Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers (DeskJet, Envy, and OfficeJet) [Quick Guide]

In this article, we will discuss the meaning of symbols on HP printers (DeskJet, Envy, and OfficeJet)

Note: The guide in this section is for these printer models: HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 3835, 3836, 3838, 4535, 4536, 4538, 4675, 4676, 4678, DeskJet Ink Advantage Ultra 5738, 5739, ENVY 4511, 4512, 4513, 4516, 4520, 4521, 4522, 4523, 4524, 4525, 4526, 4527, 4528, 5540, 5541, 5542e, 5543, 5544, 5545e, 5546, 5547, 5548, OfficeJet 3830, 3831, 3832, 3833, 3834, 3835, 4650, 4652, 4654, 4655, 4656, 4657, and 4658 All-in-One printers.

Meaning of Symbols on the Control Panels of HP DeskJet, Envy, and OfficeJet Printers – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

The following are the meaning of the lights, icons, and buttons on the control panel of HP DeskJet, Envy, and OfficeJet Printers:

1. Power button – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This is the largest button on the control panel with the traditional power on and off icon on it. It is used to turn on or turn off your HP printer.

2. Home button – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This button has a home icon on it. When it is pressed, the display of your control panel will return to the Home screen. When this feature is available, the Home button will light up.

3. Control Panel Display – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

With this touch screen, you can select different printer menu options. To access the menu items, swipe across the control panel display.

4. Wireless Status light – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This light is symbolized as an icon with an active antenna and its job is to display your printer’s wireless connection status.

When the light is solid blue, it means that a wireless connection has been established. On the other hand, if the light is off, it means that your printer’s wireless feature is off.

5. Help button – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This button is represented with a question mark “?” symbol. When you press this button, the Help menu is displayed for the operation the user is currently carrying out. When this feature is available, the Help button will light up.

6. Back button – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This button is represented with a redirected backward arrow. When you press this button, the previous screen will be displayed meaning that you were taken back to the previous screen. When this feature is available, the Back button will light up.   

We recommend that you read this article: What Does This Mean On An HP Printer? [Detailed Guide] to learn more about other things you might not know about your HP printer.

Meaning of Symbols on the Control Panel Display Menus of HP DeskJet, Envy, and OfficeJet Printers – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

The following are the meaning of the symbols and icons of the control panel display menus of HP DeskJet, Envy, and OfficeJet Printers:

1. Copy – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This menu is symbolized as an icon with a duplicate paper sheet in front of another. When you select this option, your printer will open the Copy menu where you can perform copy operations.

2. Scan – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This menu is symbolized as an icon with a paper sheet under a glass (representing the scanner glass). When you select this option, your printer will open the Scan To menu where you can perform scan operations.

3. Fax – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This menu is symbolized as an icon with a telephone in front of a paper sheet. When you select this option, your printer will open the Fax menu where you can perform fax operations.

4. HP Printables – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This menu is symbolized as an icon with two paper sheets carried by a hand. The sheet behind has plain text, while the one in front has an image. With this option, you can quickly access and also print information from the internet such as puzzles, coloring pages, coupons, etc.

5. Quick Forms – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This menu is symbolized with a calendar icon. When you select this option, your printer will open the Quick Forms menu where you can choose a form to print.

6. Setup – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This menu is symbolized with a gear icon. When you select this option, your printer will open the Setup menu where you can make changes to the printer’s preferences and also carry out different maintenance tasks.

7. Help – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This menu is symbolized with a question mark within a globe icon. When you select this option, your printer will open the Help menu where you can check out how-to videos, tips, and feature information.

8. HP ePrint – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This is symbolized as an icon with two perpendicular devices. When you select this option, your printer will open the Web Services Summary menu where you can check the status details of your printer’s ePrint feature, print a Web Services Information page, or change the setting of the ePrint feature.

9. Wireless Direct – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This is symbolized as an icon with multiple devices. When you select this option, your printer will open the Wireless Direct Summary menu where you can turn off or turn on your printer’s wireless direct printing and also display the name as well as the password of the wireless direct feature.

10. Wireless – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This is symbolized as an active antenna icon. When you select this option, your printer will open the Wireless Summary menu where you can check the status of your printer’s wireless feature and also change the settings of the wireless feature.

From this menu, you can also print a wireless test report if you need to troubleshoot a connection issue. The wireless icon is displayed by default when your printer has no network connection.

11. Ink – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This is symbolized as an ink icon. When you select this option, the estimated ink levels of the installed ink cartridges will be displayed. When the ink level is low, a warning symbol will be displayed to call your attention to the low supply.

12. Fax Status – Meaning of Symbols on HP Printers

This is symbolized as a telephone icon. When you select this option, your printer will open the status information where you can access the fax logs, fax sound volume, and auto answer function.