Direct answer
For the HP Smart Tank 7602, internal quality output separates hardware/supply from app, driver and color profile. First, print the built-in quality/nozzle/diagnostic page.
What this covers
- HP Smart Tank 7602 (28B98A)
- HP printer; Instant Ink eligibility, touchscreen, duplex, ADF and Dynamic Security behavior vary by model.
- The specific fault this record addresses: prints faded, streaked, banded or with missing colors
What it does not cover
- ×The same symptom on a different HP product line, which has its own record and its own cited source
- ×An on-screen error code whose meaning has not been checked against this exact model's manual
- ×Live electrical, gas, sealed-system, internal battery-cell or structural repair — a technician boundary, not a self-service step
Differential
What actually causes this, and how to tell them apart
These are ordered by how often each one is the answer, not by how easy it is to try. The point of the middle column is that two causes producing the same headline symptom rarely produce the same detail — that detail is what tells you which one you have before you change anything.
- 1
Printhead nozzles are partially blocked
What separates it Bands or gaps in the output, usually worse in one colour, on a printer that has sat unused for weeks.
How to confirm Print the built-in nozzle check pattern. It shows exactly which colours and which nozzle groups are missing, and it turns a vague complaint into a specific one in one page.
- 2
The printer has been idle too long
What separates it Poor output after weeks unused, improving after a few cleaning cycles and pages.
How to confirm Ink dries in the nozzles when idle. Printing a page in colour every week or two prevents this and is far more effective than repeated cleaning after the fact.
- 3
Repeated cleaning cycles are consuming ink without helping
What separates it Several cleanings run with little improvement.
How to confirm Each cleaning uses a significant amount of ink. If two or three do not improve the nozzle check, more will not — the head needs a longer soak, a deep clean, or replacement.
- 4
The paper is damp or unsuitable
What separates it Patchy output across everything, worse in humid conditions or with paper stored in a garage or basement.
How to confirm Try a fresh ream. Damp paper affects both technologies and is easy to overlook.
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
Every item below stops existing the moment a reset, re-pair or settings change is made. Written down first, they are what separates the causes above; recovered afterwards, they are guesswork.
- A nozzle check page on an inkjet, or a print-quality page on a laser — these identify the affected component directly rather than by guesswork.
- Whether marks repeat at a consistent interval down the page, and the measured distance between them.
- Whether one colour is affected or all of them.
- How long the printer sat unused before the problem appeared.
Print the built-in nozzle check pattern
ReversibleIt shows exactly which colours and nozzle groups are missing, turning a vague complaint into a specific one on a single page.
Run one cleaning cycle, then re-check — and stop after two or three
ReversibleEach cleaning consumes a significant amount of ink, and if three have not helped, more will not.
Try a fresh ream of paper stored somewhere dry
ReversibleDamp paper causes patchy output on both technologies and is easy to overlook.
Print something in colour every week or two from now on
ReversibleRegular use is far more effective at preventing nozzle blockage than cleaning is at curing it.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
Generic advice for the product line fails here. Each item below is a property of this specific model family that changes which of the steps above apply to you.
- Model scope
- 28B98A. HP printer; Instant Ink eligibility, touchscreen, duplex, ADF and Dynamic Security behavior vary by model.
- Type — refillable INK TANK all-in-one
- A cartridge-free INK TANK inkjet AIO — you refill large ink BOTTLES into onboard tanks for a very low cost per page and thousands of pages per set. It is still inkjet, so the printhead can CLOG if unused; the savings come from bottle refills, not from being clog-proof.
- Initial charging & refills
- On first setup it 'charges' the printhead using a chunk of the starter ink (normal, not waste). Refill each colour bottle into the matching tank when low; do not run tanks fully dry, which can introduce air and cause clogs.
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi/Ethernet/USB via HP Smart; 'offline' is usually a Wi-Fi drop or wrong queue.
- Symptom boundary
- This record covers HP Smart Tank 7602 when it prints faded, streaked, banded or with missing colors. A different symptom on the same hardware, or this symptom on a different HP product line, has its own record with its own causes and its own cited source.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
Continuing past any one of these costs more than the repair saves — in safety, in warranty, or in evidence a technician needs.
- !Stop for toner spilling inside the printer, and do not use a household vacuum on toner — the particles pass straight through most filters.
- !Do not run repeated deep cleaning cycles on an inkjet; they consume large amounts of ink and can fill the waste-ink pad prematurely.
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Visible sources support the visible claims. Home Product Support records the publisher, the fact used and the review date; community reports can suggest an issue but do not become a published fact on their own.
Where the manufacturer's article stops. HP Support publishes this as "Computer and printer support". Official HP serial/model lookup, drivers, diagnostics, manuals and repair support. What that article does not carry is the model boundary — it is written for a product line, and 28B98A is the scope applied here. Where a control label, terminal, indicator pattern or reset sequence differs on your unit, the manual for that exact model is the authority, not this page and not the article.
Exact questions
Common follow-ups
My HP Smart Tank 7602 prints faded even though the tanks have ink.+
Ink tanks are still inkjet, so a faded or streaked print with full tanks is a printhead clog — run the clean-printhead/nozzle-check cycle (repeat if needed) from the HP Smart app. Also make sure the tanks were not run completely dry (which lets air into the lines) and that the vent caps/seals are set correctly per the setup. If a colour is still missing after cleaning, the printhead may need a deeper clean. The tank system saves money on refills but does not make it clog-proof.
My prints have horizontal bands and gaps.+
Print the nozzle check pattern from the printer's own menu — it shows precisely which colours and nozzle groups are firing and which are not, which turns this into a specific diagnosis on one page. Then run a cleaning cycle and re-check. Stop after two or three: each cleaning uses a significant amount of ink, and if three have not helped, more will not.
My printer prints badly whenever I haven't used it for a while.+
That is inherent to inkjet printing — liquid ink dries in microscopic nozzles when it sits still. Printing something in colour every week or two prevents it entirely and is far more effective, and far cheaper in ink, than running cleaning cycles after it has already happened.
Does this answer apply to every HP model?+
No. It is scoped to 28B98A. HP printer; Instant Ink eligibility, touchscreen, duplex, ADF and Dynamic Security behavior vary by model.
What should I record before troubleshooting faded or streaks or banding?+
Record the complete model identifier, exact message or indicator, software/firmware where visible, the operating stage and what still works.
Why is a factory reset not the first step?+
A reset can erase accounts, networks, maps, schedules or preferences without distinguishing faded, streaks, banding. The ordered checks preserve that evidence.
When should I stop and use qualified service?+
Stop for toner/ink leakage, hot fuser, smoke or damaged cartridges.
Answer for the exact device and software version shown above.