HP 3050 printed black and white copies even when color cartridge was dried. But not anymore

[Drew10]

I already gave up and bought another printer.  However, I still would like to know why the printer does not print black and white copies anymore unless I put in a new color cartridge.  I never print color copies.  So my color ink is dried.  It did not matter for a number of years since I bought the printer until one day recently it insisted that I must put in a new color cartridge in order to print a black and white copy.  If it were a new machine I could understand that because many newer machines do require both color and black ink cartridges in place in order to work.  But HP 3050 was an old machine that did not have such requirement.  Why did it change all of a sudden?  I have used several HP printers before.  None acted like that.  The only reason I changed printers was the issue of compatibility when I bought new computers. 

frustrated, I went and bought a machine that only printed black and white.

[Kumar0307]

Hi @Drew10

Welcome to the HP Support Community. I'd be happy to assist you.

HP Deskjet 3050 All-in-One Printer supports single cartridge printing. You may remove the tr-color ink cartridge and printing in black.

Reset the printer

1. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.
2. Wait at least 60 seconds.
3. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.
4. Turn ON the printer, if it does not automatically turn on.
5. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

Note: HP recommends connecting the printer directly to a wall outlet rather than a surge protector or a power strip.

Update the printer firmware

Click here to know different methods of updating printer firmware.

Try copying/printing in black and check if the issue persists.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

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