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Check out our Black or Color Ink Not Printing, Other Print Quality Issues info about: Print quality and Cartridge Issues.
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HP Photosmart 6520

The last few days I've been having issues with my HP 6520 printer and printing black ink.  My first issues started when I printed a document and the text came out printed a very light gray.  The cartridge was almost empty anyway so I changed it for a new HP cartridge, I've only ever used HP cartridges.  I then tried to make a copy of a black text document but the printer would not print anything, it went throught the cycle of printing on the paper but no ink was applied.  I then tried to clean the printhead multiple times but everytime the print quality diagnostic page would print the text would show up in black and the color block boxes print as black but there was no black ink printed in the black color box.  I then tried putting a damp paper towel in the printer and moving the printhead back and forth over it to try and clean ink residue from the printhead.  The printer still would not print black.  I left the printer alone for a day and then tried it again yesterday, I printed a text document and the black worked as normal but I then printed a picture and halfway through printing the picture the black turned to blue on the picture.  I tried today to print a document and all the black text came out as blue.  The vent on the cartridge is open and there is black ink from the cartridge on the 'screen' below the cartridge going into the printhead. I've tried many suggestions in the forum and now I don't know what else to do. Thanks in advance for any help.

15 REPLIES 15
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@Dman_60

 

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. 

 

If there were defects on the Print Quality Diagnostic report, align the printhead.

  1. Load plain, white paper in the tray.

  2. On the printer control panel, touch the Settings icon .

  3. Touch Tools, and then touch Align Printer.

    After the alignment, a message displays on the printer control panel that tells you the alignment status.

If the issue still persists, this could be a hardware failure. For the next course of action, I have sent you a private message, for more details that cannot be shared in a public post.

 

Please do check your inbox on the forums page for the private message.

 

Let me know if this helps.

 

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

 

Thanks!

Have a great day!

 

 


I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

Thank you for your reseponse! I have tried an alignment earlier today but I tried it again now.  All that prints on the aligment sheet is small blocks of blue color so I'm guessing there is supposed to be some black on there somewhere?  I now tried to print a black text document and that printed fine with black ink like it was supposed to but when I try to copy a black text document the printer acts like it is printing but all that comes out is a blank sheet of paper.  The scanning process works but it seems like the scanner is not properly relaying data to the printhead.  Is this a hardware failure like you suggested that would more than likely be unrepairable?  Is there anything else I could try? Thanks again.

HP Recommended

@Dman_60

 

Let's try resetting the Printer: 

 

Reset the printer to clear certain error states by calibrating the scanner mechanism, and then check the power source to confirm the printer is getting enough power to operate the copier.

  1. Press the Power button to turn on the printer, if it is not already on.

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

  3. Disconnect the power cord from the power source, and then wait 30 seconds.

  4. If you previously connected the power cord to a power strip or multi-plug outlet adapter, reconnect the cord directly to a wall outlet to ensure the printer is getting enough power.

  5. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer, and then turn on the printer.

  6. If you have an HP DeskJet 3700 series printer, calibrate the scanner after resetting the printer.

  7. Load the original document or photo, and then start a copy job.

    • If the issue persists, connect the printer power cord to a different wall outlet to determine if the original outlet is causing the issue.

Let me know if this helps.

 

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!


I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

I tried to reset the printer and tried three different outlets with no success, I can still print black text documents from my computer but everytime I try copy a black text document all that come out is a blank sheet of paper. I also tried the "restore factory defaults" option but I still get the same results after that.  I just tried a color copy now and all the colors copy fine from my original but the black text on the document does not print.  It seems like the scanner is working because it is copying colors but it will not copy black text if I try either a black or color copy.  Are there any other fixes I could try?

HP Recommended

@Dman_60

 

Do you have a spare black cartridge? It could be a faulty black cartridge, as you're able to copy and print in color.

 

Let me know 🙂


I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

I just tried a new cartridge, still have the same results where black ink will not copy from a black text document.  I apologize if I did not explain very clear in my earlier reply but I can print black text from a black text document from my computer and a webpage with black text will print from my computer.  I tried to clean the printhead again with no results, the black ink block is completely blank on the print quality diagnostic.  I also tried to print a 'printer status report' but all that prints on that page is the 4 small brackets with color ink between three of the brackets.  It seems like I'm just throwing ink away, especially of my color ink which have worked the entire time.  Is there anything else I could try to reset the printer? Could this be a hardware issue that isn't worth repairing? Thanks again for the help

HP Recommended

@Dman_60

 

This could be a hardware issue. We can definitely try a Printer reset here.

 

I have sent you a private message, for more details that cannot be shared in a public post.

 

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

 

Thanks!


I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

I am currently having all the same problems with my printer except I can't print anything in black ink from my computer or make copies. I've attempted all the steps outlined in the conversations to no avail. Can someone please assist me? Thank you ~MareCK

HP Recommended

Hello,

I have exactly the same problem as described in these posts. Could you please send me the hardware check instructions by private email.

thanks

Peter

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