Will Black Print if Color is Out on LaserJet Pro M252dw

[Doris63]

If any of the color ink cartridges are empty, can I still print in black or in any of the other colors that are not empty?

[Drakster]

Hi @Doris63,

Welcome to the HP Support Forums!

I see that you're wondering when the colour ink is empty, if you can continue to print in black on your Color LaserJet Pro M252dw Printer.  I would be happy to look into this for you.

When the colour cartridge has been depleted, you will need to replace in order to continue printing.

I would review this guide for more details, Change the cartridge message settings.

Follow these steps to change how the printer responds when the cartridge levels are very low.

 NOTE: Once the HP print cartridge reaches Very Low, the HP Premium Protection Warranty ends and your print quality might be poor.

Touchscreen display

1. On the printer control panel's Home screen, touch Setup ().
2. Touch System Setup.
3. Swipe the touchscreen to scroll to Supply Settings, and then touch Black Cartridge or Color Cartridges.
4. Touch Very Low Setting.
5. Select one of the following options:
   • Stop: Sets the printer to stop printing when the cartridge reaches Very Low.
   • Prompt: Sets the printer to stop printing when the cartridge reaches Very Low. At that time, you must acknowledge the prompt or replace the cartridge to resume printing.
   • Continue: Sets the printer to display an alert that the cartridge is Very Low. The printer automatically continues printing beyond the Very Low state. This can result in unsatisfactory print quality.
   • Print Black (color cartridges only): Sets the printer to print with black toner when a color cartridge reaches Very Low.
6. Try to print the job again.

I hope this answers your question. Thank you for posting!

[Doris63]

Thanks for responding.  That seems to answer what to do if I was trying to print in color and one of the color cartridges was running low - then I could print in black, instead of color.  But, if I was trying to print in black in the 1st place, would I even receive the low color cartridge warning?  I guess the question is do the cartridges work independently - does one cartridge affect another?  Thanks.

[Drakster]

Hi @Doris63,

Thanks for getting back to me.

Q: if I was trying to print in black in the 1st place, would I even receive the low color cartridge warning?

A: Yes. You will receive a low ink warning for either cartridge, when they get low. 

Q: I guess the question is do the cartridges work independently - does one cartridge affect another?

A: They do work independently as far as ink levels are concerned, but they also work together to print.

Here's more information: How Toner is Used.

NOTE:

• Underprinting - To improve the "blackness" or overall PQ of some areas of a print, HP may use some colored toner along with black toner to generate certain black areas on the page.This is done to provide the highest print quality possible for the customer.

I hope this helps.