Printing Problem

[Class4]

I have an HP Envy Photo 7155 printer (only 3 years old) and, just recently, it will not print in black -- only prints in colour. It also will not print on both sides of paper anymore. I am desperate as I have to print off my year-end documents for my accountant ASAP and this is really going to be time consuming and expensive to print everything in colour. The print cartridges are only a couple of weeks old. I have tried every possible solution including removing the printer from my system and adding in back in again. No change in the problem even doing that. If I can't get it to work properly, I am going to have to purchase a new machine. 😔 Thank you for any suggestions. 

[Jerry_57 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Class4,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

I hear that HP Envy Photo 7155 Black Ink is not printing, and Duplex Printing has stopped.
 

For black not printing, HP guidance says to start with these checks and actions:
 

• Check ink levels from the printer control panel, software, or by printing a printer status report. Even with newer cartridges, low black ink can cause this issue.
   
• Use genuine HP cartridges, since non-HP or refilled cartridges can affect print quality and ink level reporting.
   
• Run Clean Printhead / Cartridge Clean from the printer’s Setup/Tools menu. HP notes this often clears clogged nozzles that prevent black ink from printing.
   
• Reset the printer and check for firmware updates, as updated firmware can resolve print quality issues. Update the firmware on an HP printer | HP® Support.
   
• If the issue continues, check the warranty status of the printer and ink supplies. HP notes that cartridges/printheads may have separate warranty coverage.
   
• For some printers, HP also notes a workaround of changing print settings to photo paper/composite black, which can use color inks to simulate black temporarily.

For your duplex (two-sided) printing issue, the provided sources do not include a model-specific fix for the Envy Photo 7155 duplex function, so I don’t know from the provided content.

A practical HP tool you can try on Windows is HP Print and Scan Doctor, which can diagnose:
 

• printing issues
   
• connectivity issues
   
• driver/software problems
   
• firmware checks

It also includes print diagnostics and can guide repairs automatically when possible.

If you need to print urgently for your accountant, the fastest HP-based next steps are:
 

1. Run printhead cleaning
    
2. Check firmware updates

I hope this will help.

 

Take care and have a good day.

[Class4]

Hello Jerry_57,

Thank you SO much for the welcome and for your help. I read through your very thorough info and, with a much clearer understanding of the problem (thanks to you) then did a search on how to reset the printer through HP.  I used this info below. It worked and the printer is operating correctly now! 

To fix a printer only printing in color, reset your Mac's printing system, then delete and re-add the printer in System Settings > Printers & Scanners using the specific driver rather than AirPrint. Also, ensure Grayscale is unchecked in your Mac's print dialog and the Duplexer unit is enabled in printer options. 

1. Reset the macOS Printing System 

Resetting clears out corrupted driver caches, stuck print jobs, and misconfigured settings. 

1. Go to the Apple menu () and select System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
2. Click on Printers & Scanners.
3. Right-click (or Control-click) your HP printer in the list and select Reset Printing System.... Confirm by clicking Reset.
4. Restart your iMac and power-cycle your printer off and on.
5. Go back to Printers & Scanners, click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax (or the + button), and select your printer. 

2. Fix the Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing Issue.

If the double-sided option is missing, it's typically because macOS defaulted to a generic AirPrint driver rather than the full feature driver. 

• Re-add with the correct driver: When clicking the + button to add your printer, look at the Use: dropdown menu at the bottom of the window. Instead of "AirPrint" or "Secure AirPrint," select your specific HP model name or a specific driver (e.g., PCL or PostScript). 
• Enable the Duplex Unit: Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners, click your HP printer, and choose Options & Supplies.... Go to the Options (or Driver) tab and make sure the Duplexer or Duplex Printing Unit checkbox is checked. 
• Using the Print Dialog: When printing a document (Cmd + P), look for the dropdown menu that defaults to "Copies & Pages" and select Layout. Change the Two-Sided (or Two-Sided Printing) menu from "Off" to "Long-Edge Binding" or "Short-Edge Binding".