hp officejet 6958 won't print black ink

[Kman123]

Hi There,

I have a relatively new Officejet 6958 that will not print black ink. I have run through the routine system checks (ink levels, quality reports, etc.), read all of the relevant threads on the topic, and I'm out of ideas. If I change the font color to another color, it will print fine.  Please advise how to fix the problem.

Thanks.

[senan6806]

@Kman123

A warm welcome to HP Forums! This is a great place to get support, find answers and tips to your technical queries.

I understand the printer will not print black and I'll be glad to help you out. However, for an accurate solution, I would need more details:

Does the print quality test report has black in it?

Are you able to copy documents in black?

How is the printer connected, USB or Wireless?

Let me know!

[Kman123]

Hi there,

In response to your questions:

The print quality test report does not print the black (just the colors).

Copied documents will not print in black.

I've printed from both USB and wireless.

[Raj1788]

@Kman123

It looks like you were interacting with @senan6806, but he is out for the day & I'll be glad to help you out. 

I'm Raj1788 & I'm at your service. 

update the printer firmware and Mac software:

Update printer firmware

Update software on Mac 

Reset the printer

Resetting power to the printer forces the printer to reset stored values in the firmware. A power reset can help when the printer is not accepting communication from the Mac.

1. Make sure the printer is idle, not making any sounds, before continuing.

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

3. Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.

4. Wait at least 60 seconds.

5. Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet.

6. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.

7. If the printer does not turn on by itself, press the Power button  to turn it on.

8. Try printing again and note what happens.

   • If the printer prints, you can stop troubleshooting.

   • If the print job becomes stuck again, continue to the next step.

Delete the existing print queue and add the printer

Remove the printer queue from the list of printers, and then add it again. Doing so creates a new printing session.

1. Make sure your Mac is connected to the Internet.

2. In the Printers list, click your HP printer, and then click the Minus button  to delete it.

3. Click the Add button .

4. Find and select the name of your printer from the Printer list, and then click Add to add your printer. Do not select an HP Fax driver.

   NOTE: 

   If your printer does not display in the list, make sure the printer is connected, turned on, has power, and is ready to print.

   

5. Click Print Using or Use.

6. Select the name of your printer (if available) or AirPrint.

   

   Your new printer queue displays in the Printers list in an Idle status .

   

7. Try printing again.

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:)

[Kman123]

Hi,

I walked through all of those steps, and it still does not print in black ink.

[senan6806 · Accepted solution]

@Kman123

Since the print quality test report does not contain black, it could be an issue with the printhead. Power resetting the printer and then performing an automated/manual cleaning may resolve the issue. Let's try these steps:

1) Make sure this printer is plugged into a direct wall, not a surge protector

2) Remove all of your ink cartridges from the printer and close the door

3) Remove the power cord from the back of the printer (Do no press the power button)

4) Clean the ink cartridges, refer to solution 3 from this document.

5) Plug the power cord back into the printer

6) Wait for the printer to turn on completely, then install the ink cartridges.

7) From the printer control panel, open the Setup  menu.

😎 Touch Tools, and then touch Clean Cartridges.

9) Open the Printer Maintenance or Tools menu.

10) Touch Clean Page Smears or Clean Smear.

11.) From the printer control panel, open the Setup  menu.

12.) Open the Printer Maintenance menu.

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

Let me know how it goes!

[Kman123]

That did the trick. Finally printing in black again.

Thanks!

[senan6806]

@Kman123

You are welcome 🙂

Glad to hear that the issue is resolved. If you need any help, feel free to reach out to us.

Have a great day!

[Persistent-1]

I had this problem too!

Printer would not print any ink at all after I changed the Black ink cartridge.

I worked through all the steps listed above and found the only thing that seems to help was going to tools - clean print head - then when the printer asked if I wanted to do a second level cleaning answering yes and letting it clean again.

Also I found that the problem seems to happen when I print 4 or more pages in a row at 600 dpi.  It's almost as if the printer tries to print too fast and goes dry.  Then I have to clean the printhead again to get the ink going.

After running two printhead cleaning cycles, I found I could prevent the ink going dry by either printing only 1 page at a time or setting the quality to 1200 dpi.  It seems as if increasing the quality slowed down the printer and kept the ink flowing.

[RetiredUSAF1991]

No black at all. Wireless. Tried Senan6808 and Asmita6658 suggested - no go. What now?