HP DeskJet Not Printing Black? 7 Fixes That Bring Back Your Ink

Check the real ink level — don’t guess (2 minutes)

Open the HP Smart app (or the HP printer software on your computer) and look at the estimated ink levels. If the black cartridge shows low or empty, you’ve found your answer — no cleaning cycle in the world refills a cartridge.

Important caveat: “estimated” is the honest word. A cartridge that shows 30% can still be effectively dry if it’s old, and one that shows ink remaining can have clogged nozzles. So don’t stop here: an ink-level reading is a starting point, not a verdict. If black is genuinely empty or very low, go straight to Fix 7. If it shows ink remaining, continue to Fix 2.

Print a test page to see exactly what’s missing (2 minutes)

Before fixing anything, get proof. Print any page with solid black text — or better, run a Print Quality Diagnostic page from your printer software’s Device Services or Tools tab. What you’re looking for:

1. Black completely missing while colors look fine — the black cartridge or its contacts are the problem (Fixes 3–5).
2. Black present but streaky, with white lines — partial clog; the cleaning cycle (Fix 3) usually fixes this.
3. Black text looks grey or washed out — could be low ink or the wrong print settings (also check Fix 6).

Keep this test page. You’ll compare it against a fresh one after each fix — it’s the only way to know which fix actually worked.

Run the automated “Clean Cartridges” cycle (3 minutes)

This is HP’s built-in unclogging routine, and it fixes more “no black” cases than anything else.

1. Open the HP printer software on your computer and go to the Device Services tab (in some versions it’s under Tools).
2. Click “Clean Cartridges” (sometimes labeled “Clean Printhead”) and let it finish — the printer will make some noise; that’s normal.
3. Print your test page again and compare. If black is back or clearly improved, you’re done.
4. If it’s still blank or streaky, run the cleaning exactly one more time — then stop.

Why stop at two? Each cleaning cycle uses a noticeable amount of ink. Running it five times in a row is how people empty a half-full cartridge chasing a clog that isn’t going to clear. Two cleanings with no improvement means the problem is not a simple clog — move to Fix 4, not to a third cleaning.

Clean the gold contacts and reseat the black cartridge (5 minutes)

Even a full, unclogged cartridge prints nothing if the printer can’t talk to it. Dirty or oxidized electrical contacts cause exactly that.

1. Open the cartridge access door and wait for the carriage to center.
2. Remove the black cartridge (the one on the right in most DeskJets).
3. Look at the gold electrical contacts — on the cartridge and the matching pins inside the carriage. Wipe both gently with a dry, lint-free cloth. No water, no alcohol, no tissue (it leaves fibers).
4. Check for leftover protective tape — on a new or recently installed cartridge, even a small strip over the nozzles or contacts blocks everything. Remove it completely.
5. Slide the cartridge back in firmly until it clicks, close the door, and print your test page.

If black returns, the contacts were the whole story. If it’s still blank, the cartridge itself is now the prime suspect — but do Fix 5 first, because it costs nothing.

Align the cartridges (4 minutes)

A badly aligned printer can produce faint, offset, or incomplete black output that looks like missing ink. Alignment is free and takes minutes.

1. In the HP printer software, go to Print & Scan → Maintain Your Printer → Align Cartridges.
2. Load plain white letter or A4 paper in the input tray.
3. Run the alignment and let the printer print the alignment page — don’t cancel it.

Print your test page one more time. If black is still blank after Fixes 3, 4, and 5, there’s no more troubleshooting to do — the cartridge is worn out, which brings us to the end of the line.

Rule out the print settings (2 minutes)

Quick elimination round before you spend money:

1. In your print dialog, check you’re printing on the right paper type — printing “photo paper” settings on plain paper (or vice versa) can produce washed-out black.
2. Try printing from a different app (e.g. Notepad or TextEdit instead of your browser) — a corrupted print queue in one app can fake a printer problem. If you haven’t fixed a stuck queue before, clear it the way we describe in our offline fix guide.
3. If none of this changes anything, the settings were never the problem — and the cartridge was always the problem.

One thing this step can’t be: an error code like E0 (cartridge problem) blinking on the display means the printer has already told you the cartridge is the issue — in that case see our error-code guide and skip straight to Fix 7.

Replace the black cartridge with a genuine HP 67 / 67XL

If you’ve worked through Fixes 1–6 and black still prints blank, this is the fix — not another cleaning cycle, not a driver reinstall. Inkjet cartridges have a finite life: the nozzles wear out, the ink dries permanently inside, and no software setting brings them back. This is the normal end of a cartridge’s life, especially if it’s been installed for months or sat half-empty.

Buy the right cartridge: the DeskJet 2755/2755e uses the HP 67 black (standard) or HP 67XL black (high yield — same cartridge, roughly twice the ink, better value if you print a lot). And one hard rule for the 2755e: as an HP+ printer it requires original HP cartridges. Refilled, remanufactured, or third-party cartridges are the #1 cause of a “brand new cartridge that won’t print black” — don’t trade a $5 saving for a dead printhead.

Genuine replacement options are in the Replacement Ink section below — install the new cartridge, run one alignment (Fix 5), and black should be back on the first page.