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HP Ink Tank 310, 410 printers - Color or black ink not printing, other print quality issues

The quality of a printed document from your HP Ink Tank 310 or 410 series printer is not as expected. The following tasks help resolve missing black ink, colors are faded or do not match the original, and lines or streaks in printouts.

Perform the following tasks in the order given. Use the printer after each task to see if the issue is resolved.

Check ink levels and fill the tanks

Low ink levels can impact print quality. Refill any tanks that are low on ink.

  1. On the ink tank windows, find the maximum and minimum fill lines.

    Note:

    Purchase replacement cartridges and other supplies from the HP Store or local retailers.

    Maximum and minimum fill lines on the ink tanks

    Ink tank fill lines

    1: Maximum fill line

    2: Minimum fill line

  2. Fill any tanks that are at or near the minimum fill line.

    Note:

    Print quality can be affected if an ink tank falls below the minimum fill line. Overfilling the ink tanks can cause ink leakage.

    Ink tank that needs to be filled
  3. Order new ink bottles from the HP Store or your local office supply store that carries HP products.

Check the paper, print settings, and quality of the file being printed

Make sure your print job is set up for optimal print quality results.

  1. Check the paper type and condition: Make sure the paper is appropriate for the print job and in good condition.

    • Some paper might not absorb ink as well as others, causing faded or smeared prints. Plain paper with ColorLok technology works well for text and documents with graphics. For photos, use HP Advanced Photo Paper for best results.

    • Use clean, wrinkle-free paper. Wrinkled or curled paper can cause dark, horizontal defects.

  2. Load paper according to the print side: Typically, the smoother or glossy side is the print side.

    • For inkjet printers with a rear load tray, load the print side facing up.

    • For inkjet printers with a front load tray, load the print side facing down.

  3. Check the print job settings: From the application you are printing from, click File > Print, and then click Options, Printer Setup, or Preferences, or open the Paper Type/Quality or Media & Quality menu.

    Make sure the color, paper type, paper size, and quality settings are correct for your print job.

  4. Check the quality of the photo or document: Use editing tools to improve colors, brightness, contrast, and any other appearance settings. Higher resolution photographs and graphics result in clearer prints with more accurate colors.

Check for ink smears on the back of printouts

Use an automated cleaning tool if there are smears of ink on the back of documents or photos.

  1. Press and hold the Power button, press the Cancel button three times, press the Start Copy Color button eight times, and then release the Power button.

  2. Wait for the page to print, and then examine the page for print quality issues.

Print a Print Quality Diagnostic page

To resolve many print quality issues, print a Print Quality Diagnostic page, and then evaluate the results.

  1. Press and hold the Start Copy Color button for three seconds.

    A Print Quality Diagnostic page prints.

    Print Quality Diagnostic page
  2. Review the test patterns, checking for missing colors, fading, and white lines.

    • If you find defects on the page, continue to the next step.

    • If you do not find defects on the page, skip to Replace the printhead step.

Clean the printhead (HP Smart app)

Use the HP Smart app to clean the printhead and fix many print quality issues including incorrect colors, streaks, and faded printouts.

  1. Load plain white paper into the tray.

  2. Open the HP Smart app, and then click the image of your printer to open the settings and management tools.

  3. Under Tools, click Print Quality Tools, and then select Clean Printhead or Clean.

    A Cleaning printhead message displays, and a test page prints.

    Example of test page printouts

    Examples of a test page
  4. Examine the print quality on the test page.

    • If the print quality is acceptable, you are done troubleshooting.

    • If the print quality is unacceptable, touch Yes in the HP Smart app to perform a second-level and third-level cleaning, which are more thorough and take a few extra minutes to complete.

      Note:

      Printheads that are badly clogged might require another printhead cleaning cycle. Wait at least 30 minutes before cleaning the printhead again.

Print an alignment page with the HP Smart App

Use the HP Smart app to align the printhead.

  1. Load plain white paper into the tray.

  2. Open the HP Smart app, and then click the image of your printer or Printer Settings.

  3. Under Tools, click Print Quality Tools, and then select Align Printer, Align Printheads, or Align.

    An Aligning printhead message displays and an alignment page prints.

  4. If the alignment page includes instructions to scan the page, follow the instructions to finish the alignment process.

    Example alignment page with instructions to finish by scanning the page

    Example alignment page with instructions to finish by scanning the page

Replace the printhead

Remove the faulty printhead, and then install the new replacement.

  1. Turn on the printer, and then open the printer front door.

  2. Open the printhead access door.

  3. Press and hold the Black Color Copy button for three seconds and wait for the carriage to move to the center of the printer.

    Carriage moving to the center of the printer
  4. Push down on the blue carriage latch to open it.

    Pushing down the blue carriage latch
  5. Press down on the printhead you want to replace, and then remove it from its slot in the printer.

    Removing the printhead from the carriage
  6. Remove the new printhead from its package.

  7. Pull the orange plugs straight up to remove them from the printhead.

    Removing the plugs from the printheads
  8. Remove tape from the printhead contacts using the pull tabs.

    Removing the tape from the printheads
    CAUTION:

    Do not touch the copper-colored contacts or the ink nozzles. Touching these parts can result in clogs, an ink system failure, and a failed electrical connection.

  9. Insert the new printhead into its slot until it snaps into place.

    Inserting the printhead back into the printer
  10. Close the printhead cover, and then close the printer front door.

Service the printer

Service or replace your HP product if the issue persists after completing all the preceding steps.

Go to Contact HP Customer Support to schedule a product repair or replacement. If you are in Asia Pacific, you will be directed to a local service center in your area.

To confirm your warranty status, go to HP Product Warranty Check. Repair fees might apply for out-of-warranty products.