HP photosmart 6520e missing black ink

[Old-mechanic]

HP Photosmart 6520e missing black ink

[Bob_Headrick]

The troubleshooting steps in the document here may help resolve black not printing on your Photosmart 6520e.

If the standard troubleshooting did not resolve black not printing I would suggest removing the black cartridge.  Turn it over and examine the area around the ink port.  There are four orange plastic spots, left over from the protective cap.  Make sure these are flush with the cartridge body, if not carefully trim them flush.  If the plastic nubs protrude they can prevent the cartridge from seating properly.  Before replacing the cartridge in the printer dribble a few (maybe four) drops of hot water into the ink port in the printer and two drops into the ink port on the cartridge then snap the cartridge back in position.  

It may also help to manually clean the printhead as described in the post here (this is for a different printer model, but the same procedure applies).

I have also seen cases where leaving the printer overnight after the cleaning cycles allows black to recover.

If none of the above restores black printing your printer will likely require repair or replacement.

[Old-mechanic]

That did not help. I removed the printhead and cleaned it with warm water and alcohol. When I reinstalled it I got a carriage jammed message. The tray under the printhead was not retracting. Followed an online fix and got the tray to retract when it should. Now I have an improper shutdown message that wont clear.