Deskjet 3050 all-in-one - prints but won't copy

[mix1des]

HP Deskjet 3050 (J610a) All-In-One Printer
XP Home edition sp3
wireless connection
No error messages or blinking lights

Following low ink warning, black cartridge has been refilled.
I checked the HP website before buying the printer and refilling appears to be allowable with proviso that ink quantity indicator will not work.
The printer prints and scans fine from a PC.
Operating the copy button (black or colour) adjacent to the LCD display causes the quantity to momentarily change from x0 to x1 but nothing else happens. 
Operating the scan button gives the message "Scan Error try scan from computer" on the LCD display. 
I can't be sure that this exactly coincided with refitting the refilled cartridge as we use the copy function less frequently than print from PC.

Tried disconnecting from power completely, waiting, then restart - no success.

Any assistance would be much appreciated - It is less than 2 months old - seems a waste to return under warranty if there is a simple fix.

[Lee55555]

I have the identical problem. Machine also just 2 months old.  Tried it with two refilled (once) cartridges. Won't even do a colour copy, but prints and scans perfectly. If you replace the refilled cartridge with a new one, it will copy again. HP are clearly misleading us when they lead us to believe that cartridges can be refilled but fail to mention that one of the functions of the machine (i.e. photocopying) will no longer work. Had I known this I wouldn't have bought it as I do a lot of copying and don't see why I should have to keep buying new cartridges when they can be easily refilled a few times.

[mix1des]

Thanks Lee. Interesting that yours was "repaired" by fitting a new cartridge - I didn't get to that stage but instead went through the HP support process and eventually received a new printer under warranty.   

  The new printer is "bare" no cartridges, cables, instructions etc. and you have to return the old one (carriage paid by HP) -  whole process took about a week including an initial series of emails where I was instructed in some very basic troubleshooting steps (including unplugging from wall socket / reconnecting which I had already done and advised in my original query).   

  I set up the replacement printer (no instructions - so some trial and error to get it fully working - in the end I uninstalled the old printer and started from scratch).  The only cartridges I have are the original black (refilled) and colour (nearly empty) so these went straight in and worked - including copying!!    This was all about 12 days ago.  Since then I have refilled both black and colour and all functions are still working.

Two thoughts come to mind:

1. Our printers had some kind of manufacturing defect, now corrected?
2. My initial refilling was late (after the warning light came on and when a page showed obvious lack of ink) whereas most recently I topped up while still printing OK.   I know it's generally recommended (by refillers) to not let the print head run dry but on this model does it do something more?

For your interest I used a refill kit from http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250737836373 as I initially had trouble getting the black ink through and this kit has a priming device - a clip that seals around the print head and allows a liitle ink to be sucked into an empty syringe.

[Lee55555]

That is very intersting, having just put a new un-refilled cartridge in mine and got it working again I haven't dared to take it out and try the refilled ones again just to satisfy my curiosity. But I guess they won't work so far as copying is concerned. I did do a little more investigation though, and found that if one removes the black cartridge altogether, so the machine goes into "single cartridge" mode, with just an un-refilled colour cartridge, it will copy just fine, but if you put the refilled black one back in it won't, not even a colour copy. Nor will it print any of the forms and special pages that it should generate from an internal template (calendar, sudoku, music paper etc.). Clearly it is just not happy with a refilled cartridge, but the fact that it will happily print and scan using one is strange and really seems like a software glitch. I have emailed HP support so I am just at the beginning of the process of wrangling with them over it, which I daresay will end with them having to replace it,like yours. But I am encouraged that the replacement they sent you does actually copy with refilled cartridges, this suggests that I might be able to get it fixed after all.

I don't think the printhead having run dry should have made any difference, as I have refilled one as soon as I got the low ink warning, and another one after it ran dry, and when I put them back in the printer, both of them will print happily, and in perfect quality, but neither of them will copy!

I'm grateful for the ebay link, I've never seen a refill kit with a priming device before and think that is an excellent idea, thanks!

[lucymenard]

i have the same problem.  i have replaced the colour cartridge and the black one is very low.  printing from the computer works ok and i can scan and then print but can't copy directly.  all very tedious.  i shall try taking out the black cartridge and see what happens

[lyd]

I use only new cartridges; but my printer still doesn't copy. Though it prints from the computer just fine. Maybe it's not refilled cartridges, it just wants new replacements, even though they're not near empty?

[Ann-e]

MY deskjet won't copy. It prints and I have recently put a new black cartridge into it. I have unplugged everything and replugged but still no reaction. Please help. thank you

[pcwizard]

Hi Ann-e, 

Are you using new HP OEM or remanufactured cartridges?

Have you replaced the cartridge with another one to see if the printer will start to work?

[wilpowr2k]

I installed the latest drivers from HP for Windows XP and even updated the firmware. However, when I scan it creates the saved file but the file doesn't have the scanned content, just a blank page. I tried changing the resolution to 600dpi etc.. and try to save it as an image file vs pdf as well, still same results. I also cleaned the glass inside the laserjet, doesn't work. I also have a problem with copy. It would copy and print but the resulting copy is a blank page filled with dark ink..no visible content either. I also tried to change the image quality and reduction sizes, nothing happens. The only feature that works is printing. I'm not using fax so didn't need to worry about that. Any help is appreciated.

System info:

Windows XP w/service pack 2

Pentium 4 3.2ghz , 1gb RAM

-Bill

[wilpowr2k]

I have a similar problem.

I installed the latest drivers from HP for Windows XP and even updated the firmware. However, when I scan it creates the saved file but the file doesn't have the scanned content, just a blank page. I tried changing the resolution to 600dpi etc.. and try to save it as an image file vs pdf as well, still same results. I also cleaned the glass inside the laserjet, doesn't work. I also have a problem with copy. It would copy and print but the resulting copy is a blank page filled with dark ink..no visible content either. I also tried to change the image quality and reduction sizes, nothing happens. The only feature that works is printing. I'm not using fax so didn't need to worry about that. Any help is appreciated.