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- HP Community
- Printers
- Printer Ink Cartridges & Print Quality
- Re: New Instant ink account for a used printer

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10-28-2025 03:29 PM
I purchased at an auction a very nice HP Officejet 3830 for my senior neighbor. It needs ink and I want to add her to my instant ink account. When I add this printer, will I get cartridges sent immediately, the status says they are not empty but I do think they are dried out.
10-28-2025 03:54 PM
The HP Instant Ink cartridges will be ordered immediately, it will likely take a few days for them to arrive.
In the meantime you may want to try the following: get two clean cups and put 1" of very hot (but not boiling water in each. Put the color cartridge nozzles down in one cup, the black on the other. After five minutes remove the black cartridge. Hold the cartridge with the nozzles facing downward as they would be in the printer, then gently rub the nozzles with a clean damp tissue. Do this a few times, there should be clear black streaks on the tissue.
Put the black cartridge in the printer, then do the same for the color cartridge.
Try a test print, then run up to three cleaning cycles if needed.
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