error message "problem with printer or ink system"

[flyboy]

I went to print and got a message that the cyan ink was low so I put in a refilled cartridge. Then I got a message the Majenta was low so I put in a refilled cartridge.

Then I got the message "There is a problem with printer or ink system. Turn printer off then on. If problem persists contact HP.

So I turned off the printer and unplugged it for a few minutes turned it on again and got the same message, so I took out the printhead and cleaned it with no change...

Any other suggestions?

 

[guymark]

This sounds like HP locking down printers again.

If the printer was still able to print on the low cyan and low magenta (and you just changed them rather than try to get the very last drops out), then fit these back in the printer, switch off, wait and switch back on. Providing those cartridges were not "EMPTY" as opposed to "LOW", the printer should accept the cartridges.

If it does not work, it will be unlocked and you can try again with your refilled cartridges - but it sounds as though either they are not properly "chipped" or there is some other fault that the printer is able to to identify that they are not original.

Can you let us know if you are using refilled cartridges either for the first time OR from a new supplier - or if you have used the cartridges for ages. Also have you recently done a firmware upgrade on the printer.

Please let us know a bit more about what is going on, what you have used in the past that has worked, if anything is different - and (if you were able to swith the old (but not empty) cartridges back in, did it unlock the printer again for you? (Should have done providing they were just LOW and not EMPTY)

 

[guymark]

It seems this can also happen if you have used cartridges with an auto-reset chip that has "reset" while the cartridge is running low. As such the printhead then runs "dry" - dry firing can damage non-piezeo printheads (and perhaps piezo too?) and although I am not sure how the printer knows if the printhead has run dry, it is actually doing you a favour by locking up *IF* that is the problem.

This page might be useful - seems like you may need to wait upto 60 seconds with it powered off before hoping it will reset with "good" cartridges. https://www.bchtechnologies.com/blo...er-off-then-on-if-problem-persists-contact-hp

Hope this helps - and please let us know what you find

 

[flyboy]

This sounds like HP locking down printers again.

If the printer was still able to print on the low cyan and low magenta (and you just changed them rather than try to get the very last drops out), then fit these back in the printer, switch off, wait and switch back on. Providing those cartridges were not "EMPTY" as opposed to "LOW", the printer should accept the cartridges.

If it does not work, it will be unlocked and you can try again with your refilled cartridges - but it sounds as though either they are not properly "chipped" or there is some other fault that the printer is able to to identify that they are not original.

Can you let us know if you are using refilled cartridges either for the first time OR from a new supplier - or if you have used the cartridges for ages. Also have you recently done a firmware upgrade on the printer.

Please let us know a bit more about what is going on, what you have used in the past that has worked, if anything is different - and (if you were able to switch the old (but not empty) cartridges back in, did it unlock the printer again for you? (Should have done providing they were just LOW and not EMPTY)

Guymark,

Thanks for taking the time to help.

I may have allowed the colours to go dry as the cartridges were quite light when I took them out, but I did put refilled cartridges back in.

I have refilled the cartridges a number of times so it is possible that the cartridges are "done".

There was a firmware upgrade quite awhile ago but I seem to have worked around that. I have forgotten the details.

I have two sets of cartridges so they reset when I switch to the other.

When I turn it off, I unplug it and wait a few minutes at least.

 

[guymark]

Hi Flyboy.

I do not know but would hazard a guess from what you are saying that the printer is perhaps aware of a dry print head rather than empty cartridges. At the risk of suggesting something you have already tried, you might want to experiment with one of the hardware / firmware resets available to you.

To get to the hidden menu on your model:-

Turn off the printer, wait 10 seconds, power it back on - as soon as the printer starts to power up, press the <BACK< button on the front panel four times.
You should now have the support / reset menu appear!

There will be various options which may be of interest, among them is the reset menu. My suggestion would be to try a "partial reset" first which will keep some of your settings etc - but will reset some internal errors (though of course they will be reestablished if there really is a problem).

If this doesn't work, you can try the "semi-full" reset which will clear ALL custom settings and will take the printer to almost a factory default setting - and again should clear out internal error flags.

The last ditch attempt is the "Full Reset" and (I think) is a combination of the reset above PLUS (and I may be wrong but I know if you lose power you can "brick" your machine) I think it tries to reload the firmware from (presumably) a backup.

I would be tempted to try the first two resets only at this stage - if you can remove the printhead easily it might be worth seeing if it seems "dry" or "wet" which may give you a clue as to what might be going on. This link might offer some useful guidance on checking and cleaning your print head further and it may be that once it has been given a rinse and a reset, things start to co-operate again. https://www.bchtechnologies.com/blog/how-to-clean-hp-950-933-printhead-officejet-8600-8610-8100-8620

The following may not apply to you - but as it is the same family of printers it just might be of use.

Also, I know from personal experience that with the HP OfficeJet 7000 (a very different printer but still HP and still with quirks), If any ink has leaked from a cartridge for any reason, it tends to somehow get between the printhead contacts and the printhead holder contacts - generating an assortment of flashing LEDs on my printer - and possibly rather more useful messages on yours.

Ditto, on the OJ 7000, ink can ALSO drip down and cause problems on the PCB which connects the printer to the ink cartridge chips. In this case, I find the easiest way to solve the problem, is power off, cartridges out, printhead out, clean all contact with isopropyl alcohol and a GENTLY wipe from a lint free cloth and then (with my printer at least), squirt IPA from a syringe into the BASE of the cartridge holder until clear IPA comes out and not the spilled ink. This may NOT be an issue on your printer - but if there IS some ink on the PCB or on the contacts between printhead and holder and/or ink cartridges and holder, then this too can generate a variety of errors.

You may want some kitchen roll on the paper out tray (and take the paper stack out first)

Even more aggravating is that the contact method of "raised bumps" is really not that brilliant from a reliability point of view - and around half the time, simply "re-seating" the printhead and/or cartridges (even without a clean) makes it work again. In my opinion it's quite a poor design which even used to fail with OEM cartirdges from time to time.

Let us know how you get on and if I can find any more info I will bung you a note.

 

[flyboy]

Thanks again guymark,

Now I only get the error message as I started off with. I can see no back button to try the reset. There is only the on off button and the error message and a question mark.

 

[guymark]

Ahh, I admit I may have made an incorrect assumption. As you didn't mention the printer in your original post, I figured it must be the one showing on your profile (The HP OfficeJet 8600 pro) which does have a < (back) button as well as > forward, ? "Home" and a few other buttons. The button in question you would need for an OJ 8600 pro being the < (back) button circled below.

Sorry about that, my mistake, if you can tell me the model you have, I will try and find the way into the service menu for that specific printer.

Mark

 

[flyboy]

The screen that you show is the normal screen but that is superseded with the 'error' screen now and it cannot be dismissed

 

[guymark]

So when you switch the printer off, then wait 10 seconds and switch it on, if you then proceed to press the < button 4 times it will not allow you to enter the menu? I will have to take your word for it, but I am stunned that it will not allow you to enter the test/reset menu if you follow the instructions I offered.

I do not have the printer but looking at various photographs of the printer when it is "OFF", the < button seems to be there even when powered off and I guessed (perhaps wrongly) that this was a "real button" and not a touch screen button that, from what you say, is not showing.

I will see if there is another way to force it into the service / reset menu. If all fails, I will give you a link to the HP website where, if you ask how to do it, I am sure someone with more knowledge than me can guide you.

 

[guymark]

Having found a few similar(ish) issues to yours and finding various ideas and answers on HPs own forum, it seems several people have commented that one solution by a fellow called Foxx solved their problems with cartridge faults and printhead errors.

You need to scroll down a few posts to find the instruction by Foxx but I have also copied and pasted his post to here - BUT you might still find a link to the forums useful anyway. http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/LaserJ...P-8600-the-display-is-stuck-in-a/td-p/2293803 I realise that the title of the post suggests a different fault from yours BUT several ink system failure errors ALSO linked to this guy's post - so it *may* be worth playing around with. Alas so far, I can not find any other way of enter the hidden menu other than the "power off -10 secs - power on, press < press < press < press <".

The information below is from "Foxx" and I claim no credit for it. If you have had a go at cleaning (or at least checking) the printhead to make sure it is "wet with ink" this may be worth a try.

Hi,

just solve such a problem with a brand new HP 8600 All-In-One-Printer. The printer also remained in 'preparing printer' forever after installed cartridges and paper.

I did the following steps:

- open the flap at the left hand side and remove cartridges and printer head (use handle at the right !)
- close flap again
- removed power by disconnecting the power cord
- removed the USB cable as well
- remove paper and close the paper tray again
- wait for about 60 seconds
-plug in power cord again
-plug in USB cable again
- let the printer complain about "printer head missing or cannot be detected"
- plugin the printer head again and close the flap again
- let the printer complain about "cartridges missing"
- install the cartridges again
- let printer display the paper installation video
- open the paper tray, add paper and press the light-blue handle at
the left hand side of the paper tray to fasten/adjust paper
- close paper tray


After that the "preparing printer" turned into some message "calibrating 5 %" and it took abot 3 minutes to complete that. It then printed a calibration page and the normal menu appeared on the screen.

Hope this will help you!