HP 6500 Office jet E709a - Black printer cartridge HP 920 not working

[gvt]

I tried the soaking procedure, and even repeated it once. There is absolutely no black ink coming out. What now?

[Bob_Headrick]

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@ckwehe wrote:

Bob, same problem.   I fixed it using your remedy about 3 months ago but now that won't even work.  Print head dead?  Can't replace, apparently.  Hate to put stuff in a landfill that seems like it should be able to be repaired.

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What printer model? If you could remove the printhead to clean the contacts or soak it then it is a user replaceable part.  You may need to Contact HP for a replacement.

[Bob_Headrick]

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archfrut wrote:

hello everyone

i have a problem with my officejet 6500 all-in-one E709a series.

 my problem: i want to print my picture. when i print in "general everyday printing" mode with "plain paper" and quality "best", my print is very good. the color and the contrast is natural and other thing is good except dpi and quality.(because i select plain paper but in fact my paper is "premium plus photo paper") but when i print with "premium plus photo paper" and "maximum dpi", the quality and the dpi is very good but the color isn't good. the black color become green. i don't know why. i can't fix it with any guide, diagnostic, or alignment or clean printhead or any profile change or driver update.

os: windows 7 ultimate x64

conection: usb conected

no error message
please help me how can i fix it.
thanks a lot

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The black cartridge is not used in photo printing, the color cartridges are used instead to print black.  In your case black (made from C, M and Y) is printing green (C and Y).  This indicates you are having an issue with Magenta.  I would suggest the troubleshooting steps in this page, starting with checking the ink levels and the vent on the magenta supply.  Also print a test page as shonw later in that page and make sure each primary color is printing properly.

[Bob_Headrick]

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@gvt wrote:

I tried the soaking procedure, and even repeated it once. There is absolutely no black ink coming out. What now?

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What printer model? Check your ink levels and also check the vent as shown in this page.

[ckwehe]

6500 wireless, I contacted HP and they said printheads are unavailable.  Thanks, anyway.  Maybe I can find one on craigslist and use the part

[Bob_Headrick]

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@ckwehe wrote:

6500 wireless, I contacted HP and they said printheads are unavailable.  Thanks, anyway.  Maybe I can find one on craigslist and use the part.

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This sounds incorrect.  I will send you a PM asking for more information.

[gvt]

The vent tip did it! Thank you, thank you, thank you - for the soaking procedure, and pointing to the vent issue. Awesome.

[lizfrm]

Did the soak 3 times to no avail then saw another who flushed the screens on the printhead and FINALLY got results.  Thanks!

[AnnS]

I had a problem installing one of two new 564 black cartridges in my Photosmart Premium C309a All-in-One (running with Windows 7 64-bit). I called HP and I got routed to 3 locations before finally being routed to the Philippines. While on hold, I realized the problem was my own error, I got the cartridge inserted, and I was ready to terminate the call. The HP agent instructed me to first clean the printhead and align the cartridges; she walked me through the procedure. The cleaning completed, but no black printed on the test page; "align failure" messages cropped up every time I tried to and no black printed on the test pages. I spent two hours on the phone with this person trying everything before I had to leave for a class. She made an appointment for a return call this morning. After my class, I scoured the HP website further and discovered this "solution" by HP Expert Bob Headrick, who suggested removing the printhead and soaking it in 1" of hot  (not boiling) water for no more than 5 minutes.

Here is what I ended up doing this morning (when my head wasn't about ready to explode!), and IT WORKED, so it may work for you, as well: I removed the cartridges and the print head per HP instrux (http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01643079). I then filled a small plastic container (a size that would hold a sandwich) with 1" of HOT (not boiling) water from my hot-water dispenser at the sink. I set the timer for 5 minutes. Mr. Headrick said it might take 3 cleanings, but for me, it took 7 tries, and even then a little of the magenta still bled into the water.

After the first bath, I carefully emptied the tiny compartments by turning the printhead over, then I dried it carefully with a lint-free cloth; avoiding the actual round screens, I dabbed a tissue into the wells behind the heads to absorb any extra water drops. I reinstalled the printhead and at this time, also replaced the yellow, magenta, and cyan cartridges, since they were near low (why tempt fate?). Still no black print. I commenced with 6 more baths, rinsing the container each time. In the 6th bath, I noted that the largest drain screen had a little gunk on it, so while it was still in the water, I took a Q-Tip and gently ran it over the surface of that and the other drain screens. After that 7th bath, which was clear except for that tiny bit of magenta, I repeated my procedure of emptying the printhead, placing it inside the lint-free cloth to hold it while I used a tissue on the little wells behind the screens, then made sure to gently dry the rest of the printhead. As a side note, I think using the hot water also allows the plastic printhead to dry extra quick, so while it can't be boiling, it should be a smidgen hotter than regular tap hot water.

I reinstalled the printhead and the cartridges, and because we had tried the reset option as a last resort, the initialization process began. At this point, the HP agent called again, and waited with me while the 12-minutes reinitialization process, which included the cartridge alignment process, completed. At the end, I got the align successful message and could print a test page, which finally printed black! I then printed form a Word document, which also printed black.

I am a Happy Camper! Thanks to Mr. Headrick for his "solution" and to the other folks at HP to tried to help fix the problem. Instead of having to buy either a new printhead or a new printer, I just had to expend some extra time to find a solution that worked. I hope this information will save you time and money, too.

[bjp1949]

I have a B209a All in One Printer where the Black Ink wouldn't print.  Bob Headrick's solution of cleaning the print head worked beautifully!  Thanks so much!