Unable to print

[mrshughes13]

My printer is out of warranty. I have been printing successfully using non-HP ink from the same company since 2021 up until last week.
I've inserted a brand new set of cartridges. The printer quality diagnostics report shows the colors, but the black box is white.
I contacted Smart Ink and they sent out replacements for the black cartridge. This did not fix the problem. 
The printer is only producing printed pages in gray scale. I cannot find printing preferences to change to black and white and or color. Please help.

[Max3Aj]

@mrshughes13, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you. 
I understand you're experiencing issues with your HP Photosmart 5520 where black ink isn't printing, even after replacing the cartridge with a new one from Smart Ink. Let's walk through some steps to help resolve this.

Check Ink Levels

Even though the cartridge is new, it's good to confirm the printer recognizes it:

• On the printer control panel, go to Setup > Tools > Estimated Ink Levels.

Clean the Printhead

If the black ink isn't printing, the printhead might be clogged:

• On the printer, go to Setup > Tools > Clean Printhead.
• Run the cleaning cycle up to 3 times, checking the print quality report after each.

Print a Diagnostic Page

This helps confirm if the issue is hardware-related:

• Go to Setup > Tools > Print Quality Report.
• If the black section is still blank, it confirms a black ink delivery issue.

Check Cartridge Venting

Sometimes, third-party cartridges have blocked vents:

• Remove the black cartridge.
• Gently clean the vent area (small hole on top) with a lint-free cloth.
• Ensure the orange pull tab was fully removed.

Try a Hard Reset

This can help clear internal errors:

• Turn the printer on.
• Disconnect the power cord from the back while it's still on.
• Wait 60 seconds, then plug it back in and turn it on.

Change Print Settings (Windows)

If you're only getting grayscale prints:

• Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers.
• Right-click your printer > Printing Preferences.
• Under the Paper/Quality tab, ensure Color is selected (not grayscale or black & white).
• Click OK to save.

Update Firmware

Sometimes firmware updates improve ink compatibility:

• Visit the HP Software and Driver Downloads page.
• Enter your printer model: HP Photosmart 5520.
• Download and install any available firmware updates. 

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. Select "Yes" on the bottom left to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[mrshughes13]

Thank you. It definitely seems to be a black ink delivery issue, since Smart Ink sent me replacement cartridges and I've now opened and tried three of the black cartridges. I find it curious that the Print Quality Report prints in both color and black ink,
yet I cannot print a black and white document.  I've tried changing to color but then I get a very faint gray scale.
I mostly print from my Chromebook. Yesterday I experimented on a Windows laptop.  Same result.
By the way, I'm not sure how I would update Printer Firmware on a Chromebook.

[Max3Aj]

@mrshughes13, Thanks for the update! Based on your observations, it does sound like the printer is capable of printing black ink (as seen in the Print Quality Report), but it's not doing so when printing documents especially from your Chromebook and Windows laptop. This points to a software or driver-related issue, rather than a hardware or ink delivery problem.

Let’s go through a few more targeted steps to help resolve this:

 Confirm Print Settings on Chromebook

Chromebooks use the Google Cloud Print system (or native printing via CUPS), which can sometimes default to color or grayscale:

• Open the document you want to print.
• Press Ctrl + P to open the print dialog.
• Click More Settings.
• Under Color, make sure Color is selected (not Black & White or Grayscale).
• Try printing again.

Note: If the document is in black text only, and the printer is set to "Color", but black ink isn't printing, the printer may be trying to use composite black (mixing colors to simulate black), which can appear faint if black ink isn't being used properly.

Try Printing a Test Page from Windows

Since you mentioned trying a Windows laptop, let’s use that to isolate the issue:

• Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers.
• Right-click your HP Photosmart 5520 > Printer Properties.
• Under the General tab, click Print Test Page.

If the test page prints black text correctly, the issue is likely with the application print settings or Chromebook compatibility.

Update Firmware via Windows

Since Chromebook doesn’t support firmware updates directly, use your Windows laptop:

1. Go to the HP Support page.
2. Select your Windows version.
3. Download and install the Firmware Update Utility (if available).
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to update the printer.

Chromebooks do not support full desktop versions of HP firmware update tools. However, you can still use a mobile device to do it if you're using HP Smart on Android/iOS.

Steps:

• Download HP Smart app on an Android phone/tablet or iPhone/iPad. HP Smart
• Connect your printer and mobile device to the same Wi-Fi network.
• Open HP Smart app.
• Select your printer, then go to Printer Settings or Advanced Settings (Web Server page).
• Look for Firmware Update or Product Update.
• Follow the prompts to check for and install the latest firmware.

I hope this helps!

If my response resolves your issue, please click “Accepted Solution” to help others find the answer. Also, don’t forget to click the “Yes” button to say thanks!

Take care and have a great day.

Max3Aj

HP Support