Recurring issue with black ink cartridges not printing after a short time

[zeusfaberkev]

I've been having a recurring issue with my black ink cartridges (the standard 63 type) not working after only a few uses over an extended period of time.  I typically only print something out once a month or so and initially thought maybe the ink was drying up or something after sitting unused for too long but I don't know if that's even a thing.  The printer display is showing the ink levels are still pretty much at full and there's no sign that it's leaking out anywhere.  I've gone through 3-4 black cartridges like this over the last year.  Get only a few uses out of them and then they seem to need replacing, which has worked as far as getting the device to print in black again but I'd like to figure out why they're not lasting a lot longer.  Color cartridge seems to be fine, it's just the black ones that keep failing on me.  Also, just to clarify, my product info sticker on this printer says it's a HP Deskjet 3630 All-In-One Printer series but the label on the front of the swing-down door to access the cartridges says it's a HP Deskjet 3636 if that makes any difference?  I also seem to be having difficulty connecting directly to support because it's asking for my serial #, which I believe is the one listed under the barcode, but also needs a product # which I can't find anywhere on this device unless that's the same as the model # but the website doesn't seem to recognize it?  Thank you.

[Kumar0307 · Accepted solution]

@zeusfaberkev, Welcome to the HP Support Community!

HP Deskjet 3636 belongs to HP Deskjet 3630 printer series.

Refer to this document to know how to find the Product Name or Product Number.

Yes, if the printer is not used for more than 2 weeks, the ink will start drying up. It is suggested to print at least once every week to keep the ink from drying and to keep the ink nozzles from blocking.

Let us clean the ink cartridges to resolve this issue.

Remove the color ink cartridge as it is working fine.

Perform the steps 10, 13, and 8 respectively from this document - Fixing Poor Print Quality

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

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!

Have a great day! 

[zeusfaberkev]

Thanks for the response.  I had just replaced the black cartridge before posting this question so it is currently working fine and not in need of any of these steps.  It will take a bit of time for me to wait and see if the problem occurs again and then attempt the troubleshooting you've recommended if it does before I can confirm if this issue is resolved.  In the meantime I will try to get in the habit of printing something at least once a week to see if that prevents this from happening again.  Will keep you posted.  Thanks again!

[Kumar0307]

@zeusfaberkev

Glad to know that the printer is working fine with the new ink cartridges. 

Keep me posted for any other assistance.