Sent Bad Ink Cartridges

[amanda116]

Hello,

 I recently received both Tricolor and Black ink cartridges for my Envy 5540 Printer in the mail through my Instant Ink subscription. When I inserted them into the appropriate place in my printer, I received an error message that one or both of the Instant Ink cartridges were defective. I know for sure that I inserted them both correctly. How do I get two new good Instant Ink cartridges mailed to me to replace the defective cartridges? Or is my printer just broken? What should I do???!!!

[Jay_G24]

Hi @amanda116,

I'd like to help!

I understand you are facing a cartridge error on the printer.

Follow the steps to resolve the issue-

Reset the printer

Reset the printer to recover from printer errors or failures.

1. If your printer has a rechargeable battery, remove it.

1. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the printer.

1. Unplug the power cord from the power source.
2. Wait 60 seconds.
3. Reconnect the power cord to a wall outlet and to the printer.
   NOTE: 
   HP recommends plugging the printer directly into a wall outlet.
4. Turn on the printer to complete the reset.

Clean the ink cartridge and carriage electrical contacts

Remove any debris or buildup from the contacts on the cartridges and in the carriage.

1. Open the door or lid to the cartridge access area. Wait until the carriage stops moving before continuing.

2. Remove the cartridge indicated in the error message from the carriage.

   • Carriages with cartridge latches: Open the latch, and then pull the cartridge up and out of the slot.

     

   • Carriages without cartridge latches: Gently press down on the cartridge to release it, and then pull it out of the slot.

     

3. Holding the cartridge by the sides, remove any protective tape that still might be on the contacts.

   CAUTION: 

   Do not touch the ink nozzles or the copper-colored electrical strip. Touching or trying to remove these parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.

   

4. Lightly dampen a lint-free cloth with distilled water, and then wipe the copper-colored contacts on the cartridge.

   

5. Lightly dampen a lint-free cloth or swab with distilled water, and then clean the electrical contacts in the carriage.

   

6. Wait 10 minutes for the contacts to dry, and then reinsert the cartridge into its color-coded slot.

7. Repeat these steps for the other cartridge if it was indicated in the error message.

8. Close the door or lid to the cartridge access area.

   If the error persists, clean the cartridge and carriage contacts a second time.

Try the single-cartridge mode

The printer you own can work in single-cartridge mode, wherein the printer will be able to print with one cartridge in the printer. Which will help us identify if its a cartridge issue or a printhead issue

To try single-cartridge mode follow the below steps:

• remove the black ink from the printer, leave the color in and try printing
• then remove the color ink and, insert the black  in and try printing

Also, please send us a private message with your Instant Ink account details or you may also respond to the private message I've sent out and I'll help you out, accordingly. Check next to your profile name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

And, Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Yes" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping

[amanda116]

I tried all of these solutions and nothing works. 

Is there a way that I could be sent two new ink cartridges? Both of mine are defective and have no gold tape on them.