Printer Failure Error

[GStrat]

My 7612 inkjet printer suddenly showed a "Printer Failure" error without an error code.  I tried shutting off and restarting the printer in various ways (like unplugging the printer and the power supply as the HP Support page suggested) but this

did not resolve the issue.  The ink cartridge carriage moves freely when the printer powers up and there is no paper debris that I can see.  We recently experienced a power failure but we have several a year without a problem.  Any ideas?

[GStrat]

I read in another post about my Printer Failure error being related to the ink system (as it says in the error description).  I realized then that I had recently changed the black XL cartridge (possibly immediately before getting the error - I don't remember).  The post said that my error may be caused by a leaky cartridge or some other contamination.

So I opened the access doors and removed all of the ink cartridges ( not just the black one) and looked for leaks or debris or anything else that looked amiss.  I found nothing so I replaced all of the cartridges EXCEPT the new black cartridge - I reinstalled the empty black cartridge previously in place. I then got a different error message about my old cartridge being empty and to continue using it only if I was sure that it was not empty.  I confirmed that it was not empty (it WAS empty but I didn't have another cartridge to try) and the printer went into the usual printer diagnostic check which takes a few minutes, etc.  And lo and behold, I got the expected empty cartridge notification for the black cartridge AND the magenta cartridge (this was new)

Soooo.... I replace the magenta cartridge and replaced the old empty black cartridge with the SAME new black cartridge that I had recently installed.  And that solved it: the printer went through another self check and then came up ready to operate without any Printer Failure messages.  I've since did a print quality check and then printed a document from my laptop and everything works fine.

So in summary, if your OfficeJet printer displays the same Printer Failure as mine, try removing all of the ink cartridges to inspect for leaks or contamination and if you find none, try replacing one or more of the cartridges, even with empty ones.  It worked for me