Why is the Power Light Flashing on My HP Printer? [Reasons & Solutions]

If you are asking “Why is the power light flashing on my HP printer?” we advise that you read this article carefully as we provide the reasons why and solutions to this printer problem.

Why is the Power Light Flashing on My HP Printer? [Reasons]

An HP printer power light flashing issue could be due to any of the following errors:

1. The printer’s cover is open.

2. There is no paper in the printer.

3. There is an issue with the cartridge.

4. There is a paper jam error.

5. The printer isn’t picking paper or labels correctly.

The power light on the HP Printer may also blink at steady intervals if a print job is being processed.

Note: When the power light starts blinking, an error message often gets displayed as well. The solution you do should be based on what error message is being displayed.

How to Fix HP Printer Flashing Power Light

Do the following solutions to fix the HP printer flashing power light issue:

Solution 1 – Close the Printer’s Cover

Check to see if the machine’s cover is closed. If it isn’t, close it. if it is, open it and ensure you close it properly as the error may be because the cover wasn’t properly closed.

Solution 2 – Load the Printer’s Paper Tray

Load the paper tray if the tray is empty. To do this properly, click on this link: HP Printer Flashing – How to Load HP Printer Paper Tray, and follow the instructions under the “How to Load HP Printer Paper Tray” section.

Solution 3 – Fix the Paper Jam Error

Do the following fixes if your HP printer power button keeps flashing and is accompanied by a “Paper Jam” error:

1.  Manually Remove the Jam

To manually remove the jam, click on this link: HP Printer Flashing E Error Codes – Remove the Jam Manually, and then follow the steps in the “Remove the Jam Manually” section.

2. Clean the Printer’s Paper Rollers

How to Clean HP Printer Paper Rollers

Do the steps below to clean your HP printer paper rollers:

Step 1: Remove the machine’s power cable from the machine.

Step 2: Remove the access door at the back. Simply press the tab by the side of the door and pull it out.

Step 3: Get a lint-free piece of cloth and dampen it with distilled or bottled water. Squeeze the cloth to remove excess water from it.

Step 4: Place the dampened cloth on the rollers and press it. Use your fingers to roll the rollers. You can apply more pressure (don’t use too much pressure) to clean off dirt or dust buildup.

Step 5: Wait for some minutes (between 10-15 minutes) so the rollers can get dry.

Step 6: Put the access door back in its place.

Step 7: Plug the power cable back into the printer and turn it back on if it doesn’t come on automatically.

Print a document to see if the issue has been resolved. If it hasn’t, do the next solution.

3. Do a Power Reset

How to do a Power Reset on an HP Printer

Do the following steps to power reset your HP printer:

Step 1: Ensure the printer is on, and then disconnect its power cord from the back of the machine.

Step 2: Let the printer stay in this state for about 15 seconds.

Step 3: Press the power key and hold on to it for some seconds.

Step 4: Reconnect your power cord back to the printer. Ensure the cord is connected directly to a power outlet and not to a surge or extension socket.

Step 5: The printer should come on automatically. But if it doesn’t, turn it on by yourself.

If you do all of the above but the problem persists, then you need to service the product; Contact HP Support for more assistance.

The printer power cord cable below is compatible with HP OfficeJet Pro 4630, 3830, 8600, 4655, 6600, 6978, 6968, 8610, 8620, 8625, 8630, 8710, 8720, 5740, 5745, 5255, 200, 250, 3930, 4632, 4635, 4650, 4652, 6100, 6600, 6700, 9658, and 6830.

Solution 4 – Check the Print Cartridge

You may get any of the following error messages while your power button is flashing if the print cartridge is the cause of the error:

1. Incorrect Print Cartridge

2. Incompatible Print Cartridge

3. Printer in backup mode.

Note: Ensure the print cartridge is compatible with your printer before you do the following solutions. If it isn’t, simply get a genuine HP print cartridge and replace the incompatible one.

If it is compatible, do the following solutions:

1. Determine the Faulty Cartridge

Do the steps below to determine which print cartridge has the fault:

Step 1: Open the print cartridge access door.

Step 2: Remove one cartridge.

Step 3: Close the access door and check if the error message is still being displayed.

Step 4: If the error message is displayed, then the cartridge you removed isn’t the faulty cartridge. Put the cartridge back, remove another cartridge and see if the message is displayed or not. Do these steps until you find your problem cartridge.

Step 5: Once the error message is no longer displayed after you remove a particular cartridge, then you have found your problem cartridge.

Step 6: Now that you have your problem cartridge, you have to inspect it for the problem.

Step 7: Check the cartridge for a tape, if found, remove it. Make sure you don’t take off the strip on top of the cartridge (the strip is often copper-colored­).

Step 8: Put the cartridge back in its spot. Ensure you properly insert it and hear it snap in place.

Step 9: Close the cartridge door and then check to see if the problem has been resolved. If it hasn’t, do the next solution.

If your printer is experiencing any other flashing problem, read this: HP Printer Flashing [Issues & Solutions] to learn how to resolve the problem.

2. Clean Your Problem Cartridge

If the steps above did not resolve the HP printer flashing power button error caused by a faulty cartridge, then you have to clean the faulty cartridge.

How to Clean an HP Printer Cartridge

Do the steps below to clean your HP printer cartridge:

Step 1: You need the following things to do the cleaning:

1. Distilled water. You can use filtered or bottled water if distilled water isn’t available. Avoid using tap water as it may have some contaminants that can potentially damage your cartridge.

2. Cotton swaps. Soft clothes that won’t stick to your cartridge can also be used. Just make sure the cloth is lint-free.

3. Paper towel or paper to place the cartridge on while you clean it.

Step 2: Open your printer’s cover and wait for the carriage to get silent and idle.

Step 3: Remove the power cable from the printer.

Step 4: Take out the cartridge you want to clean and put it on your paper towel or paper. Ensure the cartridge’s nozzle plate is facing upward.

Note:  You need to be as quick as possible with the cleaning since the cartridge shouldn’t be outside the printer for longer than thirty minutes. Leaving it outside the printer for too long will cause the ink to dry up and possibly clog the cartridge’s nozzles.

Step 5: Dip the cotton swab in your clean water then squeeze the swab to remove the extra water. You want the swab to be slightly damp and not wet.

Step 6: Use the slightly damp swab to clean the contacts on the cartridge. Ensure you don’t touch the nozzles as you do this.

Step 7: Take another cotton swab and dampen it. Do not forget to squeeze out the excess moisture again.

Step 8: Clean the contacts inside the printer with a damp swab.

Step 9: You can either let the printer sit for some minutes (maybe 10 to 15 minutes) so the place you cleaned can get dry. Or you may use a dry cotton swab to dry the area.

Step 10: Put the cleaned cartridge back into the printer. Ensure it snaps into place.

Step 11: Plug the power cable back into the printer and close its cover.

Step 12: Check to see if the printer error has been resolved. If it hasn’t, then clean the cartridge again following the above steps. If the error persists after the second cleaning, then move to the next solution.

3. Replace the Cartridge

To do this, click this link: Why Is My HP Printer Flashing Orange Light – How to Replace HP Printer Ink Cartridge, and then follow the steps in the “How to Replace HP Printer Ink Cartridge” section.

If the problem persists after all these solutions have been done, then your printer needs to be serviced. In which case, contact a technician or HP Support for further assistance.

Solution 5 – Change the Printer’s Print Mode Setting

If your HP printer power button is blinking and the printer isn’t picking paper or labels correctly, then you have to change its print mode setting.

How to Change HP Printer Print Mode Setting

Do the following to change your HP printer print mode setting:

Step 1: From the document you tried to print before the error occurred, click on “File” then “Print”.

Step 2: From the dialog box that comes up, select “Properties” then “Options”, “Printer Setup”, “Printer”. For some programs, you may simply need to click on “Preferences”.

Step 3: Select the “Paper/Quality” or “Features” tab. Again, this may vary based on your software program.

Step 4: Choose the size that is the same as the size of the paper in the printer paper tray.

Step 5: Also choose the paper type that is the same as the paper type in the printer paper tray.

Step 6: Click on “OK”, click on “OK” again. The document should print now.

However, if it doesn’t and the error remains unresolved, then you can use another label’s brand. If the problem persists afterward, then you can either have the printer replaced or serviced depending on which would be a better option for you.