Your HP printer prints black text, but every color photo or document comes out gray. Grayscale settings, missing printer controls, depleted color supplies, and printhead faults each need a different fix. Start with the settings for your device, then use a printer-generated color report to decide whether to repair the software or tackle the supplies and printhead.
Check the Windows color setting first
Search Windows for Printers & scanners and open your HP printer's Printing preferences. With a compatible HP driver, use Paper/Quality > Color > OK.
On supported Windows 11 printers using the HP Print Support Application, use Color Mode > Color > OK instead. The available controls depend on the driver and model; if yours are missing, use the printer setup fixes below.
If an unwanted saved preset keeps restoring grayscale, remove it in the HP Print Support Application through Preset > Custom Preset > Delete > Yes. After deleting the preset, set Color Mode to Color before printing again.
Check the app when only one program prints in black and white
The program sending the job has its own print settings. A color setting in Windows does not finish the job if the application still requests grayscale.
Open File > Print. Open the driver's controls through Printer Properties in Word, More settings in Windows Photos, or Preferences in Paint. Select Color in the driver's Paper/Quality, Color, Features, or Advanced tab, whichever your driver provides.
For a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader, open File > Print. Select your HP printer. Clear Print in grayscale. Open Properties to enable color in the driver too.
In Microsoft Edge, press Ctrl+P on Windows or Command+P on Mac to open the print dialog. Select your HP printer. Set Color to Color. If only website backgrounds disappear, enable More settings > Background graphics.
For missing background colors in Word on Windows, open File > Options > Display. Under Printing Options, enable Print background colors and images.
If the document still prints in monochrome, print a color document from another application. A successful color print points back to the original application's settings or document. Investigate those before replacing supplies.
Set color on Mac and in the HP app
Use these paths when printing from a Mac, phone, tablet, or the current HP app. Follow the path for your device because the color labels differ.
On a Mac, open File > Print. Select the correct printer. Enable Print in Color. Check Presets for a saved black-and-white configuration.
If the Mac application shows its own print dialog first, select Color there. Select Print to open the system dialog. Enable Print in Color in that second dialog. HP says the system settings override the preceding application settings.
If native Mac applications lose color, try opening your file through Print Documents or Print Photos in the HP app. Enable Print in Color. Select Print. The HP app provides a workaround for the fault where native applications print in monochrome but the HP app still prints color.
In the HP app for Windows, open your file through Print PDFs or Print photos. Open More settings > Color mode.
For the selector offering Off, High Quality Grayscale, and Black Ink Only, choose Off to allow color. Both grayscale choices produce monochrome output. Select OK to confirm. Select Print.
On iPhone or iPad, select your printer in the HP app. Open your file through Print Documents. For a photo, open it through Print Photos instead.
For photos, tap Next to reach Print Preview. At Print Preview, select Color Options > Color. Tap Print.
On Android, select your printer in the HP app. Open your document through Print Documents. At Print Preview, select Color Mode > Color.
For an Android photo instead, open the image through Print Photos. Select Next > Color Options > Color. Tap Print.
Check for missing or depleted color supplies
A missing or depleted color supply triggers grayscale output on HP models with black-only or backup printing modes.
Check Estimated supply levels beside your printer in the HP app. On supported printer panels, use the ink-drop or cartridge icon, Ink Levels, or the toner indicator instead. These readings are estimates; a nonempty reading does not prove that ink nozzles are working.
On supported two-cartridge HP inkjets, using only the black cartridge in Single-cartridge mode produces grayscale. Install a working, compatible tri-color cartridge to restore color.
OfficeJet Pro 9110, 9120, and 9130 series printers also support grayscale printing in a limited backup mode. Replace the depleted supply to move beyond that backup output.
For a Color LaserJet Pro 4201, 4202, or 4203, open Supplies > Settings > Very Low Behavior > Color Cartridge. The Print Black setting forces black-only output when color toner is very low.
Replace the affected cartridge, or select Continue to attempt printing with the remaining toner. Changing the setting cannot restore exhausted toner.
Use a color-quality report before buying supplies
Compare a printer-generated color-quality report with your document before buying supplies. Missing color blocks, fading, or streaks on the report point toward a supply or print-quality problem. A clean report shifts attention back to application settings and printer software.
For an HP Tango, load plain white paper. In the HP app, select the printer image and open Diagnostics or Tools > Print quality tools or Printer Reports > Print quality report. Inspect the colored blocks.
On Smart Tank 6000, 7000, and 7300 series printers, load plain paper. Hold Information for five seconds to enable support mode, then hold Color Copy for three seconds to print the report. This button combination applies to those series.
For a Color LaserJet Pro 4201, 4202, or 4203, use the control dial to select and press Menu > Reports > Print Quality Report. An affected color band helps identify the suspect toner cartridge.
Clean the inkjet printhead when the report has defects
Use the cleaning path for your model, then judge the result from its test page.
- 1.Load plain paper before starting maintenance.
- 2.On HP Tango, select the printer in the HP app and open Diagnostics or Tools > Print quality tools > Clean printhead.
- 3.On OfficeJet Pro 9110, 9120, or 9130 series, use Menu > Utilities > Tools > Troubleshooting > Print Quality > Printhead Cleaning > Continue instead. Begin at level 1.
- 4.Inspect the test page. If defects remain, select Yes on Tango or Clean Again on these OfficeJet models to run the next cleaning level.
- 5.Wait at least 30 minutes before repeating a complete cleaning cycle on these models.
Restore missing printer controls and get help if needed
A basic printer interface leaves out the advanced color controls supplied by compatible HP software.
On Windows 11, keep the printer on and connected. Open Printers & scanners > your printer > Remove > Yes. Select Add device to search for the printer. Select Add device beside your printer when it appears.
If color controls remain missing, open HP Software and Driver Downloads and select Printer. Identify your exact printer model. Confirm your operating system.
Install the compatible software HP offers for that model and operating system. On supported Windows 11 models, adding the printer through the HP app, HP Easy Start, or Windows Plug and Play automatically installs the HP Print Support Application. Check that application through Printers & scanners > your printer > Open printer app.
For a Mac with a missing color option, turn the printer off and back on. Connect the printer to the same network as the Mac. Open Printers & Scanners through Spotlight.
Select your printer. Choose Remove Printer and confirm the removal. Select Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax.
Select your printer. Click Add. Retry a color document.
For jobs that also stall or show the printer as offline, open the HP app. Select your printer. Choose Diagnose & Fix. Select Start.
Leave the app open and follow the results. The tool addresses queue, offline, and spooler faults; on Windows, it also checks drivers and port mismatches.
If color-quality reports still show defects after the relevant maintenance and supply replacement, open your model's HP support page and select Contact us or Product repair. Keep a defective print sample to show the remaining problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my HP printer use color ink when I print in grayscale?
High Quality Grayscale uses color ink while producing monochrome output. It does not enable color printing.
Will aligning the printhead restore missing colors?
Alignment corrects alignment defects, such as misaligned output. It does not replenish missing ink.
Do I need an Instant Ink subscription to enable color printing?
No. Instant Ink is not a color-enable setting. Account or payment errors block printing with Instant Ink cartridges; regular compatible retail cartridges are an alternative to an inactive subscription.
What if my work printer will not let me choose color?
Ask your printer administrator to review color access. Supported HP enterprise printers provide restrictions for users or applications, and managed ChromeOS devices have a policy that restricts color printing.