HP Photosmart C6180 Magenta Inks Not Printing

[jonmehl · Accepted solution]

My printer started working. It had been unplugged and sitting for several months. I turned it on to try the suggestions from HP (below) and found that it was working--I didn't have to do anything!  Anyway, I hope this may help some of you with similar problems:

Hi,
 
Thank you for contacting HP Total Care.
 
I am Vivian from HP Total care for All-in-One products and this reply is in regards to the issue related to HP Photosmart C6180 All-in-One Printer.
 
From your mail I understand that you have a HP Photosmart C6180 All-in-One Printer. Presently you are experiencing an issue that the printer prints in magenta only on the alignment page, and not even on the test page.
 
I realize the importance of the issue and will give you appropriate information. I need your cooperation and appreciate your efforts in resolving the issue.
 
Firstly I would like to thank you for proving the link, I will take it as a feedback and forward it to the concerned department. However it is not a known issue, because in that case HP will take immediate action and make sure that the defective cartridges do not reach the market.
 
I request you to try the following troubleshooting steps. I assure you that these steps would resolve the issue.
 
I request you to check if you are facing the same issue with copy function also. If the printer copies fine in magenta color do not perform any of the given steps and please get back to us for further assistance. However if you are facing the same issue with copy as well please proceed with the steps provided.
 
Step One: Cleaning the copper contacts.
 
1)      Take a lint free cloth or a cotton ball, damp it with normal water.
2)      Clean the copper contacts on the cartridge thoroughly.
3)      You have the same type of copper contacts on the printer also, if you are able to reach them clean the copper contacts on the printer also.
4)      Reseat the cartridge back in their place.
5)      When the printer is ON, unplug the power cord from the printer.
6)      Press and hold the power button for about 30 seconds.
7)      Re plug the power cord back into the printer and switch ON the printer.
 
If the issue persists please proceed with the next step.
 
Step Two: Perform a power drain on the printer.
 
1)      Remove the power cord from the product
2)      Press and hold power button for about a minute (While the power cord is not connected to the printer).
3)      Release the button.
4)      Connect the power cord to the product
5)      Use the On button to turn on the product.
 
Connect the printer back to the computer and check; if the issue persists please proceed with the next step.
 
Step Three: Reset the printer back to factory defaults.
 
1)      Use the On button to turn on the product.
2)      Remove the power cord from the product
3)      Press and hold the # and 6 buttons.
4)      While holding the buttons down, connect the power cord to the product
5)      Continue to hold the buttons down for about 30 seconds.
6)      Use the On button to turn on the product.
7)      If these steps do not resolve the issue, it will be a hardware issue with the printer in that case I would suggest you to take the printer to the nearest Authorized Service provider for service.
 
Please follow these steps and get back to us with the results, if you need further assistance, please reply to this message and we will be happy to assist you further.
 
We look forward to hear from you.
 
For information on keeping your HP and Compaq products up and running, please visit our Web site at:
 
http://www.hp.com/go/totalcare

ALSO:

If the printer is making color copy and you are getting magenta color on the copy it is evident that the printer is working fine, it is a software issue. I request you to try the following steps according to your convenience and get back to us with the results.
 
Step One: Resetting the printing system
 
To use the Reset Printing System feature, follow these steps:
 
1. In the Finder, choose Utilities from the Go menu.
2. Open Printer Setup Utility.
3. From the Printer Setup Utility menu, choose Reset Printing System.
4. Click Reset.
 
Step Two: Verify/Repair Disk Permissions
 
Click on Go tab from the menu bar at the top.
Select Utilities tab.
Click on Disk utility.
Once the disk utility pops up, select the Hard Drive and click on Verify Permissions tab.
 
This may take some time to complete as the Mac will try to verify all the permissions for the hard drive.
Now click on Repair Disk Permission tab.
 
This may take some time to complete as the Mac will try to Repair all the permissions for the hard drive.
Once the Verify Disk Permission is complete, restart the Mac
 
Step Three: Add the printer again
 
1.      Click on the apple button on the left hand top.
2.      Click on system preferences, system preferences window will open.
3.      Click on printer and fax icon.
4.      Click on add symbol on the left hand bottom.
5.      You will see your Printer in the list, select it and click on the ADD button on the right hand side.
 
Please perform the following steps and get back to us with the results, for further assistance kindly revert back to us, we will be glad to help you.
For information on keeping your HP and Compaq products up and running, please visit our Web site
at:
http://www.hp.com/go/totalcare

[BillTily]

I have been using my C6180 for a couple of years and it worked fine until last month. The magenta appears to print when it wants to, and thats not all the time, pictures with greenish faces. I found this post and the "problem solved" and thought I had it made - no luck -

Cleaned print heads - changed cartridges - cleans with new cartridges - did steps 1,2 and 3 - still does not print magenta on my work, but will print the six test boxes on the extended self test diagnostig page 2 of 2.

The printer is network connected and the only change I have made lately is to add a notebook with Windows 7, the first two machines are running XP

[SHughes]

I am having the same problem - magenta and light meganta will not print.  I've tried all the steps in the solutions given but it still won't print properly.  😞

Yellow is showing up in place of magenta and light magenta.  The magenta cartridges are brand new HP cartridges and are not refills.

Anyone else stil having this problem?  If not, how did you resolve it?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Ms-PJS]

I have the exact same printer and it is doing the very same thing.

Since it won't print magenta, anything that is red in my printout is printing yellow and I'm even seeing green.

It's pretty ugly.

I hope we can get a resolution.

[Flow_FX]

Looks like the solution that was presented did not work. I've tried everything I can think of and nothing is working. If one could get to the print head easier you could at least see if ink is actually getting to the print head. I suspect that there is a clog in the line somewhere which is preventing the magenta printing.

If anyone has had any luck please post a solution, I hate to take it in for repair.

[deetee39]

I've got the same problem, and have tried all the steps outlined above, but still no luck! 

The dominant colour when I print anything off is yellow.

 When I use the print clean facility there's no magenta, but when I print the 'alignment test page', the two little birds have magenta (or maybe light magenta?) in them. When I print off the 'Extended Self-Test Diagnostics Page', page 2 shows light magenta as normal, but magenta shows up as wishy washy light purple. The first diagnostic page shows that all inks are present and are in date.

The printer is just 3 years old, and though used daily, has had light use. Repair charges are so high that the easy (and perhaps the cheapest) way out if I can't get it working myself would be to scrap it and buy a new one, but I'm reluctant to do that as I have 9 colour cartridges and a high capacity black one. Also, when working, I found it to be an excellent printer.

I've tried the head cleaning routine several times over, and all of the tips outlined above, but to no avail, so I'm beginning to think that this may not be an ink supply problem, (blocked printhead etc) but a firmware problem.  Has anyone actually succeeded in resolving this problem please?

David

[GraemeBarnett]

Same issue on a C7280, light use and just returned from 2 weeks away and not printing Magenta or Light Magenta, tried all the cleaning, alignment and replacing with no improvement.  So many people with the same issue.....

[Elodie9]

TRY THESE STEPS!! IT WORKED FOR ME!!!

I tried all these steps and nothing worked. I am using a Mac and after much frustration I decided to use the settings on the printing tab. I opened up  a pages document and typed up some random words and made them all different shades of magenta. Then I hit Print, and chose Color Matching instead of Layout. Under that I clicked on Color Sync and the magenta came out perfectly!!!!!! It did take a while to print though but at least it worked. Hope this helps you Mac users. 

PC users: Try using similar options on your PC under the print tab. 

[billymerle]

Very interesting complicated inkjet system, somewhat like a heart pump or medication dispenser in hospital.

Ink reservoir has bottom feed and top return.  Printhead/dual pumps system sucks with one piston and returns with other.

Air bubble or drying up stops pumping and that color goes dead.  Repeating head cleaning and printing may or not

prime the flow of ink through printhead/dual pumps.  Not sure there is reasonable way to suck the ink from reservoir

into the pumps but that is the tool needed but designer prevented that work around.  No evidence of replaceable 

printhead/dual pumps while HP officejet 6000 & 7000 does allow removal/cleaning/replacement of  printhead separate

from the ink reservoirs (Canon type design?).  As with all brands with reservoir cartridge and with fixed printhead, if not used at least weekly, throw it away and buy new printer - design does NOT support reuse/recycle/repair of environmentalist.

[lindamcjunkin]

THANK YOU!  This worked for me too.  I'm a new Mac user (don't know if that was the issue or the printer having issues), but after several hours of troubleshooting and no help with HP's customer service bc my printer is out of warranty, your post saved the day.  Thanks.