# Please help make my color inkjet print B/W only **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 31, 2003, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570 "2003-03-31T22:48:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duck\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/91b2a8/32.png) [@Duck\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Hook)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/1 "2003-03-31T22:48:15Z")
Is there a way I can make my Epson Stylus 900 color inkjet a b/w only printer? It’s out of color ink and since I bought a better, faster, color laser printer to replace it, I don’t want to buy any more ink. I have some black cartridges left that I’d like to use up. I can set my PC to print b/w if I can just make the printer cooperate (something I wish I had thought about before the color ran out). Now it just sits there prompting me to change the color cartridge. I can get it to print b/w by “pretending” to change the cartridge. Then it goes through this very long head cleaning process, prints one page and goes offline again. I’m cheap…but not that cheap. Thanks in advance. DH ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/2 "2003-03-31T22:56:25Z")
So, under your printer properties, you’ve selected “print in greyscale” as a default option, but your printer is refusing to print because it’s out of color ink? -lv ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/91b2a8/32.png) [@Duck\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Hook)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/3 "2003-03-31T23:06:44Z")
Yes. Printer properties are set to print black only. After printing one page, the printer goes offline giving the “change color cartridge” message. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey-Hotel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e68b1a/32.png) [@Whiskey-Hotel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey-Hotel)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/4 "2003-04-01T00:29:58Z")
You’re getting a hardware error resulting from your lack of a color cartridge. Since the printer wasn’t designed for black-ink only it’s expecting to find a usable color ink cartridge…even if your settings are set not to use it. Does your color laser print photos well? I’ve yet to see a toner-based printer (even the higher-end Xeroxes) that can print a smooth color glossy print as well as a good inkjet printer. You may want to keep the Epson running for that alone. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/5 "2003-04-01T00:39:43Z")
You can try “tricking” the printer into thinking you’ve installed a new color cartridge. Just pull the old one out and stick it right back in. I did this a few times with my Epson Stylus Color 400. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/91b2a8/32.png) [@Duck\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Hook)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/6 "2003-04-01T16:57:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Whiskey-Hotel \* > **You’re getting a hardware error resulting from your lack of a color cartridge. Since the printer wasn’t designed for black-ink only it’s expecting to find a usable color ink cartridge…even if your settings are set not to use it.** You’ve correctly assessed my problem. What’s the solution? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Whiskey-Hotel \* > \*\*Does your color laser print photos well? I’ve yet to see a toner-based printer (even the higher-end Xeroxes) that can print a smooth color glossy print as well as a good inkjet printer. You may want to keep the Epson running for that alone. \*\* I love my Minolta-QMS color laser printer. It’s been perfect for my needs so far. I don’t do much photo printing…mainly PowerPoint presentations. I’ve never really liked the Epson and don’t have a good track record with inkjets, color or b/w. I doubt I’ll ever buy another one. DH ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/7 "2003-04-01T17:06:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duck Hook \* > \*\*You’ve correctly assessed my problem. What’s the solution? > \*\* I think the answer, pretty clearly, is that there is no solution, short of putting in a new color cartridge. The firmware in the printer is set to expect a usable color cartridge, and short of somehow reprogramming the chip in the printer, there’s no way to change that. To reprogram the chip, you’d probably need gear that would cost more than the printer. Oh, and **Q.E.D.** , if you’ll re-read the OP, you’ll find that **Duck Hook** already tried your suggestion, with no success. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/8 "2003-04-01T17:16:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > \*\*Oh, and **Q.E.D.** , if you’ll re-read the OP, you’ll find that **Duck Hook** already tried your suggestion, with no success. \*\* You’re right, I’d missed that bit completely. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey-Hotel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e68b1a/32.png) [@Whiskey-Hotel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey-Hotel)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/9 "2003-04-01T17:18:30Z")
You might just want to go ahead and donate the printer to someone who could use it. At least then the black ink won’t go to waste. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/10 "2003-04-01T17:27:02Z")
**Whiskey-Hotel** - Fantastic username. **Duck Hook** - What about bying a cheap black ink refill kit and refilling the color cartridges with the black ink. You would eliminate the “out of ink” problem and you may even be able to print in faux “gray scale” with the black ink in the cartridges. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/11 "2003-04-01T17:54:17Z")
I think you have a few possible solutions, all of which require you to purchase something. 1. Find somebody who has a dead printer that takes the same color cartridge, and ask if you can have/buy their not-empty color cartridge. 2. Buy a new colour cartridge. 3. Refill your cartridge with a bit of ink. Note that it doesn’t have to be color ink, and you don’t have to make it full, just enough so the printer doesn’t think it’s empty. Normally, I avoid “refill ink” like the plague, but you should be ok if you never actually print from that cartridge. -lv ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/12 "2003-04-01T19:06:35Z")
I find Epson printers and their drivers particularly buggy when it comes to dealing with low ink situations; despite the apparent usefulness of the ‘status monitor’, I have found that one of the following invariably happens when one of the cartridges runs out: [ul][li]The driver hangs the whole system[/li][li]The driver says that the printer is not responding[/li][li]Status monitor cannot be launched and the printer sits sullenly blinking a red light at me[/li][/ul] I have to keep a mental note of which colour is lowest so that when one of the above happens, I can change the right cartridge (then sit through the interminable head cleaning dance. I will not buy Epson inkjets now. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/91b2a8/32.png) [@Duck\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Hook)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-make-my-color-inkjet-print-b-w-only/165570/13 "2003-04-01T20:46:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Whiskey-Hotel \* > \*\*You might just want to go ahead and donate the printer to someone who could use it. At least then the black ink won’t go to waste. \*\* This makes perfect sense. It’s just not very clever. 😉 I may try the “black ink refill” option depending on the cost of the kit. I should just sell it to someone I don’t like for the cost of my unused black ink. It’d be a good deal for them and I could wash my hands of it. I had hoped there was some way to reprogram the printer to ignore the empty cartridge but it sounds like **mangetout** and others have determined my predicament to be an Epson design glitch…or perhaps an evil marketing tactic to get users to buy color ink. I bet my laser printer won’t operate with an empty color cartridge either. Thanks anyway. DH