HP 6500 709n printer won't print in black.

[shame]

I can't print in black and  i can't align--when i try to do so--the print says alin failed.

[Jeff-in-MA]

I too had the same problem.  Printer would not print Black.  I followed previously posted instructions, soaked the printhead in very hot water and also ran a stream of hot water through the printhead.  Dried everything up with compressed air.  When I initially reinstalled the printhead and cartridges, the printer reported a damaged printhead.  Removed and reinstalled the assembly and after the printer went through its usual gyrations, everything seems to be just fine!

[Hp6500failure]

Why should we have to go thru these riduculous steps. 

Hp creates different cartridges for every printer so you have some on hand and can't throw the dam thing away.

none of their website info helps.

[8651buttercup]

"Why should we have to go thru these riduculous steps."  My thoughts exactly.  However, I want you to know that you WILL recover from this trauma!

You're right.  The most you can get off the HP self-help site is detailed instructions on how to load the printer full of paper. Most of us who want to fix our own printers already know how to load the paper into them.   

By piecing together info obtained on other sites, and through trial & error, I finally fixed the irritating "won't print in black" problem. Printer down two weeks, blood pressure rising daily!  I'm not positive as to which of the many fixes actually restored the printer to printing black, but I think "performing a full reset" was mostly responsible.  

However, I had the same "won't print in black" problem one month later.  None of the fixes worked the second time around.  It was not cost effective to repair the printer & I had at least $200 of unused ink cartridges on hand.  I was very angry, posted here & on other sites about HP lack of support.

Strangely the 6500 e709n failed once & for all on the exact same day that my HP 6100 had failed 3 years earlier.  That & the fact that HP offers no serious, in depth self-repair instructions got me to thinking that HP might be intentionally rigging the machines to fail at a certain point. I read up on it & do believe it is true.

So I severed my weakened attachment to HP, researched a bit, and then went out & purchased the consistently high-rated (& much cheaper) Epson 545 Workforce.  I LOVE this machine - I haven't looked back once!  Although it has all the amenities offered by the HP 6500 and even more, the Epson 545 is much less bloated & much simpler to set up & operate!  

Yeah, the ink is expensive - but so are they all.  I'll happily trade the reliability I can count on with the Epson 545 over most anything...even expensive ink!  

[Hp6500failure]

Thanks for the reply.  My idea exactly.

HP printers usually refuse to accept refill cartridges from other sources ( just after the $$ )

This is a genuine cartridge - and it's telling me "used black cartridge installed"

Put the old one back and it works (faded) , so defective cartridge is the problem

Only way to make HP pay is to buy a new cartridge and return the old.

And right -- will NEVER EVER buy another HP product again.

This printer has always had connectivtiy wireless problems - works wirelessly,

but all the diagnostic tools tell me it's not connected so they don't work.

grr

[8651buttercup]

I forgot to mention that the wireless connectivity was also a big problem for me.  I was forever reconnecting the wireless after the printer disconnected the wireless all by itself.  Finally I just gave up.

[SherreM]

I've been randonly fighting with this for months and finally figured it out.  Somewhere along the way HP also installed the driver for HP photosmart premium C309g-m and it was saying I was disconnected (even though it would allow me to print everything but the black text).  I have an HP Officejet 6500 E 709a series, I had it selected as my default printer and it was being shown as my default printer but these two programs were apparently in conflict. 

When I removed HP photosmart premium C309g-m program and restarted my computer my print output is good and includes the text. 

HP take a look at this!  It has wasted tons of my time (and apparently other peoples as well), I can assure you that I never had the HP photosmart premium C309g-m printer and I never requested the program download.

[8651buttercup]

I have an Epson 545 Workforce now (functionally beautifully, btw), but plan to set my HP 6500 e709n back up to check this fix out.  I'll just bet this was a stealth installation (automatic updates, anyone?); I don't recall ever installing a new driver on that printer.  Regardless, I'm personally not that stupid to install the wrong printer driver!  I have more than one year's supply of ink on hand, so it would definitely be worth checking out.  

Which brings me to my earlier printer, the HP 6100, which miraculously malfunctioned three years (to the day) earlier.  Also left with me with at least two years' supply of ink on hand. Hmmm, I just wonder if the wrong printer driver was also automatically downloaded as an "update" to the HP 6100?

Will report back my findings!

[Hp6500failure]

Hey,

Thanks for the advice.  Tried the head cleaning three times, didn't work.

Bought a new cartridge - the problem was defective "genuine HP" ink.

When I first installed that first cartridge, the printer said "used cartridge installed"

so now just have to return it.

I think they've programme the machine to reject anything but their own

original inks, and this is a refilled "new" cartrige that got caught in the trick.

Now having the same problem with the red cartridge.

What's up with the quality of "genuine HP"

Very disappoining.

[8651buttercup]

FYI:  It's not the ink, quality of ink, or lack of ink that causes printer not to print in black.  Read above comments to see the extensive problem.  Don't waste your money on more ink before researching further.  Might have to go to alternative site, but there's plenty of info here from commenters - not from HP itself.