HP Office Pro 8600 Plus reports "Printer Failure" and says contact HP. Can anybody help?

[Woodsmanone]

Hi All,
My HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus was left unused for three weeks.  When switched on again, it reports:  "Printer failure. Problem with printer or ink system.  Turn off then on.  (Did this several times, including disconnecting at the wall.) If problem persists, contact HP."   (Tried that too today, multiple times.  Disappointed not to be able to reach a human.  The HP virtual assistant also gave up, though did also report "printer failure".)

Might anyone be able to help, please?

Happy to provide any further information which may assist.

Cheers

Edward

[Echo_Lake · Accepted solution]

@Woodsmanone

Thank you for posting on the HP Support Community.
 

Don't worry as I'll be glad to help,

I understand you are not able to use the printer due to this error. Install one ink cartridge at a time and check for the error.

Kindly perform the steps mentioned in this document - An 'Ink System Failure' or 'System Supply Problem' Error Displays

If the issue persists, I'm sending out a private message to assist you with the next course of action. Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link: https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/notes/privatenotespage
 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Woodsmanone]

Hi Echo Lake,

my apologies, as I missed seeing this reply for several days.  (During which time, frustration built ....!)

I then sent a rather long wrap-up bleat, after getting the  printer going again.

What you have presented here is genuinely helpful.  I'm only sorry I didn't see it earlier.  As  I would then have been going again earlier.

Many thanks though for pointing the way to these clearly-explained and helpful steps.

Appreciate your help

Cheers

Edward

[Echo_Lake]

@Woodsmanone

Thank you for posting back. 

I am glad to know that you managed to resolve the issue. Please reach out again for any further assistance.

Have a nice day ahead.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Echo_Lake]

@Woodsmanone

Thank you for posting back. 

I am glad to know that you managed to resolve the issue. Please reach out again for any further assistance.

Have a nice day ahead.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Bina573]

I am having the same issue and the first part of your solution didn't help me. Please help!!

[Nirvana_95]

Hi @Bina573

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

I'd like to help! 

May I have the exact model name of the product? Refer to this document for steps to find the product details. Do not share any of your personal information such as serial, phone number, email ID, etc. 

Keep me posted. 

[tomscot2]

I am having  the same problem with my HP Officejet Pro 8600 e-All-in-One Printer - N911a.

It was printing successfully and then I got the Printer Failed error. I tried turning it off and on but no change. I can communicate and scan just fine.

[Linwells]

I have the same problem.  I followed all the steps above several times, after more than an hour with the virtual assistant.  Have reloaded the drivers, uninstalled and reinstalled the printer, but still have the same message:" There is a problem with the printer or ink system, etc."  I've replaced all the cartridges, one at a time, plugged the printer into the wall, unplugged it, etc.  No change.  I've executed the steps in An 'Ink System Failure' or 'System Supply Problem' Error Displays No change. When I click on ECHO_LAKE's link <https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/notes/privatenotespage> it takes me to a bright red dialogue box that says I don't have permissions.  I have major print/scanning work to do this weekend and will have to buy a new machine tomorrow if this can't be fixed.  Printer scans fine, however. Thoughts welcome. 

[Woodsmanone]

Hi Linwells,

Sorry to hear about your plight, and can understand your frustration.

If your experience mirrors mine then, after hours of frustration, you may find yourself eventually talking to a knowledgeable HP consultant staff member in India. 

That person will:

1. listen sympathetically,
2. consider that you should be surprised and impressed that your printer has lasted as long as it has

• without querying how much work the printer has done,
• nor showing you how you can confirm yourself how many pages have been printed, and
• how that might compare to HP’s original claimed usage rates.

Your consultant may then suggest, either:

1. Buy a new HP printer, or
2. Buy a new HP printhead. 

If you opt for choice b), another arm of HP will offer to send you a printhead 

1. For a price not much less than a new printer. 
2. And in a timeframe that won’t meet your post weekend deadline. 

Sorry if this sounds a bit cynical, but I can still recall the days, long ago, when one could just pick up the phone and speak to a competent and helpful HP technician, who fixed your problem on the spot.  Aah, the glory days of yesteryear!

Should also note that, when I had my printer problem, at least two HP employees were good enough to volunteer their help in this forum.  In both cases, for reasons I am unclear about, I did not see their offers to help until the matter had been resolved.  Echo-Lake, whose links aren't working for you (nor me, when I tried just now), was one of those who offered help earlier. 

When all HP support seemed exhausted, and I accepted that there was nothing I could do that would make my printer  situation worse, I was then free to try anything.  Shortly after, my printer was fixed.  It continues to work well.  

You seem to be at much the same point I was, readying to junk the printer.  So here, with absolutely no guarantees, is what I did:

1. Switch the printer on, and wait for it to go through its start up routines.  It will then display the error message.
2. Open the door which gives access to the ink cartridges.
3. Look in: 
1. The rectangular-ish cradle in which the four ink cartridges fit is the print head. 
2. The print head has a latch on the right hand side.
3. It is a light coloured plastic arm, maybe 2” long, pointing vertically.
4. This arm pivots (from the top or the bottom - I forget which, and am away from my printer) by pulling the free end towards you, almost 90 degrees, until it is close to horizontal. 
4. Pull the pivot arm towards you, which releases the print head from its fixed position.
5. Lift the print head a little, and take it out of the printer  - as a complete unit, with all the ink cartridges remaining in place.
6. Using a tissue, soft cloth or similar, wipe clean the area around the ”mouths” of the ink cartridges, where the ink feeds through.  Also wipe clean, as best you can, any leaked or spilled ink on the interior surfaces.
7. Replace the print head.
8. Raise (or lower!) the latch to vertical, to lock the print head in place.
9. Close the ink cartridge access door.
10. While the printer remains switched on, pull the electrical connection plug from the printer, ie cut the power, but not by switching off at the wall.
11. Wait 3 minutes.
12. Plug in the electrical lead to the printer, and switch on, if it hasn’t done so itself.
13. Allow the printer to go through its start up routines, and …….let’s see!!!

Hopefully this gets you printing again.

Cheers

Edward