Photosmart C309 suddenly stopped printing black ink (any solution?)

[Bob_Headrick]

---

@dxlarsen wrote:

HI, Gosh it is nice you take the time to help others..... my Model is the C309g.... no keypad....  : (    I did try to rinse it well and a ton of ink came off the  print cartridge holder, but no luck on getting it to work.

---

The troubleshooting steps in this document may help resolve the issue.  Be sure to check the vents on the black cartridge.   If that does not resolve the issue you might try the steps in this post.

[vanden]

I just thought I would add this because I too spent the a day fixing this and pulling my hair out.  I cleaned my head under water like suggested but that didn't work for me.  What I finally did was use the hot water on a paper towel and dabbed the towel into the exit whole of the cartridge and then set it on a wet, hot paper towel, for a half hour.  Apparently my ink dried out in the cartridge opening and this fixed my problem.  I don't print regularly so that probably didn't help.  Hopefully this saves somebody some time.

[Lucyfatcat]

I have been attempting to solve this problem off and on for several weeks. In one (non-HP) online conversation, I learned that the color cartridges must have ink in them in order for the black ink to work. I put all new color cartridges in and tried again. No luck. Yesterday I uninstalled the software completely and reinstalled the software. I reset my settings to factory default. I still could not print in black. Today I started over again and followed all the suggestions in the HP Solution Center, then in various online discussions. I thought I might have found the solution with the information about cleaning the printhead. I cleaned the printhead carefully. No luck. So i put a brand new XL cartridge in since that seemed to be the cartridge that wasn't printing. STILL my printer does not print black ink. I am at my wits' end. Is there any other way to fix this problem? Am I missing something? By the way, it is amazing how many webpages I found where this issue is discussed and rarely resolved.

[VisionAiry]

I can see in your post that you mention carefully cleaning the printhead and even trying another ink cartridge. The previous posts give some great advice! I suggest reading all of the links posted by Bob_Headrick just to ensure you have followed all the suggestions. If you feel you have exhausted all troubleshooting steps, you still have a few more options.

You can always contact HP Tech Support at 1-800-474-6836 if you live in the US or Canada because even if your printer is out of warranty it is likely your ink cartridge is not. They should at least be able to determine if it is the ink cartridge, printhead or printer by confirming the same steps listed in previous posts. 

If you call, you may also be eligible for upgrade options which can get you a full year's warranty and a discounted printer similar to yours. You can also check out this link about purchasing a new printhead from the HP Parts Store for part #cn642a. I hope that helps.

[Lucyfatcat]

I did follow all the steps and it did not work -- that night. However, yesterday morning I thought I would try it again, and this time it was fine! I had to run the "clean the printheads" again before the black ink was as dark as it should be, but otherwise it was just fine. I believe that it needed the extra time for the unit in which the cartridges go to dry completely. Even though in one post Bob Headrick said it should not take more than 30 minutes and it would be up and running again, I think it really should be left to dry overnight. In fact, I believe I read that in one of Bob Headrick's earlier posts. I could still see a bit of water in some of the crevices, but did not want to blow on it or shake it to rid the unit of water. (See, I really did do what Bob Headrick advised!) Now that it's working, I'm back to loving it. Thanks! 🙂

[VisionAiry]

I am so happy to hear that.  I went all the way back to the beginning posts and saw all the great advice here. I am glad you came to the forums and found a solution!  Happy Printing!

[ptsmom]

Thanks you are a genius, HP should have hired you!!

[Bettyboop8001]

colors print fine, no black from printer, but can copy and black come out somewhat, some missing ??????  Changed all cartriges

[Bettyboop8001]

prints color but not black, alignment failed

[Shirlzz1]

@Bettyboop8001 -   I understand that you are having an black ink quality output issue. Have you tried the links in Bob Headrick's post (message 31)? In that post he gives a link to the Photosmart C309's print quality troubleshooting page and then gives the link to a printhead soak procedure that might help. If you do the quality troubleshooting steps and find that you still have an issue; one would then consider the soak at that point.  Please make sure to read the entire post on the printhead soak procedure as it will advise you to check the date on the printhead and make sure that the printhead is out of warranty prior to doing the soak. That process would void  the warranty. If you check the date listed on the printhead and find that the date has not passed, one would want to call into HP Total Care instead of doing that soak.  I hope that this helps.