OfficeJet Pro 6978 Only Prints Grayscale

[StephanBren]

I'm ready to dump this printer in the bin.  I purchased it three months ago.  Worked great. Until a few days ago.  I changed a print setting to grayscale.  Now, everything prints grayscale.  Even when the print setting is specifically set to color. I've checked and re-checked that print settings are set to color.   I've uninstalled and re-installed the printer driver.  I've even performed a reset to factory default.  Still prints grayscale.  Nice grayscale.  Accurate grayscale.  But still just grayscale.  Appreciate any help.

[Jeet_singh]

HI @StephanBren,

Thank you for posting on HP Support Forums. It is a great place to find the help you need, from other users, HP experts, and other support personnel. For you to have the best experience on the HP forum, you could also visit our HP Forums Guide for the First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More.

I see from the post that you are having issues with your HP OfficeJet 6978 printer printing only in grayscale. Don't worry as I have a few suggestions which should help you resolve this issue.

To provide you with an accurate solution, I'll need a few more details:

Are you able to make a copy from the printer?

Have you tried cleaning the cartridge contacts as well as rollers?

In the meanwhile, let's try these steps here:

Perform a Hard reset on the printer and make sure that the printer is connected directly to the wall outlet and not to the surge protector.

Remove all the ink cartridges and then try to perform a hard reset on the printer.

With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer and also unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.

Remove USB cable, if present.

Wait for 2-3 minutes, press and hold the power button on your printer for about 30 seconds to remove any additional charge.

Now plug back the power cable straight to a wall outlet without any surge protector or an extension cord and then plug back the power cord to the printer.

Turn on the printer and wait till warm-up period finishes and the printer is idle.

Now insert the ink cartridges and then try to print a test page and check if it works.

Let’s first try and make a “photocopy” to determine whether the issue is with the printer or not. Place a document on the scanner glass and choose “Copy” option. If the printer is making a good copy, then the printer hardware is fine. I would suggest the next step would be to uninstall and reinstall the printer drivers.

I would start by checking the installed printer software by downloading and running the HP Print and Scan Doctor. This tool can diagnose and fix many printing and printer software related issues. Please use this link to help you with that information: http://hp.care/2biN2XE 

Check print settings in Windows

Check the print settings for your print job in Windows.

1. In the program you are trying to print from, click File, and then click Print.

   The Print window opens.

2. Open the Properties dialog box.

   Depending on the software program, the button might be Properties, Options, Printer Setup, Printer, or Preferences.

3. Depending on your print job, you might consider modifying the following settings:

   • Paper Type: If you are printing on photo paper, select the type of photo paper you are attempting to print on.

   • Print Quality: If you are dissatisfied with the quality of your printouts, increase the print quality. To print more quickly, decrease the print quality. These options typically include Best, Normal, and Draft modes.

   • Paper Size: If you are printing on a different size of paper than you normally print on, select the correct paper size.

   • Black and White: If you want to print in black and white only, select the grayscale option.

4. After selecting the print settings, click OK to apply the settings, and then click Print.

Next thing, I would suggest here is to Print a Print Quality Diagnostic Page and check for defects, which is the Step 8.

For more assistance, please follow all the steps suggested in the support document for - HP OfficeJet Pro 6900 Printers - Fixing Poor Print Quality

Please respond to this post with the result of your troubleshooting. I look forward to hearing from you.

Eagerly waiting for your response!

I hope you have a good day ahead,

And Feel free to ask your queries as this forum has some of the best people in the world available and ready to help.

Regards,

[StephanBren]

I ran the diagnostic tool, and it found everything to be just fine.  No issues.  But still prints only in black and white.  How then do I uninstall everything, including any profile files, drivers, hidden files, etc, etc.?

[Jeet_singh]

Hi @StephanBren,

Thank you for replying,

I appreciate your time and efforts,

I understand you have tried to follow the steps suggested and still having the issue, I would suggest you try to perform a clean install on this printer:

Let's try a clean install and try. Follow the steps below:

· First, unplug the USB cable from the printer if present.

· Go to Control panel – Programs and feature – Select all the HP Officejet printer entries and uninstall them.

· Now go to Control panel – Devices and printer – Select all the printer entries and remove the device.

· Restart your computer.

· Click the bottom-left Start button on desktop, type device manager in the search box and tap Device Manager on the menu.

· Once in device manager, click on the view tab in the top & choose “Show hidden devices”.

· Then from the device manager list, check the entries under “Printer” – If there are any entries, please right click and choose “uninstall” – In the confirm device un-install pop-up, make sure you select the box which says “Delete the driver software for this device".

· Also, check the entries under "printer queue" and "imaging devices" and repeat the same exercise. Delete any printer entry or any entry which says “Unknown device”.

· Once done, close device-manger. Then press the "windows key" + "r" to get the "Run" window open - Type "printui.exe /s" and press enter.

· Under print server properties, go to drivers - remove any entry there as well.

· Again, go to run window, type – “c:/programdata” – Go to Hewlett Packard folder, remove any printer related folders & files.

· Once done you can try cleaning out your temporary files and cached files. You can try using automated applications like some cleaner software's that you can download from the internet.

· Now restart your computer again.

· Open the Run window again, type “services.msc” and press ok to get services window.

· Scroll down to “Remote Procedure Call (RPC)” – right-click and go to properties. Make sure the service is started and startup type is “Automatic”.

· Now scroll up and go to “Function Discovery Provider Host” – right-click and select properties – Change the startup type to “manual” and start the service.

· Repeat the same exercise on “Function Discovery Resource Publication” as well.

· Click on  http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib/software13/printers/OJ6970/OJ6970__Full_WebPack_1975.exe and install the software.

· Connect the USB cable if prompted and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

If you are still facing the issues to remove the driver, then try using a 3rd party software removal applications like "Revo uninstaller" or "Wise" to completely remove the programs.

Let me know if those steps worked for you.

If they did, that’s awesome!

Give us some reinforcement by clicking the solution and kudos buttons,

That’ll help us and others see that we’ve got the answers!

Good Luck.

[StephanBren]

Thank you Jeet.  I went one step better: I performed a new installation on a different machine entirely and experienced the same result: prints only in black and and white.  This strongly indicated to me that the root cause here is something to do with the printer.  

I appreciate your assistance.  My printing needs have become acute and I don't have the time to invest in further troubleshooting this issue.  I didn't purchase a store-bought warranty, and I don't want to waste time engaging in warranty returns.  This was my first HP purchase for printing needs.  Given this experience, though I know there are others out there who have had good experiences with HP, I haven't, and thus I will return to competitor products.

[Jeet_singh]

Hi @StephanBren,

Thank you for replying,

I appreciate your time and efforts,

As I understand you have followed all the steps suggested in the previous post and still having the issue. I would personally suggest you contact our HP phone support so that they can remotely take control of your PC and help you check the settings. If nothing helps, they can provide you with out of warranty service upgrade options. 

HP Technical Support can be reached by clicking on the following link: http://h22207.www2.hp.com/us-en/?openCLC=true

(1) Once the support page opens please select the country in which you're located. Next, enter your HP model number on the right.

(2) Next, choose the 'Contact Support' tab at the top and scroll down to the bottom of the 'HP Support- Contact' page to fill out the form provided with your contact information.

(3) Once completed click the 'Show Options' icon on the bottom right.

(4) Lastly, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select 'Get the phone number.' A case number and phone number will now populate for you.

If you have any troubles, let me know and I will do my best to help!

Feel free to post your query for any other assistance as well,

It's been a pleasure interacting with you and I hope you have a good day ahead.

If you wish to show appreciation for my efforts, mark my post as Accepted Solution.

And click on the Purple Thumbs up icon at the bottom of my comment.

Regards,

[Jay61]

Was there a resolution to this?  My printer is doing the exact same thing.  I've updated drivers on both my machine and the printer, restored to factory defaults, performed the hard reset as described, and added brand new color cartridges but it's not printing any colors.  Printing the Print Quality page from the printer maintenance screen only prints in grayscale so I really don't think it's my laptop causing the problem.  I followed the ticketing advice but my support expired about a month ago.  Any help woudl be appreciated.

-J

[Rainbow23]

Hi @Jay61,

Welcome to HP Forums, this is a great place to get support, find answers and tips.

Thank you for posting your query. I'll be more than glad to help you.

I understand that you are facing issues with your HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 All-in-One Printer wherein it does not print in color.

This issue could occur if the cartridges are not vented properly or the printhead may be defective or damaged.

Let's go through a few steps that may help to fix this issue.

And here are a few steps in the link: Color Ink is Not Printing

If the issue still persists, please contact HP phone support from this link: www.hp.com/contacthp
You may select the country and type the product# of the unit and then follow the on-screen instructions to contact HP phone support.

You have a good day ahead.

[Jay61]

Hi @Rainbow23--

Thanks for the response.  Here's a list of what I did:

• The cartridges are brand new and are genuine HP cartridges.  The previous cartridges were not empty but were low (all three were 15-25%).  They had printed in color previous to requesting a grayscale printout from MS PowerPoint.  After that the printer only printed grayscale no matter what the setting from the application.  Further, the Settings - Reports - Print Quality printout only prints grayscale so I think it's something at the printer level.

• I removed the new cartridges and verified that they were vented using the directions on the link you provided.  To be sure, I used a pin to verify nothing was in the cartridge.  I re-seated them and cleaned the heads.  This did not change anything.  The old cartridges were still in the trash so I compared the vents and they looked the same.

I looked at the support page and was informed that my support stopped on July 27 (about 40 days ago) and that I would be charged for a support call.  This is why I'm posting to the forum.  Do you have any other advise?  Thank you for your time.

-J

[Rainbow23]

Hi @Jay61,

Thank you for your reply, I'll be more than glad to help you.

I understand that the issue still persists after following the steps provided in the previous interaction.

This could be an issue with the printer drivers.

Let's go through a few steps to uninstall and reinstall the drivers:

Step 1: Uninstall the Drivers:

Please follow the steps provided to uninstall the printer software in the link: Uninstalling the Printer Software (Windows)

Also, please follow the steps provided below to completely remove the printer software from printer properties.

Steps to remove printer driver files from Print Server Properties:

1. Open the Print Server Properties dialog window by doing any one of the following:

(a). Press WINDOWS-R on the keyboard to bring up the Run window, type in 'printui /s /t2' (without the quotes), and then press Enter or click OK.

(b) From the Start menu or the Start screen and open Devices and Printers. Select any printer and then click "Print server properties" at the top of the window. Click on the Drivers tab.

2. Select the printer driver you wish to uninstall.

3. Click the Remove button.

4. Select "Remove driver and driver package" and click OK.

Step 2: Download and install the Drivers from the link: https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers

Let me know if this works.

You have a good day ahead.