HP Deskjet 3522 - Black ink not printing

[Tim87455]

I have an HP Deskjet 3522 printer that stopped printing black. The black ink was low (not empty), so I changed it with a new HP cartridge thinking that maybe the estimated ink level was returning a false reading. After replacing the cartridge, the black is still not printing. This printer is just out of warranty, and has not been used very much. I believe each of the ink cartridges have only been changed one time. To say this device has fallen short of expectations is a titanic understatement.

Troubleshooting performed:

- Ran the "clean Printheads" maintenance about 5-6 times, did not fix the issue.

- Ran the "Clean Printer" maintenance 3-4 times, did not fix the issue.

- Removed the printer, deleted the drivers, and reinstalled the printer. This didn't fix the issue either.

- Printed an alignment page, but the scan fails because the black is missing and the scan isn't properly detected.

- Verified the cartridges are properly vented.

I have performed tier I & II IT support for about 4 years, so I know that the cartridges are installed correctly. The newly installed HP black cartridge is not out-dated, and the estimated ink level is good. The HP toolbox "printhead health" tab lists the health of the printhead as "good". I have ran through all of the troubleshooting steps on the common print quality page for the 3522 without any success.

Do you know of another fix for this issue?

[HevnLgh]

Hi Tim87455,

Welcome to the HP Support Forums! I see you are having problems with the black ink cartridge in your HP Deskjet 3522. I see you have done all the troubleshooting with no success, so you have covered all bases listed here:

Printer Does Not Print Black Ink or Color Ink, or Prints Blank Pages

Sounds to me like printhead may be clogged, I suggest you call our technical support at 800-474-6836, I know your printer is just out of warranty, however because you just purchased the cartridge the cartridge would be in warranty. If you live outside the US/Canada Region, please click the link below to get the support number for your region. http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpsupport/index.pl

I hope this helps!

Thanks,

[MeEsme]

• Well I am having the same problem that Tim87455 was having with his deskjet 3522. I am going to call tomorrow I need this fix asap. I have a report to print out this week. Tim87455 did you call and did they help you with your problem? I hope so.

[Peelinwood]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     I found a solution for my problem  which seemed to be the same problem others are having- couldn't print with black.  After trying every other option such as attempting the clean print head utility and others,  I removed the black ink cartridge and proceeded to take a Q tip with a generous amount of rubbing alcohol and attempted to clean the round area that was visible under where the cartridge would have been.  It appears to be a screen - like object that the ink goes through.  It is either the print head or it's attached to the print head assembly.  I did that several times- alternating with a Q Tip soaked in alcohol and a dry Q tip until the screen - like object now looked silver instead of black. Then I ran the clean print head utility.  And voila, it now printed black !  Fixed ! 

[The_Fossette]

Hi @Peelinwood

Welcome to the HP Forums!

It is a great way to engage, post questions and find resolutions by working with specialists in the HP community.

I appreciate you taking the time to share the solution which worked for you and I am sure it will help others as well to fix the issue.

If any other questions arise, please feel free to write back to me.

Take care.

Cheers!