printer problem

Question

why won't my printer print in color? printer is set to print in color for photos but will not print in color, tke picture I want printed only prints in black & white.

Answer 1

That's a tough call, because we don't have any information about how your computer is setup or even what model of printer you have. We can try our best guess, but there's a better way. Here's what I would do (and have done) when I am in your place.

Open the search engine of your choice. I prefer Google (sorry Microsoft!) and use this as your search term:

"manufacturer-name model-number does not print in color"

Use the manufacturer and model number of your printer, and omit the quotes.

From the search results, choose the results that come from the website of your printer manufacturer.

Alternate strategy - I have also done this myself:

Go directly to the website of the printer manufacturer. (Use a search engine to help find it.) Once you're at the manufacturer's website, search for your exact printer model number. Once you get to that page, look for a link that says Support or Help or Contact Us. That's where you'll find the information you need to get back to printing in color.

Bonus strategy - this is my secret weapon.

Open that search engine again and this time use this as your search term:

"manufacturer-name user help forum"

Once again, substitute the name of your printer manufacturer, and omit the quotes.

If you're lucky, you'll find a link to the community help forum for your printer manufacturer, where you can correspond directly with people who are using the same printer as you!

I like these strategies because they empower me to find the information I need. Best of success to you.

Answer 2

Hello

I need to gather some information so I can narrow down what might be the cause here.

1. Does this matter where you print from? Have you tried printing from your phone or other devices, and see if it prints color?
2. Is it because the color option is not provided at all, or it provided, but even selected, it still printed B&W?
3. What's your printer's brand and model?

Answer 3

Try these steps in order on Windows 10:

1. Check the printer’s color setting in Windows
   • Select Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.
   • Select the printer > Manage > Printing preferences.
   • Make sure Color (not Grayscale/Black & White) is selected. Apply/OK.
2. Check the app’s print dialog
   When printing from Photos, Word, browser, etc.:
   • Choose Print.
   • Click Printer properties or Preferences.
   • Confirm Color is selected and any Print in grayscale / Black ink only option is turned off.
3. Verify the photo/file is actually in color
   Open the picture in the Photos app and confirm it displays in color. If it’s already black & white, the printer will only print black & white.
4. Update or reinstall the printer driver
   A wrong or generic driver can disable color:
   • Select Start > Device Manager.
   • Expand Printers.
   • Right‑click the printer > Update driver.
   • If no update is found, right‑click > Uninstall device, then restart the PC so Windows reinstalls it automatically.
5. Remove and re‑add the printer (if needed)
   • Go to Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.
   • Select the printer > Remove.
   • Then select Add a printer or scanner and follow the prompts to reinstall.

If color still does not print after these steps, install the latest driver directly from the printer manufacturer’s support site and repeat the preference checks.

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References:

• Fix printer not found and printer not recognized errors in Windows
• Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows
• My printer won't connect and I'm unable to print anything - Microsoft Q&A