Technical information

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-Thank you
HP 920 – POOR PRINT QUALITY (SEVERE) – PRINTHEAD CLEANING/FLUSHING REPLACEMENT
Regarding your HP920 cartridge usage inquiry and observed missing colors/degraded print quality in
your HP OJ 6500A printer output, given the steps that you have taken up to this point, we are not
completely convinced the current printer issue can be resolved by just installing new/f ully loaded ink
cartridges [i.e. and/or by following numerous 'Clean Printhead' actions with no resolve - thank you for
first attempting these procedures as the ‘Clean Printhead’ action (2-3 times) typically recovers the ink
system]*.
Providing you have already adhered to the general guidance outlined on the 'HP 920 Cartridge Errors'
page, it sounds like ink is not being properly delivered into and/or fired thru the PRINTHEAD**
assembly, which is leading to the poor image quality, or lack thereof, you are observing. Review the
suggested steps up to this point to ensure we have not overlooked anything:
http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=1925
Assuming you are not observing any PRINTHEAD** error messages (see NOTE below, i.e. "Incompatible
Printhead"), then the PRINTHEAD is either severely clogged with ink residue or the ink port(s) are
completely/partially dried out (i.e. the foam pads that you can see in the bottom of the PRINTHEAD
when you remove one of the ink cartridges from the carriage). The ink ports can easily dry out if the
printer is rarely used, a color has been depleted for a while or if cartridges are not installed for long
periods of time.
Please review steps 1 thru 4 below prior to beginning so you fully understand the suggested ‘next steps’
from our team:
1) Remove all 4 ink cartridges, then remove the internal PRINTHEAD** and thoroughly clean rear
electrical contacts and carriage electrical contacts. Inspect ink foam ports to see if they are ‘wet with
ink’…this will confirm whether ink is being pulled into the PRINTHEAD or not. If the ink foam ports are
completely dry (no significant amount of ink present when blotted with a paper towel, etc.), then the
PRINTHEAD is likely considered too dry to support proper ink flow and subsequent printing operations.
Refer to PRINTHEAD removal process at HP.com (link down below) or at the following Inkjet411 link to
provide general guidance: http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=1495
2) While the PRINTHEAD is removed, perform a hot water flush on the PRINTHEAD assembly (this is not
approved by HP....they will just tell you to replace the PRINTHEAD (~$75):
Flushing Procedure: http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=2412
a. Remove all ink cartridges from the printer.