HP 970cxi won't print black!

  • Thread starter Thread starter John
  • Start date Start date
J

John

Help, suddenly my printer won't print any black text. Checking HP
Toolbox, shows I have plenty of black in in the cartridge, but I can't
get it to work. I check the text default, and it shows the type should
be black.

I'm not sure what to do next. I could try a new cartridge, but this
one is pretty full, and I don't want to waste it!

Thanks for suggestions.
 
Run a clean cycle or better still dab the print head on a tissue to see
if there really is any ink left
 
[This followup was posted to comp.periphs.printers and a copy was sent to
the cited author.]

Help, suddenly my printer won't print any black text. Checking HP
Toolbox, shows I have plenty of black in in the cartridge, but I can't
get it to work. I check the text default, and it shows the type should
be black.

I'm not sure what to do next. I could try a new cartridge, but this
one is pretty full, and I don't want to waste it!
Click to expand...

You can run a few built-in tests to see if it's the cartridge or a drive
problem:
Hold down the paper-feed button for several seconds. This will do a demo
print.
Hold down power. Hit the X button 4 times. Hit the paper feed button once
(or is it twice?). Release the power button. This will print out a sheet
(using black) that lists all sorts of cartridge info.

The black cartidge should have a green/black box on it's front. If it's
mostly black, you are out of ink. The printer doesn't actually measure the
ink. It just assumes a full cartridge when you install a new one, and
keeps track of the amount of ink used and subtracts it from the total.
When it hits a certain point, it assumes it's low or empty and reports
that.

If your cartridge was refilled or refurbished, it may not have been
completely full.
 
Thanks for the help everyone. I'll try your suggestions, and see what
happens. Appreciate the quick advice!

John
 
As nothing else seemed to work, I ended up changing the black
cartridge, and now my printer is back to printing black. The previous
cartridge must have been defective as it was pretty new.

However, now, all text is printing "shadows." All type is "double"
printing all characters as a slight shadowing. It's still legible, but
not sharp characters. I've calibrated and cleaned the print nozzles
using the latest HP Toolbox. No change. Printing a test page, and it
appears fine, but any other text, using Word, or even printing taxes
using TurboTax prints the characters with this "shadowed" abnormality.

Now what? Any further suggestions? Thanks.

John
 
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