Officejet Pro 8500: How can you print without color cartridges installed?

[approx]

for me too.. last HP product ever..... sleazy folks.... It wont even allow me to print black n white with an empty color cartridge...shame on you, HP...

[Buy]

The quoted rates are very misleading:

I believe the quoted 220 sheets for XL black cartridges and 1400 for XL color cartridges are for prints in DRAFT mode, which are readable but very poor quality prints.  Most people will be printing in normal mode, which uses much more ink than draft mode.

Another problem with this printer is:

Even if I set the print property to print in grayscale and Black Ink Only, it is still using some color ink.  I don't know that is a print hardware or software bug, or HP purposely does that so people will use more color ink, which is much more expensive.

[ipilly12]

Three months after spending $100 getting a fault fixed on my HP8500 just after it came out of warranty (a mistake I will never make again) it then did not recognize that I have a brand new magenta cartridge installed. Bought a Brother printer that I have been very happy with (after 25 years of HP printers I have given up on them - the G85 I had before also had basic quality problems straight after the warranty finished). However, I thought I could still use the HP as a second printer for black only printing given that I have 2 full black cartridges. Now I find out that "black only" printing will not work unless all the color catridges are working - and that black printing sucks the color cartridge's ink as well - which would explain why the economy on the color cartridges has been so bad. I don't see the business sense in HP doing such a continuing poor job.

[behr121002]

Having just encountered this same RIDICULOUS problem with these printers not being able to print TEXT in BLACK INK when a color cartridge(s) are low, I concur with virtually all who have said this is bulls**t, bad (or intential) design to keep you buying ink, etc. 

  A situation like this is totally obsurd for the consumer and HP should be SLAMMED for this.  I too will not purcahse any more HP equipment of any kind, and will dump this 8500 as soon as possible. I think I'll check out Canon.

[helpconsumers]

Finally I found simple solution to disable the color sensor. 

Open the cartridge and put the tape in the middle to cover pumping system. Just look at the part covering pumping system in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbALy-J5Dtw

[miserrano]

Thank you Genius!! your suggestion on putting a piece of tape  DID IT!!

[Bob_Headrick]

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@helpconsumers wrote:

Finally I found simple solution to disable the color sensor. [snip]

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If you do this eventually you will run out of ink without the printer realizing it.  At this point you will ingest air into the "plumbing" and then the printhead, causing at the least a severe clogged printhead and in the worst case destroying the printhead.   This would be a  REALLY BAD IDEA.  The likely result will be service required for the printer.

[approx]

It is ok if the printhead is destroyed.. I believe the general concensus is to use the printer till it is usable and then trash it... it is better than trying to be stuck with HP forcing its consumer's to buy expensive ink using the pretext of a printer design requiring all ink cartridges to be present and have ink in them..

[Bob_Headrick]

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@approx wrote:

It is ok if the printhead is destroyed.. I believe the general concensus is to use the printer till it is usable and then trash it... it is better than trying to be stuck with HP forcing its consumer's to buy expensive ink using the pretext of a printer design requiring all ink cartridges to be present and have ink in them..

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OK, I give up.  If you think it is OK to damage the printhead and then trash the printer then there is just no more I can add to the discussion.

[behr121002]

How does covering the rubber bladder on the inside of the color ink cartridge with tape override anything to allow only the black in to be used??? It doesn't seem to make sense to me.