Last Updated on November 13, 2021 by ronnie
If you’ve ever run out of ink cartridges in the middle of printing a crucial project/ presentation/ report, you can relate to our frustration. Those who regularly print reports/ projects with color printers know that black ink can run out quickly. If the clock is ticking, you cannot rush to buy another cartridge. If the clock is ticking even faster, you cannot run to another place for printouts either. So now, you can freak out!
Relax! If you have an Epson printer, you can still save yourself. Here’s how you are going to ace your task without any situational delays. Your cartridge can betray you (if you won’t keep a check on it) at any moment, but colors have beautiful chemistry. You can merge a few colors and develop another one.
And not manually. (that’d be a mess) We can use the auto emergency options installed within our Epson printer and get black and white or monochrome printouts.
How to make Epson printer print without black ink
Your printer could be connected to your MacBook, or you could be using a regular laptop. Both the software are similar and unique in different ways. So how is it possible to make an Epson printer print without black ink? We figured out how to perform it on Mac and Windows. This blog is written with the purpose of helping you do it without any confusion.
For MacBook
As discussed earlier, MacBook and Windows have few command differences. Epson printers could be connected to any of the computers, and the setting will offer its programmed options. Here’s how to settle it with a MacBook.
- Your printer can send you a notice of a “cartridge needing replacement” popup in the middle of printing. In such a case, you need to immediately stop the documents in the queue from printing.
- Now open the Epson “Printer utility” and run the dialogue box.
- The dialogue box will show the drive setting to you. Among the boxes, check on “permit temporary black printing.”
- Now go to the “Print setting” and open the “media setting.”
- Click on Plain papers and choose “Grayscale.”
- Now your printer is set to develop black color. Click on Print, and it’ll print the document in black and white without black ink.
For Window
Windows computers also have a simple guideline to make your printer take command in a situation like this. You can make a few changes in the setting of the printer and yield desired results. Here is how to do it.
- If you’ve commanded “Print” and the cartridge is empty, your PC/laptop will shoot a popup window informing you.
- Click on “stop” and immediately adjust your setting first.
- Open the control panel and go to “Printer and devices.”
- Right-click on your printer and select printing preferences.
- Now open the print option and check on “Grayscale.” Choosing Grayscale will switch the printer’s color setting into monochromatic (Black and white).
- Open “Quality” options.
- Change the “Type” set to “plain paper.”
- Click “ok” and wait till the indicator blinks a “monochrome “popup on the monitor. The blink is the assurance that the setting is changed to merge the colors and develop monochromatic documents.
- Now click on “Print.”
Understanding the results
The document that you’ll print might not be jet black. It will possibly reflect the shades of other colors or could be dull black and not jet/dark black Print. However, it won’t be a color printout. Graphic designers better understand the combination of CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black).
Color printers use these primary colors to create a combination of colors as rich as one million colors. You might be surprised to know that this color wheel generates several shades of black as well. So, black is a crucial ink pallet but not the only cartridge used when you’re printing monochrome.
Surprisingly, this color wheel mixes to generate black color when you run out of black ink cartridges.
How to avoid such a situation.
To make an Epson printer print without black ink is an emergency measure for desperate situations. You cannot rely on this option for a very long time or turns. We’re jolting down the measure to avoid such a crisis.
Always keep the cartridges checked.
Open the maintenance tab from the setting of your printer and click on the EPSON Status Monitor button. A graph and a progress meter will display the used and leftover ink and time/capacity. Depending upon the urgency of your work, always keep the ink level in check, so you do not fall prey to such desperate situations.
Store the cartridge
If you print on a regular basis, storing the ink (not necessarily the brand cartridge but the third-party manufactured ink) must be your habit. However, if you use the printer occasionally, it’s recommended to keep the ink stored for emergencies and also for routine work. It saves you from sudden rush and frustration.
Know about “maintenance cleaning.”
Maintenance cleaning could be a reason your cartridge runs low on ink. Some printers are programmed to do it every time you use them; some do it on a fixed timeline. The purpose of maintenance cleaning is to remove any dried ink that might cause some kind of a mess. Fresh inks are sprayed and cleaned.
You can hear a whirring noise every time your printer cleans itself. So, ink is needed for cleansing; hence, it is highly recommended to keep a check on your cartridge, and also remember that you’ll lose some of it to keep your printer working like a new one.
Conclusion
This article has taught you how to make an Epson printer print without black ink. Our devices make our life better and help us utilize our potential. These tools keep us moving, so it becomes a responsibility to keep a check on these too. However, good companies always think ahead of and like a consumer to design products that will stand with the consumer through thick and thin.
Printers are supposed to be simple devices that perform a calculated task. But the manufacturer went a step ahead and designed a product with emergency measures. But what’s more crucial here is learning those measures. Knowing how to switch from one option to another and buying a good product will play a vital role in your success.
