Do I need to replace the tanks when empty in order to print? If the color ink tanks were to run dry, does this printer force me to replace them in order to keep printing, or can I just replace the black tank and keep printing in B&amp;W?
917968
Technically it will run with the tanks empty (I do it sometimes). I have never run one till the sponge is dry, but well after the tank is visibly empty. The printer will nag you it is getting low, then when it thinks it is really empty it lets you override the warnings. But it does say you can damage your print head by running empty tanks. Print heads cost way more than ink! If you don't use the color much it will last 6-12 months and there should be no problem. Always choose B&W and you will never run out of color, but you may have to clean the heads on occasion if they dry out from lack of use. This printer is not like others that will physically stop you from printing if the ink is "expired" or empty. It just warns you you should not do it and lets you make the choice. I just printed 40 pages after it told me it was empty and I overrode it. I am here on Amazon to get a new #5 black right now. I write the date on them when I change them to check ink consumption and I get about 5-9 months out of the #5 black and 6-8 months on the #8 black and colors with moderate printing.
1930768
You really need to run the printer thru deep cleans quit a few times particularly if this is the first transition to the new ink . you might even have to refill the ink a little more after cleaning. As I said usualy its in the transition to the new ink.
1602715
Yes, but you have to specifically select "Gray scale" in the printer properties. The default behavior is to not print when a cartridge is empty. So when my color cartridges went out I just switched to gray scale to continue printing and I have no plans of replacing the color cartridges.
1830533
I don't know if it will print in black and white if the color cartridge is empty as I just got the printer and haven't emptied the cartridges yet. I assume it will continue to do black and white if you leave the empty cartridges in.
1045100
I have now used 1 full black and started a 2nd and it all comes out as true black. If someone is having that problem it's most likely because they have their printer set wrong. If you try to print in black but the cartridge is empty or not installed correctly the printer tries to make the black using the color ink.
1577826
Same thing happened to me. After not printing(B&W) for awhile, I took out the black cartridge - carefully, to avoid stains - and wiped the ink orifice with an alcohol-soaked Q-tip. I might have done it more than once; at any rate, it worked and the ink now flows well. The color cartridges were OK, but I am prepared to repeat the trick if necessary. It's worth a try. Good luck.
356441
The starter color cartridges that come with it will last awhile if you only occasionally use color. I use it at my business, have had it for about 2 1/2 months, made a lot of copies, and haven't even approached the ink tanks having to be replaced. These are only the starter cartriges. I purchased an "XL" cartrige in black to replace the starter one when it ran out, looks like it will be about 6 months or so before I need to even think about it. The cartriges are not cheap but if they last well beyond what the starter ones do, they're well worth it. Print about 100 - 150 pages per day on average.
1114771
Rena is wrong. It will print "Black" using the Color Cartridges in a" run out situation". You can replace individual cartridges . It is not necessary to replace them all at a time. Replace as they run out.
58463
No, if any of the color cartridges are empty it doesn't print black (as in text). It doesn't print anything. p.s. Just happened to notice the black print option on the actually printer, and tried it out (the printing option is the only one that doesn't seem to respond to this option) but copying certainly did. Sorry for the incomplete answer.
330258
o, just push it in. If you find it prints funny, such as missing out lines, just take out the cartridge and reinsert it. i found that happened when I changed the black one.
101618
I find the ink usage less than HP's, but unless you step to an MX8XX series, yes, you do need to replace a color cartridge if one of the colors runs out. I've gone months without needing to replace a cartridge though.
17959
I have an older Epson and was wanting to replace it for that very reason. I can't print anything when any color is out. So it says I need to replace the light blue and won't let me print anything until I do. Since I never use color, I'm guessing the blue just dried out. At any rate, I can't figure how to override that and just use black. Maybe it is just an Epson thing, as you said, to get us to buy more ink. I'm with you, I want to keep going until the ink fades and I can really see it is almost out.
2250763
I've been using the printer for 5 months, and still have not run out of the colored inks. I am not a heavy user for photos, so can't actually directly answer your question. Since no one else has come forward, I thought I might offer a mathematical suggestion.Go to the printer maintenance picture where it displays the amount of ink you have in the cartridges. Print screen that and keep. Print a good number of your photos, over a few days or weeks, whatever, then print out the ink tank picture again. Compare the two printouts for ink levels, and may be able to give some imprecise indication of how much ink you are using. I've been using the printer for 5 months, and still have not run out of the colored inks. I am not a heavy user for photos, so can't actually directly answer your question. Since no one else has come forward, I thought I might offer a mathematical suggestion.Go to the printer maintenance picture where it displays the amount of ink you have in the cartridges. Print screen that and keep. Print a good number of your photos, over a few days or weeks, whatever, then print out the ink tank picture again. Compare the two printouts for ink levels, and may be able to give some imprecise... » Read More I've been using the printer for 5 months, and still have not run out of the colored inks. I am not a heavy user for photos, so can't actually directly answer your question. Since no one else has come forward, I thought I might offer a mathematical suggestion.Go to the printer maintenance picture where it displays the amount of ink you have in the cartridges. Print screen that and keep. Print a good number of your photos, over a few days or weeks, whatever, then print out the ink tank picture again. Compare the two printouts for ink levels, and may be able to give some imprecise indication of how much ink you are using. « Show Less
1180572
I received paperwork in my shipment that stated your printer will give you an "empty" notification, because the little computer chip on each cartridge will not work correctly after being remanufactured. There were also instructions on how to bypass or ignore the "ink level warning" on the printer if that warning doesn't allow the printer to print. Give it a try printing a sample page or two. My replacement cartridges have been working just fine. Good luck!
1472879
I have not run across this problem yet, but I believe if you print in black you should still be able to print without replacing the color that has run out. Hope this helps.
1739409
Thanks for getting back to me. My problem is that the small one is the one that is getting empty, and the big one is still as full as when I first bought the printer. I print mostly documents, but don't know how to force the printer to use the big black cartridge. I am thinking of trying selecting "grayscale" more often, to see if that starts drawing down on the big cartridge. I have previously just selected color printing, even if doing only black and white documents.Again, thanks for answering my cry in the wilderness.Cheers!
433733
It should print without the others. I have had one of the colors run out and just picked the black print option and I was fine.