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3 Essential HP Officejet Pro 8600 Ink Troubleshooting Tips
The HP Officejet Pro 8600 is a reliable, multi-featured, highly functional, fast, and economical printer for a small business. HP officejet pro 8600 specs and features include automatic duplex print, double-sided copy, fast printing of up to 13.2 text-pages per minute, 50-sheet ADP, USB, Wireless, and Ethernet setup, etc.
To add, the HP Officejet 8600 also prints high-resolution photos on glossy paper and scans well. Its 250-sheet paper tray fits the needs of most small workgroups and businesses just as the 50-sheet output tray does. And best of all, the OfficeJet Pro 8600 has a conveniently low ink cost with good print quality output.
With all its amazing features, it’s no wonder you’ve chosen the OfficeJet Pro 8600 for your home and small business needs. But not everything is rosy when it comes to printing, even if you have a great machine. Sometimes, problems arise, and you need to do some troubleshooting.
This article discusses some of the most common printing problems with the Officejet Pro 8600 and troubleshooting tips to resolve them. But first, let’s discuss the HP Officejet Pro 8600 ink cartridges.
What ink does the HP Officejet Pro 8600 use?
The HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus printer uses HP 950 (black) and HP 951 ink cartridges (color) – 1 black, 1 cyan, 1 magenta, 1 yellow. These cartridges come in standard and high yield (XL) versions. The high yield versions contain more than twice the ink compared to the standard versions.
The standard HP 950 Black Cartridge has a 1000-page yield, while each HP 951 Color Cartridge has a 700-page yield. The HP 950XL Black Cartridge has a 2300-page yield, while each HP 951 Color Cartridge has a 1500-page yield.
The standard HP 950 black has a 2.7 cost per page (cpp), and the standard color cartridges have a 2.9 cost per page each. A four-color page will have approximately 11.4 cost per page. But this is where things get better because you can save more with XL cartridges.
The 2300-page HP 950 XL has 1.6 cpp, while the 500-page HP 951 XL has 1.99 cpp – with the four-color page making up 7.3 cpp. These are much lower than the standard versions. If you’re printing a lot, the remanufactured HP 950 XL / HP 951 XL ink cartridges will save you more money.
HP Officejet Pro 8600 Ink Troubleshooting
1. How to get your printer back online when it shows an "Offline" message
You want to print something, so you select “Print” and choose the printer of your choice, but it doesn’t print. You check the printer menu and see a “Printer Offline” message. When this happens, follow these easy steps to get your printer back online:
Sometimes, while you’re printing, the computer thinks your printer is offline when it is on and ready to begin printing at any time. And an error in your computer and printer may be causing this problem.
Sometimes, your cable may not be firmly attached, or there may be a paper-jam causing the error.
A printer that showcases an “Offline” error may also be caused by HP officejet pro 8600 software download or driver problems. This may depend upon your printer’s age or when there are updates to be installed.
The printer offline-online troubleshooting applies to all printer types like HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, and more.
2. How to make your “Offline” printer show “Online” again
Follow every step to make sure you don’t miss any items to make your printer show “online” status again.
(a) Cable Checks and Physical Printer
Check the ends of your printer’s USB cable and make sure they’re firmly attached. If your printer is connected to a network, check if the Ethernet cable is thoroughly attached. If you have a wireless printer, make sure your device is connected with the router and check if there’s an internet connection.
If you are connected through a cable, try utilizing the printer cable’s end on several of your device’s sockets or ports.
Try a different cable to check if the problem lies with the cable. If you’re on a wireless or network device, you can attach the cable to your computer to make sure the printer works. Your network connection could be the source of the problem.
(b) How to manually set the printer to “Online”
- Locate the Start icon found on your screen’s bottom-left, select Control Panel, then Devices and Printers.
- Right-click your printer, then select “see what’s printing.”
- A window will pop up; select “Printer” in the top menu bar.
- Choose “Use Printer Online” on the drop-down menu.
(c) Get rid of all the pending print tasks
- From “See what’s printing” mentioned above, right click then “Cancel” all current print tasks.
- Once the print tasks are removed, choose “Use Printer Online” once again.
- If any print tasks are remaining, try restarting your printer and PC.
You can find more information about his procedure here: What to do when my HP printer is stuck in the queue?
HP OfficeJet 6600
HP OfficeJet Pro 7740
(d) Remove and reinstall your printer
- From Devices and Printers, right-click the printer, then select “Remove device.”
- Add the printer again by choosing “Add a Printer” from Devices and Printers.
(e) Remove Packages and Printer Drivers
- Make sure you’re using Windows as the Admin or Sign-up for one.
- Type CMD within the search bar.
- Within the command prompt, type “printui /s /t2” with the spaces to open the Print Server Properties window.
- Remove the printer’s Package and HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus Driver.
- Add your printer again by choosing “Add a Printer” within Devices and Printers.
- Your printer should be online, and you can continue printing once you’ve done these steps.
If it’s probable that your printer has an electronic problem, it would be wise to contact a printer technician or ask for support from the manufacturer.
Don’t forget to check the expenses involved in fixing errors – in some cases; it may be more affordable to buy a new printer instead of paying for high maintenance costs.
You can learn more about HP system failures here: How to Fix HP Printer Ink System Failure?
HP 932XL / 933XL Ink Cartridges
HP 952XL Ink Cartridges
3. Another way to get your device back online is by following these steps:
(a) In trying to get your printer back online:
- Find “Settings,” then “Printers.”
- Right-click on your printer and choose “Use Printer Online.”
(b) In checking for any print tasks and clearing them away:
- Double-click on the printer
- Proceed to “Printer Menu,” then choose “Cancel All Documents.”
(c) In case of printer jam that causes the printer to go offline and send an error
- Try printing again to set your printer back online. Use a test page to print and determine if the error was resolved.
- Locate the printer, switch it to “printer off,” then turn it on again.
- Check if the printer has jammed, which leads to the error.
- Make sure all connections – network and wireless – are working. Restart your computer.
(d) If it does not work, you must reinstall the drivers. In reinstalling drivers:
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- Proceed to “Setting,” “Printers,” then choose the printer.
- Right-click the printer, then select “Properties.”
- On the “General” or “Details,” search for the driver button, choose it, then select the officejet pro 8600 driver again.
Note: you must download the diver through your printer manufacturer’s website.
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- Reinstall your printer. Under “Printers” within the “Settings” menu, select the printer.
- Delete the printer and reinstall it using the “Add a printer” wizard.
(e) If it doesn’t work, try these steps:
- Click “Start,” then choose “Devices and Printers.” Or type “Devices and Printers” within the search bar. Or type “Printers” to access the settings menu.
- Right-click on your printer’s icon, then click “See What’s Printing,” or left-click the printer, then choose “Manage Device.”
- Click the “Printer” menu within the popup window, then uncheck “User Printer Offline.” Your printer will then print any items within the print queue.
HP 950 / 951 “Ink System Failure” or “Printhead Failure” Error
The HP 950 / 951 error message “Ink System Failure” could be linked to several things – usually low or empty ink. It could also be poor sealing between the internal printhead and cartridge or that the cartridge needs replacements.
We recommend that you first verify proper ink volumes with your ink provider. At least 4% of ink must be available to do any printer operation. You can also refer to this article: How to Check Printer Ink Levels
Once you’ve verified that there’s enough ink volume in all the ink cartridges, and the problem persists, it is recommended to perform 2 – 3 “Clean Printhead” operations within the printer’s main menu (if necessary).
Other possible causes of failure
The built-in printhead could have damaged or bent contact pins. Pull out each ink cartridge, then check the internal printhead contact pins for any damage. While the problem persists, you will see the “Missing or Damaged Cartridge” error message, although “Ink Cartridge Failure” may also appear.
While printhead pins can be bent back into position with a small flat head screwdriver, the printhead may require replacement if the pin is severely damaged. Replacing the printhead can be difficult, and it would be best to let a printer technician fix the problem for you.
Ink Cartridge Problem
Upon installing a refilled or third-party HP 950 / 951, HP 950XL / 951 XL ink cartridges, you may see a “Used,” “Non-HP,” or “Counterfeit” alert message. When this happens, click “Yes,” “Continue,” and “OK” to bypass these alerts. This allows you to print normally.
As long as the latest compatible chip version is installed in your other printer models which shows the printer or cartridge error message “Cartridge Problem” or “One or more cartridges may be damaged or missing,” then either:
- There’s a poor connection between the chip and the printer (i.e., ink on-chip contacts). You can try cleaning the chip’s surface with a damp towel and see if it solves the problem.
- The chip was set incorrectly into the cartridge (i.e., installed upside down or slipped into one side).
- “Missing or Damaged” may be due to incorrect chip installation, or the chip is not compatible with your printer model. Verify with the refiller is the chip is positioned correctly and whether the right color and type were installed. For printer ink compatibility, go here: HP OfficeJet Pro Series.
(a) How to Bypass “Missing or Damaged” Alert
- There’s a bypass option for the HP OJ Pro 8100 printer model, but you’ll need a 2nd set of ink cartridges to proceed. For a second set of HP 8600 ink, don’t hesitate to buy our HP 950XL / HP 951 XL ink cartridges at a very affordable HP officejet Pro 8600 price.
- Acquire another set of spare ink cartridges – these can be utilized, full or empty. Remember also that you can’t set up cartridges from another (incompatible) printer.
- Remove the replacement chips or chip from the refilled cartridge.
- Do the HP 950 / 951 Ink Cartridge Swap Procedure.
(b) HP 950/951 Ink Cartridge Swap Procedure
- Reserve a spare HP 8600 ink cartridge for every color.
- As each cartridge is depleted, remove it for refill or replacement.
- Insert the same color spare into the printer.
- Save the refill as spare printer ink.
- Continue the two-set pattern for every color.
You can find more information about this troubleshooting procedure here: How to Make Generic Ink Cartridges Work on an HP Printer
Resetting the HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 printer if it’s not working
Is your HP Officejet Pro 860 printer not working? A reset might fix the issue. Your OfficeJet printer can be reset in 3 ways, and we will discuss each one below.
Accessing Secret Support Menu
You can access the printer’s hidden support menu for troubleshooting services you can use every time the printer runs into problems. You can access the support menu by following these steps:
- Turn off your Officejet Pro 860 printer.
- Count 10 seconds, then turn it ON again.
- Once the printer is ON, push the back button on the printer’s front panel four times.
- The support menu will appear if you do this correctly.
You can find more information about the Secret Support Menu in the HP Officejet Pro 8600 manual
Using the Resets Menu
In the support menu, you will find several options. To access the resets menu, you must navigate to the right until you locate the reset menu. In the resets, the menu is three types of resets – partial, semi-full, and full reset. Each reset type is appropriate for specific issues. Please choose the right reset type for your situation; then, your printer should reset itself.
(a) Partial Reset
Partial reset refreshes your printer and clears unnecessary memory from your printer. This reset type will fix minor printing problems like cartridge errors, slow printing, etc.
(b) Semi-Full Reset
Semi-Full reset is the most suitable reset type. But this process clears out your printer’s custom setting and sets it back to the default factory setting. If a partial reset doesn’t work, try out this reset to fix your issue.
(c) Full Reset
A full reset is the most effective reset. If all else fails, then you can do this reset type as a final recourse. But it’s not recommended since it clears settings within your printer, and an interruption in the process may make your printer unusable.
Final Words
Several errors and issues can occur while you’re using the HP Officejet Pro 8600 printer. The troubleshooting tips we’ve shared in this article are among the most common problems you will encounter. Follow these procedures so you can get back to printing and get the most value out of your printer.
If you like this article, you may also like: How to Fix HP Printer Not Printing Color Correctly