ENVY 7640 printer not printing color

[PFJK]

ENVY 7640 printer is working fine with "black" printing

But it a document has any color text in it, "black" prints fine but is very, very faint in "green" and text that is in "blue" does not print at all

Relatively new "color" ink cartridge that was working fine just the day before

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @PFJK 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

Thanks for posting your query! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thanks for explaining that so clearly—it’s definitely frustrating when your color prints suddenly go haywire, especially with a fresh cartridge.

Let’s walk through a few steps to bring those colors back to life:

🎯 Step 1: Check ink levels and cartridge seating
Even if the cartridge is new, it’s worth double-checking:

• Open the printer cover and gently press the color cartridge to ensure it’s properly seated.
• Make sure the protective tape was fully removed from the cartridge before installation.
• Use the printer’s control panel or HP Smart app to check estimated ink levels.

🧼 Step 2: Clean the printhead
Clogged nozzles can cause faint or missing colors:

• On the printer’s touchscreen, go to Settings > Tools > Clean Printhead.
• Run the cleaning cycle once, then print a test page.
• If the issue persists, repeat the cleaning up to two more times.

🧪 Step 3: Print a diagnostic page
This helps pinpoint which colors are misbehaving:

• Go to Settings > Reports > Print Quality Report.
• Look for missing or faded color blocks—especially cyan and magenta.

🔧 Step 4: Align the printhead
Misalignment can distort color output:

• From the touchscreen, go to Settings > Tools > Align Printer.
• Follow the prompts and print the alignment page.

🖥️ Step 5: Check print settings on your computer
Sometimes the software overrides color printing:

• When printing, click Printer Properties or Preferences.
• Make sure Color is selected (not grayscale or black-only).
• Confirm the paper type matches what’s loaded—some settings affect color output.

If the blue and green still refuse to show up after all this, the cartridge might be defective despite being new. Let me know how it goes—I’ll stick with you until your prints look perfect again!

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye