Epson printers are a common sight in many personal and professional settings. However, these devices also encounter many kinds of errors. Epson Printer not printing black is a common error that many users complain about.
Epson not printing black issues make it impossible for users to obtain black prints. Prominent reasons for it include the printer not being turned on properly, unclean printhead, printer not set as default, and low levels of black cartridge.
In this article, you’ll find all the resolutions to fix this printer problem.
Solution 1: Run a Basic Printer Troubleshooting
Often, small technical glitches result in this printing error. So, check for the following before progressing ahead.
- See whether the printer is properly powered on.
- Ensure that the device is linked to your system via USB.
- Check that the printer cartridge is correctly placed.
- Stack the printer’s tray with the right type of paper.
- See if the printer shows any error signals.
If you’ve checked all the points above but still find your Epson printer not printing color, continue to the fixes below.
Solution 2: Clean the Printhead from Your System
Cleaning the Epson printer’s printhead will lead to significant improvement in the output. Both Windows and Mac users can perform printhead cleaning.
Windows operating system users
- Keep the printing paper on the printer’s tray.
- Now, navigate to the ‘Control Panel’ of your Windows computer.
- It is present on the taskbar.
- From here, select the ‘Printers and tablets’ option.
- Click on it.
- Now, in the ‘Control Panel, ’ right-click on your Epson printer model.
- Choose ‘Print’ from the ‘Options’ menu.
- After doing so, right-tap on the problematic Epson printer.
- Click the ‘Printing Preferences’ option.
- Now, hit the ‘Manage’ icon.
- You will get to the ‘Epson Printer Preferences Maintenance’ page.
- On this page, locate ‘Epson Printer Repair.’
- Hit the ‘Head Cleaning’ option.
- Push down the ‘Start’ button.
- It will commence the head cleaning.
- Go by the on-screen instructions to complete the entire head cleaning process.
Mac operating system users
- Keep the printing paper on the printer’s tray.
- Now, turn on the Mac computer.
- Hit the Apple menu and navigate to its ‘Settings.’
- Next, choose the ‘Device Preferences’ option.
- Once there, tap the ‘Printers and scanners’ option.
- Below the ‘Device Preferences’ option, tap the Epson printer not printing.
- Tap the ‘Option & Supplies choice.’
- Navigate to the ‘Utility’ tab.
- Hit the ‘Open Printer Utility’ button.
- Next, open the Mac printer utility.
- After that, click the ‘Head Cleaning’ option.
- It will fix the issue preventing the printer from printing color.
Solution 3: Set Your Epson Printer as the Default Printer
Another reason you may complain why is my Epson printer not printing black is that it is not set as default. Here are the pointers to set it as the default printing device.
- Begin by opening the ‘Run’ box with the help of the R key and the Windows logo button.
- When the Run box becomes visible, input the‘ control panel’ in the ‘Open’ field.
- Thereafter, hit Enter.
- When the control panel launches, move to the ‘Devices and Printers’ option.
- Locate your Epson printer and right-tap it.
- Finally, tap ‘Set as default printer.’
Solution 4: Fix Epson Printer Not Printing Wirelessly
If you find your printer unable to perform wireless printing, examine the internet connection. You can also disconnect the printer from the network and reconnect it again. Ensure that your Epson printer is linked to the same network as your computer.
If your printing device is connected with a USB, check whether the cables are seated properly into the ports. Also, change the port to see if the printer starts printing.
Solution 5: Turn Off the Printer Offline Feature
Epson printer won’t print if it is set offline. Follow these points to disable the Epson printer offline feature.
- Access the ‘Run’ box on your operating system.
- Once there, input ‘control panel’ and click ‘OK.’
- Move to ‘Devices and Printers’ in the control panel.
- Right-tap on your printer.
- Check whether the ‘Use printer offline’ has a tick against it.
- If it does, un-check it.
- Now, right-tap on the printer.
- Find if there’s a check on the ‘Set as default’ option.
- Finally, exit the window.
- See if you can print correctly now.
Solution 6: Troubleshoot Print Spooler Service
Sometimes, the print spooler service may be turned off. If this is the case, you’ll notice the Epson printer not printing Windows 10 issue.
- Invoke the Run dialog box on your computer.
- Besides the ‘Open’ field, input ‘services.msc.’
- Click ‘OK.’
- On the Services window that appears, find and double-click ‘Print Spooler.’
- Its startup type must be ‘Automatic.’
- The service status should be ‘Running.’
- If it’s not the case, configure the startup type to ‘Automatic.’
- Hit the ‘Start’ button below ‘Service Status.’
- Tap the ‘OK’ button to make the spooler service work.
Solution 7: Update the Old Printer Driver
If still, your Epson printer won’t print black color correctly, update the printer driver. It’s easy to do so from the Device Manager section.
- Launch the ‘Start’ menu.
- Type ‘device manager’ in this ‘Search’ area.
- Hit Enter.
- You will see various devices.
- Find and right-click on ‘Printer.’
- After that, click ‘Update Driver.’
- Next, tap the ‘Auto-search’ option.
- Tap the ‘Check for modified driver software’ option.
- This will make the printer driver update automatically.
- Use the on-screen instructions for the driver setup process to end.
- Check if your printer gives you the correct output.
Solution 8: Check the Ink Supply
Both Windows and Mac users can find out if low ink is the cause of their printer not printing black. Make use of the EPSON Status Monitor 3 for checking the ink supply.
Windows users
- Launch the printer software.
- Next, hit the ‘Utility’ tab.
- After that, hit ‘EPSON Status Monitor 3.’
- You will see a graphic display of the remaining ink on the screen.
- Replace the ink cartridges as per this information.
Mac users
- Makintosh users can utilize the Epson StatusMonitor.
- tap ‘Print’ or ‘Page Setup.’
- It is on the ‘File’ menu of the application.
- On the ‘Print Dialog’ box, hit the ‘Utility’ icon.
- After that, tap ‘EPSON StatusMonitor.’
- You will see a graphic showing the remaining ink levels.
- If you want to update this information, tap the ‘Update’ button.
- Re-install ink cartridges as per this information.
Solution 9: Use the Epson Ink Cartridge Reset Tool
If your Epson ink cartridge keeps pointing that it is empty even after you’ve replaced it, you might need to reset it. It will also fix the issue of the Epson Printer not printing black.
- Make use of the Epson Cartridge Reset Tool.
- Take away the cartridge from the Epson printer.
- Align the cartridge with the base marks of the reset tool.
- Press the pins of the reset tool firmly on the cartridge’s chip contacts.
- Do it for 6 to 7 seconds.
- When you see a blinking green LED light, it means the cartridge is reset.
- But if the light doesn’t show, keep pressing the tool.
Solution 10: Remove Every Print Job
Another good way to make Epson printer print black color is by clearing the print jobs. Use these steps to delete the print jobs.
- Hit the Windows and R keys.
- Write ‘services.msc’ in the Run box.
- Tap Enter.
- Now, locate ‘Print Spooler.’
- Right-click it and pick ‘Stop’ from the drop-down.
- Head to your desktop.
- Then launch ‘File Explorer.’
- On the address bar area of the File Explorer, type this address: %dwindir%system32spoolPRINTERS
- Remove the files you find in this folder.
- Now, hit the Windows and R keys again.
- Type ‘services.msc’ in this box and press ‘OK.’
- Find ‘Print Spooler’, right-click it, and choose ‘Start.’
Summing up
Hopefully, this lengthy guide will be helpful when you find your Epson printer not printing black. The resolutions here will fix the problem in software and settings, preventing the printer from functioning well. If you need more assistance fixing printer errors, feel free to contact a printer tech expert.
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