hp photosmart 7260 blinking red light and not printing

[cm585]

have had this printer for several years....was working fine then red light started blinking and it won't print... I have unplugged several times....nothing happens when i try to print....computer cannot detect problem...red light keeps blinking....any ideas?

[Rudy1906 · Accepted solution]

Sorry that you are having this problem with the red light blinking. It may be something wrong with the ink cartridges. 

Have you replaced them lately?

1. Perform a hard reset on the printer. Unplug the power cord from the back of the printer. Leave it out for 30 seconds. 

2. Take both cartridges out.

3. Clean the contacts  on both cartridges and check for leakage. 

4. Plug the unit back in. Place one cartridge in and and see if you get the red light.

5. If not, take it out, and place the other cartridge in. See if you get RED light or green. 

6. If you get red light on either, it may be a bad cartridge and needs replacing.

Let me know if this helps. 

[cm585]

thanks so much!   the color ink cartridge was bad....

[Rudy1906]

No problem at all. Glad to see that everything is working correctly. If you run into any issues, feel free to ask. 

[EvaTheDiva]

It finally did print 1 sheet after I cleaned the cartridges. But then the light started up again and after trying this over and over....it consistently shows E on the copies, the red light keeps blinking and the on/off button keep blinking. No further printing even if I press the Black Start or if I press the blinking red the papers pushes itself out without printing.:smileyfrustrated:

[EvaTheDiva]

My last ditch effort will be to purchase new cartridges...both color and black. Up to this point I have been using an old color cartridge and renewing only the black, since I am not using the color aspect of late to reduce costs.