My HP C410A will not print black

[trues36]

My HP C410A printer will not print black. I put in all new cartridges and cleaned the head.

[pcwizard]

Hi trues36,

Try the following steps below.

Remove, clean, and reinstall the printhead

If the previous solutions did not resolve the problem, the printhead might be installed incorrectly, or there might be ink or debris on the printhead electrical contacts. Follow these steps to check and clean the printhead.

Step one: Remove the printhead

1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.
2. Open the cartridge access door.
3. To remove each cartridge, press the tab on the front of the cartridge to release it and remove it from the slot.
   Figure 21: Remove the cartridge

   
   

   NOTE: Do not leave the cartridges outside the product longer than 30 minutes. Doing so can result in damage to both the product and the cartridges.
4. Lift the latch handle on the carriage until it stops.
   Figure 22: Lift the latch handle

   
5. Lift the printhead straight up to remove it.
   Figure 23: Remove the printhead

   

Step two: Clean the printhead

There are three areas of the printhead that need to be cleaned: the plastic ramps on both sides of the ink nozzles, the edge between the ink nozzles and the electrical contacts, and the electrical contacts. Follow these steps to clean the printhead.

Figure 24: Three areas to clean

1 - Plastic ramp on the side of the ink nozzles

2 - The edge between the ink nozzles and the electrical contacts

3 - The electrical contacts

CAUTION:Do not touch the ink nozzles. Do not touch the electrical contacts with your finger. Use only cleaning materials to touch the electrical contact areas.

Figure 25: Do not touch the electrical contacts

1. Gather the following cleaning materials:
2. Several clean, lint-free cloths or papers. Coffee filters and glass-cleaning cloths work well.
3. Distilled or bottled water. Do not use tap water, because it can contain contaminants that can damage the printhead.
4. Lightly dampen a clean, lint-free cloth.
5. Use the damp cloth to wipe the electrical contacts from the bottom to the top. Do not go past the edge between the electrical contacts and the ink nozzles. Repeat this motion until no ink remains on the electrical contacts.
   Figure 26: Clean the electrical contacts

   
6. Use a fresh, lightly dampened, lint-free cloth to wipe any accumulated ink and debris from the edge between the ink nozzles and the electrical contacts.
   Figure 27: Clean the edge between the ink nozzles and the electrical contacts

   
7. Use a fresh, lightly dampened, lint-free cloth to wipe the plastic ramps on both sides of the ink nozzles. Wipe away from the nozzles only.
   Figure 28: Clean the ramps

   
8. Dry the previously cleaned areas with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth before proceeding to the next step.
9. Lightly dampen a fresh, clean, lint-free cloth with bottled or distilled water.
10. Clean the electrical contacts inside the product by wiping them from top to bottom. Repeat this motion until no ink remains on the electrical contacts.
    Figure 29: Clean the electrical contacts inside the product

    
11. Dry the area with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth.

Step three: Reinstall the printhead

1. Raise the latch handle, and then reinsert the printhead.
   Figure 30: Insert the printhead

   
2. Carefully lower the latch handle before reinserting the cartridges.
   

   NOTE:Leaving the latch handle raised can result in incorrectly seated cartridges and printing issues. The latch must remain down to install the cartridges correctly.
   Figure 31: Lower the latch handle

   
3. Using the colored shape icons for help, slide the cartridges into their appropriate slots until they snap firmly into place in the slot.

   Figure 32: Slide the cartridge into the slot

   Figure 33: Snap the cartridge into place

4. Close the cartridge access door.

[mccloudhouse]

Hi, my HP c410a won't print black ink either. I have tried the instructions to clean the printheads etc but it still won't work. Any other suggestions please?

[grimm0ne]

I agree, something is a miss with this printer.. Mine doesn't want to print anything if one of the colors is low. I have a full black ink, photo ink, and it will not print nothing unless they are all full. I replace all my inks at the same time and still dont understand this..

besides printing excel grids like someone in the 1st grade, i dont know if i'll ever buy an hp printer again. Does photos great but thats about it.

[pcwizard]

Hi

Follow the steps in the document below.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02100786

What happens if you print from Notepad or Wordpad?

[grimm0ne]

yeah i just ordered a new set of ink carts, and i think im starting to wonder if its the print head? what does that cost?

[pcwizard]

Hi gimm0ne,

If you have followed all the steps in the document on my last post, and still have the issue. You will need to 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://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpsupport/index.pl