HP Smart Tank 500 printers - Color or black ink not printing, other print quality issues

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

1. On the control panel, look for CMYK and the blinking Ink icons . The Printhead icons might also blink.

   

2. Fill any tanks that are low on ink.

   

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.

Use the HP Smart app to clean printhead contacts and improve any print quality issues.

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

2. Under Tools, click Alignment & Maintenance.

   If the Alignment & Maintenance is not available, click Advanced Settings to open the printer Embedded Web Server (EWS), and then click Tools. Click Utilities, and then click Print Quality Toolbox.

3. Under Clean Up, click Clean Smear or Clean Ink Smear.

   A Rib Smear cleaning in progress message displays, and the printer feeds one page slowly. The printer might make some noise for a minute before it is done.

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

1. Press and hold the Copy Color and Resume buttons at the same time for three seconds.

   A Print Quality Diagnostic page prints.

   

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.

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

   

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.

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

   

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

1. Order a replacement printhead from the HP Parts Store (in English) or an authorized HP service provider. To determine if the printhead is still under warranty, go to HP Product Warranty Check.

2. Make sure the printer is on, paper is loaded, and the ink tanks are at least half full.

3. Open the front door, and then open the printhead access door.

   

4. After the carriage stops moving, press and release the blue latch to open the printhead cover.

   CAUTION:

   To prevent printhead issues, only open the blue carriage cover when installing a new printhead or transporting the printer more than a few feet.

   

5. Remove the printhead from the carriage, and then set it aside on a protected surface.

   CAUTION:

   To prevent ink from leaking, hold the printhead by the sides and keep the printhead upright at all times.

   

6. Remove the new printhead from its package.

   

7. Pull the orange plug straight up from the top of the printhead.

   

8. Use the pull tabs to remove the tape from the printhead contacts.

   CAUTION:

   Do not touch the copper-colored contacts or the ink nozzle. Do not replace the protective tape on the contact. Handling these parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.

   

9. Slide the printhead into its slot, and then gently push it upwards until it snaps into place.

   

10. Repeat these steps for the other printhead, if necessary.

11. Close the printhead cover.

    

12. Close the front door.

    

    The printer starts an initialization process and prints an alignment page. It is normal for the printer to make noises during this process.

13. Lift the scanner lid.

    

14. Place the alignment page print-side down near the icon in the corner of the scanner glass.

    

15. On the control panel, press the Color Copy button to align the printheads and prime the ink system.