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HP Customer Support

'Printhead Problem' or 'Printhead Appears to be Missing or Damaged' Message Displays on the Control Panel

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Issue

The message 'Printhead problem ' or 'Printhead appears to be missing or damaged ' displays on the control panel. The product does not print.

Solution

Follow these steps to resolve the issue.

Step one: Remove the printhead

  1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product, if it is not already on.
  2. Open the cartridge access door. The carriage moves to the center of the product. Wait until the carriage stops moving before proceeding.
  3. Press the tab on each cartridge, and then lift the cartridge up and out to remove it from its slot.
    Figure 1: Remove the cartridge
    Illustration: Remove the cartridge
    NOTE: Do not leave the cartridges outside the product longer than 30 minutes. Doing so can result in damage to both the product and the cartridges.
  4. Lift the latch handle on the carriage until it stops.
    Figure 2: Lift the latch handle
    Illustration: Lift the latch handle
  5. Lift the printhead to remove it from the carriage.
    Figure 3: Remove the printhead
    Illustration: Remove the printhead

Step two: Clean the printhead

Use the following steps to clean the printhead. Clean these areas on the printhead: the plastic ramps on both sides of the ink nozzles, the edge between the ink nozzles and the electrical contacts, and the electrical contacts. Follow these steps to clean the printhead.
Figure 4: Three areas to clean
Illustration: Three areas to clean
1 - Plastic ramp on the side of the ink nozzles
2 - Edge between the ink nozzles and the electrical contacts
3 - Electrical contacts
CAUTION:Do not touch the ink nozzles or the electrical contacts with your finger.
Figure 5: Do not touch the electrical contacts
Illustration: Do not touch the electrical contacts
  1. Gather the following cleaning materials:
    • Several clean, lint-free cloths or papers. Coffee filters and glass-cleaning cloths work well.
    • Distilled or bottled water. Do not use tap water. Tap water can contain contaminants that might damage the printhead.
  2. Lightly dampen a clean, lint-free cloth.
  3. Use the damp cloth to wipe the electrical contacts. Wipe from the bottom to the top. Do not go past the edge between the electrical contacts and the ink nozzles. Repeat this motion until no ink appears on the cloth.
    Figure 6: Clean the electrical contacts
    Illustration: Clean the electrical contacts
  4. Use a fresh damp cloth to wipe any accumulated ink and debris from the edge between the ink nozzles and the electrical contacts.
    Figure 7: Clean the edge between the ink nozzles and the electrical contacts
    Illustration: Clean the edge between the ink nozzles and the electrical contacts
  5. Use a fresh damp cloth to wipe the plastic ramps on both sides of the ink nozzles. Wipe away from the nozzles only.
    Figure 8: Clean the ramps
    Illustration: Clean the ramps
  6. Dry the previously cleaned areas with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth.
  7. Lightly dampen a fresh, clean, lint-free cloth with bottled or distilled water.
  8. Clean the electrical contacts inside the product by wiping them from top to bottom. Repeat this motion until no ink appears on the cloth.
  9. Dry the area with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth.

Step three: Reinstall the printhead

  1. Raise the latch handle on the carriage, and then reinstall the printhead by lowering it into the carriage.
    Figure 9: Insert the printhead
    Illustration: Insert the printhead
  2. Carefully lower the latch handle.
    Figure 10: Lower the latch handle
    Illustration: Lower the latch handle
    NOTE:Leaving the latch handle raised can result in incorrectly seated cartridges. The latch must remain down to install the cartridges correctly.
  3. Slide each cartridge into the correct slot until it clicks into place. Make sure that the colored shape icon on the cartridge label matches the colored shape icon on the carriage slot.
    Figure 11: Reinstall each cartridge
    Illustration: Reinstall each cartridge
  4. Close the cartridge access door.
  • If these steps resolved the issue , there is no need to continue troubleshooting.
  • If the issue persists , see the next step.

Step four: Reset the printer

  1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn off the product.
  2. Disconnect the power cord from the back of the product.
  3. Wait 30 seconds.
  4. Reconnect the power cord to the back of the product.
  5. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.
  • If these steps resolved the issue , there is no need to continue troubleshooting.
  • If the issue persists , see the next step.

Step five: Service the product

There might be a problem with the product hardware or a component may not be functioning correctly. The next step is to service the product.