my OfficeJet Pro 6978 is not printing in black

[rfraser]

The printer was low on black ink.  I replaced the cartridge and it wouldn't print.  I put in another new HP black cartridge and still wouldn't print.  It will print color.  It will print copies.  I have done a hard re set per the recommendation and still no change.  Help??

[senan6806]

@rfraser

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

It's possible that the printheads are clogged. Power resetting the printer and then performing and automated/manual cleaning may resolve the issue.  Let's try these step's:

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 electrical contacts, refer to step 4 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.

😎 Open the Printer Maintenance or Tools menu.

9) Touch Clean Page Smears or Clean Smear.

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

11) Open the Printer Maintenance menu.

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

Let me know 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!

[benzimraf]

HP OfficeJet Pro 6978, replaced black ink, and it is still not printing

[senan6806]

@benzimraf

Thank you for posting in HP Support Community!

Have you tried the automated/manual cleaning I suggested in my previous post?

[NMGreene]

I had the same problem, completed all of the recommended steps in this article as well as in others. Color cartridges print just fine, but black does not print after installing a new HP branded cartridge.  HELP

[TEJ1602]

@NMGreene, welcome to HP Support Community!

Perform a hard reset with the cartridges out-

• With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer and also unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
• Remove USB cable, if present.
• Wait for 2-3 minutes, press and hold the power button on your printer for about 30 seconds to remove any additional charge.
• Now plug back the power cable straight to a wall outlet without any surge protector or an extension cord and then plug back the power cord to the printer.
• Turn on the printer and wait till warm-up period finishes and the printer is idle.

Install the ink cartridges and try making a photocopy. If the printer is making a good copy, then the printer hardware is fine.

You can also go through the troubleshooting steps from this document.

If the issue persists even after troubleshooting, I would recommend you to try our other support options.

Follow the steps below to reach out to our HP Support team:

Step 1. Open link:www.hp.com/contacthp/
Step 2. Enter the product number or select to auto detect 
Step 3. Scroll down to "Still need help? Complete the form to select your contact options"
Step 4. Scroll down and click: HP contact options - select your preferred option

Thank you. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!
 

[Bullrabbit]

It did not work.

The printer only prints the color sections not the black

[Bullrabbit]

still not working...

[Bullrabbit]

still not working

[rjkruk]

This worked for me. Although, I did clean the print head a second time. Thank you your help!