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You are here: Home / Hardware / Why Is My Printer Printing Red Instead Of Black?

Why Is My Printer Printing Red Instead Of Black?

Updated: March 19, 2020 by Prataan Chakraborty

Sometimes, it is seen that your printer starts printing some other colors than the one intended. Many users have reported this on the forums, with questions like ‘why is my printer printing red instead of black?’ or ‘Why are my pictures printing pink/light gray?’

Here I shall discuss how you can easily solve the printer color errors.

Also read: Printer Attention required error solved!

Why Is My Printer Printing Red Instead Of Black? – FIXED!

Table of Contents

Toggle
  • Why Is My Printer Printing Red Instead Of Black? – FIXED!
    • Solution 1: Refill Cartridges
    • Solution 2: Run The Printer Troubleshooter
    • Solution 3: Check Printhead Nozzles
  • Wrapping Up

While there may be many reasons as to why the printer is printing other colors instead of black, the most common cause of this error is that the cartridges have run out of the ink. Usually, the printers follow the CMYK process of color recognition. This means that the printer cartridges are split into four colors – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black.

When you see some particular tone oversaturating other colors, it is usually because one of the cartridges needs refilling.

Solution 1: Refill Cartridges

You can guess which cartridge needs refilling by observing the output color. If you see the printer printing pink instead of black, the cyan cartridge needs refilling. This is similar for other colors as well.printer_cartridge_refilling

If your printer has an LCD screen, you can use this to check the ink levels. Once you find out which color cartridge needs refilling, refill the color and you will have successfully solved the printer color problems.

Solution 2: Run The Printer Troubleshooter

If cartridge volumes are not an issue, there might be something wrong with the printer which needs to be diagnosed. Luckily, Windows 10 includes a bunch of troubleshooters which can be used to diagnose and troubleshoot a multitude of errors.

In Windows 10, you will find the printer troubleshooter under the following heading:
Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Printer

You can also use an elevated command prompt to run the troubleshooter with the following command:
msdt.exe /id PrinterDiagnostic

printer_troubleshooter_command_prompt

Windows should automatically resolve any errors with your printer, and you should see the printer printing colors appropriately.

Solution 3: Check Printhead Nozzles

If the ink levels are full and you still see printer printing light gray instead of black, there may be something wrong with the nozzles that spray the color onto the paper.

This is a hardware error the solution to which varies from printer to printer. If you feel confident enough, you can check the instruction manuals and attempt a repair yourself. If not, it may be a better idea to call in a technician.

Wrapping Up

So there you have it. Now you know the answer to ‘why is my printer printing red instead of black’. Did you find this useful? Comment below if you did, and to discuss further the same. Also, check out this post if you get the Printer port is in use error message.

Filed Under: Hardware Tagged With: Printer incorrect ink printing

About Prataan Chakraborty

A CU graduate, a tech enthusiast. He loves trying out new software and gadgets, and writes about them with a user friendly mindset.

Comments

  1. Barbara says

    March 23, 2021 at 5:01 pm

    my color printer is low, but I installed a new black cartridge. it will not print black at all, even with the new black cartridge. should I try installing a new color cartridge?
    will it even print with only one of the two installed?

  2. Daryl E. Culler says

    August 11, 2021 at 12:29 am

    I am going to try official Canon cartridges. nothing here solved problem

  3. Ginny says

    December 7, 2021 at 9:02 pm

    My epson printer is printing words in red its printing everything correctly as far as color goes and it’s not doing it everytime how do I change it so it prints words in black.
    Thank you

  4. Shirley Kerluke says

    January 10, 2022 at 8:17 pm

    MY PRINTER ONLY PRINTS IN RED ,CARTRIDGES NOT THE PROBLEM. TRIED ALL YOUR
    SUGGESTIONS NON WORKED. APPLE UPDATED COMPUTER TO MAC OS MONTERY. WHEN I CONTACTED APPLE THEY COULDN’T HELP ME REALY DON’t WANT TO TAKE IT INTO A SHOP
    CAN YOU HELP ME?

  5. Mary says

    October 24, 2022 at 1:13 am

    Why is my Epson wf 7110 colors off how to reset ink mainly my black is printing red and orange is printing yellow

  6. Ann Hart says

    October 25, 2022 at 4:57 pm

    My Lenovo laptop only prints red. This only began when i got this new laptop

  7. Dan says

    November 7, 2022 at 9:18 pm

    I’m so frustrated! I specifically selected “Print in Black and White” because I want to print a black and white image, an image that I also set as black and white in the editing software. However when my image comes out there’s a peachy/salmon colored cast across the entire printed photo. I cannot figure out why the printer is adding fuscha and yellow when I have told it to print in black and white. I did all the nozzle checks and cleaned the heads. The levels are: black is completely filled, the other three are half filled. Argh….these printers, I swear. They have sucked for years now. Why does this thing have to cause me such problems? Just print ffs!

    • Anubhab says

      November 11, 2022 at 4:14 am

      Can you please tell me the model no of your Printer, so I can try to help!

  8. Robert Foster says

    November 24, 2022 at 2:17 pm

    Got a cannon printer. Not used it in ages, could this be the reason it’s printing in red. When I have black ink in

  9. chgj says

    January 17, 2023 at 5:55 pm

    I am having the same problem as “Dan”. Ia there a given answer for this question?

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