How to Fix HP Printer Not Printing Problem?

 One of the most common printing issues reported by HP printer users is that their printer does not print black ink. This can happen for a number of reasons, including misaligned printheads, defective or empty black color printer cartridges, and more.

In this article, we'll cover ten common printer errors that can cause your HP printer to print black and explain how to fix them. These methods may also help resolve color ink or color cartridge issues.

10 Ways to Fix Your HP Printer When It's Not Printing Black

Below we cover 10 different methods to troubleshoot your HP color printer. We start with the simplest and most likely solutions, so start at the top and work your way down.

Note: Your printer problems may be associated with a specific error message. If so, see our troubleshooting guides for 'Unknown printer status' and 'Driver not available'.

1. Make sure you have ink or toner

It might seem obvious, but if your HP printer isn't printing black, it might be low on ink or toner. Whether your printer requires ink or toner will depend on the model. HP DeskJet, HP Envy and HP Officejet and HP InkJet printers all use ink. HP LaserJet printers use toner.

The first thing to do is check your ink levels. Your printer cartridge doesn't have to be completely out of ink to stop printing in that color, just very low. If there is an exclamation mark next to the ink level indicator for black, you need to insert a new cartridge.

Keep in mind that if your printer's sensors are faulty, they may indicate that you have ink even though you don't. So even if your printer says it has ink, insert a new printer cartridge to check if it is a faulty empty cartridge.

2. Clean the printhead

A clogged printhead nozzle can prevent your printer from printing black ink. Fortunately, this is a simple solution. Printhead cleaning is available in the printer Maintenance menu or on the HP printer control panel under Deep Cleaning or Clean Printhead.

Select the appropriate option on your printer and let the cleaning process take place. It may take a while. The printer then usually prints a test page to see if the problem has been resolved. You may need to repeat this operation several times to fully restore print quality.

To prevent clogging in the future, avoid leaving your printer unused for long periods of time and do not use third-party black ink cartridges.

Note: Another common error that HP users get is that they have "Missing or Failing Printheads". Learn how to fix this error if it occurs.

3. Clean the cartridges

If you've cleaned the printhead a few times and you're having no luck, it may help to clean the cartridges themselves. Printer cartridges can clog or dry out, causing this color to fail.

The easiest way to clean the cartridges is to wipe the nozzle plate (where the ink comes out) with isopropyl alcohol. If that doesn't work, your cartridge may be dry. Pour boiling water into a container and submerge about a quarter of the canister face down. Leave until the water cools. Dry the cartridge and reinsert it into the printer as usual.

4. Use the HP Smart app

The HP Smart app is available to select HP users and can be used to troubleshoot various printing issues. Most Wi-Fi enabled HP printers manufactured after 2010 are compatible with this application.

  • Open the HP Smart app on your device.
  • Select the three bars on the left side to open the home menu.
  • Select Start. Follow the trouble-shooter instructions.

5. Use Windows Printer Trouble-shooter

  • Windows users can also use the Printer Trouble-shooter to see what may be causing problems.
  • Type Printers & Scanners in the taskbar and select Printers & Scanners.
  • Under related settings, select Troubleshoot.
  • Choose your HP printer model. This should be listed in the Troubleshoot window.
  • Select Next.
  • Follow the instructions in the diagnostic report.
If Windows identifies a problem with the software or printer driver, it will fix it or recommend actions for you.

6. Use the HP Print and Scan Doctor
For those with models that do not support HP Smart, there is other software that may be helpful. If you don't already have it, you can download the HP Print and Scan Doctor software here.

  • Open the HP Print and Scan Doctor software.
  • Select Start to choose your HP printer, and then select Next.
  • Select the Correct Printing option.
  • Follow the troubleshooting instructions.

7. Use genuine Hewlett-Packard cartridges
Third-party ink cartridges, while usually cheaper, don't always work as well in HP printers not printing. Sometimes the cartridge is defective, other times it is not compatible with the HP software.

If you are using a third-party ink cartridge and are having trouble printing, try replacing it with an official HP ink cartridge.

8. Align the print head
A printer may not print black ink if it has not been calibrated correctly. Calibrating your HP printer by aligning its print head can fix these problems.

HP printers have an Align Print Head option in the Printer Maintenance menu or within the Control Panel menu that can be used to calibrate the printer.

When you select the Align Print Head option, the printer will print an alignment page and prompt you to make changes based on the result of the alignment print. The actual process will depend on your model. Consult your HP printer manual for specific printhead alignment guidelines.

9. Check the paper type
If you print in black and white and get blank pages (or no print at all), the problem may not be the ink but the paper. Try inserting plain paper instead of special paper and see if the problem is resolved.

If the printer prints fine on plain paper, you may need to adjust the paper settings. Make sure the paper selected in your printer settings for the print job matches the type of paper you are trying to print on.

10. Contact HP technical support
If all else fails, it's time to contact customer support. You can access HP support here. Select Contact Us to get in touch with an HP staff member who can hopefully explain your printer issues to you.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Epson Printer Troubleshooting

Image
 Epson printer does not print? Printing your document should be as easy as clicking "Print". But sometimes your Epson printer doesn't print. Let's solve some Epson printer problems. Here are 8 things we will check in our Epson printer troubleshooting: Printer cartridges: out of ink, wrong cartridge, cartridge configuration print head blocked paper problems default printer Printer firmware and firewall issues Print jobs stuck in the print queue offline printer Outdated printer driver You'll learn how to fix each of these problems in our Epson printer troubleshooting guide . We'll discuss the problems and how to fix them, and get you back to printing your documents and photos in no time. Epson Printer Troubleshooting: 8 Steps These are the most common reasons why your Epson printer does not print correctly. 1. Printer cartridges You may be having difficulty printing due to your printer cartridge. The cartridge can cause various problems. 2. Print head blocked Di...
Read more

YouTube Customer Services

Image
 YouTube is the pioneering video sharing platform where people spend hours consuming video content on a regular basis. It is a space that has been developing and growing gradually over time. The number of YouTube viewers is expected to reach 2.6 billion worldwide. With this, we can understand that a large number of people use YouTube either as creators or as viewers. Sometime you may face problems/errors while using YouTube. And getting in touch with YouTube can be difficult at times, but not impossible. In this article we tell you how to contact YouTube. Contact YouTube By Phone Unfortunately, YouTube does not have any direct email address or phone number that you can use to contact them. Whether you are a user or a video creator, the quickest way to get a response from YouTube is to contact them through their social media pages like Facebook, Instagram, and especially Twitter. YouTube is seen answering questions on Twitter on a regular basis. This feed supports nine languages and...
Read more

Reset Gmail Password

Image
 Losing access to your Gmail account can be a harrowing experience, worse than losing your ID card... However, fear not, we are here to guide you through the process of resetting your password. Gmail has become our secondary ID for most of us on the Internet today, serving as our go-to platform for both personal and professional communication. Losing access to our Gmail account can be a distressing experience, as it hinders your ability to connect with contacts and access important emails and data. And sometimes the situation becomes even more complex when you have difficulty contacting the recovery phone number or email associated with your account. But you can skip the panic phase! In this comprehensive article, we will provide you with step-by-step instructions and alternative techniques to recover your Reset Gmail password without relying on conventional methods. How to recover Gmail password without phone number or recovery email? Step 1: Visit the Google Account Recovery Pag...
Read more