Printer failure. HP officejet 8610

[WorkerBe]

Printer failure error. Turned off, unplugged, replug and power up didn’t help.
When I change cartridges, the printer doesn’t seem to be able to tell how much ink is in each cartridge. They all show as equal.  Then it says cartridge problem. One or more may be damaged. And it can’t read that a cartridge exists for 2 of the 4 colors. 

Cartridge reader may be the issue? 

[VikramTheGreat · Accepted solution]

Hi @WorkerBe,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for providing the details. I understand that you have already tried turning the OfficeJet 8610 off, unplugging it, reconnecting the power, and powering it back on, but the Printer Failure message remains. You have also noticed that after changing the cartridges, the printer is not correctly detecting the individual ink levels, and it reports that some cartridges are not being detected.

Your suspicion about the cartridge recognition system is understandable. However, before concluding that the cartridge reader itself has failed, I recommend following HP's troubleshooting procedure for this specific Printer Failure message. The HP document you referenced specifically includes the OfficeJet 8610 series. 

1. Check the carriage path for obstructions
Please try this first:

1. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer. 
2. Open the cartridge access door. 
3. Check the entire carriage path for any obstruction, such as: 
   • Small pieces of paper 
   • Torn labels 
   • Foreign objects 
   • Any debris around the carriage
     
4. Carefully move the cartridge carriage from one side of the printer to the other by hand. 
5. Make sure the carriage moves freely across the entire path. 
6. If the carriage is stalled or cannot be moved, stop there and let us know. 
7. Close the cartridge access door. 
8. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer and turn the printer back on. 

HP recommends checking the carriage path before proceeding to the reset procedure. 

2. Perform the HP printer reset
I see that you already unplugged and reconnected the printer, but please perform the reset using the complete sequence below:

1. Press the Power button to turn the printer off. 
2. If it does not turn off normally, disconnect the power cord from the printer. 
3. Disconnect the power cord from the power source. 
4. Wait 60 seconds. 
5. Connect the power cord directly to a wall outlet and then to the printer. 
6. Turn the printer on and check whether the Printer Failure message has cleared. 

These are the steps provided by HP for this particular Printer Failure condition. 

If the same error remains after both the carriage-path check and the complete reset, HP's guidance is to proceed with service or replacement of the product, as the problem may require hardware-level service. 

Regarding the cartridges showing equal levels and two colors not being detected, please don't replace all four cartridges yet based solely on that symptom. If the printer continues to report the Printer Failure after the above steps, that would make a printer/ink-system hardware fault more likely than a simple Windows 11 printing issue.

HP Source Guide: HP OfficeJet 276, 6000, 7000, 8600 - 'Printer Failure' error | HP® Support

Take care and have an amazing day!

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @WorkerBe,

 I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!