Black Ink Not Printing

[MadisonMike]

My printer is producing blank pages when I try to print in black. Mysteriously, when I print a test page the black parentheses come out fine. Yellow, blue & magenta all look good but no black bar appears in parentheses. 

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @MadisonMike,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

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

I understand the printer prints the test page but when you try to print the regular page it prints blank, Sorry to hear about the issue, please try the steps shared below and let me know if this helps, if not we can try advanced steps.

If you haven't checked it already, I recommend you try the copier as a stand-alone device without a computer and check if that works in colour:
 

• If it doesn't work, this could be a hardware issue,
• however, if the copier works and yet, the printout from the computer doesn't work in color, you can try the below steps:
• Press "Windows key" + "r" to get the "Run" window.
• Type "services.msc" to get Services - Go to "Print spooler" - Right-click and "Stop" the service.
• Now again open "Run" - Type "spool" and ok - Go to the PRINTERS folder - delete everything in that folder.
• Go to services again - Start the print spooler.
• Now check for issue resolution.
• If the issue persists, also try clean installing the printer drivers. Here are the steps:
• First, unplug the USB cable from the printer if present.
• Go to Control panel - Programs and feature - Select all the HP printer entries and uninstall them.
• Now go to the Control panel - Devices and printer - Select all the printer entries and remove the device.
• Press the "windows key" + "r" to get the "Run" window open - Type "printui.exe /s" (There is a space between .exe & /) and press enter.
• Under print server properties, go to drivers - remove any entry there as well.
• Again, go to the Run window, type - "c:/programdata" - Go to the Hewlett Packard folder, and remove any printer-related folders & files.
• Restart your computer.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

VikramTheGreat

HP Support 

[MadisonMike]

The color print appears fine as a stand-alone printer but the black does not! As I mentioned initially,  the black parentheses on the test page appear just fine. So does the color yellow, blue  and magenta in parentheses 2,3 and 4.  HOWEVER, black DOES NOT appear in parathesis #1 even though the actual paranthesis around it is fine! It shows as blank. 

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @MadisonMike,

Welcome to the HP support community.

Could you please help us with the printer details so I can try to find more help?

Please help us with the Printer serial number or the product number in a private message for further assistance.
 

Here is the link to find the product number: - Click here

To access your private messages, simply click the private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Support Community profile, next to your profile and send a private message to me with the serial number, because we value your privacy.
 

VikramTheGreat

HP Support

[MadisonMike]

Vikram- I finally got around to trying your recommendations. I got this message: "The cleaning process was unsuccessful."  What do I do now?

[MadisonMike]

Vikram- Please keep in mind, a print test I did shows some black but only on parentheses.

This is what the test print looks like:

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @MadisonMike,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

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

When the HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 prints color but not black (except a few symbols like parentheses on the test page), it usually points to either a clogged printhead, a cartridge issue, or a software/settings conflict. The fact that some black does show up makes it a bit of a puzzle, but let’s get you through it step by step.


Step 1: Run a Print Quality Diagnostic Report

Let’s get a clear picture of the issue.

1. On the printer screen:
   • Go to Settings → Printer Maintenance → Print Quality Report
2. Look at the black section — is it completely missing, faded, or streaky?

✅ If black is missing or broken: likely a clogged printhead
✅ If it’s perfect here, but missing in real print jobs, it might be a software/settings issue

Step 2: Clean the Printhead (Thoroughly)

This is often the fix, even if the ink is full.

1. Go to:
   • Settings → Printer Maintenance → Clean Printhead
2. After cleaning, print another Print Quality Report
3. Repeat cleaning up to 2 more times if necessary

Step 3: Check Print Settings on Your Computer

1. When printing, click Print > Printer Properties
2. Make sure:
   • Print in Grayscale is unchecked
   • Or if it’s checked, select “Black Ink Only” (not composite black)
3. Try printing from another program (e.g., WordPad or Notepad) to isolate the software.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, as it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

VikramTheGreat

HP Support

[MadisonMike]

Before I go through multiple printhead cleanings, please answer this question. Is the printhead that produces the black parentheses  on the test page the same as the black printhead that would be used on other print jobs?  If so, it seems that a clogged printhead can be ruled out as the black parentheses on the test page appear fine.

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @MadisonMike,

The fact that the black parentheses print cleanly and sharply on the test or diagnostic page strongly suggests that the black printhead is not clogged. That part of the test pattern is typically printed using the pigment black ink, which is the same black used for standard documents.

Given that:

• The black parentheses print cleanly on the printer's internal test page
• But black does not print correctly from your documents or computer

This suggests the hardware (printhead) is functioning correctly, and the issue is likely with the software or driver setup on your device.

Here's what you can try next:

1. Print a document from a different application

• Try printing from Word, Notepad, or even a PDF viewer like Adobe Acrobat.
• If black prints from some apps but not others, it's likely an app-specific issue.

 2. Update or reinstall the printer driver

• Visit HP's official support page for the OfficeJet Pro 6968.
• Download and install the Full Feature Software and Drivers.
• Alternatively, uninstall the current printer from your system, restart your computer, and reinstall it from scratch.
   

3. Check print settings

• Open the print dialogue and click “Preferences” or “Properties.”
• Ensure:
  • You are not using “Print in colour only”
  • The black cartridge is selected for black-and-white prints
  • You’re not in “Ink Save Mode”

4. Try printing from the HP Smart App

• The HP Smart app can bypass some system-level issues.
• If black prints from the app, the issue is likely driver- or OS-related.
   

I hope this helps.
 

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, as it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

VikramTheGreat

HP Support