text: my hp printer is not printing all colors? i have a hp printer, deskjet 882c.  i've had it al least 5 years, but it has never been used along with the ink cartridge.  i hooked it up the other day, and all i got was black, and different shades of red.  the print is perfect, but no other colors.  it's set to color, i've aligned the print, and cleaned the print heads several times, along with priming.  is it the printer, or the cartridge because of long storage?. the issue you are experiencing is may be due to the improper communication between the printer cradle and the cartridge or may be due to the defective cartridge.  first ensure that you are using compatible cartridges for the printer.  hp deskjet 882c    hp black     hp 45   hp tri color hp 23    however, if the issue persists, please visit the following web site and follow the instructions to manually clean the cartrdige contacts.  http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericdocument?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=c00058182  follow the instructions provided and even if the issue persists then the cartridge may needs to be replaced.