Need advice on 8 year old ink left in printer

[DJN3]

I purchased a HP Office Jet Printer 6830 e-All-In-One series in 2015.  Only used it a  few times.  It printed and scanned great.  Due to life circumstances I had to rebox the printer for 8 years.  I did not remove the ink cartridges before reboxing.  Do I need to change the cartridges or just try to print?  

[A_Gayathri · Accepted solution]

Hi @DJN3 ,

Welcome to The HP Support Community.  

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

I understand the ink cartridges in your HP Officejet Pro 6830 printer have dried out after eight years of storage. Ink formulations can degrade over time, and even if the cartridges aren't empty, they may not print well. Here's what I recommend:

• Check Ink Cartridges: Inspect the ink cartridges visually. If they appear dried out or damaged, it's best to replace them.
• Printer Head: Ink may have dried in the printer head nozzles. Running a cleaning cycle might help, but it's not guaranteed to restore them fully after such a long period.
• Test Print: Before deciding on replacing cartridges, try printing a test page. This will give you an idea of whether the ink is still viable and if the printer functions properly.
• Quality Issues: Even if the printer works, the quality of prints might be compromised due to old ink. Colors may not be accurate, and there could be streaks or uneven printing.
• Considerations for Replacement: If the printer is essential for your needs and you encounter significant issues with print quality or functionality, consider replacing the cartridges or the printer itself. Ink cartridges have expiration dates, and after 8 years, the ink may not perform optimally even if it appears usable.

Refer to this document:  HP Officejet Pro 6830 e-All-in-One Printer series

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day.

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