My ink cart. only prints in red. Used to print only green. Then black for a while.

[nmazchicago]

Ink cart black was full and did not print.   HP Tech told me to pull off plastic tape. It worked for a while (always printing 2 printer info sheets first. Then printed only green.  Then black for awhile.  Now red only.  I have not used the ink cart much other than continuous  info hp sheets printed.  Was the original cart. bad?  Is the printer a lemon.  I pulled off the tape as he told me to do.  He was surprised it worked.  I never get a reading of my ink because there is no tape on the cart.  I have not used it much, other then all the info sheets HP printer prints 

[Elohi_NR]

Hi @nmazchicago,

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I understand that you are facing issues with printing in color or black. I'd like to help!

Run the automated printhead or ink cartridge cleaning tool

• Clean the printhead and cartridges to resolve print quality issues including incorrect colors, streaks, and faded prints.
• Load plain white paper into the tray.
• Open the HP Smart app, and then click the picture of your printer to open the settings and management tools.
• In Print Quality Tools or in Advanced Settings > Tools > Utilities > Print Quality Toolbox, select Clean Printhead to start the cleaning tool.
• Review the Print Quality Diagnostic page that prints for defects and any instructions to resolve the issue. Run up to two more cleaning cycles, if necessary.

Check for ink smears on the back of printouts

• Use an automated cleaning tool if there are smears of ink on the back of documents or photos.
• Load plain white paper into the tray.
• Open the HP Smart app, and then click the picture of your printer to open the settings and management tools.
• In Print Quality Tools or in Advanced Settings > Tools > Utilities > Print Quality Toolbox, select Clean next to Clean Smear to start the cleaning tool.

Check for issues with the ink cartridges

• Very low ink levels, using non-HP cartridges, and rough handling can cause print quality issues.
• Replace any non-HP or refilled cartridges with genuine HP cartridges. HP supplies are available from the HP Store and local retailers.
• HP cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of non-HP or refilled cartridges. Go to HP Anti Counterfeiting and Fraud Program for more information.
• Check the ink levels and replace any low or empty cartridges.
• NOTE:
• The printer features a 'backup mode' that enables printing with one cartridge. Remove the low or empty cartridge to continue printing if a replacement is not available. Depending on the cartridge removed, blacks will not be as dark and color prints will be in grayscale.

• Rough handling of cartridges during transport or installation can cause print quality problems. Wait a few hours for the automatic servicing routine to complete, and then try to print again.

If you have a defective HP cartridge, it might be under warranty. Go to About Original HP Cartridges for page yield and HP limited warranty information.

Please refer to the document for the remaining steps from the 4th.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Elohi_NR]

Hi @nmazchicago,

As we did not hear from you, 
I'll be closing this case for now. If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to us. 

Have a great day!