I know that this is not a "photo quality" printer, but I'm hoping someone here can shed some light on this problem.

I have an HP 1210 all-in-one printer/scanner/photocopier that has performed well for a couple of years. I use it mostly for making photocopies.

Now, it won't pick up paper - the "check paper" light flashes and the thing tries valiantly to grab a sheet of paper. I've looked for a paper jam, and since I'm the only one who uses it, I'd remember a jam occurring.

If it was a washing machine or a vacuum cleaner, I would think that a belt is broken, but I'm not so smart when it comes to printers.

The sad thing is that I bought extra ink cartridges in case the ink ran out before the printer quit working and now I have brand new cartridges that I can't return.

Is there likely to be anything fixable in this printer? should I try to take it apart?

Any ideas?

Thanks, Margaret

hi,
now there could be several possiblities but 2 comes to mind (because i have had similar problems over the years....

note: first of all does it appear, if you can tell the wheels are properly turning.. and either paper tray meeting the roller or the rollers lowers to meet the paper....

1. the rollers, there either a accumularion of lint on them making them too smooth or because of oxidation and age the rollers surfaces are too smooth...
in both cases... some cleaning maybe with alcohol or I used fine grit sand paper to clean the roller surfaces in order to grab the paper better ....... the latter is what hp recommended on my old 550 years ago when i had that problem...

2. another possiblity..... now I don't know how your paper pickup mechanism works.. i don't know if the rollers comes down or like on many hp printers the tray itself meets the roller.... on my old 7120 the tray raises to meets the roller and the device that pushes the try up broke... i could see the turns for the proper duration but the tray wouldn't move... in that case labor expense was too expensive to repair, cheaper to buy a new printer.... hated that because really like that 7120...

I know that this is not a "photo quality" printer, but I'm hoping someone here can shed some light on this problem.

I have an HP 1210 all-in-one printer/scanner/photocopier that has performed well for a couple of years. I use it mostly for making photocopies.

Now, it won't pick up paper - the "check paper" light flashes and the thing tries valiantly to grab a sheet of paper. I've looked for a paper jam, and since I'm the only one who uses it, I'd remember a jam occurring.

If it was a washing machine or a vacuum cleaner, I would think that a belt is broken, but I'm not so smart when it comes to printers.

The sad thing is that I bought extra ink cartridges in case the ink ran out before the printer quit working and now I have brand new cartridges that I can't return.

Is there likely to be anything fixable in this printer? should I try to take it apart?

Any ideas?

Thanks, Margaret

Hi

Listed are two troubleshooting guides for the HP 1210. Both reference "check paper" light. Perhaps one of these will help


http://www.cedarville.edu/help/HP+PSC+1210+and+1315+All%2Din%2Done+Printer+Troubleshooting



http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00309184&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=90764


good luck
Pete

Thanks for the troubleshooting tips - most tips I've been able to find and the ones posted above suggest turning the rollers. Once the printer is unplugged and so on, it says the paper rollers should turn easily - well mine don't turn at all which could account for the paper not advancing.

I wouldn't care, except that for years, I've been advising people not to buy ink for their sub-$50 printers, it's cheaper to buy a new one. Well, I didn't take my own advice and now I've got new cartridges that I can't buy a printer for and for the price of them, I could have had a new printer with ink already in it.

sigh.

Take care, Margaret