HP LaserJet Pro 4001dn Not Working, Tray Problems, Password Failures, Sleep Issues, and Startup Faults

HP LaserJet Pro 4001dn Not Working, Tray Problems, Password Failures, Sleep Issues, and Startup Faults

The HP LaserJet Pro 4001dn tends to fail in ways that leave the printer looking only partly broken. A unit can still print while the display never gets past the HP logo. A network admin can still reach the printer by IP while the same password fails through the normal hostname path. Tray 2 can work for standard paper but refuse a smaller stock size that users expect it to handle like any other media source. 

There are also cases where the printer keeps going into sleep and does not wake back up even after power-saving settings have already been relaxed. These are the kinds of failures that make the 4001dn harder to troubleshoot than a simple “not printing” case.

Problem: HP LaserJet Pro 4001dn Not printing postcards from tray 2

What users observed: Users could print normally in general, but the 4001dn would not print postcard-sized media from Tray 2. The job would work differently through Tray 1, which made the issue look like a strange software mismatch at first rather than a paper-path limitation.

What was tried: The printer was addressed directly with tray and media commands, and the tray source was changed deliberately rather than left on automatic selection. That did not make Tray 2 accept the stock.

How this played out: The issue stayed tied to Tray 2 itself. The realistic explanation was that the size or paper type was not supported there, while Tray 1 handled a wider range of media because it used a simpler path with fewer bends. This meant the failure was not a missing driver feature. It was a tray-specific media limitation.

Problem: The printer made a harsh noise on startup or printing

What users observed: A new 4001dn arrived making a harsh noise when powered on. The sound was bad enough that the toner cartridge was suspected immediately. In a separate but similar class of laser problems, loud cartridge-area noises have also been associated with low or defective toner states.

What was tried: A known-good cartridge from another 4001dn was installed in the noisy unit to see whether the noise followed the printer or the consumable.

How this played out: Once the other cartridge was fitted, the printer sounded normal and printed correctly. The machine itself was not the problem. The startup noise was tied to the original toner cartridge.

Problem: The admin password worked by IP address but failed when the Embedded Web Server was opened by hostname

What users observed: On newer 4001dn units, administrators found that the password they used for the printer’s web interface would not work when the printer was accessed through its FQDN or hostname, even though the same password worked when the exact IP address was used instead.

What was tried: The same credentials were entered repeatedly, which ruled out a simple mistyped password. The difference was not the account. The difference was the path used to reach the printer.

How this played out: The practical workaround was to access the printer directly by IP instead of by hostname when admin authentication had to succeed. The password issue was not behaving like a total lockout. It was tied to how the web interface was being reached.

Problem: A firmware update left the admin password unusable even after reset attempts

What users observed: One new 4001dn had its security settings changed successfully, including the admin password, and then became inaccessible after a firmware update. The password that had worked before the update no longer worked afterward. Factory defaults, a cold reset, and another factory reset did not restore normal access.

What was tried: The user went through multiple reset attempts instead of assuming the password had simply been forgotten. The initial PIN was still known, so the issue was not just a lost credential.

How this played out: The case did not end with a normal reset-based recovery. The important detail is that the firmware change was the point after which admin access stopped behaving normally, and ordinary reset steps were not enough to reverse it.

Problem: The printer will not wake up from sleep

What users observed: Organizations with more than one 4001dn reported that the printers would not wake up from sleep mode reliably. In the reported case, the sleep timer was already pushed to its maximum, power-saving mode was set to “never,” and the option to disable power saving had already been checked. The problem still remained.

What was tried: Administrators did not stop at the default settings. The printers were already configured to reduce the chance of sleep-related unavailability before the issue was raised.

How this played out: The problem did not behave like a simple settings oversight. The printers were still dropping into a state where wake behavior was unreliable even after those changes, which made this a deeper device-state issue rather than a quick menu fix.

Problem: Printer only shows logo and won’t initiate boot

What users observed: One 4001dn displayed only the HP logo during boot and never showed normal menus. Both the power and warning lights flashed, and the printer would sometimes still print, but it also stopped unexpectedly. A second user with the same issue reported that the unit became unusable, and that opening and closing the toner door several times only made it print a page filled with squares.

What was tried: A hard reset was performed, the toner was changed, and the cables were replaced. Those steps did not clear the startup/display problem.

How this played out: The issue did not clear through the normal consumable and reset path. In the follow-up case, the printer was considered effectively unusable and suspicion shifted to a board-level fault rather than to a normal setup or toner issue.

Problem: Tray 2 jams and load failures 

What users observed: Tray 2 jam states on the 4001dn present as a recurring paper-path fault rather than a one-off bad sheet. The control panel can display a 13.03 Tray 2 jam, and the printer treats the issue as a full tray-path event, not just a minor feed hesitation.

What was tried: The working direction was not just to pull one visible sheet and continue. Tray 2 had to be removed, the paper stack checked again, damaged paper discarded, and the tray reloaded correctly. Preventing the same problem also depended on the guides being set to the right size and the tray not being overfilled.

How this played out: The issue was tied to tray loading and the Tray 2 paper path itself. When the tray was overloaded or the guides were wrong, the jam returned. Once the stack was corrected and the tray path was cleared properly, the problem stopped behaving like a random printer fault.