I have the subject error on an HP OfficeJet 8620, but an internet search suggests that other people have seen it on a variety of HP printers. The header on the error message on the printer’s screen says “Missing or Failed Printhead”. I removed and cleaned the printhead (twice) following instructions I found on the internet and the error persists.
Has anyone here experienced this? Did replacing the printhead help? (A new printhead from Amazon costs just over half what I paid for the printer ten years ago.) My concern is that something has failed in the printer that is supposed to communicate with the printhead (rather than a failure in the printhead), so a new printhead would not solve the problem. Advice?
I haven’t encountered this particular error but have encountered an annoying “expired certificate” error with a different HP printer that is about 10 years old:
There seem to be bugs in the printer operating systems that cause these (latent?) errors. It is worth checking for a software update for your printer in case that addresses your problem. Unfortunately this did not work for me.
Good idea; thanks—but no. The firmware updater refused to do anything because the printer is in an error state. The driver packages reported an expired certificate, and given the problems with expired certificates discussed here, I elected not to proceed. The HP Easy Start app said there was new software and that it would transfer me to my browser; the browser then returned a page with code 400 “Bad Request”.
I’m back to assuming that it’s a real hardware error, and my concern is that the error is in the printer rather than the printhead.
If the printer thinks the print head is missing, I would first double-check the cable(s) that connect the head to the rest of the printer. Make sure debris/ink isn’t fouling the socket.
If you’ve reseated the cables and are still seeing problems, consider using a product like DeoxIT to clean the connectors. Just apply a small amount, let it evaporate and try again.
Good suggestion. It appears the cables from the printer are connected to the back side of the carriage from my access point. In short, checking the cable connections seems to be above my skill level. I did try to clean the contacts between the printhead and the carriage with compressed air, and that didn’t help.
OP here, closing the loop. I bought a new printhead. The short story is that it seems to fixed the problem.
The longer story is that the printer still displayed the printhead error message. Thinking that the printer might need to be rebooted, I pressed the on-off button. I then got a message about calibration in progress, but with no accompanying sound. After giving it a few minutes (still with no sound), I unplugged the power cord. When I connected the power cord a minute later, the printer made many clunk and whir sounds, then told me to insert a clean paper and perform an alignment. Paper was already in the feeder (why didn’t the printer know that?), so I pressed continue (or start, or something similar) on the printer’s screen. After a lengthy time (on the order of a full minute), the printer spat a page with neat line segments, told me I had real HP cartridges, and I think gave me some other message. I haven’t printed anything yet (I don’t print much, but I want to be able to print), but there are no error messages at rest.
I could have bought a cheaper printhead. The package linked above included ink cartridges and had a higher customer rating than the bare printheads, plus it was returnable (as I believe they all were). I went for the higher rated item.