[Dropped] Black areas will not print on color printer

[Pakoclu]

I've suddenly become unable to print anything in black using one component of OpenOffice or other. If on a page some parts are in color, those parts print as expected but whatever was in black is absent from the paper output.

This has nothing to do with the printer itself as documents print correctly in all colors, including black, when I use any application other than OpenOffice.

I've been printing from OpenOffice for several years without any problem whatsoever before. Has anyone ever encountered a similar problem? Any clue as to what may be going on?

Edit: Changed subject, was Rather bizarre printing problem  Make your post understandable by others  -- MrProgrammer, forum moderator

[MrProgrammer]

I've suddenly become unable to print anything in black using one component of OpenOffice or other. If on a page some parts are in color, those parts print as expected but whatever was in black is absent from the paper outpu

Can you reproduce the problem on the Guest User account? If not, and printing on the Guest User acount is OK, this suggests that you should reset the user profile on your normal account.
Q28: How do I use the Guest User account to run a test?
Q02: How do I create a new profile on a Mac?

If this solved your problem please go to your first post use the Edit ✏️ button and add [Solved] to the start of the Subject field. Select the green checkmark icon at the same time.

[RoryOF]

What printer is being used (make and model)?

[RoryOF]

What happens if you try to print a small sample file written only using black?

[Pakoclu]

My printer is a Canon TS6020. My computer is a Mac mini running Mac OS Sonoma.

When I print a small sample file using only black, the sheet of paper comes out completly white. If I change the color of a few words from black to cyan or magenta, then the sheet of paper comes out with only those words printed in cyan and magenta and nothing else.

Is it possible to send some images (screen captures and/or photos) to illustrate what I mean?

[RoryOF]

We understand what you mean, so there is no need for screen grabs or photos.

[RoryOF]

Try these:

In your printer preferences, check if “Grayscale” or “Color Only” is selected.

Choose “Black and White” or “Monochrome” to prioritize black ink.

Update your Canon printer driver to the latest version available on Canon’s website.

[Pakoclu]

MrProgrammer suggested yesterday that I try using a Guest User account. Before I managed to understand how to go about that I remembered that I have an older MacBook Air which I seldom use. I have just now printed a sample file from that computer. It contains 4 lines of text, thus:
ABCD
ABCD
ABCD
ABCD

The resulting output from the printer is:
ABCD
ABCD
ABCD

[floris v]

Better upload a sample file with that text. Screenshots don't show the cause of the problem. Also check your printer options in OpenOffice. For instance, "Print text in black" on the OpenOffice Writer - Print options/preferences tab (not related to your problem, btw, it's just an example of things to check).

[Pakoclu]

Here is a file created in the graphic module of OpenOffice. It looks like this:
ABCDEF
ABCDEF
ABCDEF
ABCDEF

It occurred to me that I could "print" it as a PDF document and, once open in Acrobat, it looks exactly as it should.

I then imported the PDF document into Graphic Converter, which is an image processing app, and I printed it. The colored text printed OK but, to my amazement, the black text did print out but in outline only. See image 2786 which is a photograph of the printed page captured with my iPhone camera.

I also include a photograph of the ink status page (image 2785) where blacks behave as they should.

[John_Ha]

Try printing this black square. If it prints, it's a font problem.

[Pakoclu]

I tried printing your document. All I got was a blank page. No text and no black square.

I have since done numerous other tests with applications other than OpenOffice and I got mixed results, sometimes the black text printed other times it did not. A few days ago, I could print without any problem from those applications.

I am baffled about the situation. I've come to the conclusion that the problem is with the printer and not with OpenOffice. I think I will give it a rest for a few days. And then I will try reinstalling the printer driver.

Thanks to those who offered to help.

[John_Ha]

I tried printing your document. All I got was a blank page. No text and no black square.

No text either!!!! Try this .odt written by LibreOffice.

Try this PDF created by AOO from test.odt.

Search for multiple cases where d*mn Windows update installs the wrong printer driver and messes up the printer. (It could be related to AOO being a 32 bit application running under a 64 bit OS which is fully supported so should be OK. I think there is some software between 32-bit AOO and a 64 bit driver which may be what gets messed up).

Which gives another thought. AOO is walking dead so are going to bin it soon. Try LibreOffice - does it work OK? LO is a 64 bit application.

If you want to say on AOO ...

1. Do not trust Windows update to install the correct printer driver.

2. Go to the printer manufacturer's website and download the correct driver and install it.

[John_Ha]

Also, are you sure the printer is OK and the black cartridge is working?

The printer probably has 4 x ink cartridges, 3 x colour and 1 x black. The black cartridge is used to print black so as to prevent wasting the all three colours to make a poor imitation of black.

[RoryOF]

Another thought: are the ink cartridges from the printer manufacturer or from some other source? Or are they mixed, and the black from other source?

[Pakoclu]

To John_Ha:

I'm on a Mac. I don't use Windows.

I went to the printer manufacturer's website to download the correct driver and install it. I did not however find any link to do so. I'm sure they are there somewhere but I am so exhausted by the whole thing that I've decided to give up for the time being. I've spent way too many hours trying to solve this problem. I need a break.

My printer, which is the Canon TS6020, holds five ink cartridges, 4 small ones (C+M+Y+K) plus a much larger one which also contains black ink.

___________


TO RoryOF:

My ink cartridges are NOT from the printer manufacturer. They are from an independant company called Smart Ink™ and I buy them from Amazon. They are much cheaper and give excellent results. I am amazed everytime I insert one that I get a message that says the newly inserted cartridge originates from the printer manufacturer, i.e. Canon, which I know is incorrect. Apparently Smart Ink™ has successfully cloned the Canon electronic chip located on the bottom of the cartridge. Apparently they have somehow managed to get away with it for all that time.

I've had this printer for many years and never before a few days ago was there ever any inconvenience related to the fact that they are not made by Canon. As I have never installed any software update since the purchase of the printer, I wonder how, all of a sudden, a problem with counterfit cartridges might suddenly come up, but I'm suspicious that perhaps Smart Ink™ has recently been forced by Canon to modify its electronic chip and that could possibly be the source of my problem, which, now that I think of it, actually surfaced a few days ago after I changed the YELLOW cartridge. It's a bit strange then that the problem I encounter concerns only the output of the BLACK cartridges.

[MrProgrammer]

UNRESOLVED — I GIVE UP

I think I will give it a rest … I've spent way too many hours trying to solve this problem.

Pakoclu has said twice that they are not interested in pursuing the problem further, so I have locked it. Pakoclu is welcome to open a new topic if they later want to continue discussion, though this does not appear to be an OpenOffice problem, since other applications sometimes fail to print black text.
-- MrProgrammer, forum moderator