Smart Tank - one colour not printing at all

[clarer2]

Smart Tank 7600. I haven't had it that long and rarely print colour. Needed to recently and blue isn't printing at all. Running clean printheads programme a few times hasn't helped. Neither has cleaning the printhead contacts with de-ionised water. But as you can see from this section of the print diagnostic page, the blue is entirely missing. I've hardly used colour and the tanks are full so it's not an empty tank. so is it something to do with the tube going into the printhead? Somewhere else?

What do I do next? Is there a way of checking the tubes or blowing through? I saw this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXhtJ4eFdaI but thought I'd better not try it without asking here if there's something else I should try.

By the way, are red and yellow and black OK? Each square is paler on the right than the left. Looking at help pages, I think that may be how it should look but thought I'd better check here too.

Thanks.

[zoey7886]

@clarer2, Welcome to the HP Support Community!  

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding Blue Ink Not Printing on HP Smart Tank 7600 Series Printers! 

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.  

If you're experiencing issues with the blue ink not printing on your HP Smart Tank 7600 Series printer, there are several steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the problem:

Check Ink Levels:

• Ensure your cyan (blue) ink tank is full. Although you mentioned the tanks are full, it's important to double-check for any discrepancies.

Check Paper and Settings:

• Verify that you are using the correct paper type for your print job. Some paper types can affect print quality.
• Double-check your print settings to ensure the color options are correctly selected.

Clean Printheads:

• Use the HP Smart app to clean the printheads thoroughly. This can often fix issues related to missing colors.
• You may need to perform more advanced cleaning steps if the initial cleaning did not resolve the issue.

Print Quality Diagnostic Page:

• Print a Print Quality Diagnostic Page. This page helps in identifying issues with specific colors.
• Review patterns for missing colors, fading, or white lines. If defects are present, this indicates a problem with the printhead.

Replace or Align Printheads:

• If cleaning does not restore the blue ink, consider replacing the cyan printhead. Printhead issues can cause missing colors.
• You can also try aligning the printheads using the HP Smart app for better print quality.

Check Printhead Installation:

• Confirm that the printhead is correctly installed, and that its electrical contacts are clean and free from debris.  

Hope this helps! 

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[clarer2]

Thank you for your reply @zoey7886

Sadly I'd already tried almost everything you suggested. The only one I haven't yet done is to replace the printheads. My printer is still in the extended warantee period so I assume the cost of a replacement will be covered.

My account dashboard doesn't mention the extended warantee so I've uploaded proof and am waiting to hear back from support.