HP 97 Yellow Ink Fades After Refill: Why It Prints at First, Then Disappears

Question:
I recently received a BCH Standard Printer Refill Ink Kit, and I was impressed with the quality. I used it to refill an HP 97 color cartridge that had run out of yellow ink. I was able to inject about 4 ml into the yellow chamber before I saw a slight overflow, and after refilling, the first color test print looked good. However, the next morning, the yellow started out printing normally, then gradually faded until it disappeared completely. I also noticed wet red, blue, and yellow ink on the printhead surface and on the paper under the cartridge during refilling. Running the printer's Clean Print Cartridges function showed the same pattern: strong red and blue, but yellow fading out. I have more than 30 years of experience refilling HP inkjet cartridges and had no problem refilling the HP 96 black cartridge. What could cause yellow to print briefly and then vanish like this?

Answer:

Based on your description, the most likely issue is not that the cartridge failed to accept ink, but that the yellow section is not maintaining proper ink flow to the nozzles over time. The key clue is that yellow printed correctly at first, then progressively faded and disappeared. That usually means the yellow chamber had enough ink near the nozzle area for an initial print, but after a short amount of use, fresh yellow ink could not continue feeding properly.

There are several likely causes for this behavior.

The first possibility is a partial internal blockage in the yellow sponge or ink path inside the HP 97 cartridge. Even though you successfully injected 4 ml and saw slight overflow, that does not always guarantee that the sponge is distributing ink evenly through the entire chamber. In some cases, the sponge can become dried out, internally separated, or partially air-locked. When that happens, the printhead may use up the immediately available yellow ink and then begin starving for more. The result is exactly what you described: the first print looks fine, then yellow fades as the cartridge continues printing.

The second possibility is air trapped in the yellow channel. During refilling, it is possible for air pockets to form in the sponge or near the printhead feed path. The cartridge may still print initially because some liquid ink is already present at the nozzle plate. But once that small supply is exhausted, the trapped air interferes with capillary flow and the yellow drops out. This is especially consistent with a color that fades gradually rather than disappearing instantly.

A third possibility is that the yellow nozzles are weak from age or heat stress. The HP 97 is an integrated printhead cartridge, which means the printhead is built into the cartridge itself. Over time, repeated use, overheating, running low on ink, or simple age can damage one color section more than the others. In your case, cyan and magenta appear stable while yellow is not. That can happen when the yellow resistor set or nozzle group is partly degraded. A weak nozzle bank may still fire briefly during the first test, especially after a refill, but then stop performing consistently once the cartridge warms up or the affected nozzles begin misfiring.

The fact that wet red, blue, and yellow ink was visible on the printhead surface and on the paper beneath the cartridge tells us something important too. That suggests the cartridge was not completely dry and that ink was present at the nozzle plate. So the issue is probably not a total lack of yellow ink. Instead, it points more toward unstable delivery, poor internal saturation, air intrusion, or printhead weakness in the yellow circuit.

The printer's Clean Print Cartridges function producing vibrant red and blue but fading yellow reinforces that conclusion. Cleaning cycles pull or fire more ink through the nozzles. If yellow appears briefly and then weakens during a cleaning routine, that often means the yellow section cannot sustain flow under demand. In simple terms, the cartridge can start printing yellow, but it cannot keep supplying yellow.

A few practical things may help explain the situation further:

If the cartridge had been empty for any length of time before refill, the yellow sponge may have become partially desiccated. Even experienced refillers run into this problem because once a sponge dries internally, fresh ink does not always recondition it evenly.

Also, while 4 ml is a reasonable refill amount for one chamber, actual usable capacity can vary depending on the cartridge's internal condition. A chamber may appear full because of slight overflow, but internally the ink may not yet have redistributed well enough to sustain printing.

Another factor is that with older integrated cartridges, one color channel can fail independently. That means the cartridge may still show wet ink externally while one color-here, yellow-no longer has reliable electrical or fluidic performance.

Possible fixes are limited but worth understanding.

First, let the cartridge rest printhead-down on a folded damp paper towel for a short period, just enough to encourage capillary flow and confirm whether yellow can re-establish itself at the nozzle plate. If yellow appears clearly on the towel but then still fades during printing, that points more strongly to an internal sponge-feed problem or nozzle weakness.

Second, a single additional cleaning cycle may help if the issue is minor air in the yellow path. However, repeated cleaning is usually not a good idea. Too many cleanings can overheat the printhead and accelerate failure, especially on an older HP 97.

Third, if you are comfortable doing so, a very careful re-priming approach can sometimes restore temporary function, but if the sponge has lost integrity or the yellow nozzle bank is already weakened, improvement may be brief.

In many cases like this, the most realistic conclusion is that the cartridge itself is nearing the end of its service life, specifically in the yellow section. Since the HP 96 black cartridge refilled successfully, that supports the idea that your refill method is sound. The difference is likely the internal condition of this particular HP 97 cartridge rather than a problem with the ink kit or your technique.

To put it plainly: because the yellow printed well at first and then faded away, the cartridge is most likely suffering from one of these conditions:
1) yellow sponge starvation,
2) trapped air in the yellow feed path,
3) partial yellow nozzle blockage, or
4) age-related failure of the yellow printhead circuit.

This type of failure is very common on integrated color cartridges because each refill cycle depends not only on adding ink, but also on the continued health of the cartridge's internal sponge and built-in printhead.

Printer issues like this can be complicated because they are so hands-on in nature. For that reason, we are not able to provide remote troubleshooting, repair recommendations, or direct printer repair support. We do offer an in-person evaluation and repair service through our local diagnostic facility [(https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service)]. Because demand is high, we work on a first-come, first-served basis, and it may take a few weeks before we are ready to accept your printer for drop-off. Our service options are set up to handle either an entire printer or specific components, with clear instructions on how to proceed. That said, we understand our rates may not be the lowest available. Because of that, we strongly encourage self-help through online research as well. You can begin by visiting YouTube or our BCH Technologies YouTube homepage [(https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies)]. To find videos on a particular topic, use the search icon next to "About" on the right side of the menu bar. I receive dozens of questions every day asking whether we have covered a specific issue in a video. After creating videos over the past nine years, it is difficult to remember every topic offhand, so YouTube's search function is usually the fastest and most effective method. It may also point you to useful videos from other creators.

Thank you again for reaching out and for trying our refill kit. We truly appreciate your support, your experience, and the detailed information you provided. Careful observations like yours are extremely helpful, and we are grateful for your continued support of BCH Technologies.