Tech News Today
  • Hardware
    • Motherboards
    • CPUs
    • Graphic Cards
    • RAM
    • SSDs
    • Computer Cases
    • Monitors
    • Peripherals
    • Power Supply Unit
    • PC Builds
    • Computer Tips
  • Software
  • Operating System
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
  • Gaming
  • Mobile
  • Console
  • More
    • Internet
    • Networking
    • Security
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Gadgets
    • Laptops
    • Reviews
    • How To
    • News
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Tech News Today
  • Hardware
    • Motherboards
    • CPUs
    • Graphic Cards
    • RAM
    • SSDs
    • Computer Cases
    • Monitors
    • Peripherals
    • Power Supply Unit
    • PC Builds
    • Computer Tips
  • Software
  • Operating System
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
  • Gaming
  • Mobile
  • Console
  • More
    • Internet
    • Networking
    • Security
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Gadgets
    • Laptops
    • Reviews
    • How To
    • News
Tech News Today
Home»Hardware»Printer»How to Fix HP Printer Yellow Light

How to Fix HP Printer Yellow Light

Deependra PangeniBy Deependra PangeniMarch 12, 2023
hp-printer-yellow-light

HP printers come equipped with two yellow light indicators—one on the Resume button and the other on the Printhead alert icon. Such indicators are found mostly on HP Deskjet, Smart Tank, and Envy series printers.

When the printhead alert icon glows yellow, the issue mainly lies on the cartridge side. It indicates a low ink level on the cartridge or that it’s time to clean the printheads. If the Resume button indicator glows yellow, it means an empty paper tray, paper size mismatch, or paper jams on your printer.

Here, I have compiled methods to fix the yellow lights on your printer.

Table of Contents

  • Fixing Yellow Light on the Printhead Alert Icon
    • Check the Ink Levels
    • Clean the Printheads
  • Fixing Yellow Light on the Resume Button
    • Check the Printer’s Status
    • Insert the Papers Correctly
    • Troubleshoot the E2 Error
    • Soft Reset the Printer
    • Clear the Paper Jams

Fixing Yellow Light on the Printhead Alert Icon

yellow-light-on-printhead-indicator

If the printhead alert indicator is glowing yellow, it indicates there is a problem with the ink cartridge of your HP printer. It can either be issues with the ink levels or the printhead of your printer.

Check the Ink Levels

Trying to print a document without sufficient ink levels can lead to a yellow light blinking error. So, you should always check if there is enough ink on the printer and refill the ink if the levels are too low.

  1. Open HP Smart on your computer.
    launch-hp-smart-on-pc
  2. See the ink levels in the Estimated supply levels section.
    ink-levels-on-hp-smart-on-pc-1
Note: You can also consult this detailed guide on how to check the ink levels on your HP printer.

Clean the Printheads

Similarly, the yellow light indicates the printhead is clogged and it’s time to clean it. The printer can not spray ink onto the paper if the printhead is clogged with dirt and residue. You can try running the printhead cleaning cycle using the HP Smart app.

  1. Install the HP Smart app on your PC and open it.
    launch-hp-smart-on-pc
  2. Click Printer Settings.
    printer-settings-tab-on-hp-smart-1
  3. Select Print Quality Tools.
    print-quality-tools-on-hp-smart-1
  4. Choose Clean Printheads.
    clean-printhead-on-hp-printer-1
  5. Wait for a few minutes to complete the cleaning process. You will get a Print Quality Diagnostic page after the process is complete.
    print-quality-diagnostic-report-of-hp-printer-1
  6. You may run the next cleaning cycle if the cleaning does not seem to produce good results.
Note: You can also refer to this detailed guide on how to clean the printhead of your HP printer. Further, if you recently installed the cartridge and encountered the yellow light issue, you can try removing and replacing the cartridge.

Fixing Yellow Light on the Resume Button

yellow-light-on-resume-button-of-printer

There might be multiple cases if the yellow light is glowing on the Resume button. You can go through each of the fixes discussed below to sort out the problem.

Check the Printer’s Status

You can first check the status of your printer using the HP Smart app and find the cause behind the yellow light.

  1. Download and install HP Smart from the Microsoft store.
  2. Then, launch it.
    launch-hp-smart-on-pc
  3. You will see the status of your printer on the home screen.
  4. It should be on the Ready status to start printing. If you see any errors here, seek the fixes accordingly.
    ready-status-of-printer-in-hp-smart

Insert the Papers Correctly

A yellow light on the Resume button also comes with an error message on the display panel. Generally, you will see an exclamation mark and a paper symbol inside zero when the yellow light keeps glowing constantly. It means the paper tray is empty, or the paper detection sensor has failed to detect the papers.

exclamation-and-paper-sign-inside-zero

You can try removing and reinserting the papers in the tray. Make sure you insert the HP printer-compatible papers, and there are no any twists and turns while inserting them. For further details,, refer to our detailed guide on properly putting paper in an HP printer.

inserting-paper-in-paper-tray

Troubleshoot the E2 Error

You may also see an E2 error message along with the yellow light. This error message pops up when the printer has a paper size mismatch error. You can follow these steps to solve the paper size mismatch error.

  1. Right-click the Start button on your computer’s taskbar and click Run.
  2. Type control printers and press OK.
    control-printers-on-run-box
  3. Right-click HP printer and choose Printing preferences.
    printing-preference-on-control-panel-2
  4. Click Paper/Quality tab.
  5. Choose the correct paper size. Then click OK.
    paper-size-on-hp-printer

Soft Reset the Printer

If you encounter yellow light issues despite placing the papers properly in the paper tray, there might be some glitches in the internal memory of your printer, or the paper sensor could have malfunctioned. You may try soft resetting your HP printer in such cases.

  1. Remove the power cable from your printer.
    unplug power cord of printer
  2. Then randomly press buttons on your printer to drain any residual charges.
    press-few-buttons-on-the-printer
  3. Wait for a few minutes.
  4. Re-connect the power cable to the power supply and turn on the printer.
  5. Check if the yellow light is still glowing.

Clear the Paper Jams

If the yellow light on the Resume button is blinking, it means there is either a paper jam in the carriage area of your printer, or the papers have just finished up during the printing process.

First, check if there are sufficient papers in the tray. If not, insert the required number of papers to complete your print job. Then press the Resume button to start printing again.

how-to-put-paper-in-a-printer-hp-1

Next, check for paper jams in the carriage area. The carriage area is the passage between your printer’s input and output tray. You can open the front access door to access the carriage area of your printer and remove any jammed papers from there.

  1. Turn off your printer and remove the power and USB cables.
  2. Open the front door of your printer.
    open-the-front-door-of-printer
  3. Open the cartridge door.
    open-the-cartridge-access-door
  4. See if there are any torn pieces of papers or stuck papers in the carriage area and remove them.
    remove-stuck-papers-from-carriage-section
  5. You may gently move the carriage to see if it can move freely.
    slide-the-carriage
  6. Close both the doors—cartridge access door and front door.
    close-the-cartridge-door
  7. Replug the power and USB cables and turn on the printer.
  8. See if you still face the problem.
Note: When there is a paper jam on the carriage area, you will also see an E4 error message on the display panel. You can consult this detailed guide on how to clear the paper jams and solve the E4 error message on your HP printer.
fix
Deependra Pangeni
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Meet Deependra Pangeni, A professional Computer Engineer who has been writing about technology for many years. He is also involved in different robotic projects and loves tinkering with circuit boards. He is always researching new ways to improve the website's user experience and make it easy for people to find the information they need. At TechNewsToday he mainly deals with how-to and fixes contents for a range of TV and TV products like remotes, cables and streaming devices. Along with the TV, he also specializes in hardware and software troubleshooting for printers and Windows. Deependra's passion for simplifying complex technical information for non-technical audiences is evident in his work and he is dedicated to producing high-quality content that is easy to understand. When he is not working, he enjoys gathering with his friends, partying and traveling. He is also an active member of the technical community groups and regularly participates in tech meetups. You can contact him at deepen@technewstoday.com

Related Posts

how-to-clean-hp-printhead

How to Clean HP Printhead

March 10, 2023
enlarge-hp-printer

How to Enlarge Copy on HP Printer

March 10, 2023
resume-on-hp-printer

How to Resume Printing on HP Printer

March 10, 2023
printer-is-printing-slow

Printer is Printing Slow? Here’re 11 Proven Ways to Fix It

March 8, 2023
e4-error-hp-printer

How to Fix E4 Error on HP Printer

March 5, 2023
how-to-clean-hp-printer-rollers

How to Clean HP Printer Rollers

March 3, 2023
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Latest Posts
Shared GPU Memory

What is Shared GPU Memory? How is It Different From Dedicated VRAM?

March 12, 2023
c drive vs d drive

C Drive Vs D Drive – What’s the Difference?

March 12, 2023
firmware vs software

Firmware Vs Software – What’s the Difference?

March 8, 2023
You may also like
hp-printer-yellow-light

How to Fix HP Printer Yellow Light

March 12, 2023
asus-monitor-hdmi-no-signal

ASUS Monitor HDMI No Signal? Here’re 8 Ways to Fix It

March 12, 2023
How to Screenshot on a Lenovo Laptop 3

4 Ways to Take a Screenshot on Lenovo Laptop

March 10, 2023
Recommended
Cookie Clicker Garden Guide

Cookie Clicker Garden Guide to Unlocking Every Seed

September 26, 2021
monitor no signal

Computer Turns On But Monitor Says No Signal (9 Ways To Fix)

November 10, 2022
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
© 2023 TechNewsToday, editor@technewstoday.com | Tech Central Pvt. Ltd.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.