Envy 5500 wont print properly

[Liz5555]

My printer prints this way - I replaced the color cartridge and the black one is half full. 

Please advise. I am ready to throw this printer in the trash and never to buy HP again. 

[Bob_Headrick]

The troubleshooting steps in the document here may help resolve black not printing on your Envy 5500 series printer. Based on the pictures you posted it appears the color cartridge is working fine, the black is having issues.  I would start with running up to three cleaning cycles as shown in Step 4 of the document above.  If that does not resolve the issue I would suggest cleaning the contacts on the black cartridge and in the printer as shown in the document here (for a different cartridge series, but follow the instructions).

If the black cartridge is still not printing correctly then I would suggest replacing the black cartridge.  If you do not have a spare cartridge then you may have success recovering the cartridge as follows:  get a clean coffee cup and put 1" of hot (but not boiling) water in the cup.  Remove the black cartridge from the printer and put it in the water with the nozzles facing downward, in the same orientation it would be in the printer.  Let the cartridge soak for fifteen minutes.  Next remove the cartridge from the water and dry the electrical contacts with a lint-free wipe.  A clean coffee filter works well for this.  Now put the cartridge back in the printer and run up to three cleaning cycles as done previously in Step 4 of the document above.

If the black cartridge is still not printing correctly then I would suggest replacing the black cartridge.  The Envy uses Integrated Printhead (IPH) cartridges, with the printhead and ink delivery system built into the cartridge, it is very likely a new black cartridge will resolve the issue.

If you need to replace the cartridge to restore proper printing, be aware that genuine HP cartridges do have a warranty, see the document here for information. To get warranty coverage you will need to go to the Contact HP page, then enter the information for your printer.  At this point it will likely say "Manufacturer's warranty has expired"  To the right of this it will say "See details".  Click the "See details" link, which will open another page with more details.  Near the bottom of the text will be a paragraph that says : 

HP has checked your product information, including the product and serial numbers, to determine your warranty results.The legal warranty expiration date is based on the date of purchase, as indicated on your receipt. If you feel these results are incorrect, you may submit a dispute for review. Dispute this > 

Click on the "Dispute this" link which will ask for some additional contact information.  Fill out the contact information, then in the bottom section select: 

Dispute reason  

  Issue with my Accessories, Supplies and/or Software. 

In the comment section indicate that you have a defective supply that is in warranty, you have verified the supply is defective by switching it with a replacement supply (once you have actually done this).