Solutions

Solution one: Check the cartridge compatibility

Follow these steps to make sure that the cartridges are compatible with your printer.
To purchase cartridges or check cartridge compatibility for your printer, go to HP Home &
Home Office Store (US only), and then click Ink Toner & Paper.
If you are located outside of the US, follow these steps to purchase cartridges using HP
SureSupply.

1. Go to HP SureSupply.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and make sure that the country/region location is
correct.

Genuine HP cartridges can also be purchased from other retailers.

Which cartridges you use might depend on your country/region. Follow these steps to
purchase cartridges or check cartridge compatibility for your printer using HP SureSupply.

1. Go to HP SureSupply.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and make sure that the country/region location is
correct.

 note:

For the United States only, go to the HP Home & Home Office Store.
Genuine HP cartridges can also be purchased from other retailers.

 If the cartridges are compatible, continue with the solutions in this document.
 If the cartridges are not compatible, continue to the step to replace the cartridge.

 If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
 If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution two: Remove, inspect, and then reseat the cartridges

Follow these steps to make sure that the cartridges are inserted correctly.

 note:

HP cannot guarantee the quality of remanufactured or refilled cartridges. Use genuine HP

cartridges for good print quality.

1. If the printer is off, press the Power button to turn on the printer.
2. Open the cartridge access door. The carriage moves to the center of the printer. Wait
until the carriage is idle and silent before continuing.

Figure : Open the cartridge access door

3. Press down on the cartridge to release it, and then pull the cartridge out to remove it
from its slot.

Figure : Remove the cartridge

 caution:

Do not touch the copper-colored contacts or the ink nozzles. Touching these
parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.

Figure : Do not touch the contacts or nozzles

4. Remove any protective tape that still might be on the nozzles.

 caution:

Do not try to remove the copper electrical strip.

Figure : Remove the protective tape

 5. Hold the cartridge by its sides with the nozzles toward the printer, and then insert the
cartridge into its slot. Make sure that the cartridge is inserted in the correct slot.
o The tri-color cartridge ( ) goes in the slot on the left.
o The black cartridge ( ) goes in the slot on the right.

Figure : Reinsert the cartridge

6. Push the cartridge forward into its slot until it snaps into place.
7. Repeat these steps to replace the other cartridge, if necessary.
8. Close the cartridge access door.

Figure : Close the cartridge access door

 note:

HP cannot guarantee the quality of remanufactured or refilled cartridges. Use genuine HP

cartridges for good print quality.

1. If the printer is off, press the Power button to turn on the printer.
2. Open the cartridge access door. The carriage moves to the center of the printer. Wait
until the carriage is idle and silent before continuing.
 Figure : Open the cartridge access door

3. Press down on the cartridge to release it, and then pull the cartridge out to remove it
from its slot.

Figure : Remove the cartridge

 caution:

Do not touch the copper-colored contacts or the ink nozzles. Touching these
parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.

Figure : Do not touch the contacts or nozzles

4. Remove any protective tape that still might be on the nozzles.

 caution:

Do not try to remove the copper electrical strip.

Figure : Remove the protective tape

 5. Hold the cartridge by its sides with the nozzles toward the printer, and then insert the
cartridge into its slot. Make sure that the cartridge is inserted in the correct slot.
o The tri-color cartridge ( ) goes in the slot on the left.
o The black cartridge ( ) goes in the slot on the right.

Figure : Reinsert the cartridge

6. Push the cartridge forward into its slot until it snaps into place.
7. Repeat these steps to replace the other cartridge, if necessary.
8. Close the cartridge access door.

Figure : Close the cartridge access door

 If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
 If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution three: Clean the cartridge contacts

Follow these steps to clean the contacts on the cartridge and in the cartridge slot.

 caution:
Clean the cartridges one at a time. Do not leave a cartridge outside the printer for more than
30 minutes.

1. Gather the following materials:

o Dry foam-rubber swabs, lint-free cloth, or any soft material that does not come
apart or leave fibers (coffee filters work well)
o Distilled, filtered, or bottled water (tap water might contain contaminants that
can damage the cartridges)

 caution:

Do not use platen cleaners or alcohol to clean the cartridge contacts.

These can damage the cartridge or the printer.

2. Press the Power button to turn on the printer.

3. Open the cartridge access door. The carriage moves to the center of the printer. Wait
until the carriage is idle and silent before continuing.

Figure : Open the cartridge access door

4. Disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.

5. Press down on the cartridge to release it, and then pull the cartridge out to remove it
from its slot.

Figure : Remove the cartridge

 caution:

Do not remove both cartridges at the same time. Remove and clean each
cartridge one at a time. Do not leave a cartridge outside the printer for more
than 30 minutes.

6. Hold the cartridge by its sides.

Figure : Hold the cartridge by its sides

7. Inspect the contacts for ink and debris buildup.
8. Wipe the contacts with a dry swab or other lint-free material until no debris remains
on them.

 caution:

Be careful to wipe only the contacts. Do not smear any ink or debris elsewhere
on the cartridge.

9. Dip a clean foam-rubber swab or lint-free cloth into distilled water, and then squeeze
any excess water from it.
10. Clean only the copper-colored contacts, and then allow the cartridge to dry for
approximately 10 minutes.

Figure : Clean the contacts

o Copper-colored contacts
o Ink nozzles (do not clean)
2. Lightly moisten another cotton swab with distilled water, and then squeeze any excess
water from the swab.
3. Use the swab to clean the electrical contacts in the carriage, located inside the printer.
4. Clean the contacts in the carriage.

Figure : The carriage contacts

5. Either let the cartridge sit for 10 minutes to allow the cleaned area to dry, or use a new
swab to dry it.

 note:

Make sure that the ink cartridge is not left out of the printer for more than 30
minutes.

6. Hold the cartridge by its sides with the nozzles toward the printer, and then insert the
cartridge into its slot. Make sure that the cartridge is inserted in the correct slot.

Figure : Insert the cartridge into the slot

7. Push the cartridge forward into its slot until it snaps into place.
8. Repeat these steps to clean and then reinsert the other cartridges.
9. Close the cartridge access door.

Figure : Close the cartridge access door

10. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.

11. Press the Power button to turn on the printer if it does not turn on automatically.
  If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
 If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution four: Reset the printer

A printer reset can recalibrate the cartridges.

1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.

2. With the product turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the product.
3. Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
4. Wait at least 15 seconds.
5. Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet.
6. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the product.
7. If the product does not turn on by itself, press the Power button ( ) to turn it on.

 If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
 If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution five: Remove and reinsert the cartridges again

Removing and reinserting the cartridges again can help resolve the issue. Repeat the steps
that you performed earlier in this document to remove and reinsert the cartridges.

 If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
 If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution six: Clean the cartridge contacts again

Cleaning the cartridge contacts again can help resolve the issue. Repeat the steps that you
performed earlier in this document to clean the cartridge contacts.

 If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
 If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution seven: Replace the cartridge

Follow these steps to replace the cartridge or cartridges indicated by the blinking light.
If you have a defective cartridge or printhead, it might be under warranty. To check the
warranty on your ink supplies, go to hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies, select your
country/region, and then review the limited warranty information for your supplies.
Video of replacing the cartridge
The following video demonstrates how to replace a cartridge.

 note:

This video shows the HP Deskjet 1510 e-All-in-One printer, but the steps are the same for
your printer.
If you have trouble viewing the video or to view the video in a different size, click here to
play the video on YouTube.
Step one: Replace the cartridge

1. Press the Power button to turn on the printer, if it is not already turned on.
2. Load plain white paper into the input tray.
3. Open the cartridge access door. The carriage moves to the center of the printer. Wait
until the printer is idle and silent before continuing.

Figure : Open the cartridge access door

4. Lightly press down on the cartridge to release it, and then pull the cartridge out of its
slot.

Figure : Remove the cartridge

5. Remove the new cartridge from its packaging, and then pull the orange tab to remove
the plastic tape.

 caution:

Do not touch the copper-colored contacts or the ink nozzles. Touching these
parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.

Figure : Remove the plastic tape

6. Hold the cartridge by its sides with the nozzles toward the printer, and then insert the
cartridge into its slot. Make sure that the cartridge is inserted in the correct slot.
o The tri-color cartridge ( ) goes in the slot on the left.
o The black cartridge ( ) goes in the slot on the right.

Figure : Insert the cartridge into its slot

7. Push the cartridge forward into its slot until it snaps into place.

Figure : Snap the cartridge into place

8. Repeat these steps to replace the other cartridge, if necessary.

9. Close the cartridge access door.

Figure : Close the cartridge access door

 10. Follow any prompts on the screen.
11. Wait about 30 seconds for the alignment page to automatically print.

Figure : The alignment page prints automatically after 30 seconds

 note:

The printer prints an alignment page automatically only when a new cartridge
has been installed.

Step two: Align the cartridges

1. Lift the scanner lid.

2. Place the alignment page with the print side down on the right-front corner of the
scanner glass. See the engraved guide next to the scanner glass for help loading the
alignment page.

Figure : Place the alignment page on the scanner glass

3. Close the scanner lid.

4. Press the Start Copy Black button ( ) or the Start Copy Color button ( ) on the
front panel of the printer. The printer aligns the cartridges.