Ink for HP Envy 5000 series

So, my folks have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/hp-envy-5000-series

I’ve honestly never dealt with printers where you have to swap out individual colors—I always just used those black + tri-color cartridges, you know? So now I'm totally lost on what to actually grab.
Right now, every single color is bone dry.

Can I just buy the black one? Like, do I leave the empty ones sitting in there, or am I supposed to get five new black ones or some weird setup like that?

They don't even need to be name-brand, so if you know a decent site to order from, let me know.

Grab a pack like this and you'll end up with one black cartridge left over. Basically, you have to swap out every single empty ink tank because the printer won't let you print otherwise—even if you’re just trying to run something in black and white. There might be exceptions depending on your specific model, though. I honestly have no idea how else it would drain all those colors at once.

https://www.amazon.com/compatible-ink-cartridge-set

So, if I go with what you suggested, one black cartridge just takes the place of one color one, right?

Edit: if we have to swap out everything at once, then why does the option to buy them individually even exist?

You swap black for black, matching colors with their exact counterparts—nothing else works. You can pick up individual cartridges since they don't all run out at once; maybe you just need black or just yellow. But if the whole set hits empty, you're stuck replacing them all.

Just took a closer look at some tutorials and yeah, I get it now. Thanks for clearing that up about the printer!

Swapped out the ink.

But uh, now I’ve got this whole new headache. The colors look totally fine, but the black ink is just... smudgy. You know that vibe where you print something and then immediately run your finger over it and everything just smears? Yeah, that. But it’s not even doing it to the whole page. It’s super weird—like two lines are okay, then half the page is a mess, then a line is fine, then the rest is smeared again.

Thinking back, I remember this happening before when I was still using the "old" ink, which makes me think maybe it isn't the ink at all. Is it actually the printer acting up? Or am I just overthinking it?

Megan Morris70 said:I swapped out the ink cartridges.

However, I've simply traded one headache for another. While the color output looks perfectly fine, the black ink is smearing—it looks exactly like what happens when you run your finger across a page immediately after printing. It isn't even consistent; you might get two lines of clear text, then half a page of smears, then a line of clarity, followed by more mess.

Looking back, I recall this exact same issue happening when I was still using the "old" ink, which leads me to believe the fault lies with the printer itself rather than the cartridges. Or am I mistaken?

Go into properties (settings) and select the print head cleaning option. You can also run a print test pattern. Once you complete those steps, you'll have your answer. 😁
It's a common occurrence. Unfortunately, third-party inks are a necessary evil; they burn through much faster than the OEM versions and lack stability, but since they are often ten times cheaper, we are forced to deal with their shortcomings.

Alright, giving this a shot. Thanks!

Nah, I went through everything in the settings that actually let me run a cleaning cycle. Total waste of time.

You also have the print head alignment and the nozzle check available under the maintenance menu... it’s located right by the cartridge bay where you swap out the ink. That should resolve your issue. I didn't get through your entire inquiry—reading lines of text jumbled together like that is quite an ordeal. Regardless, that is how one is supposed to clean the print head nozzles. Just be prepared; the machine will prompt you for paper to run the test pattern.

I’m pretty sure I’ve already tried everything on the list. Even that whole thing where you’re supposed to clean the rollers... you know, the part where it tells you to bend the paper just to get it through the machine? Yeah. I guess I’ll give it one more shot and see if anything sticks.