HP K5400 printer not printing black on normal quality

[cranleighboy]

HP K5400 printer not printing black on OS Windows 7 (which seems to restrict diagnostic choices).
If print is done with photo quality, black prints; if done on normal everyday quality, black does not print, or prints faintly.
The fact that photo quality prints black seems to rule out print heads & ink supply – but what else could be causing it?
[FONT=&quot]Any ideas welcome!![/FONT]

 

[TVeblen]

Color inkjets can print black by combining all colors, so it is possible that the black ink is out, or the print head is clogged.
Have you tried a head cleaning and or replaced the black ink?

 

[cranleighboy]

Yes we have tried cleaning the heads (includin a spell in an ultrasound cleaner. the head is a new head and there is plenty of ink!

On past experience while I am aware that black can be created from the other colours it tends to be a clightly 'muddier' black than normal. This is a good quality black!

Also why would it only mix the colours to prduce black only on a high quality print, not a normal quality print.

'tis strange!

 

[TVeblen]

Yes it 'tis.

I'm thinking it may be that High Quality print might be construed by the software writers as meaning photo copying - which would use all colors.

I *believe* that printers use the straight black ink cartridge for text print. So you might go through your printer's settings to see if there is anything there that might relate to that and could be changed. (I'm sure you have already done that).

Other than that it sounds like a problem unique to that printer, or a defect.
Have you tried resetting it?
EDIT: Link
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02471640&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en

 

[cranleighboy]

Thanks for that.

1. I added some text in all colours to the colur test grid I had been using. Result -- the same: in photo quality black text & black areas print; in normal quality neither black text or areas print

2. The reset sheet you pointed to did not work as described -- is it actually the reset page for a K5400? as tafter steps 1-3 the printer appeared to lock up & only came back to life by being disnonnected from power.

Indeed I have just discovede different instructions for a rest of a K5400 on the HP web site & will try these in the morning.

Thanks again -- continue thinking -- will report if a reset has any effect!

 

[cranleighboy]

finger trouble on last reply - penultimate para should read '...discovered different instructions for a reset...'

 

[TVeblen]

Well, if you can't determine a physical problem with the hardware then it must be in the software. If the reset yields no joy then your next step should be to completely uninstall the printer driver and reinstall it clean.

Does this behavior occur using just one program? Or with any program?

 

[cranleighboy]

Reloading the driver has been done to no effect. However as the drivers (according to HP) are now a built in part of Windows 7 it is unclear whether new drivers have actually been loaded. The old method where you could download a new driver ensured that a corrupt driver could be eliminated. Who knows what goes on within Windows 7? We deleted the printer & got plug & play to find it (& eventually to recognise it) but no change in the behaviour.

Any other ideas including how to get hold of genuine new drivers welcome

 

[TVeblen]

When Windows 7 was being developed there was a concerted effort to get printer manufacturers to supply drivers for all their popular printers to be included in the OS. Microsoft did not want a repeat of the troubles experienced with Vista in that respect.
HP was most cooperative in doing this and did one better by making new printers that use the older drivers.

To properly remove a printer driver (Home Premium edition instructions - Ultimate will do the same thing, slightly differently, using the Print Manager):

• Go to Devices & Printers > Highlight the printer to remove > "Remove Device"
• Then click on any other printer to highlight it.
• On the top row you will now see "Print Server Properties" > click it
• Go to the Drivers Tab > scroll down to find the printer who's driver you want to remove > click "Remove"

This will remove the driver for the printer


Unplug the printer > shut down or restart > when you get back on the desktop plug the printer back in and Windows will install the driver again fresh.