Even after the digitization of nearly everything and the increasing trend of scanning documents, printer’s need has not reduced even a bit. We still require printers for multiple purposes, like printing school assignments, official documents, etc. Talking about the printing devices, we all know that HP ranks in one of the top positions in the printer manufacturing industry. However, lots of users have reported that the HP Printer is not printing. If the same is happening with you, then do not bother as you are reading the right article.
Through this piece of writing, we share the sure-shot solutions to fix this issue. But, before we start HP printer troubleshooting, let’s first answer one of the frequently asked questions which we obtain to understand what caused this issue.
Why is my HP Printer Not Printing Black
There can be several reasons for which your HP printer is not responding correctly and printing the color which you want. Below are the common reasons for them.
- You have not calibrated the printer suitably.
- The printer driver is out-of-date.
- Cartridges are damaged.
- There is no black ink in the cartridges.
- The printhead is clogged.
Above were some of the top reasons for which the HP printer is not printing black or other colors. Now, as we know what caused the issue, resolving it will be a cakewalk. Hence, let’s start to resolve it.
100% Working Solutions To Fix HP Printer not Printing Black Color
To resolve the HP printer not printing black color issue, you require to apply the below-shared solutions. Start with the first fix, and stop at the one which solves the issue for you. One of these resolutions is sure to troubleshoot the issue for nearly all users.
Solution 1: Change the Low or Empty Cartridges
Occasionally, improper ink levels may be the cause for which the HP printer is not printing black color. Thus, check the ink levels and change the cartridges if they are empty or low. Follow the steps mentioned below to do it.
- Open the Control Panel of your printer to check the estimated ink levels (the location of ink levels relies upon your printer model, in some cases, it is available in Tools, whereas, in other cases, you can access the levels by touching the Ink icon).
- If any of the cartridges have low ink levels, then turn on the printer and load a plain sheet of white paper.
- Open the cartridge access door and wait for the cartridge to become silent & idle.
- Subsequently, gently lift the lid available on the cartridge and push it back.
- Then, pull up the cartridge to remove it from its slot.
- Take out a new ink cartridge and the plastic tape.
- Slide the cartridge into the slot by holding it gently from its sides.
- Once you are done changing the cartridges, shut the access door.
- Wait till the printer prints and completely ejects the alignment page.
- After the paper gets ejected, open the scanner lid and place the page on the scanner glass with its non-printed side up.
- Then, close the lid and press or touch OK.
- Finally, let the printer finish the alignment procedure.
Solution 2: Clean the Clogged Printhead
As said at the starting of this article, the clogged printhead is also among the most common reasons for the HP printer not printing color problems. Thus, to fix the issue, clean the clogged printhead by following the steps shared here.
- First load a white paper in the printer input tray.
- Open the printer Control Panel and open Setup.
- Subsequently, go to Tools and select the Clean Printhead option.
- Choose OK to continue the cleaning procedure.
- After the cleaning procedure is finished, the printer prints a page to check the printing quality. If the print quality does not seem well to you, then reclean the printhead.
Solution 3: Recognise and Change the Problematic Cartridge
If the HP printer is still not printing or responding rightly, then you need to identify the issue-causing cartridge and change it. Here are the steps for recognising and changing the cartridge.
- Go back to the test page printed in the earlier solution.
- If you see any issue in the black text, then the black cartridge is the problematic one. In case you find any defective colored blocks, then the issue is with the tri-color cartridge.
- Load a plain white paper in the printer and then turn it on.
- Open the door of the cartridge and wait until the printer becomes silent.
- Open the problematic cartridge from the slot (you can follow the steps shared in solution no. 1 to alter the cartridge).
- After changing the cartridge, perform the alignment procedure as per the steps shared in solution no.1.
Solution 4: Try Cleaning Page Smears
If you notice ink smears on the printout’s back, then cleaning them can fix the HP printer not printing black color problems for you. Go through the underneath steps to do it.
- Initially load the printer with plain white paper.
- Open the printer Control Panel and open Setup.
- Choose Tools.
- Go to Display and choose Clean Page Smears.
- Wait for the printer to perform printing and eject the blank page.
- Check the print quality. If it is not up to the mark, then go to the next solution to fix the HP printer not printing color problems.
Solution 5: Review the Print Settings
Wrong print settings may also result in HP printer not printing black or other colors. Thus, follow the steps shared here to review the print settings.
- First open the software application from which you are trying to print.
- Click on File and then select Print.
- Open Properties. The name of this option may differ as per the Windows application which you are using. For example, in Microsoft Word, it is Properties, and in Microsoft Paint, it is Preferences. Below is how the printer Document Properties window looks like.
- Tap on the Advanced button.
- Change the Paper Type if you need to print a photo paper.
- If the print quality seems not satisfactory to you, then increase the print quality.
- If you wish to print fast, then decrease the print quality.
- In case the paper size is not suitable, then correct it.
- Select Grayscale if you want to print in black and white colors only.
- After you are done changing the settings, click on OK, and then choose Print.
Solution 6: Try printing a Print Quality Diagnostic Report
The Print Quality Diagnostic Report helps you analyze the issue and fix it effortlessly. Thus, print the report by following these steps.
- First load the printer with plain white paper.
- Open the printer Control Panel, now go to Display, and select Setup.
- Choose Tools and then Display.
- Select Print Quality Report.
- Wait for the report to get printed.
- After the report gets printed, examine whether the color blocks show white lines or are faded or missing or not. If not, then rectify the alignment lines.
- If there are white lines on the black blocks or they are faded or missing, then do ink cartridge cleaning.
Through this article, we tried to help you fix one of the most irritating issues that users are facing these days, i.e., HP printer not printing black color. Do share your views in the comment section below and let us know whether it was of some help or not. And keep reading our blog for more such technical solutions. In case of any assistance, consult our tech-savvy geeks at Uspcsolutions.
