HP 7975 Envy Photo printer doesn't pint colors

[MontanaSteve1]

My HP 7975 Envy Photo printer won't print colors.     I  bought it new from Best Buy yesterday, I downloaded and followed the HP app to setup the printer,  I have a MacBook Pro laptop computer with the Apple M3 Pro chip, 36 GB memory with macOS Tahoe 26.3, I use Chrome as my web browser.    My HP 7975 Envy Photo printer will copy and scan documents in color,  but it prints only in black and white.    What "magic" button do I need to click, or setting do i need to adjust in order to make my printer print in color ?

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @MontanaSteve1,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your HP Envy Photo 7975 printing only in black and white even though it copies and scans in color. Let’s go through a few checks.

Before we proceed:
Are you printing from Google Chrome, Preview, or another specific app?

Meanwhile, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Check macOS Print Settings (Most Common Cause)

• Open the document you want to print.
• Click File > Print.
• Click Show Details (if visible).
• Look for a setting called Presets, Color Options, or Print in grayscale.
• Make sure “Black & White” or “Grayscale” is NOT selected.
• Ensure Color is selected before printing.
• Chrome often defaults to grayscale.

Step 2: Check Printer Driver Type

• Go to System Settings.
• Select Printers & Scanners.
• Click your HP 7975.
• Check the “Kind” or “Driver” listed.
• If it says AirPrint:
• Click Remove Printer.
• Click Add Printer.
• When adding, select the printer.
• In the “Use” dropdown, choose the HP driver (not AirPrint).
• Add the printer again.
• AirPrint sometimes defaults to grayscale.

Step 3: Check Ink Levels

• Open the HP app.
• Check Ink Levels.
• Confirm the tri-color cartridge is not empty.
• If copying works in color, the cartridge is likely fine, but confirm levels anyway.

Step 4: Reset Printing System (If Still Black & White)

• Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
• Right-click in the printer list area.
• Select Reset Printing System.
• Restart the Mac.
• Add the printer again using the HP driver.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[FusionPilot · Accepted solution]

I just received a new HP Envy 7975 today, and went through the setup process. It was fairly easy and was accomplished quickly. I have a Mac Studio and the computer saw the printer immediately.

I ran some test printing, and some remote printing from my phone, and all seemed to work - at first. Then I found that when printing from the Mac, everything was in grey and black. On the printer dialog box from programs like MS Word, there was no "color" option showing. Bummer.

I did some research on the internet, and on the HP site, but the answers they gave were irrelevant to me, as both the test pages and printing from my phone were non-issues; color was available.

As a last resort, I removed the printer from the Mac, shut down both the Mac and the Printer, unplugged the printer, and then powered up the printer and the Mac, and reinstalled the printer into the Mac. I restarted the Mac once again, and presto! all was well.

I don't have any words of wisdom why this took place, except that there was an old  HP printer on the Mac, and somehow loading the generic driver for the new printer didn't hook up with the printer correctly.

In any event, I'm now happily printing color; the dialog box for printing now has a "black and white" checkbox that can be unchecked (That wasn't possible in the beginning), and I can set up presets with options. 

To others that have had issues printing in color with this printer, it seems  a simple reset and restart solved my problem.