Yellow color not printing

[Yellowerrors]

I have a HP desk jet 3050A, model # J611g that uses 61 cartridges.  I purchased a twin pack of color cartridges.  Both cartridges will not release any yellow color. I have tried running print head cleaning on machine mutiple times and alignment page also. Cleaning print heads did no good and of course alignment failed due to poor color patterns, no yellows. 

I looked up how to manually clean HP printer cartridges watching the videos and have done the soak to clean but still no yellow on towels when I drag cartridges over dry or wet towel. 

Why would new cartridges not have yellow ink?

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Yellowerrors 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

I truly understand how frustrating it must feel to see the yellow missing even after all the careful cleaning and alignment steps you’ve already tried. You’ve done a very thorough job of troubleshooting so far, and I appreciate the effort you’ve put in.

When new cartridges fail to release a specific color, it usually points to one of two possibilities: either the ink flow is blocked at the nozzle level, or the cartridge itself is defective. Since you’ve already attempted both automatic and manual cleaning without any trace of yellow appearing, it suggests the yellow chamber inside the cartridge may not be functioning as it should.

Here are some detailed steps you can try before concluding the cartridge is unusable:

Check cartridge seating

• Open the access door and remove the color cartridge.
• Inspect the copper-colored contacts and the surrounding area for any protective tape or residue. Even a tiny piece of tape left on the nozzle can block ink flow.
• Reinsert the cartridge firmly until it clicks into place.

Clean electrical contacts

• Power off the printer and unplug it.
• Use a lint-free cloth slightly dampened with distilled water to gently wipe the electrical contacts on the cartridge and the matching contacts inside the carriage.
• Allow them to dry completely before reinserting.

Run another cleaning cycle

• Power the printer back on and run a single cleaning cycle from the printer’s control panel.
• After cleaning, print a diagnostic page to check if yellow appears.

Test with a different paper type

• Sometimes ink absorption can mislead the eye. Try printing on plain white office paper to confirm whether yellow is truly absent.

Try the second cartridge again

• Since you purchased a twin pack, test the other cartridge after cleaning the contacts. If both fail to show yellow, it strongly indicates a cartridge defect rather than a printer issue.

If after these steps the yellow still doesn’t appear, the cartridges themselves are most likely faulty. The printer is designed to release all three colors (cyan, magenta, yellow) from the tri-color cartridge, so a complete absence of yellow from two brand-new cartridges points to a manufacturing problem rather than something you can fix at home.

You’ve already shown great patience and care in your troubleshooting. At this stage, the best path forward is to consider replacement of the cartridges, since the printer hardware has already been ruled out by your thorough cleaning and alignment attempts.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye