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Check out our Black or Color Ink Not Printing, Other Print Quality Issues info about: Print quality and Cartridge Issues.
HP Recommended
HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 All-in-One Printer

My HP OfficeJetpro 6978 was working just fine until I installed new ink cartridges (all colors except black). Now my printer will not print any document in color. I've done the following to try to fix this:

1) Ran the clean head- multiple times and waited 24-48 hours to run it again. Each test page did not show any color other than black.

2) Checked the cartridges were installed properly. After installing, it showed full ink on the 3 colors I was low on.

3) Tried printing through the HP app.

4) Turned the printer off, uninstalled from computer then reinstalled.

Now, not only is the printer still not printing in color, but the brand-new cartridges are also showing they are now halfway used. (The printer has not printed color ONCE since installing the new cartridges.) 

Super frustrating, please help. 😫

2 REPLIES 2
HP Recommended

Same here. No amount of troubleshooting or new HP cartridges work.

 

Seems like a ton of complaints about the 6978 right now.

 

We never had issues until HP started the firmware updates checking on cartridges.

 

Every since then nothing but problems.

 

And yes, our cartridges are legit, from Staples from HP. The printer thinks they are valid, but light or no printing at all.

 

C'mon HP!

HP Recommended

Hi @AR_00,

 

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

 

I'd like to help!

 

Step 1: Reinstall the print driver (Windows only)

 

If you cannot print color from a Windows computer, uninstall and reinstall the printer software. Skip this step if your printer is able to print in color.

Remove the printer from the devices list.

For steps on removing the printer from the devices list, go to Uninstall HP printer software and drivers.

Go to HP Customer Support - Software and Driver Downloads, and then install the latest software for your printer.

Try to print. If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.

Step 2: Clean the printhead

The printhead could be clogged, and you might need to clean the printhead several times to restore print quality. Use an automated tool from the printer control panel to clean the printhead.

  CAUTION:

Never turn off the printer when ink cartridges are not installed. To avoid issues that require cleaning the printhead or that can damage the ink system, always replace ink cartridges as soon as possible, and always turn off the printer using the Power button.

From the printer control panel, open the Setup menu.

Open the Printer Maintenance menu.

If necessary, open the Tools menu, and then touch Clean Printhead.

A test page prints.

Example of the printhead cleaning test page

Examine the test page.

If the print quality is unacceptable, touch Clean Again to continue the next level of cleaning. If necessary, repeat these steps for the third cleaning cycle.

NOTE:

If the printhead is badly clogged, it might require another cleaning cycle. If so, wait 30 minutes before you perform all three levels of cleaning again.

If the print quality is acceptable, touch Done.

 

Click here for the remaining steps.

 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accepted 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!

Nal_NR-Moderator
I am an HP Employee

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