Very faint and smeared printing. Just replaced black cartridge, others good.

[madgardenr]

I use the HP Office Jet Pro 8025. No problems with print quality prior to now (started almost immediately after I installed a new black in cartridge (HP brand). I have double checked the cartridge is firmly in.

[Nal_NR · Accepted solution]

Hi @madgardenr,

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I'd be happy to help you! 

Perform the following tasks in the order given. Use the printer after each task to see if the issue is resolved.

Clean the printhead

• The printhead could be clogged, and you might need to clean the printhead several times to restore print quality. Use an automated tool from the printer control panel to clean the printhead.
• CAUTION:
• Never turn off the printer without ink cartridges installed. To avoid issues that require cleaning the printhead or that can damage the ink system, always replace ink cartridges as soon as possible, and always turn off the printer using the Power button.
• On the printer control panel, open the Setup menu, and then touch Printer Maintenance or Tools.
• Touch Clean Printhead, and then touch Continue.
• After the cleaning is completed, a Test Page prints.

• Examine the Test Page.
• If the print quality is unacceptable, touch Clean Again to continue the next level of cleaning. If necessary, repeat these steps for the third cleaning cycle.
• NOTE:
• If the printhead is badly clogged, it might require another cleaning cycle. If so, wait 30 minutes before you perform all three levels of cleaning again.
• If the print quality is acceptable, touch Done.

Click here for the remaining steps. 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
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!