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The HP Smart Tank 7602 All-in-One prints color pages correctly during printer setup or alignment, but when printing from a Mac, particularly from Safari, the printer prints only in black and does not produce color output. hp7602 smart tank printing to dark
This issue can occur when the macOS print job is configured for Black & White/Grayscale or when macOS is using a generic printer driver or an incorrect printer configuration.
The HP Smart Tank 7602 supports color printing and macOS, including macOS Sequoia 15.
The problem is usually related to the Mac print-job settings or printer configuration, rather than a physical color-ink problem.
Possible causes include:
Print in Color is disabled.
The print job is configured for Black & White or Grayscale.
Safari is using a print preset that forces monochrome output.
macOS is using a generic printer configuration such as AirPrint that does not expose all available printer settings.
The printer entry in macOS is incorrectly configured.
Corrupted or outdated printer configuration data is preventing the expected color options from appearing.
Troubleshooting steps
1: Check the Print in Color setting
Open the document, photo, or webpage that you want to print.
Select File > Print.
Select the HP Smart Tank 7602 printer.
If available, click Show Details to expand the print options.
Look for Color Options, Color Matching, Print in Color, or a similar setting.
Make sure Print in Color is enabled.
If Black & White, Grayscale, or Monochrome is selected, disable it.
Print the document again.
2: Check Safari's print settings
If the problem occurs specifically when printing from Safari:
Open Safari.
Open the webpage you want to print.
Press Command + P.
Click Show Details, if available.
Review the available print-setting menus.
Look for a Color Options, Color Matching, or similar section.
Make sure the print job is not configured for:
Black & White
Grayscale
Monochrome
Enable the color-printing option.
Send the print job again.
3: Test color printing from another Mac application
Determine whether the issue affects the printer or only Safari.
Open a color PDF in Preview.
Select File > Print.
Select the HP Smart Tank 7602.
Verify that Print in Color is enabled.
Print the PDF.
4: Check the printer configuration in macOS
Open Apple menu > System Settings.
Select Printers & Scanners.
Select HP Smart Tank 7602.
Open the printer's available information or options.
Check how macOS has configured the printer.
5: Remove and re-add the printer
If the printer configuration appears incorrect:
Open Apple menu > System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
Select HP Smart Tank 7602.
Remove the printer.
Restart the Mac.
Add the printer again.
Select the HP Smart Tank 7602 when it is discovered.
Complete the printer setup.
Print a color document.
After adding the printer, open the Print dialog again and verify that the color-printing options are available.
Note: macOS may automatically configure a printer using AirPrint. If the available print options are limited, reinstalling or re-adding the printer can help establish the correct configuration.
6: Reset the Mac printing system
Open Apple menu > System Settings.
Select Printers & Scanners.
Control-click or right-click in the printer list.
Select Reset Printing System.
Confirm the reset.
Restart the Mac if prompted.
Add the HP Smart Tank 7602 again.
Print a color document from Preview or another application.
Test Safari after confirming that color printing works.
7: Verify the paper and quality settings
If color output is present but the colors are incorrect or poor:
Open the print dialog.
Select Media & Quality.
Select the paper type that matches the paper loaded in the printer.
Select an appropriate print-quality setting, such as Best, when available.
Print the document again.
8: Check the printer itself
Because the printer successfully printed color during setup/alignment, the color-ink system is likely functioning.
However, if the printer also fails to print color from its own diagnostic or copy functions:
Check the ink levels.
Verify that the color ink tanks contain ink.
Check the printer for any displayed warnings or errors.
Run the printer's available print-quality or diagnostic checks.
Follow HP's print-quality troubleshooting procedure if the printer itself cannot produce color.
