HP Officejet 3830 Stopped Printing in Color

[BSW_WYO]

Because there are multiple posts with this issue, I've seen advice on this topic elsewhere in this forum, but it has not helped. My printer stopped printing in color. I've tried printing from multiple devices, including ones in which I've removed the HP Smart program, removed the printer, deleted the driver package using the printui.exe /s command, confirmed deletion of the HP smart program using the c:/programdata command, restarted the computer, reinstalled and re-added HP Smart and the printer. The print quality report from the printer prints in color, as does the "Congratulations" page from HP Smart when the program is added, but my documents that display in color from multiple applications print only in B&W. I cannot find any option of printing in grayscale to deselect.

[Betty0610]

@BSW_WYO

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Try a firmware update: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_1776648-1643972-16

Let me know if this helps.

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

Thanks!

Have a great day!

[BSW_WYO]

Unfortunately, I tried updating from HP Smart and from the printer directly, and both tell me that the firmware is up to date already.

[Betty0610]

I would suggest you try the Windows built-in drivers. Follow the steps below:

•    Go to Control Panel - Devices and Printers - Click on "Add printer" and follow the on-screen instructions.

•    When the page prompts for the drivers, select "Windows update". The driver list will be updated.

•    Click HP, Hewlett Packard, or Hewlett-Packard in the Manufacturer pane, and then click the name of your printer in the Printers pane.

Refer to this document HP Printers - Installing and Using the Windows Built-in Print Driver for help.

Let me know if this helps.

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

Thanks!

Have a great day!

[BSW_WYO]

Thank you.

I removed the printer and re-added it through the control panel. It did not prompt me for the driver, and the printer still refused to print in color.

However, I then removed the printer through the control panel, uninstalled the HP Smart App, and then added the printer through the control panel. That allowed the printer to begin printing in color.

Unfortunately, when I reinstalled the HP Smart app (which I use for, for instance, scanning directly from the HP 3830 to my computer) through the Microsoft Store, it no longer printed in color.

Is there any way to print in color while having the HP Smart installed?

[Betty0610]

Do you have any other device that you can install the HP Smart App and check if you're able to print in color from there?

Let me know if this helps.

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

Thanks!

Have a great day!

[BSW_WYO]

Thank you for the suggestion, but it didn't help. I uninstalled HP Smart on another laptop, and that one still did not print in color. I reinstalled HP Smart on it, and no change--still only B&W.

[Betty0610]

The copies do come out in color right?

[BSW_WYO]

Yes, the 3830 copies in color, prints test pages in color, but only prints my documents in color from the laptop from which HP Smart has been removed and I installed the printer using only the Windows interface. The HP Smart app appears to prevent color printing. So, my remaining question is whether the HP Smart app can be updated to allow color printing (since I find the HP Smart especially useful for scanning from the 3830 to my computer).

[Betty0610 · Accepted solution]

With the next update of the App, it should be fixed.

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

Thanks!

Have a great day!