Replaced ink cartridge and now it won't work. says to contact HP.

[Twig553]

I saw another identical post and it said to remove the print head, up to three times.  I did, and still have the same error: "There is a problem with the printer or ink system..... If problem persists, contact HP,"

[zoey7886]

@Twig553, Welcome to the HP Support Community!   

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding an "There is a problem with the printer or ink system" error message!   

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.    

Try these steps:   

Check for obstructions in the carriage path  

Clear obstructions from the carriage area inside the printer.  

With the printer on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.  

Open the door to access the carriage inside of the printer.  

Look in the carriage path for debris such as crumpled paper or dislodged labels, and then remove any that you find.  

Use your hand to move the carriage to each side, making sure it moves freely. If the carriage is stalled or docked to one side of the printer and you cannot move it, continue with these steps. 

Close the carriage access door.  

Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer, and then turn the printer on.  

Hope this helps!  

Take care, and have an amazing day!    

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!    

Regards,

[Twig553]

Easy to follow instructions, but it still gives the same error message.  Anything else possible?

[sunkcostfailacy]

Hello, I have had the same issue with my Officejet Pro 8610 and have been exploring every proposed solution with no success.

I booted up my printer after not using it for a few months and had a paper jam in the tray. I cleared out all of the crumpled paper and tried to print. Initially my printer was printing, but it was coming out faded in horizontal lines. I proceeded to do multiple passes cleaning the printhead and calibration. After buying new ink and manually cleaning the printhead, I began getting this "Printer Failure" error. I have tried clearing any obstructions and did not find any. I reinstalled the ink cartridges and the carriage. I have done some semi-full resets. Nothing has cleared the error. There isn't even an error code just the same "Contact HP" prompt.

Is there anything else I can do?

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @Twig553,

Thank you for trying those steps so thoroughly. I know this issue is frustrating, especially when new cartridges don’t fix it. Let’s push this a bit further to rule out a deeper hardware or ink system fault.

Double-check the new cartridges

Confirm the new ink cartridges are genuine HP. Non-HP or refilled cartridges can sometimes cause this exact error.

Remove the cartridges again, and wipe the copper contacts gently with a lint-free cloth.

Also wipe the contacts inside the printhead carriage, sometimes a tiny bit of ink or debris can block proper contact.

Perform a hard reset

With the printer on, unplug the power cord from the back and from the wall.

Wait at least 60 seconds.

Plug it directly into a wall outlet (avoid power strips).

Reconnect and power it back on.

This resets internal sensors that can get stuck.

Re-seat the printhead again

Since you already tried this, it may help to remove the printhead one more time:

Remove the ink cartridges.

Unlock and lift the printhead latch.

Carefully lift out the printhead.

Reseat it firmly, lock the latch, and reinstall the cartridges.

Close the cover and wait for the printer to recalibrate.

Do this up to three times if needed.

Update printer firmware

Kindly refer to this link to update your printer firmware.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @sunkcostfailacy,.

Thank you for trying those steps so thoroughly. I know this issue is frustrating, especially when new cartridges don’t fix it. Let’s push this a bit further to rule out a deeper hardware or ink system fault.

Double-check the new cartridges

Confirm the new ink cartridges are genuine HP. Non-HP or refilled cartridges can sometimes cause this exact error.

Remove the cartridges again, and wipe the copper contacts gently with a lint-free cloth.

Also wipe the contacts inside the printhead carriage, sometimes a tiny bit of ink or debris can block proper contact.

Perform a hard reset

With the printer on, unplug the power cord from the back and from the wall.

Wait at least 60 seconds.

Plug it directly into a wall outlet (avoid power strips).

Reconnect and power it back on.

This resets internal sensors that can get stuck.

Re-seat the printhead again

Since you already tried this, it may help to remove the printhead one more time:

Remove the ink cartridges.

Unlock and lift the printhead latch.

Carefully lift out the printhead.

Reseat it firmly, lock the latch, and reinstall the cartridges.

Close the cover and wait for the printer to recalibrate.

Do this up to three times if needed.

Update printer firmware

Kindly refer to this link to update your printer firmware.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[sunkcostfailacy]

Hello Kuroi,

I appreciate you taking the time to write out a response with possible solutions. Unfortunately, none of them worked for me. As you had suggested in your post, I attempted to update the firmware to see if that was the core issue.

The problem I ran into is that there is no way to update it because this model apparently is no longer supported. Any time I would try to look up current drivers the page on HP either didn't exist or it said it was "not applicable" to my printer. Would you confirm this? And if that is true, does that mean that I essentially have an obsolete device that is no longer able to do anything?

I'd really prefer not to sink any more time into this if it's not going to get me anywhere. I also don't want to hand it off to someone else if it's junk now.

Thanks for your response.

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @sunkcostfailacy,

We understand how important it is to have your device functioning properly, and we're here to assist you.​

To ensure your device receives the appropriate care, we recommend visiting an authorized HP service center. Our certified technicians can provide a thorough diagnosis and offer the best solutions to address the issue.​

You can locate the nearest HP service center using our Service Center Locator:​

🔗 HP Service Center Locator

If you need further assistance or have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.​

Best Regards,