The printer prints in red: what to do?

Most often, the malfunctions that the user usually encounters during operation of the printing device can be corrected by himself if the diagnostics are carried out correctly. The majority of potential problems are caused by color rendering, when the equipment does not print colors correctly. This is probably the use of one color, only red, mixing incorrectly. In some cases, the reasons may lie in both incorrect operation of the equipment and poor quality consumables.

Why does the printer print red?

There are several main reasons that cause problems with normal color rendering.

Single color printing

The meaning of the malfunction is that the cartridges of conventional four-color equipment have 2 compartments. So, in one block there is black, and in the second - blue, yellow, purple.

During operation, the ink is mixed with each other, thus creating the required shade. If a problem occurs, the equipment begins to print in only one color, without using the rest. This occurs because the remaining ink compartments become clogged.In this case, the use of only one palette occurs due to improper filling, contamination of the head, or violation of the integrity of the jumpers between the blocks.

Devices color confuses

This malfunction most often appears in the first models of printers as a result of the design of the head or the use of non-original spare parts.

When the equipment is idle for a long time, air is obstructed in the head so that the ink does not dry out. In this case, the ink that is in the nozzles can mix or change shades for a certain time after the device starts operating.

The equipment does not use any of the colors

As a rule, these malfunctions also occur after prolonged equipment downtime as a result of ink drying. Sometimes the head becomes airy after installing cartridges, or the device misunderstands cartridges from different manufacturers.

Using only black

During proper installation and normally filled cartridges, the equipment can only print in black. Often this malfunction appears during startup, when the default Color in the device software is only black.

How to find the reason

Most likely, the fault lies in an empty cartridge, therefore, first, you need to determine the ink level. To do this, you do not need to disassemble the equipment, since you just need to find the technical utilities of the device.

This is done either using the menu on the computer or on the equipment display, if present. Where the screen is located will depend on the specific model. After using technical utilities, you can find out which cartridge requires refilling.

If the amount of ink is sufficient, but there is no normal printing, you probably need to check the nozzles or test print. This way you can find out which cartridge has a problem.

You also need to check the nozzles. This is required if printing has not been done for a long time and the cartridges have dried out and the nozzle is clogged. It is advisable to check the nozzle last as this will require a large amount of ink.

Troubleshooting Methods

The ways to fix the problem, why the device only uses red or another color (green, blue), are not complicated and any user can handle it. To get rid of remaining ink, use cartridge holders or latches required to transport them. If this does not help, cleaning can be done with warm water.

Reference! If your equipment is not printing colors correctly, using identical cartridges will probably help. The most important thing is to choose devices from the same manufacturer, since consumables from different manufacturers may have different designs.

If the head is clogged, it will need to be cleaned to remove the air. First, the nozzles are tested, then, taking into account the test, the need to clean or replace consumables is determined.

The same steps are used when the equipment ignores a certain color. If the equipment prints the wrong colors, it sometimes means there is no ink. In some cases, the equipment does not print even when there is some remaining ink, but there is not enough ink. The cartridge needs to be refilled or replaced with a new one.

You can usually fix many problems yourself if your printer is using the wrong colors.Otherwise, you need to contact a repair shop to carry out serious diagnostic measures.

Now you know what to do if the printer only prints in red or another color.