Hp Printer - Magenta Ink Not Coming Through

[patrickstar]

My HP Deskjet 3070A is not printing using the magenta ink cartridge. I am using a new HP Magenta cartridge. The tag has been fully removed prior to installation. I have carried out a head clean but still nothing other than at best a few smudge marks on the test page. Any other steps I can take before I carry out surgery on my print head? Thanks

[Buenchico]

I've sometimes found that I've needed to run the head-cleaning utility 6 or 8 times to get anything to come through. If you've gone from nothing to 'a few smudges' it suggests that you might have to do the same.

[patrickstar]

Thanks Buenchico. Will give it a go but will it eat through the rest of the other inks?

[Buenchico]

I never buy printers with a single cartridge for all of the colours. (It works out far cheaper to buy separate inks). But I've a nasty feeling that the answer to your question might be 'Yes'.

Does your printer have a 'deep clean' utility, as well as the normal one? If so, that's the one to run.

[mikey4444]

Have you tried cleaning the electrical contacts, on both the cartridge and the printer itself ?

Try a cotton bud, made very slightly damp with a very small amount of white spirit or methylated spirit.

[Wak]

I don't know the 3070A printer but my searchings say it has separate cartridges for each colour. If this is so then it may be possible that the air inlet passage is blocked on the top of the cartridge thus stopping the ink from leaving the bottom feed. Check the top of the cartridge and peel back the label which covers a very fine inlet groove for the air, cover with the mouth and gently blow to see if any ink now leaves the bottom exit.
If still the same then either replace or return to supplier.
However, if the cartridges contains all three colours then place the cartridge print head in a saucer of hot (not boiling) water and leave to cool then gently dab dry with a paper tissue. All colours should show up on the tissue.
Repeat with hot water if necessary. As already suggested, clean gold contacts (also contacts in the printer) with Meths and leave to dry.