A printhead is a core printer component responsible for all ink management and distribution onto a medium. Should you encounter a malfunction like an ink system failure on your HP Officejet 6500, it could only mean that the said printer component is nearing its end of life. Once you experience this problem, it is important that you resolve the issue as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would cost you a lot.
What you will need:
- Luke warm water mixed with rubbing alcohol
- Dropper
- Paper towels
Phase #1: Run “Clean Printhead” function on the printer.
- Power on the HP Officejet 6500.
- Check ink levels. You need to have at least 30% on all ink cartridges to make it through all the troubleshooting phases. You can administer a refill on your cartridges using ink refill kits if you are low on ink.
- On the control panel, tap on “Tools”.
- In the next screen, scroll down and select “Clean Printhead”. This usually takes 5 minutes so let it sit and run the function freely.
- Once the cleaning routine is done, go back to “Tools” and tap on “Print Quality Report”.
You don’t have to go through the next phase if Phase 1 resolves your problem and/or you have attained desired results. However, if the print quality is still lackluster or if an error pops up preventing you from printing the report, then you need to proceed to the next phase.
Phase #2: Clean the ink cartridges.
- With the printer powered on, remove all the Officejet 6500 ink cartridges.
- Wipe the contacts below the cartridges using a lint-free towel. For a more thorough cleaning process, do check this guide for the complete instructions.
- Reseat all the cartridges.
- Run the print quality diagnostics.
If after Phase 2 you still experience an ink system failure, then you need to proceed to the final phase.
Phase #3: Printhead flush.
- With the printer still powered on, remove all the ink cartridges.
- Pull the lever at the right side of the carriage assembly which is where the Officejet 6500 ink cartridges sits. This will unlock the printhead.
- Carefully lift the printhead from the carriage assembly.
- Use a dropper to flood each foam port on the printhead with the lukewarm water and alcohol mixture. Give the ports a drop of the mixture every 2 minutes until the water that comes out of the nozzle plate below is clear. This may take a while depending on the severity of your case.
- Leave the print head on a stack of paper towels for at least 15 minutes. Wipe it down and make sure all the exposed parts are dry.
- Reinstall the printhead first followed by the Officejet 6500 ink cartridges.
- Power cycle after receiving a new printhead notification.
After a successful reboot, the printer will automatically run a self-calibration routine. This phase alone will exhaust up to 10% ink on all your HP 920 ink cartridges for Officejet 6500, so it is imperative to have the recommended ink level. Although this process consumes a lot of ink, this will re-prime all the colors and hopefully rid you of the ink system failure.
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