Smart Tank 7001 Only printing in red after head change

[AdrianPPC]

Iam the IT support person for my team.  I have a Smart Tank 7001.  When printing in color It was not printing in red, only blue and yellow.  I tried resetting power, and cleaning as directed by HP's instructions.  when none of that worked, I replaced the print head as the next step.

Now the printer only prints in red.  Did all the same updates and resets as the hp site suggests, still no change.  swapped back to the original head, still only printing in blue and yellow.

Black ink has been working normally through all of this.

Please give me some direction and instructions on this.

[Raj_05]

Hi @AdrianPPC,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like the issue is related to the color ink system, potentially with the printer's ability to properly recognize or utilize the printhead and/or ink cartridges for cyan and magenta. Here are some steps to troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

Verify Ink Levels

• Check Ink Levels: Make sure all ink tanks, especially cyan and magenta, are sufficiently filled. Even slightly low ink levels can cause inconsistent color printing.
• Refill as Necessary: If needed, refill the cyan and magenta ink tanks to the appropriate levels.

Inspect the Ink Tanks and Lines

• Check for Air in the Lines: Air bubbles in the ink lines can disrupt ink flow. Look at the transparent lines that carry ink from the tanks to the printhead.
• Remove Air (If Present):
  • Follow the printer's manual to perform a manual ink system priming or cleaning, if available.
  • Avoid shaking the ink tanks, as this can introduce air.

Clean the Printhead Thoroughly

• Perform a manual cleaning of the printhead nozzles:
  1. Power off the printer and remove the printhead.
  2. Use a lint-free cloth dampened with distilled water or a printhead cleaning solution to gently clean the nozzles.
  3. Reinstall the printhead and run the printer's cleaning cycle multiple times.

Run a Diagnostic Page

• Print a Test Page:
  • Access the printer’s menu and print a test or diagnostic page.
  • Check if cyan and magenta sections are missing or distorted.
• If the issue persists, perform a printhead alignment using the printer's menu or the HP Smart software.

Update Printer Firmware

• Outdated firmware can cause printhead recognition or color handling issues.
• Visit HP's support site and:
  1. Download and install the latest firmware for the Smart Tank 7001.
  2. Restart the printer after updating.

[Raj_05]

Reset the Printer to Factory Defaults

• A factory reset can resolve software glitches affecting printhead communication:
  1. Access the printer's settings menu.
  2. Select Restore Defaults or Reset.
  3. Reconfigure the printer and test color printing.

Test with Another Printhead

• If available, test with a different printhead to rule out a defective replacement.
• Swap cyan/magenta nozzles if the printer allows, and see if the issue changes.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted 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!

Raj_05

HP Support 

[AdrianPPC]

Ink Tanks and Lines: All tanks are full.  Not seeing air in lines.

Printhead : Literally took it out of the package, unwrapped and inserted.

Firmware: up to date.
Factory Defaults: Did that, No change,

Another Printhead: Like I said in my post - the old printhead, which works, doesn't print in magenta, prints cyan and yellow fine.  Swapped to a brand new head - took it out or package, only prints in magenta, doesn't print in cyan or yellow.  Put old head in, prints in cyan and yellow, but not in magenta.  This is a brand new head, fresh from packaging, but wont print cyan or yellow.

[Max3Aj]

Hi @AdrianPPC, Thank you for your response. 

Since you've already performed the standard troubleshooting steps, here are some advanced troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue:

1. Force Ink Priming via Maintenance Mode

Even if the ink lines appear full, air pockets may still be trapped. Try a forced priming:

• Turn off the printer.
• Hold Power + Cancel (X) + Resume (⚠️) buttons for 10 seconds until the printer enters maintenance mode.
• Look for an option like "Flush Ink System" or "Prime Printhead."
• Run this process and then print a test page.

2. Check Printhead Contacts & Connections

Sometimes, the printer doesn't recognize the new printhead correctly:

• Turn off the printer and unplug it.
• Remove the printhead again and inspect the gold contacts—make sure they're clean and aligned.
• Use a soft lint-free cloth with isopropyl alcohol to clean both the printhead contacts and the printer's connection points.
• Reinstall the printhead and ensure it clicks into place firmly.

3. Manually Force Ink Through the Nozzles

If the new printhead isn’t allowing cyan/yellow ink to flow, it might be clogged from the factory.

• Remove the printhead and place it on a lint-free cloth, nozzle-side down.
• Use a syringe with distilled water or printhead cleaning solution to gently push ink through the cyan and yellow ports.
• If ink doesn’t come through freely, the nozzles may be clogged.

4. Firmware Downgrade (If Latest Update Caused the Issue)

Some firmware updates restrict third-party or replacement printheads. If the issue started after an update:

• Download an older version of the firmware from HP's website (or third-party sources).
• Use HP’s Printer Update Utility to install the older firmware.

5. Test with a New Cyan & Yellow Ink Bottle

Even though the tanks are full, defective or expired ink can cause non-printing colors. Try:

• Flushing the cyan and yellow ink lines and replacing them with a fresh, genuine HP ink bottle.
  
  6. HP Service Mode Reset (Deep Reset)

If the issue persists, you may need a hard reset to clear internal ink system errors:

• Turn off the printer.
• Press and hold Power + Cancel (X) + Back (↩️) for 20 seconds.
• Release buttons and wait for the printer to restart.
• Test printing again.
   

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted 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! 

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[AdrianPPC]

This response is one of the issues I've had with coming here to find answers.  I noted the printer model (Smart Tank 7001).  Specifically.

Instructions provided:

Power + Cancel (X) + Resume (⚠️) buttons for 10 seconds until the printer enters

 - The printer doesn't have a resume button

Press and hold Power + Cancel (X) + Back (↩️) for 20 seconds.

 - The printer doesn't have a back button.

I understand the usefulness of cut & paste answers.  But if you're going to cut and paste answers, answers that actually apply to the piece of equipment being noted would be far more helpful.  Generic answers that apply to models that aren't this printer don't help at all.  We ended up just recycling the printer because it wasn't worth the waste of time to fix it.  If the Manufacturer can't even give us answers that pertain to the printer, how are we supposed to support it.

[Max3Aj]

Hi @AdrianPPC, Welcome to the HP Support Community 

  

I understand you are facing an issue with your printer. Not to worry I will help you to get a resolution to resolve the issue. 

  

This needs one-on-one interaction hence  

Thank you for your response,  

I'm sending a private message to assist you with the next action. 

  

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link. 

  

I hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

  

Max3Aj

HP Support