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Printer Prints a Blank Page or Does Not Print Black or Color Ink for the HP Deskjet
1510, 2540, and Deskjet Ink Advantage 1510 and 2545 Printers
This document is for the following printers: HP Deskjet 1510, 1511, 1512, 1513, 1514, 2540, 2541, 2542, 2543, 2544, 2546, 2546B, 2546P,
2546R, 2547, 2548, and 2549; and Deskjet Ink Advantage 1515, 1516, 1518, 2545, 2546, and 2548 printers.
The printer is working, but the printed output has no black, or is missing one or more colors, or is blank, or has very little ink.

Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows 7

Windows 8

Follow these solutions in the order presented to resolve the issue.

Solution one: Check the estimated ink levels and replace low or empty cartridges
Follow these steps to check the ink levels using the HP software on your computer.
Step one: Check the estimated ink levels
NOTE:
Ink level warnings and indicators provide estimates for planning purposes only. When an indicator shows low-ink levels, consider having
a replacement ink cartridge available to avoid possible printing delays. You do not need to replace ink cartridges until print quality
becomes unacceptable.

1. Right-click or tap and hold the lower left corner of the screen to open the menu, click or tap Control Panel, click or tap Devices and
Printers, double-click or double-tap the name of your HP printer, and then click HP Print Assistant to open the HP printer software.
NOTE:

You can also open the HP printer software from your computer desktop. Double-click or double-tap the icon for your HP printer (
).

2. Double-click or double-tap Print & Scan.

3. Click or tap Estimated Ink Levels. The HP Toolbox opens.
4. Click or tap the Estimated Ink Levels tab.
A graphic opens and displays the estimated ink levels for your printer.
Figure 1: Estimated ink levels

If none of the cartridges are low on ink, you do not need to replace them yet. Skip to the next solution in this document.
If any of the cartridges are low on ink, continue to the next step to replace them.
Step two: Replace the low or empty cartridge
1. Press the Power button to turn on the printer, if it is not already turned on.
2. Load plain white paper into the input tray.
3. Open the cartridge access door. The carriage moves to the center of the printer. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before
continuing.
Figure 2: Open the cartridge access door

4. Lightly press down on the cartridge to release it, and then pull the cartridge out of its slot.
Figure 3: Remove the cartridge

5. Remove the new cartridge from its packaging, and then pull the orange tab to remove the plastic tape.

CAUTION:
Do not touch the copper-colored contacts or the ink nozzles. Touching these parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad
electrical connections.

Figure 4: Remove the plastic tape

6. Hold the cartridge by its sides with the nozzles toward the printer, and then insert the cartridge into its slot. Make sure that the
cartridge is inserted in the correct slot.
The tri-color cartridge (
The black cartridge (

) goes in the slot on the left.

) goes in the slot on the right.

Figure 5: Insert the cartridge into its slot

7. Push the cartridge forward into its slot until it snaps into place.
Figure 6: Snap the cartridge into place

8. Repeat these steps to replace the other cartridge, if necessary.

9. Close the cartridge access door.
Figure 7: Close the cartridge access door

10. Follow any prompts on the screen.

11. Wait about 30 seconds for the alignment page to automatically print.
Figure 8: The alignment page prints automatically after 30 seconds

NOTE:
The printer prints an alignment page automatically only when a new cartridge has been installed.

Step four: Align the printer

For best print quality, align the printer after you install a new cartridge.
1. Lift the scanner lid.
2. Place the alignment page with the print side down on the right-front corner of the scanner glass. See the engraved guide next to the
scanner glass for help loading the alignment page.
Figure 9: Place the alignment page on the scanner glass

3. Close the scanner lid.

4. Press the Start Copy Black button (

) or the Start Copy Color button (

) on the front panel of the printer. The printer aligns the

cartridges.
If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution two: Clean the cartridges using an automated tool

Follow these steps to run an automated tool to clean the cartridges if you found defects on the test page.
1. Right-click or tap and hold the lower left corner of the screen to open the menu, click or tap Control Panel, click or tap Devices and
Printers, double-click or double-tap the name of your HP printer, and then click HP Print Assistant to open the HP printer software.
NOTE:
You can also open the HP printer software from your computer desktop. Double-click or double-tap the icon for your HP printer (
).

2. Double-click or double-tap HP Printer Assistant.

3. Click or tap Maintain Your Printer (

). The HP Toolbox opens.

4. Click or tap the Device Services tab.

5. Click or tap Clean Ink Cartridges, and then follow the on-screen instructions to clean the cartridges.
6. After running the tool, click or tap Print to print a test page. If the print quality is still unacceptable, follow the on-screen instructions to
run a Second-level clean.
If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution three: Replace the problem cartridge

Follow these steps to replace the problem cartridge if you saw defects on the test page and the preceding steps did not resolve the issue, even if
the cartridge is not low on ink. The problem cartridge is the one that printed the defects.
Step one: Remove and replace the problem cartridge
If you have a defective cartridge or printhead, it might be under warranty. To check the warranty on your ink or toner supplies, go to
hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies, select your country/region, and then review the limited warranty information for your supplies.
1. Press the Power button to turn on the printer, if it is not already turned on.
2. Load plain white paper into the input tray.
3. Open the cartridge access door. The carriage moves to the center of the printer. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before
continuing.
Figure 10: Open the cartridge access door

4. Lightly press down on the cartridge to release it, and then pull the cartridge out of its slot.
Figure 11: Remove the cartridge

5. Remove the new cartridge from its packaging, and then pull the orange tab to remove the plastic tape.
CAUTION:
Do not touch the copper-colored contacts or the ink nozzles. Touching these parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad
electrical connections.

Figure 12: Remove the plastic tape

6. Hold the cartridge by its sides with the nozzles toward the printer, and then insert the cartridge into its slot. Make sure that the
cartridge is inserted in the correct slot.
The tri-color cartridge (
The black cartridge (

) goes in the slot on the left.

) goes in the slot on the right.

Figure 13: Insert the cartridge into its slot

7. Push the cartridge forward into its slot until it snaps into place.
Figure 14: Snap the cartridge into place

8. Repeat these steps to replace the other cartridge, if necessary.

9. Close the cartridge access door.
Figure 15: Close the cartridge access door

10. Follow any prompts on the screen.

11. Wait about 30 seconds for the alignment page to automatically print.
Figure 16: The alignment page prints automatically after 30 seconds

NOTE:
The printer prints an alignment page automatically only when a new cartridge has been installed.

Step two: Align the printer

For best print quality, align the printer after you install a new cartridge.
1. Lift the scanner lid.
2. Place the alignment page with the print side down on the right-front corner of the scanner glass. See the engraved guide next to the
scanner glass for help loading the alignment page.
Figure 17: Place the alignment page on the scanner glass

3. Close the scanner lid.

4. Press the Start Copy Black button (

) or the Start Copy Color button (

) on the front panel of the printer. The printer aligns the

cartridges.
If these steps resolved the issue, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists, continue to the next solution.

Solution four: Service the printer

If you have completed all the steps listed above and are still experiencing a problem, continue to the Service the printer section at the end of
this document.

Mac OS X v10.6, OS X v10.7, OS X v10.8, and OS X v10.9

Service the printer
If you have completed all of the solutions listed above and are still experiencing a problem, service the printer.

NOTE:
Keep a print sample that shows the problem. If the ink cartridges, printhead, or printer is replaced under warranty, the support agent will
request the print sample. If the printer is returned to HP, the print sample must be returned with the printer. Place the sample in the output
tray when you package your printer for shipping.

Contacting HP for service in all countries/regions except Asia Pacific.

If you completed all the preceding steps and your product still has an issue, service the product.
First, go to Check your product warranty to check your printer warranty status, and then go to Contact HP Support to find an authorized service
dealer or to schedule a repair.
Repair fees might apply for out-of-warranty printers.
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