, or when using software that does not send an End of Job or Form Feed command. Briefly press and release the front panel button to print the data.


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