Q: I know the problem is not with the ink cartridges, since they are new. The printer works fine for the first page or two of printing text, but after that it rapidly fades, so that by page 4 you can barely see any text at all. The same thing happens when I print pages with many colors, although it takes longer for the fading to occur. What's going on here?
A: I'm assuming you have an HP. Here is the cause and a solution: Cause Over time, ink can build up in an area of the printer service station called the 'spittoon'. When ink builds up high enough that the black cartridge drags across the buildup, the cartridge nozzles are clogged by the ink. Solution Remove and clean the service station. NOTE: Some mechanical skill is required as the printer will be partially disassembled, and the service station will be removed, cleaned, and reinstalled. WARNING: This is a very messy job. Wear old clothes, rubber or plastic gloves, and eye protection. Lay down newspapers to protect the floor. 1. Gather required tools: * Medium flat blade screwdriver * Torx T-10 screwdriver * Q-tips or other cotton swabs * Cleaning rags * Distilled or bottled water 2. With the printer turned on, open the cartridge lid. The print cartridge carriage moves to the center of the printer. Open the cartridge lid and wait for the print cartridge carriage to move to the center of the printer 3. Unplug the power cord from the printer. 4. Push the carriage to the left side of the printer. 5. Locate the plastic removable panel on the right side of the printer. Place the tip of a medium flat-bladed screwdriver in the small notch at the edge of the panel and pry the cover off. It swings out and pops off the printer. 6. Locate the service station - it is the large black plastic part behind the cover. Use a T-10 Torx screwdriver to remove the small screw at the top center of the service station. 7. Pull the service station out like a drawer. 8. Refer to the illustration below and locate the spittoon area of the service station. In the spittoon you should see a stalagmite of sludgy ink buildup. The ink is gooey, with the consistency of heavy grease. Remove the buildup by digging it out with a screwdriver. 1 - Spittoon 2 - Tumbler 3 - Wipers 4 - Wiper scrapers 9. Wash the entire service station assembly in warm water, paying particular attention to the rotating tumbler and the wiper scrapers. Use only clear water. Do NOT use soaps or detergents. The service station should be noticeably cleaner when you are done washing it, and the spittoon should be free of all of the old ink buildup. 10. Rotate the tumbler toward the back of the Service Station until it reaches its stop. It should look like the picture below. 11. Gently slide the service station back into the printer until the hooks on the right side engage the metal chassis of the printer, and the plastic is seated against the chassis. * It may be necessary to rotate the tumbler slightly to allow the tumbler gear to engage the drive gear within the printer. * Some printers have a fan in front of the Service Station. The wires leading to the fan may have to be positioned to aid installing the Service Station unit. 12. When the service station is seated, reinstall the screw and tighten it. 13. Reinstall the side panel by engaging the hooks at the front of the printer, then swinging the panel in so the tabs engage the printer case at the back. The side panel should snap into place. 14. Remove both print cartridges. 15. Gently clean the areas around the print nozzles with a soft lint-free cloth moistened with distilled or bottled water. Clean the copper flex strip along the back of each cartridge and the contacts in the print carriage. Make sure that the contacts in the carriage are not bent and that no lint or other debris remains. 1 - Clean around the nozzles 2 - Clean the copper flex strip 16. Reinstall the print cartridges, plug the power cord back into the printer, and turn on the printer. When the cover is closed, the carriage will move back into its normal home position. There may be some rattling noises, but the printer should settle down to normal operation in a few seconds. 17. If black cartridge performance does not return to normal after printing a few pages, you may have to replace the cartridge with a new HP #45A. While contact with ink sludge may permanently damage the cartridge in some cases, most cartridges will recover in a few pages of printing.