Photosmart A512v: colors are not true, more bluish....is it the ink cartridge that needs replacing or is it the paper????

heating element in a photosmart printer?
have you made sure you're printing to the right sort of paper in the printer settings. it's obviously dispensing too much ink for the paper you're using.

Replace color cartridge:Reason: Color cartridge carries three color for color combination, in that any one of color empty or dried up color combination wont happen perfectly, result printer get mismatch colors.. In your case it might be magenta color over.. replace color cartridge to get good print outs..

The printer takes a tri-color cartridge and a black cartridge. So anytime there is an issue with color, replace the tri-color cartridge. As far as using compatible inks, you will not be able to use HP's software for ink levels with compatible inks. This feature will work only with HP ink cartridges.

The process is different for photos than for plain paper.
It is likely that one of your colors are not printing, probably one of your `light' colors. You can perform a `nozzle check' by using the menu on your printer. This shows you the colors that are printing, and whether they are printing correctly.
If you are using refilled ink, that could easily be the issue.
Try performing the printhead cleaning, again in the menu on your printer. If that does not work, try replacing the ink tank for the faulty color.
If none of this works, it is likely that the ink delivery system is cracked, a common problem in these models.
In this case, replace the printer.

probably the alignment its not succeed
be cause on of color is missing
check if you see and the 4 colors on paper (yellow cyan magenta black)
if one color is try cleaning , refilling or replacing the cartridge 
if you need instructions for refilling check here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybj4awp_1ic

Hi:
This problem is usually caused by one of the colors in the installed cartrige not printing out on the alignment page. You need to have red, blue and yellow working to get a good alignment. Try removing the cartridge, and wiping the print head with a wet paper towel to try to start the ink flowing. You should see three bands of color ink oozing out the bottom. If not, the cartridge is bad and needs replaced again!

Remove the magenta cartridge, and try cleaning the head with alcohol, maybe with a small paint brush or an acid brush. It sounds like ink has dried and plugged up that head.

It sounds like you need to run the head cleaning utility. If you click on the manager software there will be a tab or button that will say head cleaning. It varies depending on what printer and versions etc. You can also check your manual for step by step instructions. Run the clean cycle several times not just once or twice. You will see improvement with every clean cycle.

If the cleaning cycle doesn't improve it enough the next step is to use q-tips dipped in white vinegar to gently clean the print head. This takes a bit of care but can restore the quality to like new. The vinegar dissolves the dried ink. You need to remove the ink cartridges and then gently wipe the bottom of the print head until it comes clean. This is the where the head touches the paper not the cartridge side. It might be a little hard to get to. You can also try a piece of lint free paper towel with vinegar on it and then manually pull the print head back and forth across the towel. It won't take much before the head is cleaned.

Past that point it is going to be a hardware problem and is generally way cheaper just to get a replacement printer.

Try to clean all contacts in the cartridges with soft dry paper, and reconnect...

as the colours are at the end so its not printing properly.as very less colours in the cartridge.just get it refilled or replaced.