K cartridge message

[jm100]

I have a L7780 All-in-One. When I try to print a document, I receive the message that the "K" cartridge needs to be replaced.  There is no K cartridge and I have always used official HP ink cartridges.  I shut it down and then it said the K cartridge was expired  and when I removed that from the screen, it went to "printer aligning" and didn't do anything.

[Gemini02]

Welcome @jm100,

Thanks for engaging in the HP Forums! I see by your post that you getting the message that the "K cartridge needs to be replaced". I will certainly do my best to help you.

The K cartridge is referring to the black cartridge.

Try these steps to see if they will help resolve this issue. clean the contacts on the black cartridge and the contacts inside the printer with a cue tip. Leave the black cartridge out and power cycle the printer. This way the printer will check for missing cartridges. Then reinsert the black cartridge again.

Here is a document with some more steps to try:  A 'Cartridge Problem,' 'Ink Cartridge Failure,' or 'Incompatible Ink Cartridges' Error Message Displ...

If the issue continues, please contact  HP Customer Support and inquire about replacement cartridges. Fill in the model number and the form to receive a case number for quicker assistance.

Feel free to click on the "Accept as Solution" button and the "Thumbs Up" for my assistance. Please let me know the results and if there is anything else I can help you with. Thanks!

[Dragon280]

All cartridges must be in the printer at all times. Dry-firing the printhead can damage it, which in an IIC printer like yours (separate printheads and cartridges) could necessitate replacement of the printhead. (HP thermal inkjet printing technology relies on tiny resistors in the printhead to rapidly heat ink, causing bubbles to form and burst out of the nozzles at high speed. Firing the printhead with no ink will cause the printhead to overheat and fail.)

First, replace the K cartridge with a new one. Then print a print quality diagnostic page (see http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01957673). If the result has streaking, try cleaning the printhead. If this doesn't work, you'll need to replace the affected printhead. Note that this printer has two user-replaceable printheads: one for black-yellow and another for cyan-magenta.