Why is My Printer Not Printing in Color

Owning a color printer gives you the last-minute assurance that you will have the colored print in your hand whenever required. But if the printer stops printing color print, then what would you do? Don’t worry if, like other users who have reported the issue where the printer had stopped printing in color, you are facing the same. Here, we explain why it happens and how to fix it. 

Well, there is no fixed reason behind it. However, a bunch of factors affect the quality of printing. Some such factors include – 

• Missing color cartridge
• Configuration errors
• Outdated/Corrupt drivers
• Selection of content for printing

While most issues appear to be configuration and software-related, you can not undermine the hardware issues and human errors. So, what can be done when such a situation arises? Let’s find out!

How to Fix Printer Not Printing in Color

There are a bunch of fixes that you can try to resolve the printer won’t print in color issue with your PC. The only few things that you must ensure before jumping to the fixes are – 

1. Ensure that the printer is connected properly and there are no physical issues such as damaged cables or ports.
2. The printer can print in color and has the required resources to support the task, like the color cartridge. Also, check the ink level of the cartridge.
3. You have set the correct printer as the source for print in the settings.

After ensuring all the prerequisites for printing in color, try taking a print. If you cannot print, check out the list of fixes below.

Fix 1 – Open Printer Software to Check Configuration

If none of the basic issues were found, you must begin by opening the application related to your printer. Every printer manufacturer has dedicated software to manage their printers. Open it and check its settings. 

The first thing to check is whether the printer is set to print in the grayscale. That is because most of the users make this mistake. If it is in the grayscale, you may be unable to use the color print option. Change the setting from the application and try again. 

Also, you can simply reset the configuration to default. This way, you can rectify the issue even if you unknowingly change the settings.

Fix 2 – Update Printer Drivers

In case you have been using color prints for a while and, recently, your printer cannot do the same, there may be a pending driver update that you are missing. This can also happen if you have recently updated your OS without paying attention to the device drivers. 

You see, drivers are the compatibility builders in a PC. You may encounter issues on your PC if they are outdated or incompatible. The ideal solution to this issue is updating the existing drivers on your PC. 

To update the driver, you can take the manual route to navigate to Start Menu→ Device Manager→ Printer→ Your Device and use the right-click context menu to find the Update Driver option. 

Or you can download the Advanced Driver Updater, where you install the applications, run a quick scan to find out about the outdated drivers on your PC, and update them all. ‘

We recommend the application as it is less of a headache and more effective. Unlike the first method, which will update only the printer driver, the Advanced Driver Updater works on all the outdated drivers. This process would also resolve if any other driver were supposedly making the printing difficult.

Fix 3 – Try Switching the Devices

If it still isn’t working, your PC may have an issue. However, if the print is urgent and you cannot wait, transfer the data to another device and then print it using the same. You can easily disconnect the printer from the current PC and connect it to another system. In case your printer supports Wi-Fi, you can use the same to add another printer as well. 

Remember that switching the device is not the exact fix but an escape to your problem. Get the printout first and then reconnect the device to the previous system. This way, you can check if the issue was removed after reestablishing the connection. 

Other than these fixes, you always have the basic troubleshooting tricks you can try, such as – 

• Restart your computer
• Restart the printer
• Update your PC (OS)
• Run a scan for virus
• Uninstall and Reinstall the Printer via Device Manager

After you have made all the efforts, you will likely get the printer not printing in color issue resolved on your end. In case you’re still stuck with the same, there are chances that the error lies in the hardware. Try opening and cleaning the printer yourself. Or, better, call a hardware expert to examine the issue. 

Hope these fixes help you get rid of the issue at hand. If you have any questions, please drop them down in the comments section, thanks for reading. Good luck!

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