Epson is one of the most popular printers and the new XP series are the cherry on top. The XP series is the best one of Epson, however, technical issues are a part of printers and Epson is no exception. Websites are loaded with inquiries regarding, why my Epson printer not printing black.
If you also have a question regarding your Epson 400 not printing black, Epson XP 434 not printing black, Epson XP 410 not printing black, Epson XP 430 not printing black, and Epson 310 not printing black, please read the simple fixes and guides in this article to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
If your Epson XP printer series is not printing in black color, there could be a number of possible reasons you should consider; maybe your printer drivers are outdated, there could also be issues in your printer spooler, or you have given the wrong printer configuration to the printer. Whichever the issue is there, you need to figure it out in order to resolve it.
Troubleshooting Methods for the Epson Not Printing Black Issue
We will now list down all basic troubleshooting methods gradually to resolve the issue at hand in little to no time, that too all by yourself.
Examine the connection of your printer
Most of the time due to technical errors in the connection the XP series printer – or any printer in general – stops the prints process. So, before proceeding with any other solution, make sure to check thoroughly the connection of your printer.
There are normally three possible ways to connect your printer and we will list down all three of them so you can check accordingly:
USB cable connection:
This is the more commonly used method to connect your printer and when the cable from either end becomes faulty, you will start to see this issue.
- Unplug and then plug the cable again both and accurate ports
- Check for any defaults in your cable. In case of a faulty cable, replace the cable with the new one
- Make sure to connect your printer with the main computer device
You need to make sure that the connectivity ports and the cable itself have no faults.
Wireless connection
If you are using a wireless connection as a connection you need to make sure that
- It is connected with the home network
- Make sure that the connection itself is stable and working
- You can check the connection on any other device by opening a web pages
- Lastly, check if the router device is stable, working, and turned on
The wireless connection can have connectivity issues and they can be resolved by setting the device and its connection as well.
Bluetooth Connection
People who use the connection of both devices with the help of Bluetooth. You need to make sure that:
- The proximity of your Epson printer and the device is close in order for them to work smoothly
- If there is no issue of proximity, you can try the reboot method as well. For the reboot method, you need to connect and disconnect the devices
The reboot method works best for all Bluetooth devices and it usually helps to eliminate the connectivity issues instantly.
Look into the status of your printer
After analyzing the connection of your printer, the next step on the list is to review the status of your printer. Follow these guidelines to do so:
- The ink is an essential part to print anything on paper. Therefore, you need to check the status of your toner. If the toner is out of ink, this issue will arise
- Check the status of toner and ink cartridge and replace it with new toner if you are out of toner
- Make sure the ink and toner itself are genuine
The ink cartridge and toner are an important aspect of printing, if one of them is out of it, you will start seeing this issue.
Look for any available driver updates
If the connection as well status of your printer and device are up to the mark, the next thing you need to check is if there are any new driver updates available for your printer. If you are using an outdated driver, it is very common to see this type of error after some and the solution is simple, you need to update the driver.
- Press Windows + R and type “devmgmt.msc” to look for the device manager
- Once you are in the device manager, from the list of options available in front of you, look for the ‘Printer Driver’
- Tap right-click on it and choose the option of ‘Update Driver’
- Now, you need to choose the search automatically for driver updates software option from the screen in front of you
- Install the latest version of the driver updates on your device by simply pressing the ‘Install Update’ option from the menu
The updated driver – once installed – will help to get rid of this issue after you restart your device.
Set your printer as the default device
Setting your printer as a default device also helps to eradicate the not printing black issue. To set Epson XP as your default device follow these steps:
- Press Windows + R, search for Control Panel in it and press OK
- The option you need to look for is the ‘Device and Printers’, tap on it
- Once you are on the device and printers section, you will see a list of devices available on your computer; select the exact name of your printer. For example Epson XP 400, loo for the exact name and right-click on it
- Now, set it as default, apply all changes and confirm it by pressing Yes
If you have followed the procedure correctly, you will now be able to set your device as default.
Clean the Printhead
The printhead is used in the printer to help transfer the ink onto the pages with the help of nozzles. If any of these nozzles are clogged, this issue might arise. You need to clear out the printhead to eliminate this problem.
How to clean Printhead:
You can run the built-in cleaning function on your Epson XP printers by following these steps:
- Scroll to the maintenance on your Printer and select it
- Now, scroll again to choose the print head nozzle check option here and select ‘Print’. By doing this, your printer will check a nozzle head’s pattern check of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow colors on the printer. If you find any missing colors on it, you should run the printhead cleaning function to get rid of the issue and improve the quality of the cartridge
You can clean these nozzles either manually or automatically depending on your Printer. If your printer has the automatic, cleaning feature for nozzle clogs, you can access it with the help of the maintenance menu on your printer, you can try to use this function to unclog the nozzles, it is to inform you that this function requires ink to process.
Lastly:
Users can resolve this issue by doing a thorough analysis of the issue at hand and then opting for a solution suitable to them. All printers including the best quality ones can run into things like these because of technical errors. Maintenance of these devices keeps the quality up to the mark and you will not have face such issues unexpectedly.
