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Why is my HP Printer Not Printing Black Ink

HP printers are highly recommended for their printing quality. They provide enticing offers and services to all of its customers regarding free shipments and returns. You also might be using an HP printer in your home and office. But what will if you do in your printer stops serving or your HP Printer Not Printing Black color anymore. 

If you are using the HP printer’s model, you will also get solutions for the following topics:

  • HP OfficeJet 4620 Printer Not Printing Black.
  • HP 6520 Printer Not Printing Black.
  • HP 6978 Printer Not Printing Black.
  • HP Printer 7520 Not Printing Black.

How to Fix HP Printer Not Printing Black

You can use some of our solutions, to resolve this problem.

Fix 1

Remove Cartridge Blockage

Here are some solution, to get rid of this HP Printer Black Ink Not Printing problem. Kindly use the following solutions in a step-wise manner.

HP Printer Not Printing Black problem may occur due to there is a blockage in the Printer head vent. Due to this, your printer head is unable to print with black color or any other color. To fix this, follow the given instructions:

  • Switch On your HP Printer
  • Open up your HP Printer’s cartridge panel.
  • Let reset your print head by itself.
  • Take out the color units and Print head

(installed below color units).

  • You have to clean the print head.

(ink from color units may have to obstruct its vent)

  • You have to clean it properly with water and then dry it with a smooth cloth.
  • After cleaning and drying, you have to place it back in your HP printer.
  • Place all the accessories back to their places.
  • Now, check your printing quality with a test print. Print with black color as well as CYMK colors.

Fix 2

Use Printer’s Tool Option

Examine the Cartridge Ink

  • Keep your printer in Switch On mode.
  • Open the hood of your printer cartridge panel.
  • Take out ink cartridges and also remove the empty cartridges case with new quality cartridges.
  • Use the Printer Screen.
  • Locate (⎼) sign on the screen (Left corner)
  • Use the side directional arrow on the screen and look for Tool option.
  • Hit Ok on the Tool option.
  • Now, you’ll see an option to examine the cartridge Ink levels. Select it and Hit Ok.

Use the Self-Regulating Cleaning Tool

  • You have to use Printer Screen again.
  • Select  (⎼) sign and use the directional arrow to get back to Tool option.
  • Select the Tool option and Hit Ok again.
  • Use the right arrow & Locate the Print head cleaning option.
  • The print head will take a while, to clean itself.
  • You’ll get a test print automatically after the cleaning process completes.

If you have followed both steps properly. Surely your HP Printer Not Printing Black problem will get resolved. But if you find still got a detective test print. Examine it with the following step:

  • Examine the test print quality, by again switching back to the tool option.
  • Use the directional arrow and select the print quality report.
  • You’ll get the complete quality report.

Through this above-mentioned examination, if you have got a defective in your ink cartridge. Go for the next step.

Fix 3

Remove the Defective Ink Cartridges & Alignment Process

Defective in cartridges also create printing problems, due to which your HP printer gives you a blank page or unable to print black color. To halt this HP Printer Not Printing Black issue, use some simple tips:

  • Power On your HP Printer.
  • Open up the printer panel & let the cartridge transit to the center.
  • Press gently on ink units to take them out of the print head slots.
  • You have to examine the expiration date. If they are expired, replace them with new ones.
  • now, Close down the printer panel.
  • Check on Printer Screen, it will show some information about printer alignment demo, paper loading and calibrating color units.
  • Hit Ok for all the information demo.
  • The printer will start itself to initiate for allignment.
  • Now take out a test print and place it on the scanner.
  • Information will pop on the printer screen. Hit Ok on it.
  • Now, your printer will be aligned completely.

Here are 5 recommended suggestions to keep in mind so, you never have to encounter HP Printer Not Printing Black problem. 

Always Remember notes:

  • Installed suggested HP cartridges.
  • While manual cleaning of HP printer’s print head. Keep the Printer in Switch Off Mode.
  • Always remove the shielding strip from a new cartridge, before installation.
  • Never physically harm the ink cartridge nozzles.
  • Check the ink cartridge slots properly, before placing them into the slot.

If you still having difficulty and facing an issue about why is my hp printer not printing black ink. You can talk to our technical team via Call. You can also visit our website for more solutions.

FAQs Related to HP Printer Not Printing Black
Why is My HP Printer Not Printing?

Your HP printer may not be producing printouts due to the presence of older versions of the printer’s drivers. There can also be some faulty connections between your system and your printer. There may be a possibility that you have configured your system with the printer in the wrong way.

Why is My HP Printer Not Printing in Color?

The reason behind your HP printer not printing in color can be that you have installed an incompatible version of the printer’s driver. Another probable cause for this issue can be low ink in the ink cartridge. Dirt around the ink nozzle can also restrict your HP printer from printing in color.

Why is My HP Printer Not Printing in Black Ink?

The causes for this error to show up can be dirty and jammed printhead as well as low ink levels in the ink cartridges. There may be a slight chance that the printhead may not be properly aligned. There can also be some issue with the “HP Print and Scan Doctor” that needs to be fixed.

Why is My HP Envy Not Printing in Color?

Your HP Envy Printer may not be printing in color because you may not be using a genuine HP ink cartridge. Additionally, make sure that you are using the appropriate kind of paper. Do not use wrinkled or curled paper. Ensure that your printer is set to default. After checking that everything is in the right place, try giving a test print job to verify the print quality.

Why is My Printer Not Printing Even Though it has Ink?

Your printer may be printing blank pages even when it has ink due to these reasons:

  • The printer may be tilted or may not be at an angle.
  • The ink cartridges may be old.
  • The yellow taping may be stuck on the ink cartridges.
  • The ink nozzles may be affected by clogging.
  • The paper you inserted may not be the recommended type.
  • If you are printing from Windows or Mac, the “Skip Blank Page” option may not have been chosen.
How Can I Print in Color Instead of Black?

There is an easy method to workaround to print with coloured cartridge only. Follow the enlisted steps to print any document in colour instead of black.

  • Open the ‘Menu’ on your system and click on ‘Control Panel’
  • Double-tap to open ‘Printer and Faxes’
  • Select ‘Printing Preferences’ by right-clicking the ‘Default Printer’
  • Drop down the ‘Color’ tab and select ‘Printing Preferences
  • You will be provided with the following option, choose as per your choice:
  • Black cartridge only
  • Colour cartridge only
  • Select the option of ‘Change Color Option’ and change it from ‘Grayscale’ to ‘Print in Colour only’
  • Click on ‘Save’ and preserve the changes.
Why is My HP printer Not Printing in Black?

Some of the most common reasons for HP printer not printing in black are the following:

  • Outdated printer drivers
  • Damaged cartridges
  • Cartridges with no black ink
  • The clogged printhead in the printer
Why is My HP Printer Only Printing Blank Pages?

There can be various reasons why your HP printer is only printing blank pages, some of them are mentioned below:

  • The wrong size of papers is loaded in the paper tray and the printer is not in-taking those papers. Hence, it is sending the paperback as it was.
  • Displacement of cartridges from their original place
  • Clogged Printhead
  • Empty ink tanks
Why is My HP Photosmart 6520 Not Printing in Black?

If your HP Photosmart 6520 is not printing black color, follow the subsequent steps and fix the issue:

  • Make sure that the paper tray is loaded with blank pages
  • On the printer, go to the ‘Settings’ and click on ‘Tools’
  • Select the option of ‘Print Quality Report’
  • Review the following table for a sample of the report that reflects the most common issues regarding print quality.
  • If you see the same defects in the colour bars of your printer, you must clean the printhead.

Follow the below-mentioned steps to clean the printhead.

  • Go back to ‘Settings’ on the printer
  • Select the ‘Clean Printhead’ option
  • If the printer quality shows as unacceptable, touch the option of ‘Clean Again’
  • Click on ‘Tools again and select ‘Align Printer’ to fix the defection in the alignments patters
  • Now, give print command to check if your HP Photosmart 6520 is printing the black color.
How Do I Fix My HP Printer Not Printing in Black Issue?

HP printer not printing in black issues can be resolved by replacing the damaged cartridge. Below are the steps:

  • Put a few blank papers in the paper tray
  • Turn ‘On’ the printer by pressing the power button
  • When your HP printer is silent, open the cartridge door
  • Press the cartridge lightly down to loosen it, then pull it out of the slot to remove it.
  • Unwrapped the packaging of the new cartridge carefully and remove the plastic tape
  • Hold the cartridge towards the printer by its sides with the ends and insert the cartridge into its color encoded slot.
  • In the left of the cartridge – Insert the tri-colour cartridge
  • In the right of the cartridge – Insert the black cartridge
  • Push the cartridge carefully to the forward until it is installed
  • Repeat the same steps for another cartridge, if in need.
  • Close the door of the cartridge once all the cartridges.
How Do I Fix Black Ink Not Printing?

If there is no problem with your ink cartridge and printhead then, the issue must be with the printer driver. If you are using an outdated printer driver, your printer might not print black color. To fix this issue, update the printer driver:

  • Visit the official website of the HP printer
  • Enter the name of your printer model
  • Click on the direct link to update the printer driver
  • Once the updated version is installed, run it
  • Restart your system and HP printer and the issue will be fixed.

View Comments

  • This article was really helpful in solving my issue of HP printer not printing color documents. All my PDF files were coming out in black ink. After that I checked the ink tanks and found out there was no ink in them. I replaced them and the color printouts started printing again.

  • The black ink is not printing in my HP printer. I have tried replacing my cartridges and even checked for any blockage in the cartridges. I am really stuck with this problem and could not find any way out of it. Please suggest some other fixes so I can clear this error.

  • I have tried all your fixes from this article but I am still confused that why is my printer not printing black. Please suggest some other fixes also so I can try them out. I am looking forward for a positive response from you.

  • I was trying to take out a print of some official documents but the HP6520 was not printing black ink documents. I faced this issue for the first time and could not figure out what to do. But after reading your blog I was pretty much clear about the cause and the fix of this issue. Thanks for such an informative blog.

  • I was facing the issue that my hp6520 was not printing black ink documents. After I read this article, I came to know that my black ink cartridge was empty. I changed it following the steps you mentioned and now everything is running smooth as before. Thank guys for breaking such a difficult problem in simple fixes.

  • I had bought a new printer for my daughter and she had been facing the issue that the HP printer was not printing anything. We tried so many different tricks to make it work again but failed. The problem was solved only after reading this article. Thanks guys for giving such useful and easy methods to fix this issue.

  • My sister had been facing the issue of black ink not printing in HP printer. We both tried to solve it ourselves but could not do it. Eventually we found this article and cleared the error in no time. Actually there was a blockage in the cartridge and we cleared it by following the steps you told. Keep up this good work and carry on writing such great articles. 

  • I had recently bought a new printer. But my HP Photosmart 6520 was not printing black ink documents. I am really new to using printers and was not able to solve this issue. After I read this article and a few more I came to know the fix for this issue and many more. Thank you for writing such great and simple articles.

  • I had recently bought a new printer for my office and I was not able to understand that why is my printer not printing black. After reading your article I used the tool to clean the printhead and it worked for me. Keep on writing these kinds of fixes that actually are worth trying.

  • I had been facing the issue that my hp printer not printing color PDF files. I had tried various methods but of no use. Then I came to this article and tried your fixes also. Eventually I cleaned the printhead using the tool you told about and the error cleared. Nice article sir. Thanks a lot.

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