| There are many reasons why an HP printer | | | | 3. Lift the cartridge carriage up and position it in |
| cartridge may fail to print or not print correctly. If | | | | the middle of the printer to clean the square |
| you are having printing problems, there are a | | | | rubber pieces with cotton swabs dabbed in warm |
| number of simple things you can do to get your | | | | water. Dirty printers will affect the quality of even |
| cartridge printing again. It is important to | | | | a new HP ink cartridge. Slide a moist paper towel |
| remember that you should consult with your | | | | back and forth under the carriage to remove any |
| manufacturer's manual for instructions because | | | | dirt. |
| not all printer cartridges are the same. | | | | 4. Dry off any excess moisture |
| Before you actually get into fixing the cartridge, | | | | 5. Reinstall the ink cartridge |
| you should check to see if everything is correctly | | | | If your inkjet cartridge is dirty, you can clean it. |
| in its place. Make sure that color cartridge and | | | | Locate the copper colored circuit strip normally |
| black cartridge have been installed in the right | | | | located on the back of the cartridge. Clean it with |
| spots. This is particularly important if your HP | | | | a cotton swab that has a bit warm water on it. |
| cartridge is different than the printer. As well, pull | | | | Locate the carriage contacts on the back wall of |
| the ink cartridge out of the printer and check to | | | | the ink cartridge. Clean these contacts with a |
| make sure the tape that is normally located on | | | | cotton swab with a bit of water. Dry off any left |
| new cartridges to protect the print nozzle has | | | | over water moisture. Reinstall your ink cartridge. |
| been completely removed. Pat the top with a | | | | It is important to make sure that all of the |
| tissue to make sure there is ink coming out. If | | | | moisture has been removed from the ink |
| everything looks fine, you will need to see if you | | | | cartridge before reinstalling. |
| can fix the problem. | | | | If you think you may have a printer problem |
| The following outlines how to fix your HP Printer | | | | instead of an ink cartridge problem, and need help |
| cartridge: | | | | fixing it, you can do the following: check your |
| 1. Go to your printer's software program if the | | | | printer manufacturer's website for possible |
| cartridge is printing smeared or very pale text. | | | | do-it-yourself solutions. The problem that you |
| Access the printer's "properties" tab and look for | | | | have may be specific to your particular printer |
| a "maintenance" or "services" tab. Follow the | | | | model. There may also be a Q&A forum |
| procedure as instructed by your computer. Print a | | | | where you can ask a question. Check to see if |
| test page. | | | | your warranty is still valid. You can contact your |
| 2. Print several multicolored pages if your test | | | | reseller for instructions on how to return your |
| page prints all but just one color. It may be that | | | | printer for repair. If you do not have a valid |
| the ink in your colored-ink cartridge has not had a | | | | warranty, contact a printer service and repair |
| chance to thoroughly mix. | | | | company. |