Printer printing almost blank pages

[PaS80]

I have a 5520 All-In-One inkjet printer inkjet printer. It is connected wirelessly but is not printing onto the page. I have inserted new cartridges, done an alignment and cleaned the print heads twice. When I print a test page all the colours print brightly but not the black. I’ve tried printing black and white, black and white fast draft, default settings but only the black and white fast draft option shows any marks on the page. The new black cartridge I bought and installed at the weekend expires in 2023. The previous black cartridge was virtually new also but neither of them work. I only print black and white and I haven’t had this problem before. Hope the community can help as 

[Echo_Lake]

@PaS80

Thank you for posting on the HP Support Community.
 

Don't worry as I'll be glad to help, to provide an accurate resolution, I need a few more details:

• 1) Does the copy print out the same way? 
• 2) What's the application you are trying to print from? 
• 3) Have you tried printing from a different application or device? 

While you respond to that, let's print a Print Quality Diagnostic page –

• Use the control panel to print a Print Quality Diagnostic report.
• Load plain, white paper in the tray.
• From the control panel home screen, touch the Settings icon .
• Touch Tools, and then touch Print Quality Report.
• The printer prints the Print Quality Diagnostic report.
• 

And, also refer to the article: Black or Color Ink Not Printing, Other Print Quality Issues By the end of the article you will be able to isolate the issue.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as 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!

[PaS80]

Thank you for your response but it's nothing to do with the device I'm using. The problem is the printhead filter for the black cartridge was blocked by built-up ink. I'd done two print head cleans and replaced all cartridges  - an unnecessary expense - prior to seeking help from HP, only to discover this was neither directly available nor straightforward.. One virtual HP consultant redirected me to Just Answer, which I'd used in another context and found absolutely useless. It was only after downloading the HP support app that I discovered that the print head carriage can be removed from newer HP printers and put into water to soak away built up ink. Following this discovery I did a Google search and found two YouTube videos demonstrating how to clean the printhead filters, one via a printhead cleaning kit (not available in my city) and the other via the hot water method. I've tried the latter method once, followed by another print head clean, and printed a fast black and white draft. This has improved the print quality considerably but it needs another clean to get a consistent and clear print out. I don't do colour printing and I don't use the printer a great deal as writing submissions and proofs are all done digitally now. But as a poet and librettist I need  fast black and white copies for the editing and editing phases.  I also of course need the copying and scanning functions. If a second cleaning doesn't resolve the issue I'll be considering buying a Canon rather than another HP printer, primarily due to being passed pillar to post forever a week in search of what was a simple solution freely available on YouTube. I bought a Canon Pixma when I was Asialink Writer In Residence, Malaysia, for four months some years ago and left it with my hosts for use by the next writer in residence. 

kind regards, Patricia

[Echo_Lake]

@PaS80

Thank you for posting back. 

I appreciate your efforts to try and resolve the issue. 
Is everything working fine, or would you require any further assistance? 

Keep me posted!

[Webb2]

I have a HP Envy 4522 All in One printer with recently installed black and colour cartridges. At the end of June I noticed that anything in the header and footer of documents did not print correctly if at all, also text and page numbers in the header and footer on the verso pages were at a different level to those on the recto pages when printing double sided. The printer now produces either blank pages or lines of black print that are hardly ledgible, there being horizontal white streaks across the lines of print. I have cleaned the print heads several times but with no improvement to print quality. I have TESCO H302XL and 302XL Tri-colour Remanufactured Ink Jet Cartridges installed, which were giving good results when first installed a few months ago.

[PaS80]

Thanks for your follow up. Almost printing perfectly after second hot water clean. I let the printer dry overnight befire trying again. One or two letters not perfect but another day of drying may resolve that. If not I’ll try Diggers Isopropol alcohol to try and complete the clean. The 5520 all-in-one has served my needs well. It would help others in my situation if HP’s support app included this method of cleaning for older printers that don’t have removable print heads. 

Thanks again,

[Webb2]

I would not know how to go about cleaning an inkjet printer in that way. I took the suspect black ink cartridge out and replaced it with the previous cartridge that seemed to have some ink remaining in it. However, the printer reverted to churning out blank pages  without a trace of ink on them when asked to print something, and continues to do so now I have put the suspect cartridge back in. I have had my Envy 4522 printer since April 2016, which is not that long  if the printer head has become saturated with ink and cannot be cleaned as happened with my previous printer, considering its moderate and intermittent use.