HP photosmart C3100 All-in-one

This error is mostly caused by dirty or damaged printhead or contacts. Suggest to follow HP solution below for further troubleshooting.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03081973&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=1146340&tmp_track_link=ot_search#N48

Sounds like a dirty print head. Please click on the below link and it will take you to the HP support page for this problem with step by step instructions on how to solve this.

Thanks.
HP Photosmart C3100 - Lines or Missing Ink on Printout

From the manual:
Make sure the HP All-in-One is on.
Caution If the HP All-in-One is off when you open the print cartridge door
to access the print cartridges, the HP All-in-One will not release the
cartridges for changing. You might damage the HP All-in-One if the print
cartridges are not docked safely when you try to remove them.
2. Make sure you have letter or A4 unused plain white paper loaded in the input tray.
3. Open the print cartridge door.
The print carriage moves to the far right side of the HP All-in-One.
4. Wait until the print carriage is idle and silent, and then lightly press down on a
print cartridge to release it.
If you are replacing the tri-color print cartridge, remove the print cartridge from the
slot on the left.
If you are replacing the black or photo print cartridge, remove the print cartridge
from the slot on the right.
Chapter 1
14 HP Photosmart C3100 All-in-One series
HP All-in-One overview
1 Print cartridge slot for the tri-color print cartridge
2 Print cartridge slot for the black and photo print cartridge

maybe you just need to check the "grayscale printing" option in the printer menu..

Hi

Please see this link for details on resolving the blinking light issue on your HP C3100 Printer---

C3100 Blinking Lights

Please do rate this solution as FixYa if found helpful and revert for further assistance.

Thanks
Rylee

It is possible. You will have to go into the properties of the printer you're using. Assuming you're using WinXP, go to Start>Printers and Faxes and right click your color printer. Choose Printing Preferences. Using my HP Photosmart C3100 as an example, I would next choose the Color tab and under Color Options, choose the radio button that says Print In Grayscale. That will do it.

Hey slvian,

I would try the troubleshooting steps in this documentation:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00308379&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&rule=21937&product=1146331

It takes you through some cartridge steps that might help. I hope it does.

Cheers,

_K

The light you describe is the ink light.
When that light is blinking, try this.

Turn on the printer. Open the front cover and look at the carrier for the ink cartridges. There is a white arrow right above the latch for the color cartridge.
Once the carrier stops moving, the white arrow should be pointing to a symbol which represents the problem (the reason the light is blinking.) Examples are low ink black, low ink color, sick black ( replace ) , sick color ( replace ).

IF you have just replaced your black cartridge, you might need to replace your color cartridge too.
This printer will not work without both ink cartridges installed and full.
You cant print with a full black and an empty color cartridge unfortunately, even if you only want to print black.

Hope this helps!

I just got off the HP help line.  After changing my black ink cartridge a test page was printing each time I turned the machine on.  This is very costly, in both time and ink as the cartridges themselves for this machine hold very little ink.  I tried to learn from HP tech how to turn off the test-print while keeping my color cartridge empty.  It turns out that you cant do it.  HP requires you to keep buying and using cartridges whether you need them or not.If you buy the color ink it will use it up in its testings.  And if you dont buy the color cartridge it will use up your black ink by printing the test each time you turn on the printer.  The printer was inexpensive sure, but I'm paying for it in wasted ink. 

HP Deskjet 1180c and1220c Professional Series Printer and HP Deskjet 9300 and 1280 Printer - Troubleshooting a Blinking Print Cartridge Light Introduction The Print Cartridge light continues to blink with both cartridges properly installed and the Access Cover (also known as the top cover or lid) closed. Instructions The blinking Print Cartridge light may be caused by a faulty cartridge, the plastic case of the printer being dislodged or slightly out of position (which prevents the Access Cover from seating properly), the Access Cover sensor (also known as the top cover sensor or lid sensor), or by the actuator on the Access Cover. Follow the steps below to resolve the issue.

1. With the printer turned on, open the Access Cover. The carriage will move out of the capping station and stop at one of the cartridge status icons located inside the printer under the Access Cover. The yellow arrow on top of the carriage will point to one of the cartridge status icons to indicate a good, empty, or faulty cartridge. See Figure 1 below.
   1. If the carriage stops in the cartridge’s OK position, indicated by the happy face in Figure 1, continue with Step 2.
   2. If a problem is indicated with one of the cartridges, remove the cartridge and verify that the cartridge part number is correct. The black cartridge part number is 51645A and the color cartridge part number is C6578A or C6578D.
   3. If the cartridge part number is correct, clean the electrical contacts on the cartridge with a soft, lint-free cloth. Do not touch or wipe the nozzle plate.
   4. If a faulty cartridge is still indicated after verifying the cartridge part number and cleaning the contacts on the cartridge, replace the cartridge.
   5. After replacing the cartridge, turn off and then turn on the printer to clear the cartridge error from the printer's memory. If the cartridge error cannot be cleared, the printer will require repair. If the carriage stops in the cartridge’s OK position, indicated by the happy-face in Figure 1, continue with Step 2. NOTE: The printer checks the status of both print cartridges before printing. Both the black and color cartridge must be functional and installed in the printer in order to print.
   Figure 1: Cartridge status icons Icon/Drawing Problem identified by the symbol Solution The color cartridge is missing, improperly installed, defective, or the wrong print cartridge is installed. 1. If there is no color cartridge in the cartridge cradle, insert a color cartridge.
   
   2. If there is a color cartridge in the cradle, remove the color cartridge and firmly reinsert it.
   
   3. Check to make sure the color cartridge is appropriate for the printer.
   
   4. If the problem persists, replace the color cartridge. The black cartridge is missing, improperly installed, the wrong print cartridge, or is defective. 1. If there is no black cartridge in the cartridge cradle, insert a black cartridge.
   
   2. If there is a black cartridge in the cradle, remove the black cartridge and firmly reinsert it.
   
   3. Check to make sure the black cartridge is appropriate for the printer.
   
   4. If the problem persists, replace the black cartridge. The color print cartridge is running low on ink. Replace the color print cartridge with a new color print cartridge. The black print cartridge is running low on ink. Replace the black print cartridge with a new black print cartridge. None. The print cartridges are working correctly. None. The print cartridges are working correctly.
2. Close the Access Cover and wait for the printer to initialize. If the Print Cartridge light is still blinking, remove the Access Cover by following the steps below:
   1. Open the Access Cover and hold it open.
   2. Dislodge the Access Cover from the hinges with a sharp blow to the hinge area of the Access Cover and then remove the Access Cover.
3. Install the Access Cover by following the steps below:
   1. Align the hinges on the Access Cover with the hinge pins on the printer.
   2. Push down firmly on the Access Cover until the hinges snap into position.
4. Close the top cover and wait for the printer to initialize. If the Print Cartridge light is still blinking, the printer case may be dislodged or slightly out of position. To restore the printer case to the proper position, squeeze the printer by applying pressure to the front and back pressure points shown in Figure 2. Figure 2: Pressure points Firmly squeeze the pressure points on the printer case as shown in Figure 3. If the Print Cartridge light continues to blink, continue with step 5. Figure 3: Squeezing the pressure points
5. If the Print Cartridge light is still blinking, push down firmly on the center of the Access Cover (the extra pressure may engage the sensor). If the Print Cartridge light quits blinking, remove the pressure from the Access Cover to see if the Print Cartridge light starts blinking again. Re-apply the pressure to the center of the Access Cover to see if the Print Cartridge light stops blinking again.
   1. If the Print Cartridge light quits blinking with pressure applied, the Access Cover is faulty and should be replaced.
   2. If the Print Cartridge light continues to blink even with pressure applied, the Access Cover sensor may be faulty and the printer will require repair.