[REQUEST] HP 8710 Printer Printhead Issue

[Appletax]

I've got a 91-year-old client that's still self-employed. He loves his older HP 8710 inkjet printer and would hate to lose it. It's currently not working. Here's the error message shown:



It appears that the printhead is broke. He also has two new printers - one HP, one Brother and is not a fan of them. He is willing to pay a premium price to get it fixed.

I tried using new Cyan and Yellow OEM cartridges. I tried cleaning the printhead by soaking it in hot distilled water, which I did 3x. I let it sit overnight with a fan blowing on it to get it dried up so it wouldn't short circuit the printer. I wrapped the cartridges in Saran wrap. Would that have dried it too much? It still does not work.

Got any tips to get this printhead working or should I get a replacement at this point? He prefers brand new OEM, which appears to be extremely expensive.

Here are some options I came across:

New OEM on Encompass

Used on eBay

 

[britechguy]

Honestly, this is a time where the very best thing you can do is tell the client that pursuing a repair makes no sense from any perspective. The part would likely cost in excess of 50% of what a new device would cost, and then you still have "old bones" for the rest of the device.

Get another, if he simply must have this model: https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/hp-officejet-pro-8710-all-in-one-printer-series/7902014
They're still available from multiple outlets.

It's also entirely possible that the problem is not with the print head itself. There was a time where I replaced these with at least some regularity, and I ceased doing so because as often as not it didn't solve the problem. Unlike many, I don't hate inkjet printers, but the only ones I'll recommend are those with ink tanks for each color, are refillable even if that means ARC tanks, and where the nozzles are a part of the print head itself (rather than part of a pop-in cartridge).