Ink Cartridge Problem -- Remove and check color cartridge [ Edited ]

[monica123456789]

My c4180 HP Printer won't print anything (black and white or colour). The message "Ink Cartridge Problem; Remove and check color cartridge" displays. I checked it, it looks fine to me. It is almost empty but that's okay, I don't want to print in colour. The manual doesn't say anything about this, although the message is saying to "Refer to printer documentation". I don't want to buy a new colour cartridge just to be able to print in black-and-white. How can I fix this problem?

[artizhay]

How old is the printer? People bring in printers to me frequently where I work, usually because the printer is going out, i.e. the printer is no longer making a connection with the cartridge, regardless of the ink level. Since it's almost empty, the problem is most likely with the printer rather than the cartridge.

[monica123456789]

The printer is about 2 years old.

Why is the problem most likely with the printer since the ink cartridge is almost empty? To me, since it's almost empty, it seems as if it might be a problem with the cartridge.

I'm frustrated because if I go and buy a colour cartridge that might fix the problem but if not, I'll have spent money on the cartridge for no reason and then I'll still have to buy a different printer (which will require a different cartridge).

I'm also frustrated because I don't like the fact that if I almost always print only in black-and-white, I still need a colour cartridge installed in the printer in order to be able to print in black-and-white only. I tried just removing the colour cartridge and it still won't let me print anything, it then says I have to install a colour cartridge.

The cartridges for this HP printer are about $30-33.

[pecrandall]

I'm having exactly the same problem.  I tried cleaning the contact surfaces but that did not seem to help.  Any progress or suggestions?