HP Smart Tank 7600 Series – Ink Tanks Show Empty After Refilling

[A_Gayathri]

If your HP Smart Tank 7605 keeps checking the ink tanks and all tanks show as empty after you refilled only the black tank.

Troubleshooting steps

1. Check the actual ink levels

Low ink levels can affect printer operation and print quality. On the printer control panel:

• From the Home screen, touch Menu.
• Scroll down and touch Ink levels.
• Confirm whether the printer still reports all tanks as empty.
  
  

2. Make sure the black tank was filled correctly

When refilling HP Smart Tank 7600 series printers, HP says to:

• Lift the ink access door.
• Open the tank covers.
• Open the cap on the black ink tank.
• Open the correct genuine HP ink bottle.
• Match the bottle color to the tank color.
• Hold the bottle on the tank nozzle and let the ink drain into the tank until full.
  • If the bottle does not start draining, remove it and reinsert it.
  • Do not squeeze the bottle.
• Close the tank cap.
• Close the tank covers and ink access door.
• Wait 30 seconds so the printer can complete ink purging and calibration.

 If the refill process is incomplete, the bottle did not drain properly, the cap is not closed correctly, or the printer did not finish its 30-second purge/calibration cycle, the tank status might not update correctly.

3. Check that you used genuine HP ink

Using genuine HP ink helps ensure optimal print quality and reliable printer performance.

Print quality and reliability cannot be guaranteed when non-HP ink is used, and some troubleshooting steps may not resolve issues caused by non-HP ink.

Non-HP ink may lead to improper printer operation, print quality problems, or persistent ink-related errors.

4. Wait for the printer to complete the internal process

After refilling, the printer completes ink purging and calibration automatically.

If the printer is continuously checking, it may be stuck before finishing this internal process. Closing all covers properly and waiting can help it complete.

5. Print quality check after confirming ink is present

If the printer has ink physically in the tanks but still behaves abnormally, check for related ink-flow or print system issues:

• On the printer display, touch Menu.
• Go to Tools > Troubleshooting > Print Quality.
• Print the Print Quality Diagnostic Page.
• Review for missing colors, fading, or white lines.

This helps confirm whether the issue is only the ink level display or if ink delivery is also affected.

6. Clean the printheads

If the diagnostic page shows defects:

• Touch Menu.
• Go to Tools > Troubleshooting > Print Quality.
• Touch Clean Printhead.

If ink is not flowing properly after refill, printhead cleaning can help restore printing.

7. Align the printheads

After cleaning, or if prompted:

• Touch Menu.
• Go to Tools > Troubleshooting > Print Quality.
• Touch Align Printhead.

Alignment can help restore proper print system operation after ink or printhead service actions.

Reasons 

• The refill process did not complete correctly.
• The printer did not finish the 30-second ink purging and calibration cycle after refill.
• The wrong ink or non-genuine ink was used.
• There may be a print system issue affecting ink detection/printing, which can require printhead cleaning, alignment, or service.

Sources

1. HP Smart Tank Printers - Refill the ink tanks
2. HP Smart Tank Printers - Color or black ink not printing, other print quality issues

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