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HP Officejet J6480 All-in-One Printer Troubleshooting

Replacing Cartridges

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Introduction

To prevent print quality issues, replace the cartridges when they are low or out of ink.

Replacing cartridges

Follow these steps to replace the old cartridges.

Video of replacing cartridges

The following video demonstrates how to replace a cartridge.
NOTE:This video shows the HP Officejet J6400 All-in-One Printer series, but the steps are the same for your printer.
If you have trouble viewing the video or to view the video in a different size, click here to play the video on YouTube .

Step one: Replace the old cartridge

  1. Press the Power button to turn on the printer.
    NOTE:If the printer is off when you open the cartridge access door to access the cartridges, the printer does not release the cartridges for changing. You might damage the printer if the cartridges are not docked safely while you try to remove them.
  2. Open the cartridge access door.
    Open the cartridge access doorImage: Open the cartridge access door.
    The carriage moves to the far right side of the printer.
  3. Wait until the carriage is idle and silent, and then lightly press down on a print cartridge to release it.
    To replace the tri-color cartridge, remove the cartridge from the slot on the left.
    To replace the black, photo, or gray photo cartridge, remove the cartridge from the slot on the right.
    Remove the cartridgeImage: Remove the cartridge.
  4. Pull the cartridge toward you and out of its slot.
  5. Remove the new cartridge from its packaging being careful to touch only the black plastic. Use the pull tab to remove the plastic tape.
    Figure 3: Remove the plastic tape
    Image: Remove the plastic tape.
    1 - Copper-colored contacts
    2 - Plastic tape with pink pull tab (must be removed before installing)
    3 - Ink nozzles under tape
    CAUTION:Do not tape the cartridges, or touch the copper-colored contacts or ink nozzles. Doing so can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.
    Figure 4: Do not touch copper-colored contacts or ink nozzles
    Image: Do not touch copper-colored contacts or ink nozzles.
  6. Hold the new cartridge with the HP logo on top, and then insert the new cartridge into the empty cartridge slot. Push the cartridge in firmly until it snaps into place.
    • To install the tri-color cartridge, slide it into the slot on the left.
    • To install the black, photo, or gray photo cartridge, slide it into the slot on the right.
    Insert the new cartridge into the appropriate slotImage: Insert the new cartridge into the appropriate slot.
  7. Close the cartridge access door.
    Figure 6: Close the cartridge access door
    Image: Close the cartridge access door.

Step two: Align the new print cartridge

The HP product prompts you to align cartridges every time you install or replace a cartridge. You can also use the product control panel or the HP software to align the cartridges at any time. Aligning the cartridges is necessary to obtain the best possible print quality.
  1. Load unused, plain white, U.S. letter or A4 sized paper in the input tray.
  2. Press the Setup button ( ) on the control panel.
  3. Select Tools , and then select Align Print Cartridge .
  4. The HP product prints a self-test page and aligns the cartridges. Recycle or discard the page.
    Figure 7: Print a self-test page
    Illustration: Print a self-test page