PIXMA TS6020 - Won't print w/empty large black ink, full smaller one

[GMH22]

Unless both black inks (large and small) are full, my printer won't print in black and white unless I do all kinds of odd things including telling it I'm printing on photo paper or in color, which I'm not. This has also happened in reverse, when the large black ink is full and the small one is empty. Can anyone help? Printer is old, bought at least 10 years ago, I think. 

[Patrick]

Hi GMH22,

Please load plain paper into your printer and then please follow these steps:

1.  Please tap the gear icon at the bottom of your TS6020's display.

2.  Select Maintenance.

3.  Select Print nozzle check pattern.

4.  And then Yes.

A test page will print.

Compare your printout with the example that is linked below:

TS6000 series > Maintenance > If Printing Is Faint or Uneven > Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern

If it does not print correctly, please follow the steps at the bottom of that page to resolve this issue.

Did this answer your question? If so, please click the Accept as Solution button below so that others may find the answer as well.

[GMH22]

This is not a nozzle problem. If either of my black ink cartridges is empty, the printer won't print in black. Sometimes I have been able to trick it into thinking it's printing a photo on photo paper and that works (had to dig around Chat GPT to figure that out because the manual was of no help and Canon wants to charge me for tech support because my printer is old). I just replaced the CLI-71 cartridges (black, cyan, yellow and magenta) for $63 at Staples but it still wouldn't print in black. I had to buy the additional XL 270 black, for another $38 dollars, and now it works. This is so beyond irritating (and expensive) there aren't words to express my frustration. Actually there are but...I'm not going to use them here.