HP Photosmart 6520 printer won't print black or color

[arbeitdienst]

I am at a loss as to why my printer will only print very lightly and no color? I tried cleaning the print heads and it prints just fine. I print a test page, no problems. But go to print anything else...no black or color and only black very, very light. Any ideas?? I see this question appears many times with different printers.

[Raj1788]

@arbeitdienst

Thank you for joining HP Forums.

It's a pleasure assisting you in finding answers to your technical queries.

To provide you with an accurate solution, I'll need a few more details:

Are you using genuine HP Ink cartridge?

Any hardware or software changes made on the printer?

Is the copy working fine?

If you are facing the same issue while making a copy follow Solution:1 if the copy is working fine follow Solution:2.

Solution: 1

I suggest you do a Hard Reset

(1) Turn the printer on, if it is not already on.

(2) Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you continue.

(3) With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.

(4) Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.

(5) Wait at least 60 seconds.

(6) Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet.

NOTE: HP recommends connecting the printer power cord directly to the wall outlet.

(7) Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.

(8) Turn on the printer, if it does not automatically turn on.

The printer might go through a warm-up period. The printer lights might flash, and the carriage might move.

Wait until the warm-up period finishes and your printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

Check the print settings in Windows.

1. In the software program that you are trying to print from, click File, and then click Print. The Print dialog box opens.

2. Select your printer, and then click Properties. The Properties dialog box opens.

3. Click the Paper/Quality tab.

4. From the Paper Size drop-down list, select the option that matches your paper size. For example, if you have legal paper loaded in your printer, select Legal 8.5x14in.

5. From the Media drop-down list, select the paper type that matches the paper loaded in the printer.

6. Select a print quality option.

   NOTE: 

   If you want higher quality printouts, select a higher quality output setting. Selecting the Best or Maximum dpi might resolve print quality issues.

7. Click the Advanced button. The Advanced Options dialog box opens.

8. Under Printer Features, make sure that Print in Grayscale is set to Off, unless you want to print in Grayscale intentionally.

9. Click OK, and then click OK again to apply the settings.

10. Click OK or Print from the Print dialog box to start the print job.

Try to print.

Solution: 2

I recommend you delete the driver at the root level and Install the drivers, follow the steps below:

1.) In Windows, search for and open Programs and features 

2.) Select your HP Printer 

3.) Select Uninstall 

4.) In Windows, search for and open Devices and printers 

5.) In the Devices and Printers windows look for your HP printer. If you see it listed right-click on it and choose `Delete' or `Remove Device' 

6.) Open up the run command with the "Windows key + R" key combo. 

7.) Type printui.exe /s and click Ok. (Note: there is a space in between "printui.exe" and "/s") 

8.) Click on the "Drivers" tab 

9.) Look for HP Printer driver. If you see it Click on it and click Remove at the bottom 

10.) Select Ok

11.) Select Apply and Ok on the Print Server Properties windows

12.) Close Devices and Printers 

Then, Click on this link: https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/swdetails/hp-photosmart-6520-e-all-in-one-printer-s... to download the HP Photosmart 6520 e-All-in-One Printer Full Feature Software and Drivers

Keep me posted, how it goes!

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Have a great day!

Cheers:)