Ink Levels Depleting Without Printing

[LyteWing]

Ink for printers is among one of the most costly liquids on this planet, its just a fact we all have to begrudgingly accept.  What I do not feel we should accept is the precious ink seemingly evaporating from the cartridge without printing.  Over the course of owning my OfficeJet 9012 over the last several years I have printed far less than a single ream of paper through it as I do not have often the need to print, as of late even less.  However, in that time I have replaced my ink cartridges over 6 times (I feel this is about once a year or more and I am starting to feel that these printers are designed to actually waste ink.

I have seen many HP customers speaking about this over the years but did not pay much attention until that past year.  I had to replace all my cartridges about a year ago and I did so with HP original high yield carts much to the dismay of my wallet. As mentioned, I have not printed much so far....MAYBE 10 pages of mostly text and very sparse use of color and yet, I was just this week told my black cartridge was depleted!  Fine....I had a spare so I replaced it.  After the printer did it's new ink inserted procedure it then balked that my cyan and yellow carts were empty when prior to putting the new black in they showed over half full!  I know the ink levels are "just an estimate" but that level of difference doesn't even count as eyeballing it.  My printer is kept in my home office and I am the only person with access to it, I know 100% for a fact that I am the only one printing to it so where is my ink going?  I have seen others complaining about this to not turn the printer off but mine is left on always.  Now I will say that late at night on a few occasions I have heard the printer performing some task which I can only assume is an automated cleaning procedure but am I to believe that over a year or less the printer uses so much ink self cleaning it empties it's carts?  I mean there is never anything printed when I come in the morning after hearing these sessions.

I am just very frustrated because I want a nice printer but I do not print loads of documents but I need a printer that has ink and is ready to go when I do have need of it and I would like it not to actively  suck money from my wallet in the process.

[Max3Aj]

Hi @LyteWing,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

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

Here’s what’s likely happening and what you can do to reduce unnecessary ink usage.
 

Why Your Ink Is Depleting Without Printing

Automatic Maintenance & Cleaning Cycles

• Your OfficeJet 9012 periodically runs automatic cleaning cycles to prevent ink from drying in the nozzles. Unfortunately, this process uses up a significant amount of ink.
• Even if you rarely print, the printer may still perform these cycles, gradually emptying the cartridges.

Ink Evaporation & Waste During Startups

• Even when left powered on, inkjets may still perform maintenance when they detect temperature/humidity changes or after certain time intervals.
• If you ever power cycle your printer, ink is used to re-prime the printhead.

"Sponging" & Non-Printing Ink Usage

• HP printers use ink not just for printing but also for priming and servicing the printhead. Some of this ink is absorbed into waste ink pads inside the printer.

HP’s Ink Level Estimation Issues

• Ink levels are estimated rather than precisely measured, leading to sudden depletion notices.
• Some firmware updates have been known to alter the way ink is tracked.

What You Can Do to Minimize Ink Waste

Adjust Power & Sleep Settings

• Since your printer is always on, try setting it to a low-power mode instead of full standby.
• Some users have reported that setting the printer to go into sleep mode rather than full standby reduces unnecessary cleaning cycles.

Print Regularly (Even a Small Test Page Every Few Weeks)

• If you print a page with black and color text once every 1-2 weeks, it may reduce the need for the printer to run its own self-cleaning cycles.

Turn Off Automatic Firmware Updates (If Possible)

• Some updates adjust ink monitoring and may increase ink usage. Check in your printer’s settings if automatic updates can be disabled.

Use Third-Party Ink or an HP Instant Ink Subscription (If Feasible)

• While HP discourages third-party cartridges, some high-quality compatible ones work just fine.
• If you don't print often but need ink ready, HP’s Instant Ink program might be more cost-effective since it includes automatic refills.

Store Extra Cartridges Properly

• If you keep spares, ensure they are stored upright in a cool, dry place to prevent premature drying or leakage.

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 

[LyteWing]

First of all, I think you for your reply and appreciate your response.

From what you say, if sounds like I was correct and these times in the middle of the night I have heard my printer performing some lengthy action it was performing a maintenance cycle that was using ink even if I had not printed.  This is disheartening as it seems that these printers ,with good reason or not, are just designed to use ink over the course of time and cannot be stopped.  It sounds like with how little I print I should either not own a printer or maybe research a non-inkjet based solution.

[Max3Aj]

@LyteWing, Thank you for your response. 

Our apologies for the delay in getting back to you.

I'm sending a private message to assist you with the next action. 

  

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link. 

  

I hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

  

Max3Aj

HP Support