You need to print something and your printer has decided to take a permanent vacation. I went straight to Google and searched for a fix to solve this problem and ran several printer forums with no clear resolution.
We also got a call about this issue so to help, we've put together a list of things you can do when your printer stops printing in black. Here we summarize a tutorial on how to solve the Epson L120 Printer Not Out of Ink:
Some basic things you should do first:
- Turn off your printer, unplug it from the power supply and disconnect the USB cable as well. After a while, reconnect your printer and plug it back in. Then, turn on your printer again.
- Print “Quality Diagnostic Report” or “Print Test Page”.
- You can usually find this option on your printer's display screen. Or, check your printer's user guide for step-by-step instructions.
- Check the printer ink level to double-check the ink volume in your cartridges. If you are using an aftermarket cartridge that does not show the ink level, we will have to find another way to determine if your ink cartridge is at fault.
Check Ink Cartridges:
- Replace the ink cartridge with low or empty ink.
- Make sure the ink cartridges are installed correctly and are properly seated in the appropriate slots.
- Double check to make sure that you have removed the tape over the hole if you installed a new cartridge.
- Check if the cartridge vent is clogged. you can fix it by using a pin to clear the blockage in the hole.
- Try using a different ink cartridge to determine if your printer can recognize the cartridge. If your printer used to work with old cartridges, try reinstalling the old cartridges and see if your printer produces any kind of output – any gray color will work.
We just need to determine if the cartridge or printhead is causing the problem. If your printer can print something with an old cartridge, then it's not a printhead. On the other hand, your new black cartridge may be damaged and needs to be replaced.
- If replacing an ink cartridge doesn't work, the next thing to check is your printheads. Make sure your printhead is not clogged. Most printers have an automatic printhead cleaning feature but if you can remove the printheads from your printer, you can clean them manually. This is an article that discusses how to clean the printheads from an Epson printer manually (it pays to see even if your printer is a different brand).
- If running the automatic printhead cleaning feature does not work, run it a second or third time. There is a limit to the number of times you can run the auto clean feature. Not to mention, running the automatic printhead cleaning function uses a lot of ink!
- Re-align the printer. For HP printers, you can find this option on your printer. LCD screen: Setup > Tools.
If it is not the cartridge and not the printhead, it is possible that the problem is with the software/printer driver. Tweaking the paper settings is one way to solve the problem.
Try changing the printer driver settings to select “glossy photo paper” as this may trigger the printer to start printing again. This only applies if your printer has two black cartridges – one dye-based and the other pigment-based.
The type of black ink that your printer uses usually depends on the type of paper selected. Black pigments work best with matte papers and dyes work with glossy finishes. By switching from one paper type to another, we hope to trigger or skip one of the black cartridges to work.
At this point, if that still doesn't work and you're sure it's not a cartridge or printhead, then go ahead and reconfigure your printer. If your printer stopped working after you updated your PC or Mac operating system, try uninstalling and reinstalling your printer driver. You can find a downloadable version on your printer manufacturer's website. And even if you don't update your OS, go ahead and reinstall your drivers.
If all else fails, it might be time to get a new printer. And don't forget to recycle your printer! Printers not printing in black is a rather common problem, especially for older printers. So hopefully the information on How to Overcome the Epson L120 Printer Not Out of Ink can be useful and help you buddy!!