PIXMA MP620B Printing with Empty Cartridges

[Tedster]

Hi. Dumb question here. Have an older Canon printer here that has been idle for quite a few years that I'm putting back on active duty. To be honest I never used it as such. I am not very computer savvy. The original CD w/ drivers is long gone, or at least I can't find them. Since I don't own a computer that plays CD it's a moot point. I installed the drivers from the Canon website and with sufficient coffee, hours, and naughty words expended seems to work OK.

Here's my question. I mostly will need it right now, soon, for printing shipping labels. The smaller, 220? BK (black ink) cartridge is empty. The larger or main 221? BK (black) cartridge and the other colors are OK. I'm assuming it will print standard black text docs OK? It really is an amazing printer, it will take me a while to get the hang of it. Thanks for any help!

[normadel]

You should be trying it before you NEED it. Don't know if it varies with models, but  your printer may not work if ANY cartridge empty. That's the way some printers are designed.  You'd think you should be able to print black & white with just the big pigment-ink supply and not waste the dye-based colors, but not all printer makers or models  agree.  They want you to buy ink.

[Tedster]

Well you've got a point! Yes, it does work, so far. I'm just a simple guy trying to do a simple job, and probably should buy the absolute basic rock bottom el-cheapo printer for my needs right now. Might not be much more than a package of printer ink. 

I don't recall what I paid for the 620B but it probably wasn't cheap. The scan feature is nice.

[normadel]

Don't know if price of the printer tells you anything about whether it will print with an empty ink cartridge. That's something you'd want to investigate before buying, if it's important to you. I have a Pixma MG5420 and a Pixma iX6520 and while I get a bunch of prints after they start reporting low ink, I haven't kept going until tanks run dry. I do know that the MG5420 will use the dye black (maybe colors too) along with the pigment black even when choosing the Grayscale option. That's a waste.

I did find an article complaining about this, with a solution:

How to Print a 1-Page Document or Photo Using Only Pigment Black

So, what printer driver options do you need to have selected or deselected for proper printing with Pigment Black ink only?  For a simple 1-page document or photo, you need the following options.  To set these options, you need to get to the print properties page.  For example, in Adobe Reader XI these would be set by clicking on File > Print, and click the "Properties" button.  In Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, these would be set by clicking on File > Print, click the "More Options" button, then select "Color Management", then click the "Printer Preferences" button:

• Under "Commonly Used Profiles", click on the "Standard" profile (it may work with other profiles as well, but I haven't tested them).
• Make sure "Duplex" is NOT selected
• Select "Grayscale"
• Under "Media Type", select "Plain Paper" (it doesn't matter what kind of paper you're actually printing on, select "Plain Paper" regardless)
• Under "Print Quality", select "High"

That's it - click OK.  Click "Print" in your application.  (Of course, you can also select your desired tray to print from and the paper size in the printer properties as well - that's up to you and whatever you require

[Tedster]

Yeah, I guess "Print With Black Ink Only" was way too obvious a choice for the programmers, let's make this complicated. Is that what grayscale indicates? I don't recall using the printer very much, it sure burned through the ink fast though. I just checked and they are all low with a "!" warning, except yellow, and the black is "X" for empty.

The largest or main black pigment reservoir shows completely full. I think it will be OK for printing docs, but I'll have to practice.

[normadel]

"Grayscale" means a black & white photo.  If it's not grayscale, it's in color. The thing is, text should not need colored inks, including the dye black. But it is used anyway.

So, the printer functions with the dye black empty (the small black tank)? How about taking the small black out. Does it print?

I'm thinking that the printer will print with whatever tanks are in it, full or empty, but will not work if a tank is missing.

[Tedster]

Yeah, it's the large BK ink tank that is completely empty, the 220, the screen display is a bit deceptive on that. Have to make a trip to staples.