Printer not printing black

[Keith1025]

I ran out of black ink, bought the proper 32XL ink and and refilled the tank.   My 7005 still does not print black.  I hve run the printhead cleaning several times  and run the test pages but no change.  Can you help.

[Meghana_10]

Hello @Keith1025, Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding the HP Smart Tank 7005 printer. 

We appreciate the opportunity to assist you and are glad we could help work toward a resolution. We hope our support has been valuable.

To help us get started on resolving your issue, could you please try a few troubleshooting steps provided below so that I can assist you further?

1. Run “Prime Ink System” (Deep Ink Flush)

Standard cleaning may not clear airlocks, so priming is important:

• Open the HP Smart app
• Go to Printer Settings / Tools
• Select Print Quality Tools → Prime Ink System (or Flush Ink System)
• Allow 10–15 minutes for the process to complete

2. Perform a Hard Power Reset

This helps reset internal sensors and memory:

• Keep the printer powered ON
• Disconnect the power cord from the rear
• Unplug from the wall outlet
• Wait at least 2 minutes
• Reconnect directly to a wall outlet and power ON

3. Inspect Ink Tubes 

Air in the tubes can prevent ink from reaching the printhead:

• Check the clear ink tubes, especially the black one
• Look for:
  • Air gaps or bubbles
• If visible:
  • Gently tap near the ink tank area to help settle ink
  • Run the Prime Ink System again to draw ink through

4. Check for Printhead Clogging

If ink is present in the tubes but not printing:

• Print a Print Quality Diagnostic Page
• Review the black section:
  • Missing or broken lines → clogged nozzles
• Run up to 3 levels of Printhead Cleaning from the control panel or HP Smart

Optional Manual Cleaning (Advanced)

• Remove the printhead (if removable)
• Clean:
  • Nozzles (bottom surface)
  • Electrical contacts
• Use a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with distilled water
• Let it dry completely before reinstalling

Take care and have an amazing day!

[Keith1025]

Meghana,  Thanks you very much for your advice.  Alas, I have downloaded to Smart app and when I go to Printer Settings,  The options under 'Tools' I can see are Printer Reports and Print Quality Tools, but they are veryu faint and do not respond when I click on them.  How else can I Prime the Ink system

[Meghana_10]

Thank you so much for your response @Keith1025 

We understand that the Print Quality Tools are greyed out and not responding, which is preventing you from priming the ink system. Let’s go through some advanced steps to manually initiate priming and restore black ink flow on your HP Smart Tank 7005.

1. Perform Ink System Priming via Hidden Service Method

When the HP Smart options are unresponsive, priming can still be triggered manually:

1. Make sure the printer is powered ON.
2. Open the front door and access the ink tank area.
3. Check the black ink tank level and ensure it is at least half full.
4. Close all doors properly.

Now:

• Press and hold the Cancel (X) button for 5–10 seconds

2. Force Cleaning Using Control Panel (Standalone)

Since the app is not responding, use the printer directly:

1. On the printer control panel:
   • Press and hold the Resume/Start button (triangle or copy button) for 5–7 seconds
2. Release when you hear the printer start a process

3. Perform Manual Printhead Priming (Advanced)

If black is still not printing:

1. Turn ON the printer
2. Open the printhead access door
3. Wait until the carriage stops
4. Remove the printhead carefully
5. Place the printhead on a lint-free cloth
6. Use a slightly damp (distilled water) cloth to:
   • Gently clean the nozzle area (bottom side)
7. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes to allow ink to wick through
8. Reinstall the printhead and close the door

4. Reset HP Smart App Connection

The faded options indicate a communication issue:

1. Remove the printer from HP Smart App
2. Reset the printing system:
   • On Windows: remove from Printers & Scanners
   • On Mac: reset printing system
3. Restart both the printer and device
4. Re-add the printer using HP Smart (HP App)

5. Print Multiple Black-Heavy Pages

To encourage ink flow:

• Print 5–10 pages with solid black text or blocks
• This helps pull ink through the system naturally

Have a great day!