spotty Black Ink officejet 5255

[WyrNut78]

I have cleaned the cartiges and done alignment. the color prints fine but the black is very spotty until the 3rd or 4th page in. I am still on the original ink that came with the printer and have printed 70 or so pages. the ink level says iy has plenty should i change it anyway? I don't want to waste ink if it won't help.

[Riddle_Decipher]

@WyrNut78

Welcome to HP Forums,

Let's get to it!

I have a few steps that should help your cause:

1. Load the printer with plain white paper.

2. On the printer control panel, swipe left on the display, and then touch Setup .

3. Touch Tools.

4. Swipe up on the display, and then touch Clean Page Smears.

   The printer slowly feeds a blank page.

5. Wait for the printer to eject the blank page.

After cleaning ink smears, try to print. If the print quality is unacceptable, continue to the next set of steps.

1. In the software application, you are trying to print from, click File, and then click Print.

   The Print window opens.

2. Open the Properties dialog box.

   Depending on the software application, the button might be Properties, Options, Printer Setup, Printer, or Preferences.

3. Depending on your print job, you might consider modifying the following settings:

   • Paper Type: If you are printing on photo paper, select the type of photo paper you are attempting to print on.

   • Print Quality: If you are dissatisfied with the quality of your printouts, increase the print quality. To print more quickly, decrease the print quality. These options typically include Best, Normal, and Draft modes.

   • Paper Size: If you are printing on a different size of paper than you normally print on, select the correct paper size.

   • Black and White: If you want to print in black and white only, select the grayscale option.

4. After selecting the print settings, click OK to apply the settings, and then click Print.

FOR DETAILS & FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS, USE THIS LINK: CLICK HERE (FOLLOW STEPS 8 to 13 & resolve the issue)

(By the end of this article all the issues should be resolved)

Let me know how that pans out,

If you feel I was helpful, simply click on Accept as Solution to help the community grow,

That said, I will have someone follow-up on this to ensure you've been helped,

Just in case you don't get back to us within 24 - 48hrs, and have a good day, ahead.

[WyrNut78]

I actually did all that and it did not help so I changed the cartridge. Eventhough its 3/4 full. Problem solved.

[Riddle_Decipher]

@WyrNut78

That's awesome, I'm glad it worked out for you, 

Although in my defense: Step 14: Replace the problem ink cartridge (was the next suggestion) 😉

Please mark the post that helped you the most as the solution to help others find the same result.

It's been a pleasure interacting with you,

Have a good day.