I have an HP Envy 6400 with genuine HP cartridges. Black cartridges streaking

[Langshire]

I use the printer frequently and the black cartridge recently started streaking. I've used the cleaning cycle twice without resolution. HP Smart tells me I have a 1/2 full black cartridge. The printer is: HP Envy 6400 All-in-One Printer.

[Samrit26]

Hello,

Before I walk you through the recovery steps, I need a bit more detail so I can confirm whether this is a cartridge issue, printhead obstruction, or ink delivery failure on the HP Envy 6400 series. Streaking on black — especially when cleaning cycles don’t resolve it — can point to several different root causes.

Please confirm the following:

1. What does the Print Quality Diagnostic page look like?

Specifically:

• Are the black blocks showing horizontal streaks, vertical lines, or missing sections?

• Or is black output extremely faint?

2. Which cartridges are installed?

• HP 67 / 67XL retail

• HP Instant Ink cartridges

• Third-party cartridges (if so, these often cause streaking that cannot be corrected)

3. Did the issue start immediately after replacing the black cartridge, or did it degrade gradually over time?

4. When you remove the black cartridge, does the printhead surface appear:

• Wet with ink

• Dry

• Has visible scratches

• Has dried ink around the nozzle plate

5. Has the printer been unused for more than 1–2 weeks at any point recently?

Black ink in these cartridges dries quickly when idle, causing persistent streaking even when the ink level reads ½ full.

Why I’m asking

On the Envy 6400 series, black streaking is typically caused by:

• Dried ink inside the integrated printhead on the cartridge (most common)

• A partially clogged ink channel that the built-in cleaning cycle cannot clear

• A failing or expired cartridge

• Incorrect storage orientation before installation

• Non-HP ink that doesn’t fire consistently