Carriage stalled

[panathinaikos]

Hello

I have an HP 5540 deskjet printer that I cannot print from. The error message ;" Printer carriage is stalled" comes up.

Any ideas, what might be wrong , will be appreciated.


Thanks

 

[FredWagner]

The 'carriage' holds the printhead and (usually) the ink cartridges, and scans across the paper as it prints. Could someone have replaced an ink cartridge, or just removed and replaced one without seating it properly ? Open the lid so you can see the carriage, power on the printer, and watch what happens...

Fred Wagner

 

[goombawaho]

Yep - if ink cartridges are not fully seated, they often block movement of the carriage/print head assembly. Usually, when you open the door, the carriage moves into place to allow access to change the cartridges. If not, it might be stuck or impeded.

If stuck, it might be terminal if you can't break it free.

 

[FredWagner]

The carriage is probably moved with by a toothed belt or a thin steel cable. With power OFF, move the carriage through its travel, and watch for (and remove!) items that may be clogging the drive mechanism.

Fred Wagner

 

[edfair]

Earlier ones (not familiar with this model) also were prone to having the rails and bushings gunk up and bind the carriage.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.