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HP printer may encounter an issue where the printer does not print, or prints only in black and white, when printing from standard macOS applications such as:
Microsoft Word
Pages
Numbers
Keynote
Preview
Adobe Acrobat
Web browsers
Email applications
The printer may continue to print correctly through the HP app while failing from other macOS applications.
You may notice one of the following:
Print jobs sent from macOS applications do not print.
Documents print only in black and white.
Color printing options are unavailable.
The printer functions normally when printing from the HP app.
The issue began after reconnecting the printer or after a macOS update.
Images and logos print correctly.
Text appears on screen but is missing from the printed page.
Only certain applications such as Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, Preview, or web browsers are affected.
This issue can occur when:
The printer is installed using the AirPrint driver.
macOS automatically switches the printer to the AirPrint driver after a macOS update.
The printer is reconnected and the AirPrint driver is selected automatically.
Troubleshooting Steps
1: Reset the macOS Printing System
Resetting the printing system removes existing printer configurations and allows the printer to be added using the correct driver.
Note: Resetting the print system removes all installed printers and scanners, clears queued print jobs, and removes saved print settings. All printers and scanners must be added again after the reset.
Click the Spotlight icon and open Printers & Scanners.
In the printer list, right-click (or Control-click) within the printer pane.
Select Reset Printing System.
Complete the reset process.
Restart the printer.
Verify that the printer and Mac are connected to the same network.
Select Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax.
Choose the printer from the available devices list.
In the Use drop-down menu, select:
Your HP printer model, or
Generic PCL/PostScript if the HP driver is not available.
Select Add.
Do not select AirPrint from the "Use" drop-down menu when re-adding the printer.
2: Verify Color Printing Settings
After reinstalling the printer, confirm that color printing is enabled.
Open the document you want to print.
Select Print.
If presented with an application-level print dialog, select Print again to open the macOS Print System dialog.
Verify that Color is selected in the print preferences.
In the Print System dialog, confirm that Print in Color is enabled.
Send a test print job.
Settings configured in the Print System dialog override settings selected in the application's print window.
If the Printer Is Not Printing Text
Open the document from the affected application.
Print a test page from another application.
If text prints from the HP app but not from standard macOS applications, verify the printer driver configuration.
Reset the macOS print system.
Re-add the printer using:
HP Printer Driver (preferred)
Generic PCL/PostScript Driver (if HP driver is unavailable)
Do not select AirPrint when adding the printer
If Color Options Are Missing
If no color selection options appear in the print dialog:
Review the printer driver being used.
Ensure the printer was added using the HP driver or Generic PCL/PostScript driver and not AirPrint.
