# Help! I have a printer problem!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 14, 2001, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826 "2001-06-14T17:16:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2001, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/1 "2001-06-14T17:16:19Z")
I’ve got an HP 810C Deskjet, which works fine for text, graphics, etc. – but when it comes to black & white photos, either scanned or from the Net, it will print them out as blue, even on greyscale. If I’m “lucky”, I’ll get bands of b/w, then blue, then pink. Sometimes, nothing at all.
I don’t want the colour cartridge working when a b/w photo is being printed. Help! Anyone out there know what I can do?
HP over the Internet virtually (forgive the pun!) threw their hands up and said “I dunno”.
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2001, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/2 "2001-06-14T17:53:06Z")
while I don’t know your printer especifically, most will have a setting at the control panel to use only Black ink. I would suggest you play around with the settings there as some may have effect on this (dithering, etc). Also, have you tried reading the manual?
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2001, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/3 "2001-06-14T18:58:29Z")
Thanks for trying to help, **sailor** , but yeah – I looked in the manual first, scratched my head, then tried asking HP.
And there aren’t any “Black Ink” controls for the printer under “Control Panel” under “Settings” – was that what you meant?
Guys, I’m being driven up the wall with this. Short of trekking back to the dealer – anyone else with any ideas? Please?
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### Author:  [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2001, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/4 "2001-06-14T19:05:16Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by \*\*\*sailor \*\*
> Also, have you tried reading the manual?
Oh, man. That was _cold._
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2001, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/5 "2001-06-14T21:57:01Z")
For you to get attempted color mixing or output for a “purely” black and white photo either:
1: The printer is defective (semi-rare)
2: The printer drivers are corrupted or you have the wrong drivers
3: The usb or parallel data cable is defective (rare)
4: The B&W image is being interpreted as having color
content and your B&W cart is running out of ink.
Does the test page black text print correctly?
The regular suspects in these cases are typically defective cartridges or corrupted drivers. Remove **all** print drivers for ALL printers n your PC if you have multiple printers attached then re-install the 810 with the latest downloaded HP drivers.
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/6 "2001-06-14T23:18:18Z")
Before you print, on the print menu, you get an option box. Click on that, find the option to print in monotone. Click on that. Use that to print BW.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2001, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/7 "2001-06-14T23:40:54Z")
May I piggyback onto the OP? Cool. Well, I’ve a Epson Stylus Color 880 and the thing just won’t print webpages, either on or off line, unless they’re in Adobe PDF. It prints everything else just dandy. What’s the cure?
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2001, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/8 "2001-06-15T00:01:17Z")
When you print grayscale some printers make the gray by combining the colors, others by dithering black sounds like yours is the former. If you have a color out (either you are out of it or have a clogged nozzle or a bad electrical contact) they the other colors will overpower the gray to make that blue you described.
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### Author:  [@messiah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/messiah)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2001, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/9 "2001-06-15T02:23:09Z")
The problem may not be with the printer, but in the format of the image file. Although the scanned photo may be b&w the imaging software may have saved it as a colour document. If this is the case there should be a convert\_to (or similar) menu item that would allow you to convert to b&w or grayscale and then print.
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2001, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/10 "2001-06-15T02:36:59Z")
Well, I guess the "read the manual"thing sounded kind of silly but I hava a knack for overlooking the obvious. I’ll get all involved in the problem, search the Net for hours, and forget I have the manual right there.
I just spent a couple hours tinkering with the CD writer. When i assembled it I forgot to connect a wire which I had made a mental note needed connecting. When it didn’t work I spent a couple hours looking in the register and here and yonder… two hours later i sigh and decide to open the thing up again… then I saw the unconnected wire dangling there. It never ocurred to me.
So… k2dave. you just reminded me of the FIRST thing which should have been obvious to me but I completely overlooked. I just got a new Canon color printer and I made a point to not get one of the cheaper ones where you cannot have the Black and color cartridges in at the same time because they are a PITA, waste ink, and quality is not so good. So I should have known full well not to assume Ice Wolf has a similar one… Just goes to show you I am getting more absent minded every day.
well, sorry I couldn’t be more useful… I need to test that CDwriter now… I’m sick of it.
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2001, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/11 "2001-06-15T05:36:34Z")
**k2dave** could be onto something with one/more of the colours possibly being exhausted in the colour cartridge. Hey, the thing’s lasted nearly a year, which is damn good going. I’ve just taken it out of the cradle and (unscientific experiment here) felt the weight. Could be on the light side, so I’ll try a new one over the weekend.
Weird, how colours are used in a b/w – oh, well…
My 810C Deskjet isn’t one o’ those printers where you swap the b/w with colour, an’ keep the cartridge not in use in a plastic case, an’ hope like heck it doesn’t dry out on you. This one has both b/w and colour side-by side. Bugbear is, I have to align the carts every time I replace one.
I’ll keep you all informed. Oh, and **Monty**? Feel free to talk about your printer on the thread. If the wonderful, intelligent GQ’ers can help us out – well, go for it!
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2001, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/12 "2001-06-16T01:01:19Z")
Ice wolf, if that is the case it should not use color when you are printing in B&W. See if you can find a setting for B&W only in the control panel. Mine has it and maybe yours does too.
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2001, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/13 "2001-06-16T01:05:49Z")
Monty, I would say the problem is with the browser, not the printer. If a PDF file prints and other programs print, then it musyt be the browser program. See what you can configure from the browser.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2001, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/14 "2001-06-16T01:34:48Z")
> [@](#):
>
> … Just goes to show you I am getting more absent minded every day.
- sailor
Maybe so but still a credit to these boards
Monty - what happens when you try to print web pages? Epsons ususlly have a printer icon that pops up in hte tray during spooling and sometimes a small window that shows the progress - do you have these things?
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2001, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/15 "2001-06-16T03:27:18Z")
Okay guys, it’s official: **k2dave** is my Hero Of The week. I now have b/w photos again. (YAY!!!)
**sailor** , where’s the control panel setting you spoke of? If I can find the thing, my future troubles are over 'fore they begin.
Excuse me while I celebrate …
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2001, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/16 "2001-06-16T04:34:18Z")
Ice wolf, you have resolved it? So it was one ink color? Your printer uses color ink to make grey?
By control panel I mean the window that comes up when you print and you can also get to it from Start - Printers then rightclick on the printer in question and select properties. Then you get a dialog window with all the configuration options. Mine has several printing options (draft, photo, etc) and a checkbox for B&W. I would think you would have that option so you could print in B&W a document that had color.
In general I prefer to use black only as the ink is cheaper and use color only when i want color.
k2dave, thanks for the compliment. I do appreciate it
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2001, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/17 "2001-06-16T08:27:53Z")
Yeah, **sailor** – I have one _weird_ printer. And there’s no b/w control on the Control Panel under Printers Properties, either – just greyscale, which didn’t do diddly about the problem.
Well, seeing as I only need the photos for the history project I’m doing, it won’t be too much of an issue for too long now. Just a weird one. Matches the owner (HA!)
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2001, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-have-a-printer-problem/68826/18 "2001-06-16T12:08:25Z")
**Icewolf**
You might not have the controls if you did not install all the utilities that came with your printer. Try re-installing the printer utilities via the CD or downloading it from web.
If you just used win-9x (or me) cd to install your printer without using the manufacture’s cd you are missing the utilities.