A lot of HP users are unable to print documents as the error code E3 pops up every time they try to do the same. In this article, we are going to see what you should do if you are seeing Error Code E3 in HP Printer.
What does E3 mean on a HP printer?
E3 on an HP Printer means that there is a problem with the ink carriage or print head and most probably they are not working. During a print job, the ink cartridge carriage stalls in the printer, and a Carriage Jam or E3 error displays on the printer control panel. This issue is something very common in printers, including HP ones and are easy to resolve.
However, they are not the only reason why you would see the error code in question. It can be because of a temporary glitch as well. This glitch can be hardware or software-related. We are going to talk about all of this in detail in this article. So, without wasting any time, let us hop into it.
Fix HP Printer Error Code E3
If you are experiencing HP Printer Error Code E3 on your Windows 11/10 computer, try the following solutions and see if they work. We would recommend you to go through the troubleshooting guide in the given order.
- Restart your devices
- Check the carriage
- Run Printer Troubleshooter
- Contact HP
Let us talk about them in detail.
1] Restart your devices
As mentioned earlier, the issue can be a temporary glitch. To fix it, we first need to restart both your computer and the printer. First, restart your system. This way, it will stop any services that could cause the issue in question. If that doesn’t work, then restart the printer by following the prescribed steps.
- Disconnect the Printer from the computer.
- Turn off the device.
- Unplug the printer and wait for a minute.
- Replug the printer and connect it to the system.
Now, retry printing something. Hopefully, it will work this time.
2] Check the carriage
More often than not, the issue is caused because of the carriage. There are can be some bits of pieces left that you need to clean in the input as well as the output tray. So, what you should do is follow the prescribed steps to inspect the carriage the right way.
- Unplug the Printer
- Pull the door of the carriage.
- Search and remove any bit of paper, dirt, and some other thing that is stuck there.
- Check the latch of the carriage and make sure that it is not broken and is locked into its place.
- Close the door.
- Replug the printer and turn it on.
Try printing and check if the issue persists.
3] Run Printer Troubleshooter
If clearing the printer carriage doesn’t work then maybe this is a software-related issue and hence should be resolved by deploying Microsoft’s Printer Troubleshooter. Follow the given steps to do the same.
For Windows 11
- Open Settings.
- Go to System.
- Click Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
- Go to Printer and click Run.
For Windows 10
- Open Settings.
- Go to Update & Security.
- Click Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters.
- Click Printer > Run the troubleshooter.
Wait for the process to complete and hopefully, the issue will be resolved.
4] Contact HP
If nothing works, then you should contact HP and ask them to repair your Printer. You need to go to support.hp.com, sign in and raise your query. They will fix the issue for you and won’t even charge anything if the product is in the warranty period, if it is out of warranty, a repair fee will be charged.
Hopefully, these solutions have helped you in resolving the issue.
How do I clear printer error on my computer?
The methods to fix a printer error depend on the type of error it displays. However, there are some common fixes that you can use to clear or fix printer errors on your computer, like running the Printer Troubleshooter, checking the status of Print Spooler Dependencies, reinstalling the printer driver, etc.
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