HO Deskjet 3720 printer issues

[BlondieMacca]

Old deskjet stopped printing so I thought it needed replacing. Purchased a new one inserted existing cartridges and … nothing!!! Blank pages… so I purchased  new genuine HP cartridges , colour and black…

replaced cartridges… it printed  the faintest most tiny amount of green ink, barely visible. Have done all the trouble shooting. Deep clean, alignment etc etc etc, download updated drivers, you name it, I’ve tried it! NOTHING!  So frustrating!!! So now I have a printer that’s new and won’t print. I tried to print out a pic on photo paper. The family was green, so was everything else. HELP!!!!!! I’ve tried everything, any suggestions apart from chucking it out the window?

[Max3Aj]

Hi @BlondieMacca,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

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

That sounds incredibly frustrating! Since you’ve already gone through extensive troubleshooting—including deep cleaning, alignment, and new genuine HP cartridges—let’s try a few additional steps.

Check Vent Tape on Cartridges

Even though they’re new, double-check that the protective tape covering the ink vents is completely removed.

Manually Clean the Printhead

• Turn off the printer and unplug it.
• Remove the cartridges and gently clean the copper contacts and printhead nozzles with a lint-free cloth slightly dampened with distilled water.
• Let it dry for a few minutes before reinserting.

Check for Clogged Nozzles via Diagnostic Report

• Print a Print Quality Diagnostic Report (Go to printer settings > Reports).
• If the black or color sections appear missing or faded, the ink isn’t flowing correctly.

Force Ink Flow via Soak Method

If nozzles are clogged:

• Remove the cartridges.
• Place the printhead (bottom part) on a damp paper towel for 5-10 minutes.
• Blot gently, then reinstall.

Bypass Cartridge Recognition Issues

Some DeskJet models can be finicky with refilled/reused cartridges. Try this trick:

• Remove the cartridges.
• Unplug the printer from power for 10 minutes.
• Plug it back in, insert cartridges, and try printing again.

Try Different Print Settings

• Go to Printer Preferences > Advanced Settings and change:
  • Paper type to Plain Paper
  • Print quality to Best
  • Color settings to Grayscale (Black Ink Only) to see if black prints

[Max3Aj]

Firmware Rollback (if recent update caused issue)

If the issue started after a firmware update, it may have affected third-party cartridges:

• Check HP’s site for an older firmware version and attempt a rollback.

Hardware Issue? Test a Copy Function

• If the DeskJet 3720 has a copy function, place a colored document on the scanner and copy it.
• If the copy also prints blank or green, it’s likely a hardware fault.

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