photo smart printer black ink not printing

[futuristic]

I have a hp photo smart printer the printer would not print in black and white I change the photo and black ink did text pages and  it works check ink levels and its good since i put in the new ink but it was not print any thing black and white I had it clean print heads and even reset to factory settings turned it off and on with the same issue and it just prints bits of things any idea how I can fix this issues. 

[MKazi]

@futuristic

Thanks for posting on the HP Support Forums page. 🙂

I came across your post and would like to help. 

I read that you have an HP Photosmart printer and it does not print in black and white color. After replacing the photo black and black ink, the printer started to print in black color. I appreciate the efforts you put in to troubleshoot the issue.

I will need some additional information to assist you better:

• As of now is the printer able to print the black color?
• Did you have issues printing black only with the old cartridges?
• What is the exact printer model no? This link will help you locate the model no: http://hp.care/2bygf7l

Please note that HP printers do not print white color because by default the paper color is in white. Therefore, the printer is designed to print in all other colors except white.

I will wait for your reply. Please feel free to reply. Cheers! 🙂

[futuristic]

• As of now is the printer able to print the black color?  I changed the black ink and when I print it prints a blank page. 
• Did you have issues printing black only with the old cartridges? with the old cartidige it said red was low and photo black and I purchased new ones and replaced them. 
• What is the exact printer model no? This link will help you locate the model no: http://hp.care/2bygf7l

HP photo smart premium   c309

serial MY9BP5H2KT

I did print alignment, print test and it prints from left to right black full, red full, blue 75% full yellow 80% full and the last box is empty yet I changed the XL and on the reader for ink levels its full. IT even prints the black lines around the test page ink level pics but when I print a word document it s blank.  PDF files print in a light gray,

I shook the ink and I hear its full I toucched the bottom to see if its dried out and its not. This has never happened before and the issue only started happening after red went low and then black but I changed them both

[MKazi]

@futuristic

Thank you so much for replying with the information. 🙂

I read that the alignment page shows that the ink levels are good and the last box is empty. The printer prints black lines on the test page. But Word documents are blank and PDF files are light gray. You have done a commendable job in troubleshooting. 

I suggest you to clean the printhead manually and check if that helps:

• Remove all ink cartridges out.
• Lift the latch handle on the carriage until it stops.

• Lift the printhead to remove it from the carriage.

• Clean the electrical contacts inside the printer. For successful printhead assembly replacement, it is important to get the electrical contacts inside the printer as clean as possible. The replacement printhead assembly comes with pre-moistened wipes.

Figure : Pre-moistened wipes

• Use these wipes to clean the electrical contacts inside the printer. Wipe from the top to the bottom of the electrical contacts, in one direction only. As the wipes become dirty, discard the used wipes and open new ones. Do not wipe up and down or side to side, as doing so can damage the print.
• Do not touch the copper-colored electrical contacts. Do not scratch the electrical contacts on the printer or any other surface.

Figure : Do not touch the electrical contacts

Figure : Clean the electrical contacts inside the printer

• Connect the printhead back into the printer.

NOTE: This printer uses black and a Photo black cartridge too. Have you replaced both of them, let me know.

Thanks for your time. I'll watch for your response. I sincerely hope this fixes the issue. 

[futuristic]

I have replaced the cartidges already

I cleaned the print heads and still not change this is weird because the status report and quality report comes out fine. but when I go to ms word it will not print anything. and pdf files comes out gray. I even tried to do a quick print from ready made documents and pages come out blank. 

The only odd thing is on the ink report that last box is blank but ink level shows full but report shows it empty 

I also took a word document and printed it in all red, blue and yellow and it works but black will not print but both ink levels on screen show full and I know the XL is full I can hear the ink. 

This baffels me. 

[MKazi]

@futuristic

Thank you for attempting the steps and replying to me. I read that the status report and quality report comes out fine but the MS Word documents do not print anything and pdf files come out gray. 

I suggest you to uninstall and reinstall the printer drivers. At times due to a driver issue, the few colors may not print. Please follow the below steps to uninstall from the root level:

• In Windows, search for and open Programs and Features.
• Select your HP printer.
• Select Uninstall.
• In Windows, search for and open Devices and Printers.
• In the Devices and Printers window look for your HP Printer. If you see it listed, right-click on it and choose "Delete" or "Remove Device.”
• Open up the run command with the "Windows Key + R" key combo.
• Type printui.exe /s and click OK.
• Click on Drivers tab.
• Look for HP Printer driver. If you see it click on it and click Remove at the bottom.
• Select OK.
• Select Apply and OK on the Print Server Properties windows.
• Close Devices and Printers.

Once you have performed the above steps, please download and install the drivers from this link: www.123.hp.com

Hope this fixes the issue and if the issue repeats then it calls for a service of the printer. You need to contact HP phone support to explore the service options for your HP printer.

Please keep me posted for any further questions. Cheers! 🙂

[futuristic]

I uninstalled but when using the site my model is not available and it says contact support. 

my mode is hp photosmart premium series c309

[futuristic]

is this it?   http://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-photosmart-premium-all-in-one-printer-series-c309...

[MKazi · Accepted solution]

@futuristic

You are correct. The printer model is HP Photosmart Premium All-in-One Printer series - C309. The link you provided is absolutely correct.

Let me know the outcome. All the best! 🙂

[futuristic]

It worked, what do you suppose the issue was and how can I avoid this from happening in the future. ???