PDF & Office documents only printing in grayscale instead of color

[N1els]

Printing PDF documents or printing from MS Office on my OfficeJet 3831 always results in grayscale. In contrast, images are sometimes successfully printed in color (e.g. via the standard MS Photo viewer or with Paint.NET) but not always. I already followed the instructions from this post but without success:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printing-Errors-or-Lights-Stuck-Print-Jobs/only-printing-in-grayscale-...

This means, neither reinstalling the drivers "from root level" nor reinstalling and using the HP Smart App for PDFs has resolved the issue. The HP Print and Scan Doctor could not fix the issue either. The issue already occurred about one year ago on Windows 10 and now still persists on Windows 11. I'm using original HP ink (HP Instant Ink).

I tried to reinstall the drivers in so many various ways now - and also tried both the built-in Windows drivers and the latest from HP.

When I bought the printer, in the beginnings I did not have these issues. These issues started occurring shortly after the warranty had expired. I am running out of ideas, what to try next to solve this.

[jabzi]

Hello,

Please click HERE to access the steps that should resolve the issue .

[N1els]

Sorry, this suggested solution, which explains how to connect to a wireless printer, does not address my issue. I can connect via WiFi without problems. The problem is that the print should be in color but it comes in grayscale. I cannot see how yet another way of connecting to the printer could help, and will not try this unless someone explicitly confirms that this solved the color issue for them.

[jabzi]

Hello, 

I sense the issue could be because of WSD port. By following the steps mentioned earlier you'd  bypass the WPS and install the printer driver.

[N1els]

OK, I'll start trying this approach now.

[N1els]

Did not work, sorry.

[jabzi]

Hello, 

First try the below steps and check if there is color being printed.

Secondly try the below steps.

1. In the software application you are trying to print from, click File, and then click Print.
   The Print window opens.
2. Open the Properties dialog box.
   Depending on the software application, the button might be Properties, Options, Printer Setup, Printer, or Preferences.
3. Depending on your print job, you might consider modifying the following settings:
   • Paper Type: If you are printing on photo paper, select the type of photo paper you are attempting to print on.
   • Print Quality: If you are dissatisfied with the quality of your printouts, increase the print quality. To print more quickly, decrease the print quality. These options typically include Best, Normal, and Draft modes.
   • Paper Size: If you are printing on a different size of paper than you normally print on, select the correct paper size.
   • Black and White: If you want to print in black and white only, select the grayscale option. ( Ensure the box is unchecked )
4. After selecting the print settings, click OK to apply the settings, and then click Print.

[N1els · Accepted solution]

Mate, of course I am aware of the fact that if you select the option B/W then there will be no colour. I checked this a thousand times and never before changed the default setting that should be "colour".

This is the current standard Windows 11 image viewer. Yet, I can assure you that I checked the options in all other applications as well (like Adobe Reader, MS Office, paint.net and all of the others that I tried). 

Thanks for sustaining but I won't for any much longer.