MP210 will not print color....

[LeeRex]

This printer is 10 years old but it is still brand new (to me at least) and just out of the box. I know the ink is just as old as the printer and that may be the culprit but the colors print well on the test sheets. I've cleaned, deep cleaned and aligned the heads but still no luck. The black ink is very clear and prints text normally. But it will only print a sketchy black outline if I want to print, say, a drawing from a PDF file. And iIt won't print a photo at all. All I can find online is the Quick Start guide which does not address troubleshooting.

[Caemene · Accepted solution]

Hi LeeRex, 

I understand your PIXMA MP210 is not applying color ink to paper. To troubleshoot this issue I recommend reseating the ink cartridges and performing one more cleaning process. After the cleaning process is completed. Please reply with an image of a nozzle check pattern and an image that you have tried to print with both color and black ink.

[LeeRex]

Boy, do I feel foolish! Per your suggestion I pulled the color cartridge only to find that I hadn't removed the shipping strip!!!!

For good measure I cleaned the heads and now it prints perfectly! Thanks for your help. Feel free to laugh. After hanging my head, I am....