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Archived This topic has been archived. Information and links in this thread may no longer be available or relevant. If you have a question create a new topic by clicking here and select the appropriate board.
HP Recommended

Ok, so first off 'maybe' we did purchase the 'wrong' printer for our business and requirements.  Then again it doesn't exactly state on the box 'USES COLOUR INKS WHEN PRINTING BLACK!"

 

This year from January to July we have spent in total a ridiculous £327.33* on all inks. (*£213.32 on colours)

 

The final straw came for us when we replaced all 3 colours on the 10th of May and within 2 days of NO colour printing, yes you've guessed it, the colours where completely dry and empty. 

 

From when the 3 colours had been replaced, we had only printed approx 60 pages in black ink only, which consisted of orders being printed off from our eBay account and website with very little black coverage per sheet. 

 

Overall our printing is 99% black with very little colour printing, maybe the odd title highlighted in Red, sentences highlighted in a different colour etc,

 

So, I then began to research the problem of the colour inks being used up when printing in black only.  We came across this site and saw the post about covering the colours with some tape.  We then applied the tape over the oval shaped hole at the bottom of the cartridges on all 3 colours.

 

From this point onwards (12th May - 26th July) we have printed in black ink only with approx 2000 order sheets being printed off with no problems at all.

 

Yesterday we replaced all 3 colours with new inks, as my partner needed to print again in colour.  After a few hours of setting up the printer, we got all 3 colours printing again with no problems.  It did take some patience, but we got there in the end, following the alignment and clean printhead tools, over and over again.

 

Once we have finished with the colour printing, we intend to return the printer again to black ink only.

 

This method DOES work and at the very worst you will either dry out the cyan / magenta print head or need to replace it with a new one (approx £45-50)  @ HP "although I think in most cases they will just dry out!" 😉

 

If you wish to turn your HP Officejet Pro 8500a into a black ink only printer, it can be done saving you £££'s

 

Another point to note, is you can now purchase replacement non branded inks for this printer from this website below:

 

[edited link by moderator]

This printer in our opinion is a good printer, once you solve the issue with the colour inks.

 

Kind Regards

Kev Challis

 

HP Recommended

Please note:

Selecting “print in grayscale” and “black ink only” in the "advance" option as suggested by HP experts WILL still use up the color ink.  I consider this is cheating by HP.

 

For some of us who seldom print in color, may I suggest HP and after market ink makers to provide us an INEXPENSIVE alternative by make the "Print Head Saver" cartridges.  They will be used to replace the three color cartridges in the printers when no color printing is needed (i.e., selecting “print in grayscale” and “black ink only” in the "advance" option).  The color and the print quality of the liquid in these cartridges are not important since they will not be used for actual printing but just to keep the print heads healthy.  When color printing is needed, these "Print Head Saver" cartridges should be replaced by the actual color cartridges.

HP Recommended

Buy wrote:  [snip] For some of us who seldom print in color, may I suggest HP and after market ink makers to provide us an INEXPENSIVE alternative by make the "Print Head Saver" cartridges.  They will be used to replace the three color cartridges in the printer awhen no color printing is needed (i.e., selecting “print in grayscale” and “black ink only” in the "advance" option).  The color and the print quality of the liquid in these cartridges are not important since they will not be used for actual printing but just to keep the print heads healthy.  When color printing is needed, these "Print Head Saver" cartridges should be replaced by the actual color cartridges.

This would be interesting but would likely have to come from a third party.  There would be various testing issues (liquid would need to be compatible with printheads and plumbing) and quite a bit of overhead when changing from the non-ink to the real ink as the printheads and plumbing would need to be flushed.  It would probably be a pretty rare usage model that would have this be an advantage, probably something like the "10 pages of color once a year" usage mentioned before.  On the other hand, for that usage a different printer is likely a better match. (Or even a B&W printer and send the color out or get a low end (<$50) color printer with integrated printheads for the odd color job.).


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 

If my answer was helpful please click "Yes" to the "Was this post helpful" question.


HP Recommended
  • WE ONLY WANT TO PRINT IN BLACK
  • WE HAVE CAREFULLY READ ALL 5 PAGES OF POSTS
  • WE FULLY RESPECT THE EXPERT OPINION BY HP ABOUT DAMAGE TO THE PRINTHEAD BY TAPING OVER THE YELLOW BLADDER
  • WE HAVE WEIGHED THE  WARNINGS BY THE EXPERTS AT HP AGAINST THAT OF THE END USER'S SOLUTION GIVEN THE COSTS INVOLVED OF BOTH OPINIONS
  • OUR DECISION:  WE WILL TAPE OVER THE YELLOW BLADDER

We promise to do a followup if and when our printhead fails.

HP Recommended

Rubyslipper:  Let us know how it works for you.  I haven't attempted it yet, but I'm stilling 'collating' input from other users, and will probably attempt a 'tape over' soon so I can use my printer.  Thanks for you input.

HP Recommended

@RUBYSLIPPER wrote:
  • [snip]
  • WE FULLY RESPECT THE EXPERT OPINION BY HP ABOUT DAMAGE TO THE PRINTHEAD BY TAPING OVER THE YELLOW BLADDER
  • [snip]

We promise to do a followup if and when our printhead fails.


If you are referring to  me as "the expert opinion by HP" I need to make clear that although I am an "HP Expert" (because I happen to know a lot about printers and post here a lot) I do not work for HP or speak for them in any capacity.  The HP Experts with a blue logo work for HP, those with a green logo are volunteers who just happen to hang out in the forums a lot.

 

If you never print in color you are at less risk than those that only print color occasionally.  Most of the problems will show up when trying to print in color after some usage of the printer without color ink available  On the other hand, if you never print in color you would likely be better off with a different printer, the 8500 is a color printer.


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 

If my answer was helpful please click "Yes" to the "Was this post helpful" question.


HP Recommended

Could you seriously continue to argue about buying the wrong printer?  Customer fault? ya right...absolutely nobody here agrees with this position.

 

- If I do not listen to all the radio stations.. then my radio totally stops working ... The manufacturer told me to buy a new radio that broadcasts only my station

 

- My car does not even start if it's too much equiped I should buy it with only the starter option since I really need to have a working car.

 

- My mouse has 3 buttons.  This is the main reason why my first button stop working. If only I had the chance to get advises from the "expert" about purchasing a 2 buttons mouse since I need to have a mouse for working

 

- When I buy a box of colour pencil I always throws the whole box at the end of the year because I do not use every color in each of my drawing.

 

Put a tape to bypass the ink cartridge check (check this thread) and think twice the next time you need a printer and let the suneshine really shine. 

HP Recommended

Is discipoles:  good analogies!!  We have all certainly been sold a  bill of goods on this printer, by not fully informing the consumer. And there was no fine print to view before we took the 8500 bait, thinking it was a good deal on a good printer.  I think they were trying to to dump it, and we got dumped on. 

My son's friend works for HP, and says they're going down hill--I can see why. Hopefully better companies will surpass them soon.

HP Recommended

That is especially true that they advertised that printing with this printer will be cheaper than a using a laser printer.  But they did not tell us the wasting ink features that will cost us more than the laser printer 😞

HP Recommended

Tape over, it works and does not cost you! That is if you want to keep this printer...

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