Accidentally swapped yellow cartridge and cyan cartridge - how to clean?

[mgbussey]

HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Plus - I accidently put the yellow cartridge in the cyan slot and the cyan cartridge in the yellow slot.  Then both are printed greenish.  I put them back in the correct slot, and performed the cartridge clean process more than a dozen times, and now the cyan looks okay, but the yellow still comes out with smears of green.  I printed several copies of page size rectangles of pure yellow, but they all contain smears of green.  Is there some way to clean up this mess I made?

[Raj_05 · Accepted solution]

Hi @mgbussey,

Welcome to HP Support Community.  

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like the accidental mixing of the yellow and cyan cartridges may have caused cross-contamination, leading to the greenish smears. While the cartridge clean process is a good step, there are a few additional things you can try to resolve the issue.

Manual Cleaning:

• Turn off the printer and unplug it for safety.
• Remove the yellow cartridge.
• Use a lint-free cloth or cotton swab slightly moistened with distilled water to gently clean the contacts on both the cartridge and the printer.
• Allow everything to dry completely.
• Reinsert the yellow cartridge and perform a cleaning cycle again.

Check for Residual Ink:

• Ensure that there is no residual ink on the contacts or inside the cartridge slots.
• If you find any, clean it with a lint-free cloth or cotton swab moistened with distilled water.

Perform Deep Cleaning:

• Check your printer's manual to see if there's a deep cleaning option. This is a more thorough cleaning process that might help remove stubborn ink residues.

Use a Dedicated Cleaning Kit:

• Some printers have dedicated cleaning kits that you can purchase. These kits typically include special cleaning solutions and tools designed to clean printheads and cartridges.

Check Printer Software:

• Ensure that your printer software on the computer is up to date. Sometimes, firmware updates can include improvements in print quality.

Replace the Yellow Cartridge:

• If the issue persists, consider replacing the yellow cartridge with a new one. It's possible that the cross-contamination caused permanent damage to the cartridge.

I hope this helps. 
 

Take care and have a good day.

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Alden4
HP Support