Instant Ink color cartridge is defective

[gib211]

When I have both the color cartridge and black cartridge in my printer, I will try to print something with black ink and it will print green. I can remove the color cartridge and this fixes the issue. Then when I try to print in color, anything close to black is green and my magenta is not existent per the print quality diagnostic page. I have clean the printheads multiple times. 

[VikramTheGreat · Accepted solution]

Hi @gib211,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for providing the detailed information and for explaining the troubleshooting you have already completed. The fact that magenta is missing from the Print Quality Diagnostic Page, while black prints green when both cartridges are installed, gives us an important direction.

Since you have already cleaned the printhead multiple times, I would not recommend repeatedly running the cleaning process. Let’s continue with the remaining HP print-quality checks.

1. Check the Print Quality Diagnostic Page
Print one fresh Print Quality Diagnostic Page and check:

• Is magenta completely missing? 
• Are cyan and yellow printing correctly? 
• Does the black pattern appear complete? 
• Are there white lines, streaks, or missing sections? 

A clear photo of this page would be very useful. You can attach it here so we can review the actual print pattern.

2. Check and reseat the cartridges
With the printer turned on:

1. Open the cartridge access door. 
2. Remove the black and tri-color cartridges. 
3. Check that no protective tape remains on the cartridges. 
4. Check the cartridge contacts for visible contamination or damage. 
5. Reinstall both cartridges firmly. 
6. Print another Print Quality Diagnostic Page. 

Avoid touching the ink nozzles or electrical contacts unnecessarily.

3. If you have an older Instant Ink cartridge, test it
Because this printer is enrolled in HP Instant Ink, if you still have an older Instant Ink tri-color cartridge that previously worked correctly, it would be useful to test it temporarily.

This is a diagnostic step:

• If magenta returns with the older known-good cartridge, that points toward the current cartridge. 
• If magenta remains missing with another known-good cartridge, the problem is less likely to be limited to the current cartridge and may require further printer/printhead troubleshooting. 

If the replacement cartridge resolves the issue, HP Instant Ink Support can also determine whether the affected cartridge is eligible for replacement.

4. If the problem remains
If the same missing-magenta pattern occurs with another known-good tri-color cartridge, avoid continuing to purchase or replace cartridges unnecessarily. At that point, the diagnostic page results can help determine whether the printer's print system requires further attention.

One thing I would like to see before recommending the next step is the latest Print Quality Diagnostic Page. Please attach a clear photograph of the entire page, including the black, cyan, magenta, and yellow sections.

That will allow us to determine whether the issue is with the cartridge or remains with the printer's print system and avoid unnecessary troubleshooting.

Take care and have an amazing day!