Photosmart Premium 309g - how to use black ink for printing text and photo ink for photo printing

[Bob_Headrick]

---

@VYP wrote:

[snip] My personal observation is that you have to also disable duplex printing to make "Black Ink Only" option available (WHY?..). [snip]

---

When duplex printing the front page is underprinted with color ink so that it will dry faster.  Without the underprinting the wait time before pulling the page back in to print the back side would have to be increased to prevent smearing.  Since color is required in duplex printing the "black ink only" option is not available in the driver.

[VYP]

I suspected this. However I'm wondering how my parents' Canon priter solves this as it does not use color ink for duplex printing on plain paper (or at least I've nerver noticed that)...

[Adaminindiana]

Just glancing at the messages, it's hard to tell whether a problem was acknowledged ore resolved.

I have a job where I do a lot of printing from home. Even though I didn't print anything on photo paper, my photo ink cartridge often emptied and I couldn't print until I replaced it. I print about 80-90% text only, usually from Adobe Reader.  Months ago I retired that printer and started using a free one we received with a computer purchase. This thing uses ink like nothing I've ever seen.  (D110) I even read a review that said this printer was not good for households like mine that used the printer a lot.

I want to bring my 309g back, but I"m concerned about the ink problems. Is there a way to get it to print and ignore the fact that the photo ink cartridge is empty? 

[woad]

I beg to differ...it has nothing to do witht he display.  When you go to the order screen, unless this is faulty, it shows what cartridge is low.  I don;t print on "picture paper" and I really don't print a lo tof images, yet my photo black is empty.

[smachen]

I am another whose hp photosmart premium C309g printer uses all of the photo black first. Not by printing  photos but printing text. When you check supply levels and it says you are out of photo black and you have printed no photos I am guessing that it uses photo black first to print anything that uses black, including text. Have checked all areas related to the printer and can find no area where paper type or preference for text black is located. Have you any ideas?  All other responses from you have NOT been helpful. I would like to settle this problem before I buy another printer and throw this one on the concrete floor.

Thanks for any help you can give.

I do use a Mac computer if that makes a difference.

[VYP]

I use Windows, so I cannot say how to find something in Mac...

The following page seems to have guide to set paper type for Mac and Windows: http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/digital_photography/print_better_photos/tips/printer-settin... . Grayscale and duplex settings should be around paper type.

And this is the "how to" for Mac OS: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01662356. I clearly shows grayscale options. Desired one is "Black Print Cartridge Only" shown on the last page of Mac OS X 10.6 manual.

With Windows 7 you can follow one of the two ways to get to the preferences:

1) Go to "Devices and Printers" in Start menu. Right-click on the printer and select "Printing preferences". It will show the window with a lot of shortcuts, like "photo", "duplex", "everyday printing", etc.

In this window you set printing defaults for all applications at once.

2) When printing from the application, you select "Printer options" (or similar, depending on the application). You get to the same window with printing shortcuts.

In the window with shortcuts you may try to choose "everyday printing" and adjust options to the right of the list of shortcuts. Or you can go to the next tab ("Features", I think - I'm at work now, can't check) with detailed options where you can select paper type, grayscale mode, etc.

On this "Features" tab, you have to disable duplex (copletely disable as "manual" does not work), select "other.." (or similar) in paper type combo box and in the window that will appear, select plain paper.

This should unblock option to use only black ink in color/ grayscale combo box.

You may want to look for more info in HowTos available in HP Support site for the printer (I chose "Printing" howtos to find links with Mac manuals).

NOTE: according to this (http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/digital_photography/print_better_photos/tips/printing-made-...) "Automatic" paper works with special HP Photo Paper. Thus, it prints with photo ink.

Hopefully, this will help you somehow.

[repathon]

This guy knows whats up.  A hell of a lot more helpful than this expert guy...

I simply changed my paper type from automatic to plain, and works like a charm!  Probably the first time I've used the intended text black ink...

[Bob_Headrick]

---

@repathon wrote:

[snip]  I simply changed my paper type from automatic to plain, and works like a charm!  Probably the first time I've used the intended text black ink...

---

If the paper type is set to Automatic the printer will use a sensor to determine the paper type.  If the paper type is detected as photo paper then the normal black cartridge will not be used (black uses pigmented ink, not compatible with photo paper).  

If your printer is detecting plain paper as photo paper the sensor may have failed, perhaps due to ink aerosol buildup on the sensor.   The sensor is a small protrusion about 1/2" wide and 1" deep on the right side of the printhead assembly, under the gray lever and in the back.  You can clean the underside with a damp q-tip.

[ch1231]

I was having the same problem, and the solution from Bob_Headrick seems to have fixed it.  Thank you!!

[Bob_Headrick]

---

@ch1231 wrote:

I was having the same problem, and the solution from Bob_Headrick seems to have fixed it.  Thank you!!

---

I am glad I could help.