Black ink won't print

[yarngirl52]

Black ink won't print.    The ink cartridges are all brand new, but I have printed so many test pages, the colors are rapidly depleting!. I have cleaned the print heads and aligned the printer at least 3 times. I have changed the black ink twice, so I don't think the problem is the cartridge. I get no shading at all on the Print Quality diagnostic and all the text comes through fine, but the black lines at the bottom are not visible. The print and scan doctor got light grey shading and very light grey lettering at the top and light grey lines in the boxes. The problem started right after we had a paper jam at the bottom of the printer by the paper tray.

"HP COMMUNITY TEAM NOTE"

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[Bob_Headrick]

The troubleshooting steps in the document here may help resolve black not printing on your Photosmart 6520.

If the standard troubleshooting did not resolve black not printing I would suggest removing the black cartridge.  Turn it over and examine the area around the ink port.  There are four orange plastic spots, left over from the protective cap.  Make sure these are flush with the cartridge body, if not carefully trim them flush.  If the plastic nubs protrude they can prevent the cartridge from seating properly.  Before replacing the cartridge in the printer dribble a few (maybe four) drops of hot water into the ink port in the printer and two drops into the ink port on the cartridge then snap the cartridge back in position.  

It may also help to manually clean the printhead as described in the post here.

I have also seen cases where leaving the printer overnight after the cleaning cycles allows black to recover.

If none of the above restores black printing your printer will likely require repair or replacement.

[yarngirl52]

filing down the orange bumps and the hot water trick didn't work. I will try the manual clean later. Maybe tomorrow.

[yarngirl52]

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@Bob_Headrick wrote:

" I would suggest removing the black cartridge.  Turn it over and examine the area around the ink port.  There are four orange plastic spots, left over from the protective cap.  Make sure these are flush with the cartridge body, if not carefully trim them flush.   Before replacing the cartridge in the printer dribble a few (maybe four) drops of hot water into the ink port in the printer and two drops into the ink port on the cartridge then snap the cartridge back in position.  It may also help to manually clean the printhead as described in the post here."

 Filing down the orange nubs and adding the hot water didn't work. I will try the manual clean tomorrow. I still need more ideas. Your suggestion was helpful, but not a solution.

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@Bob_Headrick

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@Bob_Headrick

[Bob_Headrick]

As I mentioned above:  "If none of the above restores black printing your printer will likely require repair or replacement."

[yarngirl52 · Accepted solution]

I tried the manual clean in a slightly different manner for my model: Manual cleaning printheads 6520. He uses isopropyl alcohol instead of water and it worked very well. Got the ink moving and the clean prinhead function on the printer has done the rest. Thanks for moving me in the right direction.