Printers often fail to print specific colour ink and this generally happens while printing with the black cartridge. Oftentimes, due to the use of third-party or incompatible black ink cartridges, the issue might happen.
On the other hand, if the black cartridge runs out of ink, then there is a high chance of occurrence of black ink printing issues.
In order to get more information as well as reliable solutions regarding “printer not printing black ink”, check out the undermentioned section carefully.
Table of Contents
Easy Solutions if Printer is not Printing Blank Ink
Here are simple solutions that can be followed in order to resolve the printer not printing black ink. So, without further delay, let’s proceed to troubleshoot the issue in no time.
To Begin with:
Before performing any critical measures, it is better to implement basic measures. Therefore, follow the underlying instructions carefully.
- Power off the printing device and take out the peripheral USB cables along with the power cable from the printer device.
- Leave the device for a few minutes and reconnect the power cable as well as the USB cable to the device.
- When the printer boots up, make an attempt to print a “Test page” or “Quality Diagnostic Report”.
- You can easily locate this option on the printer’s Control Panel. Furthermore, you can also review the printer User Manual.
Inspect the Ink Cartridge
As we already mentioned that a printer fails to print black when the black cartridge runs out of ink. Therefore, it is necessary that you inspect the ink cartridge immediately to get rid of the issue. Follow these instructions to inspect the ink cartridge.
- On the Printer’s Control Panel, try to inspect the ink level indicator.
- If there is an exclamation mark on the black ink level, then it states that the black ink cartridge has run out of ink.
- Therefore, try to replace the empty black ink cartridge with the new one.
- Always try to use genuine ink cartridges in order to prevent further damage.
Clean the Printer
Every device needs proper maintenance after a regular interval of time. This not only improves the device performance but also resolves the internal bugs and glitches. The printer cleaning process can be performed by following the below-cited instructions.
- On the Printer Control Panel, head over to the “Printer Driver Setup” window and hit the “Maintenance” tab.
- After accessing the “Maintenance” tab, scroll through the available option and hit the “Deep Cleaning” icon.
- Once the Deep Cleaning dialogue box comes up on the screen, hit the “Ink Group” that requires deep cleaning.
- Initiate the deep cleaning by tapping on the “Execute” icon from the appeared menu.
- Complete the deep cleaning by following the on-screen instructions.
Run the Printer Troubleshooter
Windows Operating System offers various troubleshooting tools along with the utilities. These help to eliminate the internal bugs and glitches. Printer Troubleshooter is one such utility that is specially designed to resolve the printer oriented errors.
So, whenever you find that the printer not printing black ink, you can use this troubleshooter to resolve the problem. Follow the steps to run the troubleshooter in the correct manner.
Step 1:
Initiate the Printer Troubleshooter by hitting the “Cortana Type here to search for” button that is located on the taskbar. Get access to the search field and write Troubleshoot”. Hit the “OK” button to proceed further.
Step 2:
From the result-oriented window, select the “Troubleshoot” in order to launch the “Settings” app. After accessing the Settings app, proceed to right-click on your Printer.
Step 3:
In the next step, choose the option titled “Run the Troubleshooter” and enter your Printer name and model number inside the textbox. Proceed to tap on the “Next” button in order to initiate the troubleshooting.
Printer Troubleshooter begins to scan your entire device and search for the internal bugs and glitches. Once the internal problem is located, the troubleshooter will fix them automatically. Reboot the device when the troubleshooting process gets completed.
What if Printer not Printing Anything?
In the worst scenario, if you notice that your printer prints nothing, then following the underlying instructions to resolve the matter.
Set your Printer as Default Device
Setting up the printer as the default device can give you the desired result. Follow these instructions:
- Press the Windows logo along with the R key to launch the Run window.
- On the dialogue box, enter “Control” and hit the OK button.
- Once the Control Panel appears on the screen, scroll down to locate and select the “Devices and Printers”.
- Head over to the “Printer” section and right tap on your “Printer.
- From the result-oriented window, choose the “Set as Default Printer” and hit the “Yes” button.
After performing these instructions, reboot the device to let the new changes take effect.
Update the Printer Driver
Even after launching the latest printer driver version, if you are still using the obsolete printer driver, then the occurrence of such error is quite a common event. To prevent this situation, update the printer driver to its latest version. Here are the steps to update the printer driver:
- On the Run dialogue box, enter “devmgmt.msc” and hit the “OK” button to execute the command.
- Choose the “Device Manager” from the top search result and get access to the window.
- Now, initiate the category where all the installed devices and drivers are enlisted.
- From the appeared menu, try to locate and select the “Printer Driver”.
- Allow the system to look for the newest version of the printer driver by hitting the option titled “Search automatically for updated driver software”.
- Hit the “Update Driver” button and follow the further instructions
Even after updating the printer driver if you find that your printer still refuses to print any file or document, then you might need to reinstall the printer driver.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
How to Make a Printer go Online?
Navigate to the “Control Panel” and launch the “Devices and Printers” section. From the appeared menu, proceed to right tap on your Printer and hit the option stated: “See What’s Printing”. Furthermore, select the “Printer Menu” that is located at the top of the menu bar.
On the next screen, hit the drop-down menu and look for the “Use Printer Online” option. Place a tick mark to the checkbox in order to select the option. Save the recently made modifications by tapping on the “Apply” button as well as the “OK” button from the resulting menu.
-
How to Clean Printheads on Manual Basis?
In order to clean the printhead manually, you need to take out the printer from the printer. Open the top lid of the printer and gently remove the print head. Place it in a safe place and try to clean it with a moist cotton cloth. Now, insert the printhead on the device and turn on the device. Thereafter, run the cleaning utility by following the on-screen instructions.
If the printhead is still clogged, then remove the printhead from the printer once again and take a bowl with sufficient cleaner. Now, clean the printhead gently. Once done, place the printhead to its proper location and close the top lid of the printer.