Can you keep using it?
Can you keep using it?
Contact customer support if any of these apply
- !E5 returns after a clean restart and reset attempt.
- !The printer cannot reach a ready state for either print or scan tasks.
What to check first
Step-by-step checks
- 1
Safe first step
Reset the printer using HP's standard restart path.
Start with the official recovery step before moving on to parts or deeper servicing.
- 2
Safe first step
Try one small print or scan task only after the printer returns ready.
- 3
Safe first step
Stop repeated retries if the same code returns immediately.
Background
What this message usually means
HP uses E5 on the ENVY 6000 and 6400 family for a broader error state that can involve the scanner or printer. HP's official guidance centers on resetting the printer first before assuming a deeper hardware failure.
Before the message
What users usually notice first
Messages like this often appear after the printer fails one of its normal startup, supply, or paper-path checks and cannot return to ready state cleanly.
Diagnosis
Likely causes
The printer entered a general error state during startup or use.
The scanner or print system did not initialize cleanly.
A temporary control fault interrupted normal operation.
Service
When service or replacement is more likely
- -E5 is broader than a simple cartridge or paper-state error.
Avoid wrong turns
Common misreads of this message
- -Treating the message like a confirmed failed part instead of a support clue about which system has stopped the printer.
- -Assuming any supply-related wording means the next step is automatically to buy a cartridge, toner, drum, or printhead.
- -Assuming no physical path issue exists just because no full sheet is visible at first glance.
See also
Related codes in this family
Explore more
More HP printer families
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Color LaserJet Pro 4201dn, Color LaserJet Pro 4202dw, Color LaserJet Pro 4203dn, and more.
OfficeJet Pro 9010 / 9020 series
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Read this next
Helpful guides for this problem
Guide
When a printer says paper jam but there isn't one
What a false paper-jam warning usually points to, from hidden scraps and tray issues to faults that are no longer simple jams.
Guide
How to tell if a printer fault is a cartridge issue or a service issue
How to separate ordinary cartridge or toner trouble from the kind of printer fault that usually points to real service.
Guide
How to find the right printer model family before using error codes
How to match the right printer family or series before trusting an error page that might only be a near match.
Boundary
When to stop troubleshooting and move to support
Use the message once to classify the problem, then move to support if the printer still cannot return to ready after the first safe checks.
Keep browsing
Where to go next
Source notes
HP's ENVY 6000/6400 blinking-lights guide routes E5 through a reset-first troubleshooting path for a broader printer or scanner error state.
Built around official HP ENVY 6000 and 6400 family support guidance. Exact on-screen wording can vary a little by regional model and HP Smart setup flow, but the core error meanings stay close across the family.
Printer error codes can vary a little by firmware, region, and exact model variant. Use this guide as a family-level starting point and stop if the next step would require disassembly or service-mode changes.
Known family variants: ENVY 6000, ENVY 6000e, ENVY Pro 6400, ENVY 6400e, 6010e, 6020e, 6022e, 6030e, 6032e, 6034e, 6052e, 6055e, 6075e, 6420e, 6430e, 6432e, 6452e, 6455e, 6458e, 6475e
Last reviewed: 2026-04-12
Reference: Open reference