HPENVY 4524 serial no. Edited not printing properly

[LisSimon]

Hi everyone, I tried to ask this question a couple days ago but maybe it didn't get seen by everyone or by anyone who knows any kind of solutions:

My printer has never ever had any problems to date until I changed the ink crtaridge the other day as I do when promted to do so. Now my ink levels are reading normal, pretty full but my alignment page didn't work (I reprinted it 4times and still no luck).

The print is missing chunks off the top of the text. I also tried cleaning the heads a few times and still no change. I don't know whethet to try installing my one spare cartridge  (I am subscribed to Instant Ink through HP) and what else to do. The 'help / support page has not offered any useful solutions and the hp smart chat bot hasn't solved my problem, either.

I really need to get some printing done, can somebody please help?

[Samrit26]

Hello,

That’s a classic print-quality issue following a cartridge replacement on the HP ENVY 4524 series, and your description—chunks missing from the top of text, alignment failures, and cleaning cycles not helping—gives several important clues. Let’s go step by step and focus on isolating whether this is a cartridge alignment, ink flow, or printhead electrical contact issue.

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1. Confirm the cartridge type and installation

Your HP ENVY 4524 uses:

• HP 302 / HP 302XL ink cartridges (black and tri-color).

Check the following:

1. Power on the printer.

2. Open the access door and let the carriage center.

3. Remove both cartridges.

4. Check the electrical contacts (the small gold-colored dots) on the cartridge and the corresponding contacts inside the carriage.

   • If you see ink smears, corrosion, or paper dust, gently clean with a lint-free cloth slightly dampened with distilled water or isopropyl alcohol.

5. Reinstall both cartridges, making sure they click firmly into place.

If contact contamination occurs after replacement, the printer will often detect ink levels but fail to spray consistently—exactly what you describe.

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2. Reseat and run a manual cleaning sequence

You mentioned you already used the automatic printhead cleaning from the printer menu. Let’s go one step deeper.

Manual method:

1. On the printer’s control panel → Setup → Printer Maintenance → Clean Cartridges.

2. Run Level 1 cleaning.

3. If the issue persists, run Level 2 (you’ll be prompted).

4. Print a Print Quality Diagnostic Page.

Look at the black grid and color bars:

• Gaps or missing sections in the black grid = clogged or air-bubbled black cartridge.

• Consistent missing band across every line = electrical contact or nozzle failure.

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3. Swap in your spare cartridge (important diagnostic step)

Yes — definitely use your spare HP Instant Ink cartridge.
Instant Ink cartridges are monitored and replaced often enough that the chances of receiving a defective one are low but not zero.
Replacing it will confirm whether the issue is:

• Cartridge-level (most likely), or

• Printhead carriage (rare, but possible in this model since the printhead is integrated with the cartridge).

If the new black cartridge resolves it immediately, you can report the defective one through your Instant Ink account dashboard → Cartridges → Report a problem → Print quality issue. HP will ship a replacement free of charge.

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4. Perform alignment only after a clean test print

The alignment process reads patterns printed by both cartridges. If even one color (often cyan or black) is missing or skewed, the alignment fails repeatedly.
So:

• First, confirm that the Print Quality Diagnostic Page shows clean, continuous black and color lines.

• Then run Align Printer again.

If alignment fails again after you’ve confirmed good print output, the issue might be sensor contamination under the scanner glass (the printer reads the page via the scanner).

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5. Check for scanner contamination (if alignment still fails)

• Lift the scanner lid and look for any ink marks, paper fibers, or tape residue on the glass—particularly near the left edge (the sensor area).

• Clean with a microfiber cloth and a bit of glass cleaner (applied to the cloth, not the glass).

A dirty sensor will prevent proper alignment detection even if the page prints correctly.

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6. Escalation if issue persists

If you’ve:

• Cleaned contacts,

• Tried a second cartridge,

• Run deep cleaning cycles,

• Cleaned scanner glass,

…and you still have missing portions or failed alignment, then you’re dealing with a faulty printhead electrical channel (within the printer’s carriage board).
That’s a hardware fault, and the only resolution is depot repair or replacement through HP Support.

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Summary

Step	Action	Why
1	Clean contacts on cartridge and carriage	Prevent electrical misreads
2	Run manual cleaning and diagnostic page	Verify nozzle condition
3	Try spare cartridge	Isolate cartridge vs printer fault
4	Align only after good test print	Avoid false alignment failures
5	Clean scanner glass	Ensure alignment sensor can read patterns
6	If still faulty → Depot repair	Internal carriage board fault