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

[Bob_Headrick]

The black cartridge will be used for text.  When printing with photo paper selected in the driver the photo black will be used for the darkest black areas (including text if you print text on photo paper).  There will additionally be some ink used for servicing the printheads as described here.  I seldom print photo's on my Photosmart 309a but have printed about 700 pages at this point, mostly plain paper.  I am still on the first photo cartridge but the third black cartridge.

[deg41]

My HP 309g with plain paper is NOT using the black ink but is using the Photosmart black ink exclusively. How do I change this? Thanking you in advance.

[Bob_Headrick]

What makes you think only the photo cartridge is being used?  Is it based on the ink level indicators? 

What operating system? How is the printer connected - USB, wired LAN, Wireless LAN, bluetooth?  I have seen cases where the c309 reports the ink levels in a mirror image of the correct order, which may lead you to think the photo cartridge is being used rather than the black.  In the screen shots below the yellow arrow points to the photo cartridge, incorrectly shown as a mirror image of where it really exists in the printer.

What paper type settings?  I photo paper is selected the standard black cartrdige will not be used for printing, even if plain paper is loaded in the tray.

[Big23boy]

I'm going to take the route of another annoyed customer about this printer.

I have an empty BLACK PHOTO Cartridge and it will not print out just plain text.  I have purchased ALL new cartridges except for that one and when I print a page with just text on it.  Yes a word document without images or anything else with color.  It prints a blank page.  I have tried to even just do a copy black on the front of the printer and I get nothing.  another plain white piece of paper.  My printer is a c309a.  In all images for the cart.  I have tried printing just black and white (not high resolution) and it comes back with a blank peice of paper.  If i print something with just red ink.  It works just fine. 

Again.  another annoyed customer with this type of bug in the coding that HP lacks to try to fix.  It's a bug that needs to be fixed and can be easily reproduced.  Put an empty black photo cartridge in your printer.  then put 4 new cartridges for the other slots and watch the black text not appear on your pages.

[Bob_Headrick]

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@Big23boy wrote:

I'm going to take the route of another annoyed customer about this printer.

I have an empty BLACK PHOTO Cartridge and it will not print out just plain text.  I have purchased ALL new cartridges except for that one and when I print a page with just text on it.  Yes a word document without images or anything else with color.  It prints a blank page.  I have tried to even just do a copy black on the front of the printer and I get nothing.  another plain white piece of paper.  My printer is a c309a.  In all images for the cart.  I have tried printing just black and white (not high resolution) and it comes back with a blank peice of paper.  If i print something with just red ink.  It works just fine. 

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The photo cartridge is the one toward the left side of the carriage.  The standard black cartridge is in the wider space on the right.  Is it really the photo cartridge (the skinny one of the left) that is empty? The photo cartrdige has a butterfly type logo, the black cartridge has a pentagon symbol.  See here for information on identifying the proper cartridge.

[TobarSegais]

Hi,

this printer doesn't use the photo cartridge to print text except in some circumstances where the text is part of a mixed graphic page. It looks like you have also printed using grayscale which should mean only the black supply is used.

You may have another issue with your black cartridge. Check the ink gauge as Bob suggests and if the black supply is not showing empty then check that the cartridge is vented and then try using the solution centre to clean the printhead - steps 3 and 4 in the following doc http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01787835

If that doesn't work you may need to contact hp support

Regards

[1DHW54]

I have same problem as above.  Black cartridge full, all others low, Black Photo low.  Blank pages come out if I print or copy in color or black only.  My ink came from HP.com & lasted for 723 pages.   I called HP support & was told to replace the color trio then align the printer.  It would make sense that I could at least print 'black only'  until I am able to buy replacements for the color trio.   VERY annoying.

[granger2]

I am running a C410a printer.

I have gone and changed the settings to fast draft in hope that that will fix the problem.

[VYP]

It was mentioned in a separate thread that to force the printer to use black ink you have to select Plain Paper (not Automatic) and choose Grayscale-->Black Ink only in settings.

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

Option "High Quality" in Grayscale combo box definitely uses color ink. And this is the only option if you choose any automatic duplex mode or automatic paper.