Why Is My Printer Using Colour Ink When Printing Black and White?

Why Is My Printer Using Colour Ink When Printing Black and White?

(And How to Stop It)

It’s a common frustration — you set your printer to “black and white,” but somehow your colour ink cartridges are still draining. So what’s going on? And more importantly, how do you stop it?

🖨 Why It Happens

Even when printing in black and white, many inkjet printers (especially models from HP, Canon, Epson, and Brother) combine small amounts of colour ink with black to improve print quality. This is known as composite black — where the printer mixes colours to create a deeper or sharper-looking black.

Other reasons colour ink might still be used include:

  • Printer driver defaults: Some printers default to using colour unless you specifically change settings.

  • Photo or high-res documents: Printing images or PDFs may trigger colour ink use even when they appear monochrome.

  • Maintenance cycles: Your printer may periodically use colour ink to clean the nozzles and keep the cartridges from drying out.

🔧 How to Fix It

You can take a few steps to minimise or stop colour ink usage when you only want black and white prints:

1. Change Print Settings to 'Black Ink Only' or 'Grayscale'

  • Go to your printer settings before you print.

  • Choose “Black Ink Only” or “Grayscale” rather than “Colour” or “Auto.”

  • Note: Grayscale may still use some colour ink, so select “Black Ink Only” if available.

2. Set Black & White as Default

  • On Windows:

    • Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers > Right-click your printer > Printing Preferences.

    • Choose “Black & White” or “Black Ink Only” and click “Set as default.”

  • On Mac:

    • When printing, click “Show Details,” then select “Print Settings” > Media Type > choose “Plain Paper” and then select “Grayscale” or “Black Ink Only.”

3. Keep Colour Cartridges Installed

Even if you're only printing in black, some printers won't work without colour cartridges installed — even if they’re empty. So don’t remove them unless your model specifically allows it.

💡 Bonus Tip: Save Money on Ink

If your printer is eating through ink faster than expected, switching to high-yield or XL cartridges can help. They’re more cost-effective and require less frequent changes.

At Cartridge King, we stock a wide range of genuine black and colour ink cartridges for HP, Canon, Epson and more — always at competitive prices.

🧾 In Summary

Your printer might use colour ink even when printing black and white due to:

  • Composite black settings

  • Maintenance cycles

  • Incorrect default settings

With the right print preferences and cartridge choices, you can take control and reduce unnecessary ink use — saving money in the process.


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