Cartridge Carriage Stalled E3

[matt792]

I keep getting the error that the cartridge carriage is stalled.  I realized that if I remove one of the ink cartridges, the error goes away and it tells me that I'm printing with one cartridge.  I was able to have the color cartridge alone with no error and the black cartridge alone with no error.  But as soon as both are in, suddenly the cartridge carriage is stalled again.  Any suggestions??

[zoey7886]

@matt792, Welcome to the HP Support Community!  

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding Cartridge Carriage Stalled Error (E3)! 

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.  

If you're encountering the "Cartridge Carriage Stalled" error (E3) on your HP printer, it indicates that there may be an issue with the movement of the print head assembly. Here are some troubleshooting steps to resolve this problem:

Clear Any Obstacles:

• Open the top cover and inspect the area around the print head assembly for any objects that might be blocking its movement, such as packing materials or loose paper.

Clean the Cartridge Contacts:

• Turn off the printer.
• Remove both ink cartridges.
• Using a lint-free cloth lightly moistened with distilled water, gently clean the gold-colored contact points on the cartridges.
• Also, clean the corresponding contact points inside the printer.
• Allow the contacts to dry completely before reinserting the cartridges.

Reset the Printer:

• Turn off the printer and disconnect the power cord.
• Wait for about 10 seconds, then reconnect the power cord and turn the printer back on.

Check Cartridge Installation:

• Ensure that the cartridges are correctly seated in their proper slots.
• The tri-color cartridge should be installed in the left slot, and the black cartridge should be installed in the right slot.

Align the Print Cartridges:

• After ensuring the cartridges are clean and properly seated, realign the print cartridges using the printer's menu options or through the printer software on your computer.  

Hope this helps! 

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

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