HP ENVY 7640 Always Prints in Color, even when I select black and white in the command

[Dave_G7]

Hello, I am using a Mac and have not had this issue in the past. I can usually select color or Black and White and the printer does what I ask.

Lately, the printer will only print in color, even when I select black and white in the command box, and the preview shows the image in Black and White. My Black Ink cartridge is about half full according to the printer, but the color ink is low so color images are all printing a pale pink. 

Any Ideas?

[senan6806]

@Dave_G7

A warm welcome to HP forums! This is a great place to get support, find answers and tips to your technical queries.
I got to know from your post that you are not able to print in black and I'll be glad to help you out. However, for an accurate solution, I would need more details:

Are you able to copy documents in black?

Which version of Mac OS X is installed on your PC?

How is the printer connected, USB or Wireless?

Could you also print a print quality test report and let me know if it has black in it. In order to print the report:

1.) On the printer control panel, swipe the display to the left, and then touch Setup.

2.) Touch Reports, and then touch Print Quality Report.

Let me know!

[Dave_G7]

Thanks for the reply!

Here are the answers to your questions:

Yes I am able to copy in Black

The printer is connected to the Mac via wifi

The OS is version 10.12.6

The test page prints black, Magenta and Yellow but was missing Cyan since the color cartridge is very low

[senan6806]

@Dave_G7

You are welcome 🙂 Since the printer is able to copy documents in black, it could be an issue with the printer driver installed on your Mac. Removing existing printer driver and then adding a compatible driver may resolve the issue. Let's try these steps:

1.) Click the Apple menu, click System Preferences, and then click Print & Scan or Printers & Scanners.

2.) Check if your printer name displays in the Printers list, If your printer is listed, click the printer name, click the minus sign to delete the printer.

3.) If you see multiple printer queues for the same printer, remove all extra printers by selecting them one at a time, and then clicking the minus button  at the bottom of the list.

4.) Click the plus sign , click Add Printer or Scanner, click the printer name.

5.) Click the Use or Print Using menu, select AirPrint in the pop-up menu. Then click Add.

6.) Try to print.

Let me know  how it goes!

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!
Have a great day!

[Dave_G7]

Unfortunately this did not work, it is still trying to print in color despite the re-install. This is very strange as I have been using this computer and printer together for almost two years and never had this problem. If I selected black and white in the past, that is how it printed. 

[senan6806]

@Dave_G7

That's unfortunate 😞 Let's try adjusting the print settings. Here is how to do it:

1.) Open the document or photo you want to print, click File, click Print, and then click Show Details, if necessary.

2.) Select Black & White on the main dialog. 

3.) Click Media & Quality in the unnamed print options menu at the center of the dialog, and then move the Quality slider to Draft.

4.) Click Print.

Keep me posted!