Printing not printing?

Question

I have a hp psc 1215 and even though it seems to be working fine, and no error messages have come up, nothing is printing. The paper goes through and makes all the usual noises, but there is no ink on the page. The ink isnt wasted because we got a new cartridge recently. How can I fix this?

Answer 1

Try cleaning your printhead. For most printers, there is a cleaning utility program. Find out where your printers/faxes are located - either in your "Start" menu in the lower left hand corner of your screen or in your control panel, and then clink on your printer icon. Find "printer properties" and you should be able to find your cleaning utility there. I have had the problem you describe with new cartridges before - especially if they're not name-brand. Good luck!

Answer 2

Run the test pages. Make sure they are working. In some ink jet printers you have to go into the control program and tell the printer that you have inserted a new cartridge before it works properly. Check the manual.

Lastly, and this is just a thought.....take out the cartridge and make sure that the protecting strip across the ink jets is completely removed. Even a small bit can cause the jets not to work.

Answer 3

Did you remember to remove the plastic tape from the cartridge? I have been called out many times when this has been the problem. Also ensure this is the correct cartridge, some psc printers often have a similar model number in the deskjet range, the cartridges are not interchangeable, and many shops miss-read the listing.

Answer 4

Run the printer self test or cartridge alignment on your printer.

You should be able to do this through the front panel.

This will tell for sure if it is a ink cartridge or not.

I have seen bad cartifdes right out of the box.

Answer 5

Is this the first time you've printed since installing the new cartridge? If so, you might want to check and see if the cartridge has a protective strip on it. I know my HP printed has a little tab I need to pull off first.