The Quick Answer
If your HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e is not printing color, the most likely cause is a clogged printhead from infrequent use or empty color cartridges. To fix this immediately, open the HP Smart app, navigate to "Printer Settings", then "Print Quality Tools", and run the "Clean Printhead" utility up to three times.
Why Your HP 8025e Won't Print Color
The HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e uses individual ink cartridges (HP 910). When colors stop printing, or if your prints are missing cyan, magenta, or yellow, it usually points to a physical blockage rather than a hardware failure. If you haven't printed in a few weeks, the ink at the tip of the printhead nozzle has likely dried out.
Step 1: Check Ink Levels and Print Settings
Before doing anything drastic, let's rule out the simple things.
- Verify Ink Levels: Open the HP Smart app and check your estimated ink levels. If a color is completely empty, the printer will refuse to print that color.
- Check Grayscale Settings: In Windows, go to Settings > Printers & Scanners > HP 8025e > Printing Preferences. Ensure that "Print in Grayscale" or "Black Ink Only" is strictly turned off.
Step 2: Run the Automated Printhead Cleaning
This is the most effective fix for missing colors.
- Load plain white paper into the input tray.
- Open the HP Smart App on your computer or mobile device.
- Click on your printer, then scroll down to Advanced Settings (or Printer Settings).
- Navigate to Tools > Utilities > Print Quality Toolbox.
- Select Clean Printhead.
The printer will make some noise and print a diagnostic page. Examine the color blocks on the page. If they are still missing or streaky, run the level 2 and level 3 cleanings as prompted.
Additional Resources
If you've run the cleaning cycle three times and are still missing colors, you may need a manual printhead flush or new cartridges. Check the resources below:
