# New Urban legend? Printer 'black boxes' **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-urban-legend-printer-black-boxes/708860 "2015-01-03T16:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-urban-legend-printer-black-boxes/708860/41 "2015-01-05T01:07:12Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > … > > -Add a checkmark in the box by “Print in Grayscale”. > -Try printing again." > > … Immediately below “Print in Grayscale” there should be a drop down list. For me (HP printer) there is an item in the list for “print with Black Ink only.” ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-urban-legend-printer-black-boxes/708860/42 "2015-01-05T01:10:06Z")
> [@rsa](#): > > Immediately below “Print in Grayscale” there should be a drop down list. For me (HP printer) there is an item in the list for “print with Black Ink only.” I’m well aware of setting it to print in black ink only. That several printers have absolutely refused to do so, due to being out of colored ink, is maddening. ---
**Author:** ![sbunny8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-urban-legend-printer-black-boxes/708860/43 "2015-01-05T01:23:51Z")
First of all, I’m using a Mac Mini running the latest version of OSX Yosemite. I have an HP OfficeJet 4500 G510G plugged in via USB. My color ink cartridge ran out, so I grabbed a spare and put it in. The printer gave me an error message saying the cartridge wasn’t working. I took it out and rebooted the printer. It gave me an error message saying the color cartridge was missing. I pushed the OK button. I opened up a document in Open Office, went to the print menu like I always do. I did NOT click anything special like “convert to grayscale” or anything like that. I just clicked on print like I always do and the printer spat out a B&W version of the document. I had no idea there was anything surprising about this. I have operated this printer many times in the past with one cartridge or the other missing. It gives me an error message on the printer’s tiny little screen and prompts me to press the OK button and then it goes ahead and works just fine with only one cartridge. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-urban-legend-printer-black-boxes/708860/44 "2015-01-05T02:05:45Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > I’m well aware of setting it to print in black ink only. That several printers have absolutely refused to do so, due to being out of colored ink, is maddening. the last HP printer I will ever own is this Officejet 6000. I thought, “well, it’s an Officejet, so it’s got to be better than the consumer crap, right?” Nope. I was sold an inkjet printer which was supposed to produce 30 pages per minute of B&W or color pages. What I actually have is a gray and white box which produces minutes of whirring and clicking and magically makes ink disappear. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-urban-legend-printer-black-boxes/708860/45 "2015-01-05T03:46:54Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > There were few things more tightly controlled in the Soviet Union than access to copiers. Units that were accessible to workers had counters and page logs built in to prevent “misuse” by copying subversive or contraband material. Amusingly, in the 80s the CIA infiltrated the Washington DC Soviet embassy with an agent posing as the Xerox repairman. He actually installed a small film camera they designed to fit inside the copy machine and photograph everything copied. He would make regular visits to refill the toner (and remove & replace the camera’s film!) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-urban-legend-printer-black-boxes/708860/46 "2015-01-05T03:53:52Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > … > I have to mention here something that it is not a black box, but malware/trojans can open holes in your OS that other more unsavory guys can then exploit to add software that captures what you print and sends documents to other locations if your computer is on a network. > > I myself encountered one such beastie in an office, took awhile to clean it and to patch the printer software. > > [Private Site](http://dwaterson.com/2013/04/01/network-printers-an-overlooked-security-threat/) Didn’t we (US) fuck up the Iraqi’s something or other system before the Iraq war by shipping hp printers with malware? Or was that some Israel campaign? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-urban-legend-printer-black-boxes/708860.md?page=2)