Further to numerous messages about HP and the (un)reliability of its printers/customer support etc. I would like to share my experience at the hands of HP.
I purchased an H-P 2210 All-in-One printer in August 2003. I was very happy with it (although the lights of the control panel have an annoying tendency to flash on and off continuously).
However in March this year,after only 8 months of light home use, all-of-a-sudden all my colour prints started printing with a blue tint. At first I and HP tech support put this down to a software calibration issue or faulty cartridge. Several new replacement cartridges later, cleaning print heads, downloading Print Centre repair tool, new driver etc, eliminated every possible fault leaving the insecapable conclusion that it was a printer-side hardware issue.
This was confirmed by the stand-alone self test sheets which revealed an absence of yellow from the colour charts.
HP agreed to send me a replacement (re-furb). This unit arrived and when tested straight out of the box (unconnected to my pc) showed the identical fault in the self-test - an absence of yellow.
Another refurb was dispatched and - you guessed it - same fault!! By now i was beginning to think that this was either a major freak co-incidence or a major design/manufacturing fault.
But either way, it did immeadiately highlight one serious issue with HP: their failure to conduct the most basic tests on their refurb replacement units before they leave the workshop - contrary to HP's assertions.
A cursory Google search for "HP printer wont print yellow" reveals this to be a common problem going back at least as far as 2000, and affecting printers across the entire HP inkjet range.
When I brought this to the attention of HP they seemed less than concerned and indeed dismissive saying that it was an "acceptable failure rate". I informed HP that it was unacceptable that they should treat their customers with such disdain, leaving me without a working printer for 5 months. HP made it clear that they would continue to send me a refurb (not new) unit in the vague hope that one of them might work.
It was only after I telephoned the Managing Director's office directly telling them that I would go to the trade press with the information about the faults with their printers that I finally got a response from HP asking me what outcome i was looking for!
Eventually I got my money back from the retailer. I will never buy another HP printer knowing what I know now about their unreliability and the obstructive support staff. I advise anyone else thinking of buying an HP printer of any description to think very carefully indeed.

Had this same thing on two different printers that have been in use at least 3 years. Both happened around same time.
Vacuum the cartridges - Yes it works See below link:
http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/printer/new/18284.html

A very similar happening occured as ARCADIAN had,but this was with my hp 8200 scanner,that was sent back 3 times and every time I had to speak with someone from India.The fourth scanner was ok.Every hp printer I had lasted about 3yrs and it had a minor repair done.The only reason why I use hp printers is because I need a front loading one.

It's a great shame you have had problems with HP Arcadian. This I find quite strange, particularly your belief of HP printer unreliability. The reality is quite the opposite, they are renowned for their quality and reliability. The only downside is expensive cartridges, but you can use remanufactured (I always buy from InkCycle-just as good, but much less cost)
I have 2 HP printers: Deskjet 990cxi (had 3 years), and PhotoSmart 8150 (new).
I recently had a software problem (toolbox) with 990 CXi (not printer itself, after 3 years of heavy use, still perfect!). The problem related to recent SP2 Windows upgrade (there have been many such problems with SP2 with Windows 16 bit/DOS etc). I sent e-mail to HP customer Support (bearing in mind printer 3 years old). I had a response in NINE MINUTES!!!! with a fix (lengthy procedure) which worked. I sent back a thank you e-mail, and got a response back again in minutes inviting me to contact them again if I have any outstanding issues or in future should I need.
Again, sorry for your experience, but I wouldn't buy anything other than HP. A bit like why all professional cleaners use Henry vacs, 99% of offices use HP printers..............draw your own conclusions!

I have been trying to resolve issues with my all-in-one HP 6110 printer/fax/scanner/copier since I purchased it in February of 2004. My previous printer was also an HP and lasted for 15 years and was wonderful. This printer is a nightmare. It won't allow me to have my answering machine on at the same time as the fax. I had a computer tech come out and try to fix it but he couldn't get it to work either. The printer cartridges run out constantly. I am spending a fortune on printer ink. This will be the last HP product I purchase. And support help is a joke. They rarely understand the problem. In addition, since it is out of warranty, they want to charge me $75 for an extended warranty. No thank you.

I have always valued HP printers and recently bought my third one - Photosmart 3210. It continually gave error messages. I spent about 2 hours on three phone calls to the 'help' centre (at 8p per minute). Eventually they decided it was faulty and sent a replacement. It arrived today. I began installation, but before I had even inserted the cartridges it came up with 'Incorrect Ink Cartridges'!!! The message won't go away so I can't continue installation. I am returning it to the shop tomorrow for a refund. I wish I had read this site before I bought it!!

I also will NEVER again buy another HP printer.
At this very moment my HP Photosmart (not very smart) 8150
keeps on trying to reprint the last printed document over and over even though there is nothing in the printer queue.
For "normal" printing I have to adopt the following sequence of operations :

Print (e.g. 1 page of single-page document)
Right-click on printer icon in toolbar
Click on "Open all active printers and faxes"
Right-click on document in queue (usually page 4 of 2, 6 of 1..)
Click on "Cancel all documents"
Answer YES to confirm.

If I don´t perform these steps I WILL get 4 of 2 printed and it won´t happen all at once - it will wait for a few mins. until it thinks I´m not looking and then print some more !!!

Sometimes the printer won´t power-up. This can be fixed by simply removing the back cover and replacing it.

To me HP means CRAP.

I have an HP1220C which I bought because it was a resonably priced A3 inkjet printer at the time. However I wish I hadn't gone down that route - it's paper handling is appauling. To HP "accurate" paper handling seems to include a margin of error or over 1 cm. Its a real nightmare trying to print labels etc. Then the USB controller failed on it, so you need to connect to parallell port to print. I gave up, and its currently sitting in my office gathering dust.

Really disappointed with HP :(

On the other hand, my Kyocera FS-680 printer which is nearly 5 years old still prints flawlessly! I recommend Kyocera (although it is a laser, not an inkjet and fairly expensive compared to inkjets)