ink leak not used for a long time

[dianaspyropulos]

my ink cartridges are a few years old and leaked, I cleaned the printer as best as  possible. I ran 3 levels of cartridge cleaning .

the printer does not print any black or color at all.

I don't want to buy new cartridges if the printer is no good.

any suggestions 

john & diana

[Max3Aj]

@dianaspyropulos, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you. 
Thanks for the details — and good call on holding off on new cartridges until you're sure the printer is still functional. Let's go through a few steps to help determine whether it's the printer, the cartridges, or something else causing the issue.

Check for Signs of Life from the Cartridges

Even old cartridges (if not completely dried out) will usually show some ink if:

You dab the nozzles on a damp paper towel:

• Black ink should show a solid black line or dot.
• Color cartridge should show cyan, magenta, and yellow.
• If nothing comes out, they're likely dried or clogged beyond software cleaning.

Deep Clean the Printhead Manually (if possible)

Since you mentioned the cartridges leaked, ink may have dried and clogged the printhead, especially if the ink leaked into the nozzles or dried inside.

Try this:

• Remove cartridges.
• Gently clean the printhead contact area inside the printer with a lint-free cloth and distilled water or isopropyl alcohol (not tap water).
• Do not touch the copper/gold contacts or the nozzles with fingers.
• Let it dry completely before reinserting cartridges.

Try a Hardware Self-Test Page

Run a printer self-test page without using Chrome OS:

• From the printer's control panel:
  Go to Setup > Reports > Print Quality Report or Tools > Printer Status Report.
• If nothing prints at all, the issue is either:

1. Clogged/dried printhead
2. Completely depleted cartridges
3. Hardware failure in the ink delivery system

Remove and Reinsert Cartridges

• Power off the printer.
• Remove both cartridges.
• Clean contacts (gold/copper parts) on cartridges gently with a dry cloth.
• Reinsert and power back on.
• Check for any error messages or cartridge recognition issues.

📌 Conclusion / Decision Point

If:

• The test pages don’t print anything at all,
• The cartridges don’t leave any ink on a paper towel, and
• You've already run multiple clean cycles...

Then the most likely issue is dried-up or failed cartridges. The ENVY Photo 6255 generally has reliable printheads built into the cartridge (HP 64/64XL ink), so replacing the ink would likely resolve it if the printer itself is still fine.

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