My printer's only printing blue and black ink

[mcgnoel]

Hi I have a HP Deskjet 2130 series printer.  The ink levels on both my colored and black cartridges are more than half full.  However, when I print with colors. yellow is barely there, green is blue and red is grey.  I have no problem printing with black.  I've aligned and cleaned my cartridges twice but it's still the same..  Please help.

Thanks. 

[sandytechy20]

@mcgnoel

Good Day. A warm welcome to the HP community. I reviewed the case relating to the print quality issues. I will be delighted to assist you here.

Superb description, brilliant troubleshooting and terrific observations made before posting. Kudos to you for that. 🙂

To assist you with accurate information I would require more information regarding this.

• When did this issue start?
• Did you do any changes to the printer?

Meanwhile

Check the print settings

1. In the software application you are trying to print from, click File, and then click Print.

   The Print window opens.

2. Open the Properties dialog box.

   Depending on the software application, the button might be Properties, Options, Printer Setup, Printer, or Preferences.

3. Depending on your print job, you might consider modifying the following settings:

   • Paper Type: If you are printing on photo paper, select the type of photo paper you are attempting to print on.

   • Print Quality: If you are dissatisfied with the quality of your printouts, increase the print quality. To print more quickly, decrease the print quality. These options typically include Best, Normal, and Draft modes.

4. After selecting the print settings, click OK to apply the settings, and then click Print.

Manually clean the area around the ink nozzles

1. Gather the following materials:

   • Dry foam-rubber swabs, lint-free cloth, or any soft material that does not come apart or leave fibers (coffee filters work well)

   • Distilled, filtered, or bottled water (tap water might contain contaminants that can damage the ink cartridges)

        CAUTION:

     Do not use platen cleaners or alcohol to clean the ink cartridge contacts. These can damage the ink cartridge or the printer.

2. Press the Power button to turn on the printer, if it is not already on.

3. Lower the output tray, reach inside the printer, and then grasp the handle and lower the ink cartridge access door to open it.

   The carriage moves to the center of the printer.

   Figure : Open the ink cartridge access door

   

4. Wait until the carriage is idle and silent before you continue.

5. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.

      WARNING:

   You must disconnect the power cord before reaching inside the printer to avoid risk of injuries or electric shock.

6. Lightly press down on one of the ink cartridges to release it, and then pull the ink cartridge toward you out of its slot.

   Figure : Press down to remove the ink cartridge

   

      CAUTION:

   Do not remove both ink cartridges at the same time. Remove and clean each ink cartridge one at a time. Do not leave an ink cartridge outside the printer for more than 30 minutes.

7. Hold the ink cartridge by its sides.

   Figure : Hold the ink cartridge by its sides

   

8. Inspect the ink cartridge contacts for ink and debris buildup.

      CAUTION:

   Do not touch the copper-colored contacts or the ink nozzles. Touching these parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.

   Figure : Do not touch the contacts or nozzles

   

9. Lightly moisten a foam-rubber swab or lint-free cloth with distilled water, and then squeeze any excess water from it.

10. Clean the face and edges around the ink nozzle with the swab.

       CAUTION:

    Do not clean the ink nozzle plate.

    Figure : Clean the area around the ink nozzle

11. 1. 

       Nozzle plate - Do not clean

    2. Area surrounding ink nozzle - Do clean

    3. Ink cartridge contacts - Do not clean

12. Either let the ink cartridge sit for 10 minutes to allow the cleaned area to dry, or use a new swab to dry it.

13. Slide each ink cartridge at a slight upward angle into the empty slot, and then gently push up on each ink cartridge until it locks into place.

    Figure : Push the ink cartridge into its slot

    

14. Repeat these steps to clean around the nozzles on the other ink cartridge.

15. Close the ink cartridge access door.

16. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.

17. Press the Power button to turn on the printer, if it does not turn on automatically.

You can refer this HP Document for more assistance: https://hp.care/2IdVGeA

The trick is to remain patient, Going by your technical expertise and competence I am sure you will be able to perform these steps without breaking a sweat.

Keep me posted.

Cheers.

[mcgnoel]

Hi Sandy, thank you for your detailed instructions.  I've done everything you mentioned but the problem is still not solved.

[mcgnoel]

I'm not entirely sure when this problem started because I seldom use the printer and when I do I mostly print with black ink.  My kids uses it more than me.  But I've never noticed this before with other cartridges.

This is a fairly new cartridge.  In fact the level is almost full as you can see.  Could it be this cartridge is faulty?  It'd be such a waste to throw it out cos I only just replaced it!

 

[sandytechy20]

@mcgnoel

Thanks for the reply.

I appreciate your time and effort.

This seems to be cartridge issue,this issue may require one to one interaction with the HP Phone Support.

I suggest that you contact HP Phone Support for further assistance at the link: www.hp.com/contacthp

You have a good day ahead.

Cheers.