Can I Bypass Out of Ink Error Message?

[ronusa]

Since I only use the black ink cartridge for printing; is there a way to bypass the out of ink error message for the remaining color cartridges? Right now I have to continually press the OK button on the printer touchscreen to continue printing in black only. I have tried doing all of the things that people on google suggested to try and bypass this error message without success. Any help or suggestion would be appreciated.

[8lives]

You will damage the printhead by ignoring the out of ink error.

[Bob_Headrick · Accepted solution]

HP and other printer manufacturers have different printer technologies for different needs.  For inkjet printers:

• Some have printheads built into the ink cartridges.  These printers can typically print with one or more of the colors completely empty, or even with color or black (but not both) cartridges removed. The Officejet 8040a is an example.

• Other printers have separate ink supplies and replaceable printheads.  An example would be the Officejet Pro 8710.  The printhead in these printers can be replaced if they are damaged by running the printhead with colors out.  Some of these printers will allow printing with a color out, other will not.  If the printer is run without ink in one or more colors the printer may be damaged, but the user may be able to recover without having to send the printer for service. 

• Other printers have permanent printheads.  To run these without some ink in all the colors would risk causing damage to the printhead due to clogs, air ingested in the printhead or burned out printhead firing resistors. The Officejet 6700 is an example of this type of printer. For printers with fixed printheads this could require service to get the printer to print properly again when the ink is finally replaced.  

The document here describes how ink is used.  While the document is written for HP Inkjet printers the same principles apply to inkjet printers from other manufacturers.

[ronusa]

Thanks for the detailed info and reply. I was hoping that I could save some money by not having to purchase color cartridges. On my older HP printer I was able to print in black with my empty color cartridges for years without a problem.

[Bob_Headrick]

Sorry it was not the news you were looking for.  Your previous printer probably had a black and a tri-color cartridge with the printhead built-in.  With these printers printhead damage is not a concern, since replacing the cartridge also replaces the printhead.  In recent times these printers are designed to work even with a cartridge removed completely.

Depending on your usage you might look into the HP Instant Ink program.  This is a subscription based  service, HP provides ink for a subscribed number of pages per month.  Unused pages can be rolled over (for up to two months total rollover) to the next month if less than the prescribed pages are printed.