OfficeJet Pro 6978 All-in-One - not printing properly with streaks and missing colors

[lester2446]

My printer is not printing properly. It has missing lines on pages, and has decided to not print blue at all. I use instaink and they sent me new cartridges .... twice. This has not fixed the problem. I unplugged printer for awhile. That didn't help.

Last month, I could get by if I select highest quality for print, but that has stopped working as well. I print daily. I run a preschool and we have to be able to print in color. 

Please help! 

Jenny

[Kumar0307]

Hi @lester2446

Welcome to the HP Support Community. I'd be happy to assist you. I'm afraid the issue is with the printhead of the printer. Let us try these steps to resolve this issue:

Try making a standalone copy in color and check if that works. By this, we can conclude if this is a hardware or a driver issue.

Reset the printer

1. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.
2. Wait at least 60 seconds.
3. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.
4. Turn ON the printer, if it does not automatically turn on.
5. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

Note: HP recommends connecting the printer directly to a wall outlet rather than a surge protector or a power strip.

Update the printer firmware

Click here to download and install the latest firmware from your computer.

Click here to know different methods of updating printer firmware.

Check the estimated ink levels

On the printer control panel, touch the Ink Level Indicator icon . Replace any low or empty cartridges.

Clean the printhead

1. From the printer control panel, open the Setup  menu.

2. Open the Printer Maintenance menu.

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

4. 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.

Also, perform step 9 from this document.

Print a Print Quality Diagnostic Page

1. From the printer control panel, open the Setup  menu.

2. Open the Reports or Tools menu.

3. Touch Print Quality Report. Check for any defects.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

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