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HP Recommended

My HP Photosmart Prem C310 series all in one is using the Black Photo ink cartridge for text printing instead of the XL Black that I put in it for text printing. How can I get it to use the right cartridge for printing? Also, even though I have NOT printed ANY photo's and very few pages of text the new set of color cartridges I put in it a few months ago are almost empty. Why? How could they be almost empty when I have NOT printed anything in color? This is getting ridiculous replacing ink cartridges every few months WHEN I HAVE NOT BEEN PRINTING ANYTHING!!!

The set of ink cartridges that came with it lasted for several months. Since then I've gone through two sets in less than a year. That's 3 sets of ink cartridges when I have only printed 3 photo's when I first set it up. And have only used les than a 1/4 of one package of printing paper. I've only put paper in it twice. Each time it was about a 1/4 inch or 3/8 of an inch thick stack of paper in the tray. I've even tried shutting the printer down when its not being used for a long period of time but the ink is still disapearing. Where is it going? Why is it going there? How do I stop it? This is rediculous. I may as well junk the thing even though it still works because I cant aford to keep feeding it ink when its just sitting there doing nothing most of the time.

Thank you

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
HP Recommended

The c310a will use the photo black for black printing if photo media is selected in the paper type, or if the setting is automatic and the media is detected as photo media.  

This printer has separate printheads and ink supplies and some ink is required in all colors to keep the printhead from clogging.  The page here discusses how ink is used.


Bob Headrick,  HP Expert

I am not an employee of HP, I am a volunteer posting here on my own time.

If your problem is solved please click the "Accept as Solution" button 

If my answer was helpful please click "Yes" to the "Was this post helpful" question.


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HP Recommended

Hi, are turning the C310 between uses?

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Please mark the post that solves your issue as "Accept as Solution".
I am a volunteer and do not work for HP.
HP Recommended

I'd like to know the answer to this question as well: I'm not printing photos, so how can I stop the printer from using the photo ink cartridge?

And can the photo ink cartridge just be replaced with a regular black ink cartridge?

HP Recommended

The c310a will use the photo black for black printing if photo media is selected in the paper type, or if the setting is automatic and the media is detected as photo media.  

This printer has separate printheads and ink supplies and some ink is required in all colors to keep the printhead from clogging.  The page here discusses how ink is used.


Bob Headrick,  HP Expert

I am not an employee of HP, I am a volunteer posting here on my own time.

If your problem is solved please click the "Accept as Solution" button 

If my answer was helpful please click "Yes" to the "Was this post helpful" question.


HP Recommended

I have it set on plain paper 8 1/2 x 11. Other than the one time when I first set it up and did a test photo, since then I have NOT used anything but the plain paper setting. Also, after it did what ever it is that it does with all the color ink and has a XL Black cartridge that's still full, it refuses to print anything until I feed it some more of the color ink cartridges. At about $50 a set for the color ink that's way too much when I only need to print a page about once a month.

I have a old 1600 HP printer that still works and still has ink in it after sitting for over 2 years. It prints great but can not be used wireless with my laptop. That's why I bought this piece of junk. By the way, I've stuck this one on a shelf with my other broken electronic crap next to a Mr Coffee that died and now have an Epson printer. It's slower but at least it doesn't want new ink every couple of months even when I haven't used it.

HP Recommended

I just looked at the page telling how the ink is used. If I known this or read this before I bought this printer I never would have bought it. It sounds like you deliberately designed it to use a lot of ink. You have even made it so that the less printing done with it to conserve the expensive ink, it wastes even more ink on purpose! It does not have to use so much ink cleaning the heads and keeping the ink jets clear of clogs. I have an old HP 1600 series printer that has had the same ink cartridges in it for about 4 years. I have seldom used it since I got my laptop because the 1600 series cant be used wireless. I can go back to it and fire up my old desk top computer and print something with it right now. With cartridges that have been in it for over 4 years! So don't try to tell me that the printer HAS TO USE A BUNCH OF INK TO CLEAN THE HEADS WHEN IT HASN'T BEEN USED. With this one I did notice that every time  I went to print something it did a bunch of humming and running the carriages back and forth before finally printing a page. And it did this EVERY TIME. It didn't matter if it had been a few minutes since the last printing was done or a few hours, a few days or weeks. It did this EVERY TIME I PRINTED SOMETHING. I also found that having the X-Large black cartridge for printing black text doesn't matter, because the printer ignores it and uses the Photo Black for all the black printing including printing just text. I've gone through 2 sets of color cartridges including 2 of the photo black and the X-Large black for text printing is still full as if it has never been used. And no, I don't have the printer set to automatic on detecting the printing paper. I have it set for plain paper 8 1/2 x 11. I've tried using the print in gray scale only and all that does is make it use just the photo black. This machine was designed just to use up lots of ink to make people spend more money on ink to feed it than the printer cost in the first place. It only takes buying 3 sets of ink cartridges and you've spent more on ink than the printer cost in the first place.

I figured out what to do with this printer. I'm taking it with me the next time I go target shooting and it's going to be the main target. I'm going to find out just how many bullets and shotgun blasts it takes to disintegrate this thing.

HP Recommended

Thanks for replying to my message. It is comforting to have someone else confirm my problems. I tried contacting the HP helpdesk (or customer non-service) regarding this issue and was told that it was not a software issue, but it must be my printer. I have checked and rechecked all of my settings. I explained to the person on the phone and their supervisor that I work with computers all day long and that I had already put everything in draft, etc. before calling this in. I explained to them that this would have to be a software problem as all settings tell the printer to stay away from the photo black and yet it uses it exclusively. That means that the software has confused programming. What really backs this up is that the setup cartridges lasted the same amount of time for all cartridges and they lasted for a lot of pages. I did not experience this problem until I purchased the "new" ones from the store. And yes, for company reps monitoring this forum (right...), they are HP cartridges. They did not receive this well and got very defensive with me. Strange that the only contacts on this problem are from others experiencing it rather than HP. I too have an old printer that is an HP 500 PSC that is not wireless. I can leave it for months at a time and have plenty of ink when I return to it. The reason I purchased HP was that the old one is great and the professional series ones at my office are also bullet-proof. Apparently the new home version ones are not up to the same standard. I too will be returning to my old printer and seeking a place to destroy my printer in a neat manner. It has been with me over 1 year and cannot be returned any more. I wish I had figured this out before my store warranty expired. At least they would stand behind the products they sell. Also, just an aside, my profile says "honor student" however I am a statistician and am chained to a computer for 8 hrs per day as well as repairing our printers for the building. I have been doing this for over 25 years so not wet behind the ears as they would have it seem.

HP Recommended

I just got another email from HP about this problem wanting to know what I found for a solution to this problem. From all of the suggestions from the HP tec support all of them pretty much kept saying the same thing. That it is my fault that it's using so much ink because I have it on the wrong settings. One tec did slip and say that it doesn't matter what settings you have it on it will always use the Photo Black cartridge for printing plain black text and it doesn't matter if you have a X-Large Black cartridge in it for text printing because it was made to always use the Photo Black for text and even use some of the colors to blend with the black to make it stand out. Why anybody would need this when just printing shipping labels and things like that I don't know.

Any who, The only solution for this problem is,,,, junk the printer and get a different brand & model of printer. Research it before buying to find out how much ink it wants to waste and if it will still print black text if it only has a black cartridge in it. I was going to get rid of mine by giving it to a friend since they don't have a printer. But since I want to keep him as a friend I decided not to give it to him. Since it cant be traded in for a different one even though it still works, Its going to the target shooting range the next time I go out shooting. Maybe I'll take a few video's clips of it getting blasted to pieces with a Ruger 10-22 .22 cal. rifle with 25 shot clips, a Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle shooting .223 cal with a 30 shot clip:smileymad:, a Chinese SKS 7.62 with a 30 shot clip.:smileytongue: And maybe use my Ruger P89 9mm pistol and put a couple 15 round clips of 9mm in it. If there's anything left I'll finish it off with a few 3" magnum loads of #2 steel shot with my 20 gauge shotgun.:smileyvery-happy:  Then I think I'll do the same thing to my Westinghouse 46" flat screen HDTV that just died.

   Then maybe I'll come back and post the video's of my "solution to this printers problem". It may not fix the problem, but it will be an entertaining way of getting rid of the problem.:smileylol:

HP Recommended

It sounds like one way or another at least the printer will provide some entertainment.

HP Recommended

Lisa

   If you live somewhere around Canon City Colorado I'd be happy to take you with me to the shooting range and blast away at it too. I've found it's a great way to relieve stress. Specially on those days that the boss has been on your back about something that wasn't your fault.:smileyfrustrated: Or just got dumped,:smileysad: so taking a photo of the ex to the range to use as a target works pretty good too.:smileymad: I think it has something to do with satisfying that Caveman erge to beat the crap out of something:smileyfrustrated: to release anger and frustration over something by making a LOT of noise:smileytongue: while performing destruction of inanament objects.:smileyvery-happy: 

Besides all that, it's just a lot of fun too. Have you ever been shooting? Or gone for a drive in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in the fall? If you haven't you don't know what your missing.

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