HP printer problem

I rarely use the printer to print out anything. Last time may have been more than 6 months ago.
Tried printing today.....only got color with little details printed, and almost no black and white. I had another black and white cartridge I purchased a long time ago, so installed that - same problem.
Question is: if cartridges are not used for a long time, do they dry up and stop working, like pens do ? If so, then I will just go buy some new ones.

Nowadays you can get an entire new printer with ink cartridges included for the same price as the replacement cartridges by themselves.

I'll never buy another HP printer again.

I could go on for hours.

I have an Epson, so I'm not entirely certain what options are available to you, but is there an option to clean the print nozzles in the maintenance section of setup? If you haven't used the printer in a while, ink could have dried, clogging the print head.

A65

Wise decision.
The first place I think of for printer troubleshooting advice is eccie!
Good luck.