Printer not printing black? 5 solutions before changing the cartridge

Imprimante qui n’imprime plus en noir ? 5 solutions avant de changer la cartouche Solutions impression noire Cartouche

Nothing is more frustrating: you have an urgent document to print, you press the button, and... your page comes out blank, streaked, or with a grayish, faded black.

Before you panic, throw your printer out the window, or rush to buy a replacement cartridge, take a deep breath.

At Cartouchify, we often see customers thinking their cartridge is empty when it's not. In 80% of cases, the problem comes from a small setting or an ink clog.

Here are 5 simple steps to solve the "printer not printing black" problem, whether you use an HP, Canon, Epson or Brother brand.

1. The basic reflex: Check levels and connection

This may seem obvious, but it's the primary cause of error.

The protective seal: If you've just installed a new compatible or remanufactured cartridge, have you removed the small plastic strip (the protective clip) on the nozzle or the electronic chip?
Ink level: Go to your print settings. Even if the indicator light is red, there may still be a little ink left, but you need to know how to get it out (see point 2).

2. The "Print Head Cleaning"

This is the miracle solution for inkjet printers (especially Epson and HP) that are not used often. The ink dries and clogs the fine nozzles that spray the ink.

How to do it?

On your computer or the printer screen, go to Settings > Maintenance.
Look for the "Print Head Cleaning" or "Nozzle Cleaning" option.
Run the cycle. This uses a little ink to unclog the nozzles.
Print a test page. If it's still faint, run a 2nd cleaning.

3. Check COLOR cartridges

This is a little-known phenomenon. On some printers (especially HP and Canon), pure black is printed with the black cartridge. BUT, "photo black" or some grays use the three colors (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow).

If one of your colors is empty, your black may be altered or blocked. Make sure your three color cartridges are not empty.

4. Cartridge alignment

If your printed black is blurry or the lines are misaligned, it's not an ink problem, but a mechanical one.

In your printer's Maintenance menu, launch the "Cartridge Alignment" option. The printer will print a sheet with lines. You just need to scan this sheet (if your printer has a scanner) or select the numbers of the cleanest lines on the screen. This recalibrates the head's position.

5. The "Composite Black" problem

Sometimes, print settings are incorrectly adjusted. If your printer is set to "High Quality Photo", it may try to mix colors to create black, and fail if a nozzle is clogged.

Go to Print Preferences (just before clicking "OK" to print):

Choose normal paper type (not photo).
In the advanced options, check that "Use black cartridge" or equivalent is ticked.

What if it still doesn't work?

If you have tried all of the above and printing is still impossible, it is likely that your print head is worn out or that the cartridge is actually dry (if it is more than 2 years old).

Don't throw your money away on expensive "manufacturer" products for nothing. At Cartouchify, we offer compatible and remanufactured cartridges tested in France, guaranteeing that the ink is fluid and of good quality from the first click.

And because we know technology can be temperamental: