HP Deskjet 5520 Printing problem: Horizontal faint lines

[Loadstone1]

Hello,

I have been using this printer for a while without problem.  Last week it started printing faint words - more like white streaks on several lines.

I use black ink only  - genuine HP cartridges.  Have changed the Black cartridge  twice and did several things with no avail.  They include:- Clear Pinthead, Align Printer, etc.   The problem persisted.  No error messages appear on the screen.   

Please see the attached photo.

Help is greatly appreciated.  Thank you in advanceDiagnostics Result

[Bob_Headrick · Accepted solution]

The troubleshooting steps in the document here may help resolve black not printing on your Deskjet 5520.  

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.

[Loadstone1]

Bob,
Thank you for your reply.

I will try the steps mentioned and will let you know the outcome.

Kind regards

[Loadstone1]

Hello,

Have tried the steps in the following order:-

The "standard troubleshooting"
https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-deskjet-ink-advantage-5520-e-all-in-one-printer-series/51585...

Removed the black cartridge, turned it over, and gently tried to remove the four orange plastic spots with a pin, followed by four drops of hot water into the ink port in the printer and two drops into the ink port on the cartridge

Following this step, printing produced a blank page, not a little dot appeared on the printed page! 

Then tried the manual method to clean the printhead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f57jOGj-G5s

Again, nothing was printed.

The strange thing is that no error messages appear at all.

Then I placed the other cartidge (also new and HP genuine which printed something before); the same result, nothing is printed.

Then tried, once again, all the methods in "tools": Clean Printhead, Align Printer, etc. No luck.

No printing again - not even a character!

I was wondering if there is another advanced technique that one could follow, and whether one could replace the printhead only?

Thank you once again:smileyhappy:

[Bob_Headrick]

The printhead in the Deskjet 5520 is not user replaceable.

If your printer is still in warranty I would suggest you contact HP for a replacement. 

I have seen cases where folks have resolved the issue by soaking cotton balls in alcohol and placing one on the black ink screen in the printer (after removing the cartridge) and placing the other on the underside of the printhead, and letting it sit for some time.  I do not recommend this as the alcohol may cause delamination issues in the printhead, but if the printer is out of warranty and the only option is to get a new printer it might be worth a try.

[Loadstone1]

Hello,

Thank you.

Actually the printer is out of warranty. So, I will try this method .

[Loadstone1]

Hello Bob,
I've decided to take it for repair.

I considered your answer as a solution because it was comprehensive,  listing all possibile steps, including, if all else fails, to take it for repair.

Thank you very much for your time and effort.

Best regards!