ERROR: cartridges are not communicating correctly with the printer

[CP1019]

Please let me know what I should do to fix this error “cartridges not communicating”. I have an HP Officejet 5255

I’ve been trying to print and fix for two days.  I don’t want to replace the cartridges as they are too expensive.  There should be an alternate fix for this problem. 

[Jay_G24]

Hi @CP1019,

Welcome to the HP Support Community

I'd like to help!

I understand you are receiving a "cartridges are not communicating" error.

Try the below suggestions -

Reset the printer

Reset the printer to recover from printer errors or failures.

If your printer has a rechargeable battery, remove it.

With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the printer.

Unplug the power cord from the power source.

Wait 60 seconds.

Reconnect the power cord to a wall outlet and to the printer.

NOTE:

HP recommends plugging the printer directly into a wall outlet.

Turn on the printer to complete the reset.

Clean the ink cartridge and carriage electrical contacts

Remove any debris or buildup from the contacts on the cartridges and in the carriage.

Open the door or lid to the cartridge access area. Wait until the carriage stops moving before continuing.

Remove the cartridge indicated in the error message from the carriage.

Carriages with cartridge latches: Open the latch, and then pull the cartridge up and out of the slot.

Carriages without cartridge latches: Gently press down on the cartridge to release it, and then pull it out of the slot.

Holding the cartridge by the sides, remove any protective tape that still might be on the contacts.

CAUTION:

Do not touch the ink nozzles or the copper-colored electrical strip. Touching or trying to remove these parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.

Lightly dampen a lint-free cloth with distilled water, and then wipe the copper-colored contacts on the cartridge.

Lightly dampen a lint-free cloth or swab with distilled water, and then clean the electrical contacts in the carriage.

Wait 10 minutes for the contacts to dry, and then reinsert the cartridge into its color-coded slot.

Repeat these steps for the other cartridge if it was indicated in the error message.

Close the door or lid to the cartridge access area.

If the error persists, clean the cartridge and carriage contacts a second time.

Try the single cartridge mode 

The printer you own can work in single-cartridge mode, wherein the printer will be able to print with one cartridge in the printer. Which will help us identify if its a cartridge issue or a printhead issue 

To try single-cartridge mode follow the below steps:

• remove the black ink from the printer, leave the color in and try printing 
• then remove the color ink and, insert the black  in and try printing 

If the error persists,

• I've sent you a private message with further instructions to get this issue sorted.
• In order to access your private messages, click the private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP community profile, next to your profile Name or simply click on this link:  https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/notes/privatenotespage

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

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