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Is there a way to print in ONLY black ink?

O

ozreth

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 5, 2009
1,423
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I'm trying to print off several dozen pamphlets on white paper using black ink only. I can choose the black and white printing option but this still uses color ink as far as I know for various reasons. Is there a way to use the black ink cartridge and nothing else? Newer Canon printer.

Thanks!
 
Look in the printer settings. Sometimes black and white printing option shows up as grayscale printing.
 
Taz Mangus said:
Look in the printer settings. Sometimes black and white printing option shows up as grayscale printing.
Click to expand...

Nope not seeing it. The printer is now defaulting to red ink, despite there being plenty of black.
 

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The basic answer is, all this is up to the printer manufacturer. Some models may allow black-only, others don't. Some allow black printing when you're out of color inks, others don't. The printer's internal software/firmware and the printer driver work together.

I suggest looking directly at the printer's physical control panel. If you can't do what you wish from there, it's by design of the printer manufacturer. If you can do it from the printer's control panel but not when using the computer's printer driver... write to whomever is responsible for creating the printer driver. Usually that's the manufacturer, even when the drivers are actually distributed via the computer's OS.
 
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ozreth said:
Nope not seeing it. The printer is now defaulting to red ink, despite there being plenty of black.
Click to expand...

It would not be in the supplies panel, that just shows how much ink is available. If you can’t find how to print black and white, go to the Canon website and see if there is any documentation available. Another thing might help is to give Canon customer service a call.
 
Here is an example of the printer settings for my printer. The printer settings come up at the time you are printing. My Epson printer uses grayscale for black and white printing. Other printer manufacturers use maybe a print in black and white option.

Screen Shot 2020-06-05 at 11.12.50 AM.png
 
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This is a reason, the others being cost, Capacity, and convenience that I have two printers. One is an HP LaserJet Grayscale only Printer. The other is an HP OfficeJet Color printer.

Lou
 
Taz Mangus said:
Here is an example of the printer settings for my printer. The printer settings come up at the time you are printing. My Epson printer uses grayscale for black and white printing.
Click to expand...

I think the OP is aware of the printer settings and how to produce greyscale or b/w output. However for many printers, when you select greyscale or b/w, the printer uses more than just the black ink. The OP wants to know how to use just black ink.
 
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Not sure if this still works or whether it can be done using WiFi printing, but on some Canon printers with empty color cartridges you can force the device to use the (BGBK) black cartridge by holding down the stop (triangle in circle) button for 10 seconds.
 
gilby101 said:
I think the OP is aware of the printer settings and how to produce greyscale or b/w output. However for many printers, when you select greyscale or b/w, the printer uses more than just the black ink. The OP wants to know how to use just black ink.
Click to expand...

It appears that is what I misread on the OP. Re-reading it again I realize that now.
 
Taz Mangus said:
It appears that is what I misread on the OP. Re-reading it again I realize that now.
Click to expand...
While some printers do indeed use one or more colors to enhance "black," we also can't assume that a printer that refuses to print black-only because one or more of the color cartridges is empty is necessarily because that color is needed in order to produce black. Some printers/printer-makers simply want us to refill every empty cartridge immediately and hold our printers hostage until we comply.

It's nice that some Canon printers will allow black-only in those conditions if you know to hold the Stop button, but again, it's up to each and every manufacturer to design their product to do that (or simply print black-only when they offer a black-only option in the driver/control panel, regardless of the status of the other cartridges). "You want black-only that isn't as intensely black as if all the cartridges are present? Fine by us!"

Unless there's a hacking community out there that is producing printer firmware and print drivers, what the manufacturer gives us is what we will get.
 
Printers are the worst thing and largest IT PITA.
If you want less PITA, you have to pay more, but that only gives you a different level of PITA.
🤣
 
I was dealing with the same issue as OP, so I called Canon tech support. He wasn't any help, but he did say something that made a lightbulb go off in my head and I have figured out a workaround.

If you change Media & Quality to print as a Photo, then it will use the other black ink cartridge. The non-PGBK black cartridge is designed for use with docs, but the other black cartridge is used for photos. Just tell your Mac that you want it to print as a photo and this should allow you to print your docs without having to order new cartridges.
 
ApfelKuchen said:
The basic answer is, all this is up to the printer manufacturer. Some models may allow black-only, others don't. Some allow black printing when you're out of color inks, others don't. The printer's internal software/firmware and the printer driver work together.

I suggest looking directly at the printer's physical control panel. If you can't do what you wish from there, it's by design of the printer manufacturer. If you can do it from the printer's control panel but not when using the computer's printer driver... write to whomever is responsible for creating the printer driver. Usually that's the manufacturer, even when the drivers are actually distributed via the computer's OS.
Click to expand...

There and tricks that work, others which don't..

My parents just defaulted to getting a b&W printer, so now she has one color, one back. May be kinda expensive, but worth it in the longer one. Particularly when the price of cartridges will far outweigh the ink-supply side.


FYI:... Leo WAS right.. These EcoTanks are Awesome ! :)
 
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