HP 5550 Excess Black Ink Issue

Hi,
I have an imac G5 running OSX 10.4 and an HP deskjet 5550 printer connected via USB that has started to basically put too much black ink on the page after changing cartridges so prints now smudge really badly. I thought the new cartridge was faulty so I changed it for another one but the same thing still happens. I think it might be a printer set up or driver issue as I have played with all the settings and it just about works if I choose draft print quality. The colours print fine as does printing when using a photo colour cartridge in place of the black ink one. I did a print recently on best quality so I was wondering if it was related to that? Also what driver or settings should I be using? Thanks for any ideas or advice as I'm fairly new to macs.

The brackets on the ink levels page are actually printed with a combination of color inks, they will print in what looks black even if black is not working. I would suggest the troubleshooting steps in this document. Be sure to check the vents. If this does not resolve the issue the post here may help.
Bob Headrick, HP Expert
I am not an employee of HP, I am a volunteer posting here on my own time.
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Black ink issues

I can print in black ink from my Kindle Fire, but neither a Dell laptop nor Dell tower will print in black. They'll both print in color, but no black. Test pages/cleaning pages have no black on them whatsoever. Ideas??

Hi @bubba_gump,
Welcome to the HP Forums!
I'd recommend that you follow the steps within this Printer Prints a Blank Page or Does Not Print Black or Color Ink for the HP Photosmart 5510 e-All-in... document. If those don't appear to resolve the issue, then please let me know what country you're in and whether the printer is in or out of warranty, thanks!
Hope to talk with you soon
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post resolved your issue, as it will help others find the solution faster
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**MissTeriLynn**
I work on behalf of HP

HP Officejet Pro K8600 - Black Ink issue

Hi everyone,
I have HP Officejet Pro K8600, the printer was fine but after I printed on 4x6 HP Premium Glossy Photo Paper now when I print normal text document the Black Color is not too black it is sort of faded black (very dark grey). I chose different presets e.g. Default Settings, Plain Paper Best, Plain Paper Fast Draft, Plain Paper Fast Draft Black and White and set paper type as Plain Paper but the results are all same. But again when I print a full color photo on 4x6 HP Premium Glossy Photo Paper with preset Photo Paper and HP Premium Photo Paper the printout comes fine and the black color is deep and normal.
I will be waiting for your prompt solutions.
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I will add the following:
I changed the Black cartridge but still with the same issue. I am trying to change the printhead with following the steps given in this page http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=c01289505 but the carriage does not move to the left.
Any clue?

Officejet 4500 will not print black ink

Our small office has had an Officejet 4500 for a few months now with no problems. Today it has ceased printing any black ink.
-I have changed the cartridge to be sure, though at no point has it said low ink. This fixed the problem for a few pages but the problem popped back up. I did align the cartridges after installing the new cartridge.
-I have tried cleaning the contacts on the cartridge itself.
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-The all in one has been used more frequently in the past few weeks.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

LancasterJL wrote:
I am experience the same problems on two printers. On my 4500, the black ink doesn't print. The cartridge is more than half full, the heads have been cleaned, the alignment completed. Also, I am experience the exact same issue on a Officejet 6500 with the magenta cartridge. In both cases, it was working...and then it wasn't. [snip]
For the Officejet 6500 you might try the soak procedure described here.
Bob Headrick, HP Expert
I am not an employee of HP, I am a volunteer posting here on my own time.
If your problem is solved please click the "Accept as Solution" button ------------V
If my answer was helpful please click the "Thumbs Up" to say "Thank You"--V

Won't print black ink

HP5510 All In One. Printer started printing in very light blueish gray ink. Changed the black cartridge (NEW HP ISSUED not refurbished) and it still didn't work. Cleaned printeheads, aligned printer, unplugged printer and still didn't work. I then ran out of yellow ink so I replaced it and it still wouldn't print black. Then I ran out of blue ink working on all these issues and replaced blue cartridge now it won;t print at all. I have repeated all the above steps. Now my magenta ink is low.
When this problem started all the colored cartridges were close to full. The ink has been depleted with repeatedly following the directions to correct the black ink issue.
I have put the printer in greyscale, black ink only and still the issue is unresolved. The printer is not in warranty.

Hi @turtleinthesand,
Thank you for visiting the HP Support Forums! I see you are running into some print quality issues on your HP Photosmart 5520, you are unable to print in black ink after replacing the cartridge.
I would like you to continue here: Printer Does Not Print Black Ink or Color Ink, or Prints Blank Pages, I understand you may have done some of these steps already but I need you to complete all steps in order to resolve the missing black issue you are experiencing.
Please note: There are three printhead cleaning stages. Complete all three stages if necessary. If the printhead is badly clogged, it might require another cleaning cycle. If so, wait 30 minutes after the last (third) cleaning stage to start the first stage of the cleaning process over again.
If you are still unable to print in black ink, I suspect the issue may be the printer and not the cartridge. Please let me know which Country/Region you are in?
I hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks
HevnLgh
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" to the left of the reply button to say “Thanks” for helping!

HP6515 not printing black ink

Having the same issue as many others here with no black ink printing. Have tried all the steps listed on the page suggested by support but still no black ink. No longer under warranty. I am in Iowa/USA. Any help appreciated!

Hi .
Welcome to the HP Forums, and thanks for posting! I'd like to help you with the black ink issue you are experiencing with your HP Photosmart 6510 e-All-in-One printer. Based on your post, it sounds like you have done as much troubleshooting as you've been able to find to try to resolve this issue. I would recommend checking the steps in the following document to see if there is anything you may have missed:Fixing Print Quality Problems for the HP Photosmart 6510 e-All-in-One Printer Series The most common cause of an issue like this, is black ink clogged in the printhead, so sometimes if you run the printhead cleaning multiple times, you can fix this. (I wouldn't recommend running it so many times that you use all of your ink though). If the issue persists, please contact our HP phone support for further assistance.Step 1. Open link: www.hp.com/contacthp/
Step 2. Enter Product number or select to auto detect
Step 3. Scroll down to "Still need help? Complete the form to select your
contact options"
Step 4. Scroll down and click on: HP contact options - click on Get phone
number Hope this helps!

HP Officejet 7680 print issue alignment/ black ink problem

My printer is playing up again - this time it keeps trying to align, and fails (according to the readout on the screen) .
The black ink is also not working at all (trying new cartridge). I suspect the two issues are connected? When I tried to print the Print Quality test page (as described here: Troubleshooting Print Quality Issues ) nothing involving the blank ink is printed at all, though the colours are all fine.)
Is it time for a new print head? Or what? I have tried my reset tricks described here on the forums from before as well as the hard resets of #6 and #9 that I found on the forums elsewhere, to no avail this time. I am just leery of spending all that money which would need to be borrowed, if its not likely to be a dying print head..

Hi there HHjr, Welcome to the forums!
I am so sorry to hear about the problem you are running into with your 6500 Wireless not printing in black ink. Although it seems like you have tried all of the troubleshooting, please review the guide below just to make sure you've attempted all of the steps.
Printer Does Not Print Black Ink or Color Ink
If the troubleshooting does not help resolve your issue, I would then suggest calling HP's Technical Support to see about further replacement or trade in options for you. If you are calling within North America, the number is 1-800-474-6836 and for all other regions: click here.
Best wishes,
R a i n b o w 7000I work on behalf of HP
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“Thanks” for helping!
Click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution!

Photosmart 7520 options issue: How to print black ink, on both sides, with borderless.

I am checking to see if anyone has ever found a solution to the issue involved with borderless printing when the options "print on both sides" and "black ink only" are chosen.
I used to be able to print on both sides, flip on long edge, and choose black ink only, and I was able to print borderless. There was never an issue until last year, when out of the blue a yellow warning triangle appeared next to borderless printing. I do not know why this happened, and I was never able to solve the issue, even with two hour-long conversations with polite and tireless HP phone reps. One HP rep even helped me download a driver for a newer printer to see if that helped, and it did not.
Now in order to print without the extra border, I have to do the following in order to receive the regular output:
1. After saving, I make a custom border that is .75 inches all the way around instead of one inch.
2. I increase the font size of every block of print by .5 in size.
3. Then I print, but I do not save; when I close, it saves as it was before the changes I made to ameliorate the HP options mishap.
If any HP technician our here can tell me when this issue will be addressed and solved, I would appreciate it.
Oh, I run an Acer laptop with Windows 7, the 64-bit version. I use the wireless printing option. This issue occurs with my Word Program (2013), and my up-to-date Adobe .pdf files.
Thank you very much.

Hey there PrincessCupcake!
Thanks for the detailed post back to me.
If this was at one time an option for you and now is not, it would make sense to me that an update of some sort had made the option null and void for you, especially if you have completely uninstalled the printer driver and software and then reinstalled it. If the option was going to be available, doing the uninstall and reinstall would have fixed it in a jiffy.
I am out of ideas as to any other cause besides an update, as you mentioned. If you have installed the printer on another computer, see if the options are there, if not, they aren't available.
Happy Monday to you
R a i n b o w 7000I work on behalf of HP
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“Thanks” for helping!
Click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution!

C7280 - black ink streaking issue

Setup - wireless C7280 through Linksys N router - 3 computers with drivers and HP software loaded, an XP, A Vista, and Windows 7
Problem happens when initiating print job from any of the computers -- pinting black and white text - it streaks --
Have done successful alignment,
Have done sucessful diagnostic and all shows well.
Have cleaned print heads - when first cleaning done, the window says a page is to print - NO PAGE printed. Option to click on done or Intermediate clean --- Chose the intermediate clean - says page is printing - again NO PAGE - choice of clean again or done - chose clean again - process repeated - same results.
Have also replaced the ink cartridge. No success there either.
Unless anyone can suggest otherwise, I am down to the print heads or throw out the printer -
Any sugguestions appreciated.

Hi @jsh722,
I understand you are having troubles printing in black ink on your HP Photosmart 6510, you have contacted phone support with no success. I have sent you a Private message on the Forums, please go to your Userpage to the right of your Username you will see your inbox.
Thanks,
HevnLgh
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" to the left of the reply button to say “Thanks” for helping!

DeskJet 5550 won't print after installing new black ink cartridge.

I recently got a new Dell computer with Windows Vista 64-bit OS. Printer was working fine until I replaced the black ink cartridge. It printed out the check page like normal after installing the cartridge but will not print anything else now. Not even a test page. I tried pulling the cartridge out and putting it back in. Tried unplugging the plugs on the back of the printer and plugging back in. Tried turning the printer off and back on. Also tried restarting the computer. I downloaded the HP Print Diagnostic Report and it could not find any problems. Could there be a problem with the ink cartridge itself?
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Well first I went and bought another black ink cartridge to rule out the cartridge being the problem. That was not it. So then I unplugged the printer and cleaned it thoroughly and plugged it back in. Still didn't work. So I went into the properties on my printer and started messing with the settings. FINALLY I FIXED IT! I clicked on the Advanced Tab and then clicked on Print Processor. I then changed it to WinPrint and retried the Print Test Page on the General Tab and it worked! Woo Hoo!

My hp printer 7520 is not printing the black ink.

hp 7520: I have an empty photo black in but I have not printed photos. I have replaced the other black (with a pentagon) but the printer still seems to be using the empty photo black(bow tie icon) - (and i have no black being printed). I have no spare black bow tie ink,and i don't need it anyway. Help

Hi @southmimms
The black cartridges have their own purpose, the photo black is for printing photos and the Black is for text. The second black cartridge is not there to back up the first one when it becomes deplete. When a cartridge is depleted it needs to be replaced.
Source
Since you replaced the black cartridge, and the printer is still not printing black ink, one of the first things that comes to mind is the cartridge vent. Please use the steps below to check and clear the vent area;
Examine the vent area on each cartridge, above the HP logo on the top of the cartridge.
If the vent is clogged, use a straight pin to gently remove excess adhesive from the vent.
1 - Clogged vent
2 - With a straight pin, gently remove excess adhesive from the vent
3 - Unclogged vent
If the issue persists, please use the following document to troubleshoot the quality issue you are experiencing. Fixing Ink Streaks, Faded Prints, and Other Common Print Quality Problems.
Finally, if you complete all of the steps in the document above and the issue continues, my own personal recommendation, not one of HPs, is to use the solution offered in the following video. I only suggest doing this if he printer and printhead are out of warranty. Hot Water Printhead Flush - HP Ink Series Printers with removable Printhead.
I have recommended this solution to others and have seen success, but I can not guarantee this will resolve the issue, it is an end of the line kind of effort. I hope it helps.
I hope one of my recommendations resolves the issue.
Note: Although you do not use the photo black it is important to replace empty cartridges to protect the printhead from becoming damaged.
Please click the Thumbs up icon below to thank me for responding.
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Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Sunshyn2005 - I work on behalf of HP

Excess magenta ink?

My Photosmart 8250 is having a problem that is manifesting itself as excess magenta ink on printed pages. The print output is generally poor and frequently streaky, even on pages of black text. I have run both levels of cartridge cleaning, but with no success. All cartridges report as good, the levels are high enough, etc. On the second page of the Extended Self Test Diagnostic, the large color print quality patterns are all streaked with magenta to varying degrees. When I open the cover of the printer, it looks like excessive magenta ink is being pulled from the cartridge. I included a photo below. This was taken after I cleaned the area, but you can still see where there was magenta ink on the metal frame. When I was cleaning, I noticed that the foam pad-looking things just to the right of the metal with leftover magenta ink (or above, given the way the picture was taken) were saturated with magenta ink. When I pushed a cloth against the pads, it was immediately soaked with magenta ink. Any ideas as to what the problem might be? The printer is certainly old, but doesn't get too much use, for better or worse. All the cartridges report as OK, so I'm afraid it may be something beyond that, especially since I see streaking output even when there is no magenta on the page.
Thanks for the help.
Matt

Hey there @mpb2000 , welcome to the forums
I have been looking over your posts and photos (thank you for the pictures)! Unfortunately, the troubleshooting you have done already would have been the steps I would have suggested (from the guides below). We don't have instructions or service guides on how to disassemble the unit, therefore it's not recommended. If the printhead does not have a latch to properly remove it, I wouldn't suggest removing it either.
Colors Bleeding into Each Other
Wrong Colors
What I will suggest if you would like, is to give us a call so we could see if you have any printer options such as a replacement or a trade in.
Please call our technical support at 800-474-6836. If you live outside the US/Canada Region, please click the link below to get the support number for your region. http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/ww-phone-assist.html
I am sorry I couldn't be more help however, you've tried the suggest steps and it seems to be a printer hardware malfunction at this point.
Wishing you a great day
R a i n b o w 7000I work on behalf of HP
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“Thanks” for helping!
Click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution!

Area under ink cartridges covered in black ink

The are under the ink cartridges (when they are all the way to the right) is so covered with black ink, it rubs off on the plastic rollers and leaves big vertical black streaks on EVERY page.

Hi , I understand that under the cartridges, it is covered in black ink. I will certainly do my best to help you. There would be a reservoir under the cartridges that should catch the extra ink, if it is full, you may have to have the printer serviced or use something to soak up the excess ink if you are out of warranty. I have included a document for fixing print quality issues, run the cleaning tool, to see if it may help.Fixing Print Quality Problems for the HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One Printer Series (C410a, C410b, C410c, C410d, C410e). If the issue continues, please Contact HP Support for further assistance. Fill in the model number and the form to receive a case number for quicker assistance. If you appreciate my efforts, please click the 'Thumbs up' button below. Thank You.

HP Photosmart 6510 e-All-in-One Printer Does Not Print Black Ink

I have run all the troubleshooting listed from HP and the "check" warrenty doesn't come up blank. I would like to not have to purchase a new printer to fix this any help would be greatly appreciated:
1) Rebooted Printer
2) Installed new printer cartridge (2nd one) - really not happy about this as that represents almost $50 in HP ink
3) Checked venting - Not the problem
4) From Tools ran head cleaner - still only prints colors (or grey)
I've liked HP printers for a long time, but after reading the forums I'm really seeing an issue with the model I puchased. I don't mind purchasing HP ink and my printer isn't a high volume use printer so I expect it to last beyond 1 year 1 day.
I have the SN and product number available if a tech needs.
Chris

Hi @crfldf
Have you completed all of the steps in the following document; Printer Does Not Print Black Ink or Color Ink, or Prints Blank Pages.
Although I hope this resolves the issue, it might not. If the issue persists, please post back with your warranty status. Use the following link to check your warranty.
If your printer is still in warranty, please call HP and explain the issue you are experiencing. The number to call HP is 1-800-474-6836 for Canada and US, or you can Contact HP Worldwide.
If your printer is out of warranty, let me know and I will do my best to help. Thanks. I look forward to hearing from you.
If I hear back from you and you require further assistance, I will send you a private message to gather some information. If I send you a message, you can click the little envelope on the top right hand corner of the forums page to check the message;
- In support of Movember
Please click the Thumbs up icon below to thank me for responding.
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Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Sunshyn2005 - I work on behalf of HP

Not printing black ink

My 6515 photosmart all in one printer is not printing in black ink. I have installed a brand new cartridge, gone through all the troubleshooting suggestions several times, run a clean printhead check 5 times -- waiting 30 minutes between the 3rd and 4th one. I am so incredibly frustrated. My printer is two years old and is out of warranty. I would like to speak with a customer support person, and I want a replacement for this printer if there is no other troubleshooting possibilities that will work. This is unacceptable product quality, and from the looks of the 9,000 other boards under the subject "not printing black ink" I am not alone. I want to know what HP will do for me to resolve this situation. Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi @lau367,
Welcome to the HP Forums!
I have brought your issue to the attention of an appropriate team within HP. They will likely request information from you in order to look up your case details or product serial number. Please look for a private message from an identified HP contact. Additionally, keep in mind not to publicly post serial numbers and case details.
If you are not sure how to check your forum messages this post, has instructions.
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post resolved your issue, as it will help others find the solution faster
Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!
**MissTeriLynn**
I work on behalf of HP

HP 5550 Excess Black Ink Issue

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