HP Officejet 6500A Printers - Black Ink Not Printing

[Paul1203]

This seems to be a long term problem with the HP printer. I have replaced the printer head, the ink is all HP and new, I have reset a number of times and done all suggested "fixes"etc.etc. I have managed to get it to print quarter of a page then about 5 pages in black then it fades and goes back to just colour again?? When it works its fine it is just hard to get it working. 

As this is a long term problem with the HP printers I assume now know the reason this is happening, please tell me if i should persue this or just throw it out and buy a new printer.

[Jeet_singh]

@Paul1203,

Welcome to the HP Forums 🙂 I would like to take a moment and thank you for using this forum, it is a great place to find answers. For you to have the best experience on the HP forum, you could also visit our HP Forums Guide for First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More. I see from your post that you are having issues related to printing in black from your HP OfficeJet 6500A printer. Don't worry we'll work together to help you find a solution.

To provide you with an accurate solution, I'll need a few more details:

Have you recently made any changes before the issue started?

Have you tried to run the HP Print and Scan Doctor?

Have you tried to update the printer firmware?

Are you able to make a copy from the printer?

In the meantime, let's try these steps here: 

Let's start off by updating the printer firmware. If your printer connected wirelessly, make sure to temporary connect the device with USB and then follow the link to install the latest firmware update on your printer from our HP support website. Alternatively you can also try to update the printer firmware directly from the printer control panel. Once done, restart the computer.

For more details on how to update, please use this link: HP Printers - Updating or Upgrading Printer Firmware

If the issue persists, I would suggest here is to do a hard reset on the printer and make sure that the printer is connected directly to the wall outlet and not to the surge protector.

With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer and also unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.

Remove USB cable, if present.

Wait for 2-3 minutes, press and hold the power button on your printer for about 30 seconds to remove any additional charge.

Now plug back the power cable straight to a wall outlet without any surge protector or an extension cord and then plug back the power cord to the printer.

Turn on the printer and wait till warm-up period finishes and the printer is idle.

If you are facing any issue while using the printer then try using HP Print and Scan Doctor (PSDR). PSDR is an automated tool which can diagnose and resolve printing and scanning problems. Please go to this link: HP Printers - Using HP Print and Scan Doctor (Windows)  to download and run HP PSDR. Once you open the program, select your printer and click on “Fix Printing” to automatically diagnose and fix the issue.

Let’s try and make a “photocopy” to determine whether the issue is with the printer or not. Place a document on the scanner glass and choose “Copy” option. If the printer is making a good copy, then the printer hardware is fine.

If the copy comes out bad then I would suggest you try to follow the steps suggested in the support document for - Fixing Print Quality Problems for the HP Officejet 6500A e-All-in-One Printer Series

If the copy comes out fine, then I would suggest this could be to due to software or driver conflict. 

If you're running Windows, I would suggest you uninstall the printer drivers from the root level and then reinstall them by following the below steps:

• Press “Windows key” + “r” to get the “Run” window.
• Type "services.msc" to get Services – Go to “Print spooler” – Right-click and “Stop” the service.
• Now again open "Run" - Type “spool” and ok - Go to PRINTERS folder - delete everything in that folder.
• Go to services again - Start the print spooler.
• Now check for issue resolution.
• If the issue persists, also try clean installing the printer drivers. Here are the steps:
• First, unplug the USB cable from the printer if present.
• Go to Control panel – Programs and feature – Select all the HP Officejet printer entries and uninstall them.
• Now go to Control panel – Devices and printer – Select all the printer entries and remove the device.
• Press the "windows key" + "r" to get the "Run" window open - Type "printui.exe /s" (There is a space between .exe & /) and press enter.
• Under print server properties, go to drivers - remove any entry there as well.
• Again, go to the Run window, type – “c:/programdata” – Go to Hewlett Packard folder, remove any printer related folders & files.
• Restart your computer.
• Please click here (Please select the Operating system and version of Windows before downloading and installing the printer software).
• Connect the USB cable if prompted and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Please let me know if this resolves the issue, or if you require further assistance!

Eagerly waiting for your response!

that said, If the information I've provided was helpful, 

give us some reinforcement by clicking the solution and kudos buttons, 

that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Good Luck.

[Paul1203]

To answer your questions.

Have you recently made any changes before the issue started? NO

Have you tried to run the HP Print and Scan Doctor? NO

Have you tried to update the printer firmware? NO

Are you able to make a copy from the printer? Yes however no Black. 

The printer is not connected to WiFi. It is used stand alone and pluged into a commputer when required.

It is being run from a MacBook Air.

I have turned it off at the wall and restarted it but not compleatly as you suggested.

I will not be able to do any more for a few weeks as i am away.

Paul

[sandytechy20]

@Paul1203

Thanks for the reply.

I appreciate your time and effort.

I understand the issue better now.

Make sure the ink cartridges are properly vented and seated correctly

1. Open the ink cartridge access door.

   The carriage moves to the center of the printer.

   Figure : Opening the ink cartridge access door

   

2. Press in the tab on the front of the ink cartridge to release it, and then pull it up to remove it from its slot.

   Figure : Removing the ink cartridge

   

3. Examine the vent area on the ink cartridge, above the HP logo on the top of the ink cartridge.

   Figure : Vent area

   

4. If the ink cartridge still has the orange pull-tab attached, pull to remove it.

   Figure : Orange pull tab

   

5. If the vent is clogged, use a straight pin to gently remove excess adhesive from the vent.

   Figure : Cleaning the clogged vent with a pin

6. 1. 

      Clogged vent

   2. With a straight pin, gently remove excess adhesive from the vent

   3. Unclogged vent

7. With the nozzle and the contacts facing down, slide the ink cartridge into its slot. Press down on the ink cartridge until it snaps into place. Make sure the color icon on the ink cartridge label matches the color icon on the slot.

   Figure : Reinstalling the ink cartridge

   

8. Repeat these steps to inspect the vents on each of the ink cartridges.

9. Make sure each ink cartridge is firmly in place in its slot. Run your finger along the top of the ink cartridges to feel for any that are protruding, and if any are, press down firmly until each ink cartridge snaps into place.

10. Close the ink cartridge access door.

    Figure : Closing the ink cartridge access door

    

11. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

You can refer to this HP document for more assistance:- Click here

Let me know if that helps.

To thank me for my efforts to help you, please mark my post as an accepted solution so that it benefits several others.

Cheers.