HP Envy 5660 - Not printing clearly at all

[Linux.Blue]

I am really getting annoyed at this printer or configuration on the computer.
This printer is not printing basic black text well. It almost looks like it is out of ink.
I can ensure you, it's not out of ink. It's rather new and the screen on the printer is saying it's at least 75 to 80% full.
However, it barely prints text well. I tried to clean the cartridge & do an alignment, and nothing. It still doesn't look great. I tried to place a new ink cartridge in there and all it says is "please reinstall the cartridge and try again." along those lines.

It refuses my new ink cartridge!

In Printer settings, I tried color, b&w, plain quality, best. Nothing.
This is pissing me off a lot . I need stuff printed for taxes, and it's barely legible.

[deepakdeshp]

There is self test option where it prints without the help of os. How is the output of self test page?

[Linux.Blue]

It looks terrible. Everything does. Barely anything is printed. Some black, but no color. Color ink is very low.

[ClixTrix]

Try running the diagnostic in the video and see if you get errors. I do this kind of test on HP printers I refurbish. Not being able to swap cartridges with an error makes me think contacts are dirty/damaged (assuming that's a new genuine HP cartridge).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zFZaVkFs6Y

FYI.... I use a Q-Tip dipped in 99% Pure Isopropyl Alcohol to "lightly" clean contacts and the print heads. If this is a new printer and still in store return policy, I'd consider return/exchange rather than mess with a problem.

[cliffcoggin]

It looks terrible. Everything does. Barely anything is printed. Some black, but no color. Color ink is very low.

The Envy printer I had until 6 months ago had a setting that printed black from a combination of coloured inks instead of the black ink. If yours is set the same way it would explain the problem you experience.

[Linux.Blue]

I finally got around to getting tri-color ink, and a few cartridge cleanings, some deep.

It finally looks pretty good again. It's still not perfect though. some text is more gray than other areas. It looks like the bold text is more black, and just basic style is grayish. At least I can read it. I'm not sure if this has been solved yet though. I may have to try some tests and see what I can do to get it looking better.

But thanks for the tip on tr-color ink. When I first started Linux (Mandrake 8.something), I tried to print black text and it came out blank. I had to select "black/grayscale" for it to work.

[cliffcoggin]

Glad to hear tri-colour inks have enabled you to to print a sort of black, which seems to confirm you have a "black from colour" setting still enabled. That you have a black ink cartridge means you must have the ability to print "black from black."