I have an all in one printer from HP and just replaced the black ink cartridge. I'm supposed to scan the alignment page to align the cartridge to ensure the best print quality. However, when I print the sheet the ink is really faded in certain spots even though it is a brand new cartridge. The problem is my scanner won't even read the alignment page. I can still print things but the quality is quite poor. I have tried cleaning the cartridges but that didn't seem to help. I'm not sure what else to do? I did notice the color cartridge is pretty well empty. Could that be affecting the print quality at all, even though I just need black ink?
If the color cartridge is almost empty it could be effecting the print quality. I had a similar printer some years back and found that the ink cartridges needed to be pretty much filled for the machine to work properly. Even if I was just making a black ink copy I found that if the color ink cartridge was nearly empty it would effect the quality of the copy even if the black cartridge was full. So odds are the color cartridge may need to be replaced as well.
I believe so the color cartridge needs to be full in order to have the printer to work properly. Well you can even try this trick I use at work... Try taking out the printer cartridge and shake it well and place it back in.. Most of the time it works for me
that might be it, you may need to buy a new color cartridge as well, then try and if it still doesn't print right then I would call in and see if it is still under warranty and maybe have it replaced or repaired.
I have had bad luck with hp printers due to ink cartridge issues. It sounds like you've tried quite a few methods already. I would bite the bullet and return the cartridge to the store for a refund.