Printing in black

Question

I have an HP Office Jet Pro 8135e. Nothing prints with black ink unless I run a clean printheads before each printing.

Answer 1

Hi Betty,

If you have to clean the print head each time in order to print black, that's not normal behavior, and it usually points to a hardware or ink delivery issue rather than something software-related. Is it possible for you to try to print a test page directly from the printer's local menu via the LCD screen. If it has the same issue, then it has nothing to do with Windows or computer, etc. Or print from your phone to see if the issue is unique to the computer.

If the issue persists no matter where you send the print job, you need to contact HP support instead in this case.

Answer 2

The behavior indicates a printhead or driver issue. Use these steps in Windows to reduce the need to clean before every print:

1. Verify printer settings in Windows 10/11
   1. Select Start > Settings > Devices (or Bluetooth & devices) > Printers & scanners.
   2. Select the HP OfficeJet Pro 8135e, then select Manage > Printing preferences.
   3. Check:
      • Print quality or Resolution is set to Normal or Best (not Draft/Economy).
      • Economy, Draft, or Toner/Ink saver mode is turned off.
      • Paper type matches the paper being used.
   4. Select Apply, then test print.
2. Run the printer’s built‑in maintenance
   1. On the printer’s control panel or in HP printer software, open Maintenance or Tools.
   2. Run Clean printhead and then Align printhead once or twice as needed. Repeat only if quality is still poor, because cleaning uses extra ink.
3. Update or reinstall the printer driver
   1. Select Start > Device Manager.
   2. Expand Printers.
   3. Right‑click the HP OfficeJet Pro 8135e and select Update driver.
   4. If no update is found or the issue persists, right‑click the printer again and select Uninstall device.
   5. Restart the PC; Windows will attempt to reinstall the printer automatically.
   6. If problems continue, download and install the latest driver for this exact model from HP’s support site, then test printing again.
4. Restart the Print Spooler service
   1. Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
   2. Scroll to Print Spooler.
   3. Right‑click Print Spooler and select Restart.
5. Test from another app/file
   1. Print a simple text file from Notepad or a different app.
   2. If black still fails except right after cleaning, the issue is likely with the printhead or ink system itself, and HP hardware service or cartridge replacement may be required.

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References:

• Fix poor print quality in Windows (Blurry, faded, or streaked prints)
• Fix printing problems in Word, Excel, or other apps
• Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows