Black ink not printing on page, just outlined letters

[johnb441]

HP envy 5055 printer 98664F

Only printing outlines of letters, not filled in with ink. And making copies I select black ink and the page comes out blank. The app says I have plenty of black ink in the cartridge.

Anyone know what to do to fix this?

[Max3Aj]

Hi @johnb441, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

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

It sounds like your HP Envy 5055 printer has a clogged or malfunctioning black ink cartridge. Since the app shows there is plenty of ink but only outlines print (or copies come out blank), try these steps to fix it:

Check Ink Cartridges & Alignment

• Remove the black ink cartridge and inspect it.
• Make sure the protective plastic tape was removed (if it's new).
• Shake it gently and reinstall it properly.
• Run a cartridge alignment from the HP Smart App or printer settings.

Clean the Printhead

Since the issue is affecting only black ink, it may be clogged:

• Open HP Smart App or Printer Settings.
• Navigate to Tools > Printer Maintenance > Clean Printhead.
• Run the cleaning cycle up to 3 times (if needed).
• Print a test page to check if black ink is appearing.

Try a Hard Reset

• Turn off the printer and unplug it for 2-3 minutes.
• Plug it back in and turn it on.
• Try printing again.

Print a Nozzle Check Page

• Print a Print Quality Diagnostic Page (found in Settings > Reports > Print Quality Report).
• If the black ink section is missing or faint, the printhead is likely clogged.

Use Different Print Settings

• If printing from a PC, change the print settings:
  • Select Grayscale > Black Ink Only.
  • Use Best Quality instead of Draft mode.
  • Change paper type to Plain Paper.

Try Another Cartridge

Even if the app shows plenty of ink, the cartridge might be defective. Try:

• Reinstalling the current black ink cartridge.
• Replacing it with a new HP 65 Black cartridge.

Factory Reset (if all else fails)

• On the printer touchscreen:
  • Go to Setup > Printer Maintenance > Restore Defaults.
  • This resets the printer to factory settings.

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! 

Max3Aj

HP Support