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Epson Printer won’t Print Black and White without Color Ink

Print your important paper in no time even without colored ink

4 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Printer makers are known to configure their printers in a way where the printer may stop printing if one of the ink cartridges is depleted. Even if you have a full black ink cartridge and want to print in black and white, the printer still will not print.

If your Epson printer doesn’t print black and white without color ink, you can force the printer to print in black and white with a workaround.

In this article, we discuss both the official workaround and other steps that can help you to print black and white without color ink in Windows.

The printer won’t print black and white without color ink

1.Epson printer won’t print black without color ink

Set Grayscale in Print Options:

Now try to print your file to see if the Epson printer can only print in Black and White. Epson Status Monitor will appear on yourcomputer screen, simply click Print in Black to print with black ink.

Note that, according to Epson, this workaround will only work on SX420W/SX425W/NX420 series printers. If you have a different model, give it a try to see if it works.

2. Force print in Black and White

Close the Devices and Printers window. Open any program with a print functioning and try printing the file. ClickOKon any prompt that will confirm printing in black and white only.

3. Disable Epson Status Monitor

By following the above steps, you can disable the annoying Epson Status Monitor warning message that may occur due to the use of third-party ink cartridges.

4. Run Printer Troubleshooter

Once applied, try printing in black and white to see if the error is resolved.

If the issue persists, you may want to check if there is an issue with the printer hardware. Try removing the cartridge and looking for any debris that might be blocking the printing. Also, check if you have sufficient ink to print in black and white.

Most printers require the user to use their proprietary ink cartridges and do not print if a third-party ink cartridge is used. We have some excellent Epson ink cartridge recommendations below.

Best Epson ink cartridges to buy

1.Epson T252XL120 DURABrite (Black)

Epson’s revolutionary DURABrite Ultra Ink produces smudge, fade, and water-resistant prints for brilliant results on both plain and glossy papers. You can only replace the cartridge that runs out with individual ink cartridges.

⇒Get Epson T252XL120 DURABrite

Epson T069120-BCS DURABrite

Epson T069120-BCS DURABrite comes in an Ultra Black and Color Combo pack that contains Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow color cartridges. It is an excellent choice for occasional printing. If you are into high-volume printing, look for XL/High-Capacity package.

⇒Get Epson T069120-BCS DURABrite

The Epson printer won’t print black and white without color ink usually occur if your printer notices the ink cartridges to be depleted. However, you can bypass this issue using the workarounds listed in the article above.

Epson Printer won’t Print Black and White without Color Ink#

The printer won’t print black and white without color ink#

1.Epson printer won’t print black without color ink#

2. Force print in Black and White#

3. Disable Epson Status Monitor#

4. Run Printer Troubleshooter#

Best Epson ink cartridges to buy#