HP OfficeJet Pro 6958, 6968, and 6978 Printing Blank Pages After Fixing a Carriage Jam

Question

I had a carriage jam problem on my HP OfficeJet Pro 6958/6968/6978 printer where the printhead was stuck on the right side. I fixed the gear issue, cleaned the printhead, replaced the cartridge, and now the printer is moving again. However, every page I print comes out completely blank. The printer seems to work mechanically, but no ink is appearing on the paper. What should I do next?

Answer

In your case, since the HP OfficeJet Pro 6958, 6968, or 6978 is now moving again after the carriage jam repair, the original mechanical problem may be mostly resolved. However, a blank page usually means the ink delivery system has not been restored yet. In other words, the carriage can move, the printer can accept the print job, and the paper can feed through, but ink is not reaching the paper.

For this situation, the first thing I would suggest is to prime the printhead and then print again. After a carriage jam, gear repair, cartridge replacement, or printhead cleaning, air can get into the ink path. If the printhead has air in it, or if the ink flow has not been re-established, the printer may go through all the correct motions while producing a completely blank sheet.

On HP OfficeJet Pro 6958, 6968, and 6978 printers, blank pages after a carriage jam repair can happen for several reasons:

1. The printhead is not primed

   This is the most likely issue based on your description. If the printhead was cleaned, removed, disturbed, or allowed to sit dry, the ink channels may now contain air instead of ink. The cartridge may be new, but the ink still has to travel from the cartridge into the printhead and through the nozzles.

   Try running the printer's built-in printhead cleaning cycle from the printer menu or HP software. You may need to run the cleaning cycle more than once, but do not run too many cleanings back-to-back because that can waste ink and fill the waste ink area. After cleaning, print a print quality report or nozzle test page.

   If nothing prints at all, not even faint lines, then the printhead may need more direct priming.

2. The cartridge may not be feeding ink properly

   A new cartridge does not always mean ink is flowing correctly. Check that the cartridge vent is open and that any protective tape or seal has been fully removed. If the cartridge vent is blocked, the printer may not be able to pull ink from the cartridge.

   Also, make sure the cartridge is seated firmly. If the printer recognizes the cartridge but the ink outlet is not making good contact with the printhead inlet, the printer may still print blank pages.

3. The printhead may still be clogged

   Cleaning the printhead helps only if the clog is removed from the correct part of the ink path. Sometimes the surface of the printhead looks clean, but the internal nozzles are still blocked. If the printer sat unused, had a cartridge run dry, or had air pulled into the ink system, dried ink can block the nozzle channels.

   If you see partial printing, streaks, or missing colors, that usually means the printhead is clogged or partially starved of ink. If the page is completely blank, then the problem is more likely severe ink starvation, air lock, electronic failure, or the printhead not firing.

4. The printhead may not be firing electronically

   If the carriage jam was severe, the printer may have moved against resistance. That can sometimes damage the carriage assembly, printhead contacts, carriage cable, or related electronics. In that case, the printer may move normally but fail to trigger the nozzles.

   Check the electrical contacts between the cartridge and printer. Make sure they are clean, dry, and not bent. Avoid touching the contacts with your fingers. If you clean them, use proper electronics-safe methods and allow everything to dry fully before reinstalling.

5. The printer may still have a carriage-positioning or service-station issue

   The original problem was a printhead stuck on the right side, which often involves the carriage path, service station, wiper system, gear mechanism, or capping station. If the capping station is not sealing properly, the printhead can dry out quickly. If the pump or service station is not working correctly, the printer may not be able to pull ink through the printhead during cleaning cycles.

   This is important because fixing the gear may allow the printer to move again, but it does not always restore the ink-priming function. If the service station cannot cap, wipe, or prime the printhead, blank pages can continue.

6. The printer may need a reset after the repair

   After mechanical work, try a basic power reset. Turn the printer off, unplug it from the wall, wait a few minutes, plug it directly into a wall outlet, and turn it back on. Then reinstall the cartridges and run a printhead cleaning or alignment if the printer allows it.

   If the printer shows any error codes during startup, cartridge recognition, alignment, or cleaning, those codes are important. In your message, no specific error code was mentioned, but if one appears, it should be noted because HP errors can point to cartridge failure, printhead failure, carriage movement failure, paper feed problems, or internal service-station problems.

The practical next step is this: prime the printhead first, then try printing a nozzle check or print quality report. Do not start with a normal document because that does not tell you much diagnostically. A print quality report will show whether black, cyan, magenta, and yellow are coming through. If all colors are blank, the printhead is not getting ink or is not firing. If only one color is blank, that color channel is clogged, air-locked, or not being supplied by the cartridge.

If priming restores even faint lines, that is a good sign. It means the printhead is still capable of printing, and the issue is likely ink flow. Continue carefully with cleaning and priming until the pattern improves. If repeated priming produces absolutely nothing on the page, then you may be dealing with a failed printhead, a damaged carriage board, a damaged cable, or a service station that is not pulling ink correctly.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated process because many of these problems require hands-on inspection. For that reason, we are not able to provide remote troubleshooting, repair suggestions, or direct support for printer repairs. However, we do offer an in-person evaluation and repair service through our local diagnostic facility: BCH Technologies Printer Repair Service [https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service]. Because demand is high, we handle repairs on a first-come, first-served basis, so it may take a few weeks before we can schedule your printer for drop-off. Our services are structured to repair either the whole printer or specific parts, with instructions provided for how to proceed. We also understand that our rates may not be the most economical option for every situation, so we strongly recommend self-help through online research whenever possible. A good place to start is YouTube, including our channel homepage: BCH Technologies on YouTube [https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies]. Use the search icon next to "About" on the right-hand side of the menu bar to search for specific topics. I receive dozens of questions every day asking about videos for specific printer problems, and after making videos for more than nine years, it is difficult to remember every single one. YouTube's search function is usually the fastest way to find a relevant video, and it may also suggest useful videos from other creators.

Thanks again for reaching out and for watching our videos. Since your printer is moving again, you have already solved one major part of the problem. Now the focus should be on restoring ink flow: prime the printhead, confirm cartridge feeding, run a print quality report, and watch carefully to see whether any ink appears on the page.