I can't get one color cartridge to load it's ink

[LoveChenin]

My operating system is MacOS Sequoia 15.0. It is not listed as a choice here. I inherited this printer. I don't have a warranty. I have used it before it worked great. It recently ran out of ink.I bought HP XL 950 and 951. I loaded all the cartridges except the red which ran out last. I printed a few things first and it worked fine. I put the new red cartridge in when it signaled it was out, just a few minutes after loading the others. It refused to load the ink and show as full.  It still says it's out. I looked up some trouble shooting and did the following: 
1. I removed the new cartridge, replaced it with the old one, waited a few minutes, put the new one back in. 
2. I took some alcohol to a cotton swab, cleaned the ink entrance. There is no connector to clean except a spring. The cartridges spring load. 
3. I unplugged the printer and plugged it back in. 
4. I took the red cartridge back to Office Depot where I purchased it and they gave me a new red cartridge. 

5. I loaded this cartridge and still will not load the ink into the printer. Says it's still out. Won't print. 

6. I unplugged the printer and plugged it back in. 
I just want to talk to someone as to what to do next? I just spent $140 on this ink. How do we get an HP support person? It seems impossible. 

[Raj_05]

Hi @LoveChenin,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

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

It sounds like you've already tried several good troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue with your HP Officejet Pro 8100 ePrinter. Since the issue persists, here are a few additional steps to try.

Reset the Printer:

• Power Cycle: Turn the printer off, unplug it from the wall, wait for 60 seconds, and then plug it back in and turn it on.
• Partial Reset:
  1. Turn off the printer.
  2. Unplug the power cord from the printer.
  3. Hold down the Power button for 15 seconds.
  4. Plug the power cord back in and turn the printer on.
  5. Check if the cartridge is recognized.

Check for Firmware Updates:

Ensure the printer’s firmware is up to date. You can update it by:

1. HP Smart or HP Easy Start (for macOS Sequoia) applications.
2. Go to HP's Firmware update page and follow the prompts to install the latest firmware for your model.

Clean the Printhead:

If the ink cartridge itself is fine, the issue may be with the printhead.

1. Automatic Cleaning: On the printer control panel, navigate to the Settings or Tools menu, and run the Clean Printhead utility.
2. Manual Cleaning: If the printhead is removable, remove it and clean the ink nozzles and electrical contacts with a lint-free cloth dampened with water (distilled water preferred). Let it dry completely before reinstalling.

Check Ink Levels:

Sometimes printers can misreport ink levels. Try bypassing this issue:

• Print a test page or diagnostic report to see if the printer is misreading the cartridge status.
• You may also try printing a color-only document to see if it forces the red ink to print.

Check Cartridge Authenticity:

Ensure that the cartridges you are using are genuine HP products. Non-genuine cartridges can sometimes cause recognition issues.

Reinsert All Cartridges:

1. Remove all ink cartridges from the printer.
2. Turn off the printer and unplug it.
3. Wait a few minutes, then plug it back in and turn it on.
4. Reinsert all cartridges one by one, starting with the color cartridges first.

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!

Alden4

HP Support 

[LoveChenin]

The error icon finally went away and I was able to print. However the red ink level looks scattered and not full. It is still not showing correctly but at least it is printing. I wanted to comment on my post but I could not figure out how? Thank you for your suggestions and I will take them into consideration if it stops working again and will probably run a print head cleaning that I did not know how to access before. 

[Raj_05]

Hi @LoveChenin,

Thank you for your response, 

It sounds like you're making progress with your HP Officejet Pro 8100 ePrinter, and it's great that the error icon has gone away and you're able to print, even though the red ink level still seems off. Running a printhead cleaning could definitely help improve ink distribution and print quality if you encounter the issue again.

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!

Alden4

HP Support