HP Photosmart 6520 Printing Blank Pages

[DAK70]

HP Photosmart 6520 printing blank or streaked pages even after new HP cartridges installed and numerous cycles of Clean Print Heads and Align Print Heads.

[Sneha_01]

Hi @DAK70,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

When your HP Photosmart 6520 is printing blank or streaked pages even after installing new cartridges and performing cleaning and alignment cycles, it typically indicates an issue with the ink cartridges, printheads, or printer settings. Here are steps to diagnose and potentially fix the problem:

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

Check Ink Levels:

• Verify that the new cartridges are correctly installed and have sufficient ink. Sometimes, cartridges may be faulty even if they are new.

Inspect Cartridges:

• Remove the cartridges and check for any protective tape or covers that might still be on the nozzles or contacts.
• Ensure the cartridges are properly seated in their respective slots.

Clean Cartridge Contacts:

• Turn off the printer and unplug it from the power source.
• Remove the ink cartridges.
• Use a lint-free cloth slightly moistened with distilled water or isopropyl alcohol to gently clean the copper contacts on the cartridges and the corresponding contacts inside the printer.
• Allow the contacts to dry completely before reinserting the cartridges.

Run Printer Diagnostic Tools:

• Use the printer's built-in diagnostic tools to check for issues. These tools can sometimes provide more specific information about the problem.
• Print a test page to see if there are any improvements or specific error messages.

Use the HP Smart App or HP Print and Scan Doctor:

• Download and run the HP Smart app (available for both Windows and macOS) or the HP Print and Scan Doctor (for Windows).
• These tools can help diagnose and resolve printing issues by providing guided troubleshooting steps.

Manually Clean the Printhead:

• If automated cleaning cycles don’t resolve the issue, you might need to manually clean the printhead.
• To Clean Manually:
  • Remove the printhead from the printer (refer to your printer manual for instructions on how to do this).
  • Use a lint-free cloth slightly moistened with distilled water to gently wipe the nozzles and contacts on the printhead.
  • Let the printhead dry completely before reinstalling it.

Reset the Printer:

• Sometimes, a simple reset can resolve hardware glitches.
• Turn off the printer, unplug it from the power source, wait for about a minute, and then plug it back in and turn it on.

Firmware Update:

• Check if there is a firmware update available for your printer on the HP website. Sometimes, firmware updates can resolve issues related to printing.

Reinstall Printer Software:

• Uninstall the printer software and drivers from your computer.
• Download and install the latest software and drivers from the HP support website.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

Rachel571

HP Support

[DAK70]

Hello Rachel. Thank you for your answer. I tried all the above and the problem seems to be that the printhead does not accept any instructions for printing. All the test pages print correctly and the scan function worked so the problem is with the printhead software. This printer was way out of warranty so why spend money on fixing something this ancient. The way I solved the problem is to buy a new HP OfficeJet Pro 9120e printer and now I am printing much quicker with no problems though the setup was somewhat problematic in that the instructions were almost too vague. 

A great summer to the HP Printer Support Community!