How to clean ink cartridges HP deskjet printers

Hi! You can try the following steps:

Clean the area around the ink nozzles

1. Gather the following materials:
   • Dry foam-rubber swabs, lint-free cloth, or any soft material that will not come apart or leave fibers (coffee filters work well)
   • Clean sheets of paper
   • Distilled, filtered, or bottled water (tap water might contain contaminants that can damage the print cartridges)
     CAUTION:Do not use platen cleaners or alcohol to clean the area. These can damage the cartridge or the printer.
2. Press the Power button to turn on the printer, if it is not already on.
3. Open the cartridge access door. The carriage moves to the center of the printer. Wait until the carriage is idle and silent before continuing.
4. Lightly press down on the cartridge to release it, and then pull the cartridge out to remove it from its slot.
5. Place the cartridge on a piece of paper with the ink nozzles facing up.
6. Lightly moisten a clean, foam-rubber swab with distilled water.
7. Clean the face and edges around the ink nozzle with the swab.
8. Either let the cartridge sit for 10 minutes to allow the cleaned area to dry, or use a new swab to dry it.
9. Hold the cartridge by its sides with the nozzles toward the printer, and then insert the cartridge into its slot. Make sure that the icon on the cartridge matches the icon on the slot.
10. Push the cartridge forward into its slot until it snaps into place.
11. Repeat these steps to clean the area surrounding the ink nozzle on the other cartridge.
12. Close the cartridge access door.
13. Try to print again.

I hope this will help you. :D

Clean the problem cartridge contacts

1. Gather the following items to clean the cartridge and carriage:
2. • Clean distilled water. Use bottled or filtered water if distilled water is not available. Tap water can contain contaminants that damage the cartridge.
   • Clean cotton swabs or any soft, lint-free material that will not stick to the cartridges (coffee filters work well).
   • Sheets of paper or a paper towel to rest the cartridge on during cleaning.
3. Open the product cover and wait until the carriage is idle and silent.
4. Remove the cartridge and place it on a piece of paper with the nozzle plate facing up.
   NOTE: Clean the contacts quickly so that the cartridge is not outside of the product for more than 30 minutes. If the cartridge is outside of the product for too long, the ink can dry and clog the nozzles.
5. Unplug the product from the electrical outlet.
6. Dip a swab in the clean water and squeeze it to remove most of the moisture. The swab should be only slightly damp.
7. Clean the cartridge contacts.
   CAUTION: Do not touch the ink nozzles. Figure 6: Cartridge contacts
8. Clean the contacts in the carriage, inside the product. Figure 7: Carriage contacts
9. Either let the cartridge sit for 10 minutes to allow the cleaned area to dry, or use a new swab to dry it.
10. Reinstall the cartridge.
11. Reconnect the product to the electrical outlet.

1. Close the product cover.

Figure 8: Print Carriage contacts

If you need more help come back.Post / thumbs / testimonial are welcome!

Clean the cartridge contacts

1. Gather the following items to clean the cartridge and carriage:
2. • Clean distilled water. Use bottled or filtered water if distilled water is not available. Tap water can contain contaminants that damage the cartridge.
   • Clean cotton swabs or any soft, lint-free material that will not stick to the cartridges (coffee filters work well).
   • Sheets of paper or a paper towel to rest the cartridge on during cleaning.
3. Open the product cover and wait until the carriage is idle and silent.
4. Remove the cartridge and place it on a piece of paper with the nozzle plate facing up. NOTE: Clean the contacts quickly so that the cartridge is not outside of the product for more than 30 minutes. If the cartridge is outside of the product for too long, the ink can dry and clog the nozzles.
5. Unplug the product from the electrical outlet.
6. Dip a swab in the clean water and squeeze it to remove most of the moisture. The swab should be only slightly damp.
7. Clean the cartridge contacts. CAUTION: Do not touch the ink nozzles. Figure 6: Cartridge contacts
8. Clean the contacts in the carriage, inside the product. Figure 7: Carriage contacts
9. Either let the cartridge sit for 10 minutes to allow the cleaned area to dry, or use a new swab to dry it.
10. Reinstall the cartridge.
11. Reconnect the product to the electrical outlet.
12. Close the product cover.

Step three: Repeat reseating and cleaning stepsIf the problem is not solved, repeat the reseating and cleaning procedures above.

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I might have an idea why this is happening....The print cartridges might need cleaning...
Follow the steps below to do this....


Step one: Remove the black, photo print cartridge, or the gray photo print cartridge

NOTE:
The black, photo print cartridge, or the gray photo print cartridge is in the right side of the carriage. -Lower the cover of the product.
-If the print cartridge status light flashes, proceed to Step two: Replace the print cartridge.
If the print cartridge status light is off, proceed to Step three: Manually clean the print cartridge.
Step two: Replace the black, photo print cartridge, or the gray photo print cartridge and remove the tri-color print cartridge
- Remove plastic tape from new ink carttridge CAUTION:
Do not touch the print cartridge ink nozzles or copper contacts. Touching these parts will result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections. Do not remove the copper electrical contacts.



NOTE:
The tri-color print cartridge is in the left side of the carriage.
-Lower the cover of the product. -If the print cartridge status light stops flashing, proceed to Step three: Manually clean the print cartridge.
If the print cartridge status light still flashes, replace the tri-color print cartridge. If the issue continues, service the product.


Step three: Manually clean the print cartridge
1. Gather the following items to clean the print cartridge and carriage:
o Clean distilled water. Use bottled or filtered water if distilled water is not available. Tap water can contain contaminants that damage the cartridge.
o Clean cotton swabs or any soft, lint-free material that will not stick to the cartridges (coffee filters work well).
o Sheets of paper or a paper towel to rest the cartridges on during cleaning.
2. Open the product cover, and wait until the carriage stops moving.
3. Remove the print cartridge, and place it on a piece of paper with the nozzle plate facing up.

NOTE:
Clean the contacts quickly so that the print cartridge is not outside of the product for more than 30 minutes. If the cartridge is outside of the product for too long, the ink can dry and clog the nozzles.
4. Unplug the product.
5. Dip a swab in the clean water, and then squeeze it to remove most of the moisture. The swab should be only slightly damp.
6. Clean the print cartridge contacts. Do not touch the nozzles.
7. Clean the contacts in the carriage, inside the product.8. Either let the print cartridge sit for ten minutes to allow the cleaned area to dry, or use a new swab to dry it.
9. Reinstall the print cartridge.
10. Plug the product back in.
11. Close the product cover.


Good Luck!
If there is anything more I can do for you please let me know if not and the problem is solved please rate it, Thanks, JCE

Hi,

Your printer might need some servicing ,u can try out the following steps in order to service the unit .

Clean the electrical contacts on the print cartridges and the print carriage Followthese steps to clean the electrical contacts on the print cartridgesand the print carriage. Do not replace the cartridges until prompted todo so.

1. With the power turned on, open the product and remove both cartridges.
2. Disconnect the power cord from the product.
3. Lightly moisten a cotton swab or lint-free cloth (like a coffee filter) with distilled, filtered, or bottled water. CAUTION: Tap water might contain contaminants that can damage the print cartridge.
4. Whileholding the cartridge by the sides, gently wipe the cartridge contacts.Wipe the contacts with a dry, cotton cloth to dry the contacts andfinish cleaning. Figure 1: Clean the cartridge contacts 1 - Contacts 2 - Nozzles
   NOTE: Do not touch the cartridge nozzles while cleaning the cartridge.
5. Lightly moisten another cotton swab or lint-free cloth (like a coffee filter) with distilled, filtered, or bottled water. CAUTION: Tap water might contain contaminants that can damage the print carriage.
6. Inside the product, clean and dry the electrical contacts of the print carriage with the swab or cloth. Figure 2: Carriage contacts
7. Wait five minutes for the contacts to dry.
8. Plug the power cord into the back of the product and turn it on.
9. When Insert (right or left) Ink cartridgeappears in the control panel display, insert one of the cartridges.Check for any messages that appear in the display and then insert theremaining cartridge.
10. Print a self-test page again and check the print speed.
11. If the self-test page takes significantly longer than 30 seconds, replace the ink cartridges, and repeat the self-test.

If you have replaced the cartridges and the self-test page takes significantly longer than 30 seconds, service your product. If the self-test page prints at an acceptable speed, continue to the next step to begin testing printing software.

AND AFTER THIS TRY THE RESET AS WELL < EXPLAINED BELOW >>>

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1
unplug the power cord from the back of the unit without turning off theprinter.
2
press n hold # key and 6 key together n do not release the keys ,while holdingthem down plug in the power cord back into the unit.
3
wait for a few seconds as it would make certain noises and turn off , when theunit turns off release the keys .

4
after a few seconds turn on the printer , wait as it wud go into initialisationmode > might ask to press 1 for language (please follow instructions ) itwould give 2 or 3 allignment sheets.

In case it does not work the unit might need to be replaced . U can call HP Tech Support # 1800 474 6836 to get the replacement options as they provide a good deal .

Thanks n take care.