Photosmart 6510 not printing in black

[jsjust4fun]

I just discovered this amazingly overwhelming problem that seems to have occured to a seriously large number of us 6510 printer owners. After reading through all the comments I just frustratingly kept hitting the clean printheads through my laptop..not the printer touch screen. After going through 4 sessions of cleaning + the "second level clean" it miraculously started working again. I also checked out a DIY website where the guy gives a hint of possible help for the Hp photosmart 5510 won't print black ink problem. http://www.how-to-diy.org/guide/hp-6510-photosmart-printer.html That printer has the same set up and uses the same cartridges? Worth a try with some hot water and a papertowel? Especially if your out of warrantly which seems like we all are! My problem is solved for now...we shall see what the future holds!

[scrollsaw]

I did your recommendations and it worked for me. Thank you very much.

[jmiller1000]

Having the same problem - getting repeated error message that the printer is out of alignment and it's not printing black (just grey). I have gone through the forum and completed most of the help steps and suggestions. I have had this printer since 1/14/12. Have had great luck with previous HP printers but given this issue and the poor performance of this printer, I will not purchase another HP printer again. Looking at Epson or Canon.

[tink_er]

My exact problem,  word for word!    I am exasperated to say the least!  

[Bob_Headrick]

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@Kent_W wrote:

[snip] Learned a rumor today from a computer engineer in the industry that there is apparently a firmware setting to kill the printhead that is supposed to kick in after a significant number of cartridges has been used (usually after a couple of years) so that the customer would have to buy a new printer not to early, but not so that it would go on forever. In this case the rumor is that there is a bug in the firmware for the black cartridge that kicks in after 5 or 6 black cartridges, when it should have read 50-60 something. That is according to what I learned the reason why the color cartridges keep on working, they will not expire just yet. The same engineer mentioned that most likely there is a hidden procedure to bypass the killswitch. He was not sure about the exact settings on this model, but that it was common procedure in the business to set it up like this. 

If so could someone please provide information?

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I do not work for HP, but I did for nearly thirty years.   I would suggest that this is absolute rubbish.  HP gains nothing financially by having a user discard a printer that would have continued working and buy a new one, they would be much better off if they continued to print with the one they have.  They certainly gain nothing by having an unhappy customer or former customer.

It would appear the "computer engineer" is feeding you a line of ____.  Do you have a link for any such claims?  I would like to follow up with him.

I have heard of cases where printers (not HP) stopped working after a certain number of cartridges with a message that the service station must be replaced.  This is to avoid the service station filling up and spilling ink on the user or the furniture.  That is not the case here....

[LittleRacer]

Thank you so much!! I tried cleaning the print heads from the HP Utility on my  computer from your suggestion. It worked! I am so thankful. I thought I had ruined my printer by a method I won't mention, which had worked with the previous computer.

[MNPM]

The solution to run the cleaning from the computer, which has a secondary cleaning function, was exactly what worked for us. Thank you!

[ADVChic]

I am (as it seems THOUSANDS are) having the same issue with the Photosmart 6515.  It began subtly and then full out no black ink prints.  It prints in very light grey scale (my grey scale is off).  I stupidly opened a new black XL cartridge even though it still showed ink only to have the same issue.   Now I have a not-new cartridge that is not worth on ebay what it would have been worth had I not tried it on this POS printer that has some sort of an issue that HP is NOT addressing.  I purchased HP because of issues with Lexmark printers that would not last six months only to find that you all build crap.  Very dissatisfied and will not be purchasing another HP printer either.

BTW - I tried the page you suggested.  I did all the steps on that page as well as all the solutions up to this post on the forum.  HP sure has wasted a lot of peoples time as well as a ton of paper.

[Ciara_B]

@orner305 

Please check your private messages (envelope at top right corner)

Thanks

Ciara

[kjuliff]

Where is this "utility"?