HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 1 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer To find an answer to a question, select one of the following topics: · Notices · Special features · Getting started · Connecting to the printer · Printing photos · Printing other documents · Printing tips · Printer software · Maintenance · Troubleshooting · Specifications · Supplies 1 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 2 Special features Congratulations! You have purchased an HP Deskjet printer that is equipped with several exciting features: · User friendly: Easy to install and operate. · Borderless printing: Print 4 x 6 inch photos to the edges of the paper by using the borderless printing feature. · Print cancel: Save paper and ink by cancelling print jobs quickly and easily with the onscreen print cancel feature. · Ink level indicator: Know the approximate ink level of each print cartridge with the onscreen ink level indicator. · Ink-backup mode: Use Ink-backup mode to continue printing with one print cartridge when the other print cartridge has run out of ink. 2 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 3 Getting started For an overview of the printer features, see the printer features page. Click the appropriate topic below for a description of a printer feature: · Power button and light · Paper tray · Print cartridges · Ink-backup mode 3.1 Printer features The printer has several features to make printing easier and more efficient. 1. Power button and light 2. Paper tray 3 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 1. Print cartridges 1. USB port 3.2 Power button and light The Power button turns the printer on and off. It can take a few seconds for the printer to turn on after you press the Power button. The light on the Power button flashes when the printer is processing a job. 1. Power button and light 4 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer Caution: Always use the Power button to turn the printer on and off. Using a power strip, a surge protector, or a wall-mounted switch to turn the printer on and off can cause printer failure. 3.3 Paper tray The fold-out paper tray holds paper and other media to be printed. Unfold the paper tray before printing. Unfolding the paper tray Follow these steps to unfold the paper tray: 1. Raise the printer cover. 2. Lower the paper tray. 3. Fold out the tray extension. 4. Lower the printer cover. 5 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer Using the paper tray Print different sizes of media by sliding the paper guide to the right or left. The printer deposits printed pages on the top of the paper tray. Note: The print cartridges must be installed before printing. 3.4 Print cartridges Two print cartridges are available for use with the printer. 1. Tri-color print cartridge 2. Black print cartridge 6 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer Replacing print cartridges When buying print cartridges, look for the print cartridge selection number. You can find the selection number in three places: · Selection number label: Look at the label on the print cartridge that you are replacing. 1. Selection number label · Printer documentation: For a list of print cartridge selection numbers, see the reference guide that came with the printer. · Print Cartridge Ordering Information dialog box: For a list of print cartridge selection numbers, open the printer Toolbox, click the Estimated Ink Level tab, and then click the Print Cartridge Ordering Information button. If a print cartridge runs out of ink, the printer can operate in the ink-backup mode. For information about installing a print cartridge, see the print cartridge installation page. 3.5 Ink-backup mode In the ink-backup mode, the printer operates by using only one print cartridge. The ink-backup mode is initiated when a print cartridge is removed from the print cartridge cradle. For instructions about removing a print cartridge, see the print cartridge installation page. Ink-backup mode output Printing in ink-backup mode slows the printer and affects the quality of printouts. 7 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer Installed print cartridge Result Black print cartridge. Colors are printed as grayscale. Tri-color print cartridge. Colors print but black is grayed and is not a true black. Exiting ink-backup mode Install two print cartridges in the printer to exit the ink-backup mode. For instructions about installing a print cartridge, see the print cartridge installation page. 8 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 4 Connecting to the printer · USB 4.1 USB The printer connects to the computer with a universal serial bus (USB) cable. The computer must be running Windows 98 or later to use a USB cable. For instructions about connecting the printer with a USB cable, see the setup poster that came with the printer. 9 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 5 Printing photos Select the type of photograph that you want to print: Large photo Small photo Borderless photo with a white border with a white border Enhancing your photos Learn how to enhance your photographs by using the printer's photo printing features. 5.1 Enhancing your photos The printer software offers several features to make printing digital photos easier and improve photo quality: · Get the best combination of speed and quality by using PhotoREt. · Use the HP digital photography options to touch up photos. · Achieve the highest resolution with Maximum dpi. · Print an Exif-formatted photo if you have Exif-enabled software. · Use HP Everyday Photo Paper, Semi-gloss to save money and ink when printing photos. Learn how to add professional touches to your digital photographs: · Print black-and-white photos. · Print to the edges of the photo paper with borderless photo printing. To prevent photo paper from curling, follow the photo paper storage guidelines. 5.2 PhotoREt PhotoREt offers the best combination of print speed and quality for your image. Follow these steps to print with PhotoREt technology: 1. Open the Printer Properties dialog box. 2. Click the Printing Shortcuts tab or the Paper/Quality tab. 10 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 3. Click Best in the Print quality drop-down list. 4. Select any other print settings that you want, and then click OK. 5.3 HP digital photography options The printer has several features to enhance the quality of digital photographs. Opening the HP digital photography options dialog box Follow these steps to open the HP digital photography options dialog box: 1. Open the Printer Properties dialog box. 2. Click the Printing Shortcuts tab or the Paper/Quality tab, and then click the HP digital photography button. Using the HP digital photography options dialog box Use the HP digital photography options dialog box to set these options: 1. Red eye removal: Click On to remove or reduce red-eye in the photograph. 2. Contrast enhancement: Adjust the contrast to your preference. Click Automatic to allow the printer driver to automatically balance the contrast. 3. Digital flash: Adjust the exposure in dark areas of photos to bring out detail. Click Automatic to allow the printer driver to automatically balance lightness and darkness. 11 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 4. SmartFocus: Enhance the image quality and clarity. Click On to allow the printer driver to automatically focus the image. 5. Sharpness: Adjust the image sharpness to your preference. Click Automatic to allow the printer driver to automatically set the level of sharpening for the image. 6. Smoothing: Soften an image. Click Automatic to allow the printer driver to automatically set the level of smoothing for the image. 5.4 Maximum dpi The Maximum dpi print quality setting offers 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi printing. The 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi is the highest quality resolution for this printer. When 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi is selected in the printer driver, the tri-color print cartridge prints in the 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi mode (up to 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi color and 1200-input dpi). Follow these steps to print in the 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi mode: 1. Open the Printer Properties dialog box. 2. Click the Printing Shortcuts tab or the Paper/Quality tab. Note: On the Printing Shortcuts tab, select either Photo printing-borderless or Photo printing-with white borders. 3. Find the appropriate drop-down list: Tab Paper/Quality Drop-down list Type is Printing Shortcuts Paper type Note: You do not need to set the print quality on both tabs. 4. Select the appropriate photo paper type from the drop-down list. 5. Click Maximum dpi in the Print quality drop-down list. Note: The Maximum dpi setting temporarily uses a lot of disk space and will print slowly. 6. Select any other print settings that you want, and then click OK. 12 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 5.5 Exif Print Exif Print (Exchangeable Image File Format 2.2) is an international digital imaging standard that simplifies digital photography and enhances printed photographs. When a photograph is taken with an Exif Print-enabled digital camera, Exif Print captures information such as exposure time, type of flash, and color saturation, and stores it in the image file. The HP Deskjet printer software then uses this information to automatically perform image-specific enhancements, to create outstanding photographs. Printing Exif Print-enhanced photos requires the following equipment: · A digital camera that supports Exif Print · Exif Print-enabled photo software Follow these steps to print Exif Print-enhanced photos: 1. Open the file that you want the Exif Print-enabled photo software to print. 2. Open the Printer Properties dialog box. 3. Click the Printing Shortcuts tab or the Paper/Quality tab. Note: On the Printing Shortcuts tab, select either Photo printing-borderless or Photo printing-with white borders. 4. Click Normal or Best in the Print quality drop-down list. 5. Select any other print settings that you want, and then click OK. The printer software automatically optimizes the printed image. 5.6 Printing black-and-white photos You can perform the following tasks with the printer: · Print a black-and-white photo · Print a color photo in black-and-white Printing a black-and-white photo To print a photo that is already black-and-white, simply follow the instructions for the type and size of photo that you want to print. Printing a color photo in black-and-white Follow these steps to print a color photo in black-and-white: 1. Open the Printer Properties dialog box. 2. Click the Color tab. 13 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 3. Click Print in grayscale. 4. Select one of the following options: · High quality: Use this option for photos and other high-quality printouts. · Black print cartridge only: Use this option for fast, economical printing. 5. Select any other print settings that you want, and then click OK. 5.7 Storing and handling photo paper Follow these instructions to maintain the quality of your HP brand photo paper. Storage · Keep unused photo paper in a resealable plastic bag, in the box in which it was originally packaged. Store the packaged photo paper on a flat surface in a cool place. · When you are ready to print, remove only the paper that you plan to use immediately from the plastic bag. When you have finished printing, return any unused photo paper to the plastic bag. · Do not leave unused photo paper in the printer paper tray. The paper might start to curl, which can reduce the quality of your photographs. 14 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer Handling · Always hold photo paper by its edges. Fingerprints on photo paper can reduce print quality. · Verify that the photo paper is not curled. If the photo paper is curled, place the paper in a plastic bag and gently bend it the opposite direction of the curl until the paper lies flat. If the problem persists, use photo paper that is not curled. 5.8 Saving money when printing photos HP Everyday Photo Paper To save money and ink when printing photos, use HP Everyday Photo Paper, Semigloss and set the Print quality to Normal. HP Everyday Photo Paper, Semi-gloss is designed to create quality photos with less ink. Note: For higher-quality photos, use HP Premium Plus Photo paper and set the Print quality to Best or Maximum dpi. 5.9 Large photos with a white border Guidelines · To learn how to use the photo printing features, see the photo enhancing page. · Use HP Everyday Photo Paper, Semi-gloss to save money and ink when printing photos. · Verify that the photo paper that you are using is flat. For information about preventing photo paper from curling, see the photo paper storage instructions. · Do not exceed the paper tray capacity: Up to 15 sheets. Preparing to print 1. Slide the paper guide to the left. 2. Place the paper with the side to be printed on facing down in the tray, and then push it into the printer until it stops. The paper will extend over the edge of the tray. 15 HP Deskjet 3740 series printer 3. Slide the paper guide firmly against the edge of the paper. Printing Note: If your s ...