Black Ink Troubleshooting Tips at a Glance<\/h4>\n\n- Basic Troubleshooting<\/a><\/li>\n
- Check Your Ink Cartridges<\/a><\/li>\n
- Clean Your Printhead<\/a><\/li>\n
- Still having trouble? Try switching your paper settings to “glossy”<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Start with the Basics<\/h3>\n
1. Turn off your printer, unplug from the power source\u00a0and\u00a0disconnect USB cables as well. After a few moments, reconnect your printer and plug it back in. Then, turn your printer back on.<\/p>\n
2. Print a “Quality Diagnostic Report” or a “Print Test Page”.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ldproducts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/printatestpagesnapshot-1.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ldproducts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/printatestpagesnapshot2-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n3. You can usually\u00a0find this option on your printer’s display screen. \u00a0Or, check your printer’s user guide for step by step instructions.<\/p>\n
4. Check printer ink levels to double check the ink volume in your cartridges. If you’re using aftermarket cartridges that don’t show ink levels, we’ll have to figure out another way to determine whether or not your ink cartridges are at fault.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ldproducts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/inklevels.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nCheck Your Ink Cartridge<\/h3>\n
1. Replace ink cartridges that are low on ink or empty.<\/p>\n
2. Make sure ink cartridges are snapped into place and are properly installed in their appropriate slot.<\/p>\n
3. Double check to make sure that you’ve\u00a0removed the tape over the vent<\/strong>\u00a0if you installed a new cartridge.<\/p>\n4. Check if the vents of the cartridges are clogged. You can fix this by gently using a pin to clean up the clog on the vent.<\/p>\n
5. Try using a different ink cartridge to\u00a0determine if your printer is able to recognize cartridges. If your printer used to work with an old cartridge, try installing that old cartridge again and see if your printer produces any sort of output–any shade of gray will do.<\/p>\n
We just need to determine whether if it’s the cartridge or the printhead that’s causing problems. If your printer is able to print something with the old cartridge, then it’s not the printhead. Rather, your new black cartridge may be faulty and needs to be replaced. But if your printer still won’t print with the old cartridge, then the next step is —<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ldproducts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ld_bnr_blog_GreatInk_2020_728x90-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/sup><\/strong><\/h3>\nCheck Your Printhead<\/h3>\n
The printhead<\/strong> is a printer component that helps transfer ink onto the page.\u00a0 It does this by firing tiny droplets of ink via numerous printer nozzles to create a desired print.\u00a0 When one of these nozzles gets clogged, your prints appear faded or streaky.\u00a0 The best way to solve a print quality issue is by cleaning the printhead, we show you a couple ways to do that below!<\/p>\nAutomatically Clean the Printhead<\/h4>\n\n- The automatic printhead cleaning feature is the quickest way to troubleshoot clogs.\u00a0 Most printers have a built in cleaning function that can be accessed through the maintenance menu on the printer display screen.\u00a0 We recommend running this first to try and clear up any clogs.\u00a0 Keep in mind, cleaning a printer does consume ink, so don’t be surprised if you see your cartridge levels deplete a little after going through the process.\u00a0 If running the automatic printhead cleaning feature once doesn’t work, run it again a second or third time but you don’t want to do it anymore than that, there’s a limit to how many times you can run the automatic cleaning feature.\u00a0 <\/strong>Check out how our video below to learn how to run the automatic printhead cleaning function on an Epson printer.\u00a0 The steps are similar for most other printer models, consult your printer’s user guide for specific steps for your machine.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Start with the Basics<\/h3>\n
1. Turn off your printer, unplug from the power source\u00a0and\u00a0disconnect USB cables as well. After a few moments, reconnect your printer and plug it back in. Then, turn your printer back on.<\/p>\n
2. Print a “Quality Diagnostic Report” or a “Print Test Page”.<\/p>\n
3. You can usually\u00a0find this option on your printer’s display screen. \u00a0Or, check your printer’s user guide for step by step instructions.<\/p>\n 4. Check printer ink levels to double check the ink volume in your cartridges. If you’re using aftermarket cartridges that don’t show ink levels, we’ll have to figure out another way to determine whether or not your ink cartridges are at fault.<\/p>\n 1. Replace ink cartridges that are low on ink or empty.<\/p>\n 2. Make sure ink cartridges are snapped into place and are properly installed in their appropriate slot.<\/p>\n 3. Double check to make sure that you’ve\u00a0removed the tape over the vent<\/strong>\u00a0if you installed a new cartridge.<\/p>\n 4. Check if the vents of the cartridges are clogged. You can fix this by gently using a pin to clean up the clog on the vent.<\/p>\n 5. Try using a different ink cartridge to\u00a0determine if your printer is able to recognize cartridges. If your printer used to work with an old cartridge, try installing that old cartridge again and see if your printer produces any sort of output–any shade of gray will do.<\/p>\n We just need to determine whether if it’s the cartridge or the printhead that’s causing problems. If your printer is able to print something with the old cartridge, then it’s not the printhead. Rather, your new black cartridge may be faulty and needs to be replaced. But if your printer still won’t print with the old cartridge, then the next step is —<\/p>\n The printhead<\/strong> is a printer component that helps transfer ink onto the page.\u00a0 It does this by firing tiny droplets of ink via numerous printer nozzles to create a desired print.\u00a0 When one of these nozzles gets clogged, your prints appear faded or streaky.\u00a0 The best way to solve a print quality issue is by cleaning the printhead, we show you a couple ways to do that below!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nCheck Your Ink Cartridge<\/h3>\n
\n<\/a><\/sup><\/strong><\/h3>\nCheck Your Printhead<\/h3>\n
Automatically Clean the Printhead<\/h4>\n
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