HP printer printing faint or only one color after new ink: how to fix it
Faint pages or a single color after new ink usually mean one of four things: the protective tape is still on the new cartridge, the tiny nozzles dried out, the printer is set to draft or grayscale, or the cartridge is not one the printer accepts. If everything comes out green, the magenta (pink) part of the color cartridge is not printing, because cyan and yellow alone make green.
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Steps
Check the new cartridge. Open the ink door, take the cartridge out, and make sure the orange or clear pull tab and all the plastic tape over the copper strip are gone. Click it back in until it snaps.
Check ink levels in the HP Smart app (or on the printer screen). If one cartridge shows empty or shows a warning, that cartridge is the problem even if it is new.
Check the print settings. When you print, open Printer Properties or Preferences and make sure Quality is set to Normal, not Draft or Fast, and that Print in Grayscale or Black Ink Only is turned off.
Print a print quality report. In HP Smart tap your printer, then Printer Settings, then Tools or Print Quality Tools, then Print Quality Report. On many models you can also find it under Setup, then Tools, on the printer screen. A missing color block tells you which cartridge or color is not printing.
Run Clean Printheads (or Clean Cartridges) from the same Print Quality Tools menu. Print the report again. If it is better but not perfect, run a second cleaning. Stop after three cleanings in a row, because each one uses ink.
If it is still faint, let the printer sit turned on for 30 minutes to an hour, then run one more cleaning. Dried ink often loosens up with time.
Clean the cartridge contacts. Turn the printer off, take the cartridge out, and gently wipe the copper contacts (not the nozzles) with a lint free cloth or cotton swab barely dampened with distilled water. Let it dry for a few minutes and put it back.
Run Align Printheads (or Align Cartridges) from Print Quality Tools so the colors line up again.
If your model name ends in e, like the Deskjet 2855e, it is an HP+ printer that only works with original HP cartridges. Refilled or other brand cartridges can print faint or be blocked. Try an original HP cartridge before anything else.
If a brand new original cartridge still prints the same, and the printer is under a year old, contact HP support. A cartridge or printer replacement is often covered.
Common questions
Why does my HP printer print everything green?
Green means the magenta (pink) ink is not printing, so only cyan and yellow land on the page. Run a print quality report, then a cleaning. If magenta stays missing, the color cartridge is empty, dried out, or faulty.
Does cleaning the printhead use up ink?
Yes, a little each time. One to three cleanings is fine. If three in a row do not help, let the printer rest or replace the cartridge instead of cleaning more.
Do I have to use HP ink?
On HP+ printers (model names ending in e) yes, only original HP cartridges work. On other HP printers other cartridges may work, but faint prints are more common with refilled ones.
Free human help is at capacity right now. If you want help while you fix this, Ellis, our AI assistant, can help you by phone now. The first 5 minutes are free when you call (928) 272-0355. If you want more time, phone help is $19 one time for up to 30 minutes, used over 14 days. No subscription. Ellis is an AI and can make mistakes.